How to increase speed of RC? Annotation methods?

diefor170

Hi I just started drills on RC and the speed is a huge problem for me. My average time to finish 1 passage is 10 mins! That means I can only finish 3 passages in a timed section . The blind review result is relatively good. I normally got -1 on a passage after BR, if I didn't fully understand the passage, I could got -3 sometimes after BR.

Any suggestions on how to improve the speed? Any annotation methods you recommend? Thanks!

Another question is: Unlike most LSAT takers, my big understanding problem lies in the passages of literature, art, history...etc... since my background is science/engineering. I have to read the passages at least 2 times before I can understand! Sadly most RC are about literatures and arts......

What is a good strategy for the drills? I am using 1-35 PTs as drills.

Thanks!

blah170blah

Some might disagree but I would try cannibalizing some sections and do RC untimed but applying consistent annotation/reading strategies. I think you need to figure out if your annotation strategy is sound but you need to get faster OR if your annotation strategy isn't helping at all and it's a time suck.

diefor170

Thank you @blah170blah I don't have an annotation method yet. Any recommendations of what method I could use or any lectures/resources on it?

blah170blah

I tagged you in a thread that I think you might find helpful

diefor170

@blah170blah the thread is really helpful thanks!

Ron Swanson

I'm going to agree with @blah170blah insofar as it's highly important that you approach each RC passage the same in terms of how you annotate. Some people like the way @"Nicole Hopkins" goes about it in her webinar on RC: - But in the end it's all about what you're comfortable with.

Just use some passages to get comfortable with how you decide to annotate. Remember RC isn't about reading to memorize/write a paper about the material. You read to understand the passage's reasoning structure, the main points, and the author's opinion. Annotating helps because instead of having to memorize the details, you lean on your notation strategy to be able to quickly find the important details in the passage when you glance over that sea of words.

Think of your annotations as the road map you build over an RC passage. Good luck!

jennilynn89

Hi @diefor170 ,

I have the same problem with RC, and I'm trying to figure out different solutions to this. I'd recommend going back to JY's RC lecture and re-doing the practices to gain some speed. I've also started reading the Economist and the NY Times and choose the most difficult articles and try to read through them quickly and absorb as much information as I can. I found this to be pretty helpful too. If you know that you have trouble absorbing specific subjects (i.e. art and literature) I'd read up on those the most. Fake an interest in them, and keep your mind focused on absorbing all of the information.

You could also try to skip some questions instead of forcing yourself to answer all of them. If you notice that one question just stumps you in a passage, just skip in and move on. This may or may not improve your speed in order to get through all 4 passages.

Good luck!

Seriousbird

I agree with @blah170blah in doing RC untimed and also with @"Ron Swanson" about finding a system that works for you. When you do the RC initially untimed you will see what your accuracy rate is and simultaneously get comfortable with the material. Once you feel your accuracy rate is at or close to 100%, I would move to timing yourself.

Personally, I think getting comfortable with the subject matter is important. So for example, I come from a social science background and initially the science passages didn't click with me, so I started reading Scientific American in my spare time to get my brain adjusted and comfortable with hard sciences. Another thing I am doing is drilling science passages untimed until my accuracy is where I want to be, then I will drill them timed.

I think going through the RC curriculum or finding a RC book that clicks with you is also a good way. A lot of people on this forum and others like the Trainer for RC, I just completed the Manhattan RC guide which I found helpful. I think once your brain gets used to the passage type in question, the reading will go faster. Also understanding the system of the RC passages, your looking at comparison of theories-definitions-or an author's argument that is made or will be disputed, searching for the author's opinion. It's important to always look forward as you read, don't get lost in the words and if you find your getting lost or not comprehending what you just read take a minute pause and reread again. Also for me, I make pictures in my mind of what I'm reading because I'm a visual learner, try it out and see if it works for you.

For annotating what I usually do is underline definitions, author's opinion, and where the argument is taking a turn. For example if the author introduces a theory of multipolar system I would just underline multipolar system, then if the author discusses bipolar systems I would underline that, finally if the author introduces his opinion I wouldn't necessarily underline it but make a mental note. When I read a passage I do a mental note in my head before going into the questions of what each paragraph does (that is really helpful for main point and structure questions). I'm not saying I'm perfect at RC because I'm not (I usually get perfect scores on two passages and a few wrong on two) but this is my system.

Also don't feel rushed to take the LSAT if your not ready, the most important thing is to master all three sections so by the time you start PTing your scores indicate your success rates and understanding of the material.

needmylsat180

@blah170blah can you tag me in the thread too please ? thank you

diefor170

Thank you @"Ron Swanson" for the suggestions of annotation methods!
@jennilynn89 Thank you for sharing with me your experiences! I will start to read Economics to get myself familiar with the art/social science/literature matters.
@sweetsecret Thanks for the advice! I will also do more drills in the subject that I am not familiar with!

diefor170

@gabriellatkj I tagged you!