How much can RC be improved?

strasvery-deleted

I did som RC sections today untimed and it was like...around -10.
I'm sure I will make more mistakes if it is timed...
This is seriously my weakest section.
How to improve RC? I read some prep books, and they recommend to take notes, but not sure I have time to do so...
What kind of things are you doing for preparing for RC? Just read&do questions?

Thanks,

Sprinkles

It's ok, you aren't the only one who struggles with RC. Usually people struggle with RC because of its dense unmoving material so one way I combat this is to act like I'm so interested in the content I'm reading which will help me stay engaged with the material. Many people recommend getting yourself accustom to reading boring and dense text outside of LSAT prep such as The Economist, Scientific American, The NYer (although I find myself enjoying the NYer material lol) basically anything thats similar to the RC passages. Notation strategies are also important, and I found 7sage's memory method helped:
https://7sage.com/lsat-reading-comprehension-the-memory-method/

Kateryna

more practice. anticipate questions while reading passage.

westcoastbestcoast

Even if the actual topic or ideas discussed in passages may be different, RC passages usually follow a set number of structures and have consistent question types. Spend time upfront before you hit the questions to get a proficient understanding of the main idea of the passages and other important views and points in each paragraph. You should also try to optimize your strategies and processes for the various question types you encounter in RC passages, just as you would in LR.

strasvery-deleted

Thanks guys,

By the way,,,
Do you take notes? Or underline? How much notes do you usually take?
I thought maybe underline main topic in each para is good but when I tried it, it took too much time cuz I need to re-read the whole paragraph to find which part is importatn...

desire2learn

Start slow and work your way faster over time. I started by taking notes via the memory method but as I grew in comfort level I now just underline a few things as I go. I would do single sections for practice and just work on getting a little bit better over time until you can hit your target time. It seems counter intuitive but spending the time up front makes you faster in the long run, not slower (kind of like in LG with solving all game boards).

MrSamIam

RC can be incredibly difficult to improve on, if you don't know how to read for the LSAT. We're accustomed to reading books (leisure reading) and articles (reading for small details). The LSAT's RC section is a different beast. With RC, you're focusing on passage structure, and how each passage revolves around the main point and the other passages. Get used to focusing on the aforementioned, and you'll likely see an improvement in score.
I would recommend The Trainer + 7Sage's RC lessons.

Alex

@MrSamIam said:
RC can be incredibly difficult to improve on, if you don't know how to read for the LSAT. We're accustomed to reading books (leisure reading) and articles (reading for small details). The LSAT's RC section is a different beast. With RC, you're focusing on passage structure, and how each passage revolves around the main point and the other passages. Get used to focusing on the aforementioned, and you'll likely see an improvement in score.
I would recommend The Trainer + 7Sage's RC lessons.

Absolutely this ^

RC is hard to improve on, but it can be improved on until you are consistently at -0, just like every other section. I recently have begun the RC section of my prep (I think my diagnostic was -8) and through 7Sage, The LSAT Trainer, and tons of practice, I am slowing reaching my goal of getting a perfect RC score.

I think the above is a great piece of advice on how to get there.

A few big ideas that truly helped me besides the memory method and The LSAT Trainer's read for structure approach was not hanging onto every word. I actually began to read completely different than I do for other things.

I also realized that the answers are all in the passage. I now spend less time reading meticulously and give myself more time to go back and find answers and be sure. Even having an extra 20 seconds per question to do that is huge!

Lastly, by redoing passages, I have begun to truly develop a sixth sense about where the answers are hidden. I think I re-did about 20 passages and afterwards things began to click a little better.

Overall, keep in mind that RC is arguably the hardest and slowest thing to make improvements on. But if you keep at it you'll get better.

strasvery-deleted

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate them.

@"Alex Divine"
Can I ask how you changed the way you read?

@"Alex Divine" said:
A few big idea that truly helped me besides the memory method and The LSAT Trainer's read for structure approach was not hanging onto every word. I actually began to read completely different than I do for other things.

Alex

@strasvery said:
Can I ask how you changed the way you read?

Yeah, so I basically began to read more like it is a History or Philosophy reading for college -- that is to say, I basically skim it with questions in mind rather than just reading it like it is a novel. I am truly looking for something always - be it how one idea connects to the next, or the authors tone/opinion on what he is writing about. It is essentially very deliberate active reading. But I really became cognizant of being on the look out for the structure.
So when we read a book normally we don't actively read. We just read page by page waiting for the author to develop a larger narrative and tell us a story.

When I read LSAT passages, I actively hunt out what the author is trying to tell me rather than reading along until they finally get to it. So it is basically reading for structure as opposed to the details.

I'm going to assume you already know all of this, but the integral part was actually training my brain to do it automatically. When I first attempted the above I was trying to juggle two idea in my head; read for structure and actually the ideas I was reading. Through practice now I do it a bit more natural.

Another way I have changed how I read for RC might not work for everyone, but it certainly was worked for me and that is also stopping the subvocalization of words as I read them.

It takes a bit of practice but it personally increased my reading speed quite a bit especially with science passages with obscure vocabulary that was often a bit foreign to me. My mind subconsciously would try to read the words as if I was going to have to pronounce them. Then I realized it didn't matter if I understood how to "read" or "say" the word. So I was able to stop getting hung up on words and re-reading sentences. I'm not sure if you have this problem, but it was a big one for me. So now when I run into a passage on antibiotics called Teliothromycintin, I won't spend 10 seconds re-reading it to try to understand how to pronounce it, haha. (This isn't an actual passage)

The 7Sage course nor the LSAT Trainer endorses the above advice on subvocalization. I know speed readers implement it as a technique to read faster, and arguably reading too fast is a bad thing for the RC, so just remain mindful of that if you try it. I just needed a way to stop getting stuck on re-reading oddball scientific terms, lol.

strasvery-deleted

@"Alex Divine"

Thanks! Yeah, I have heard that before too and tried not to subvocalize, but then I found I actually do not understand what the author is talking about in the passage...my eyes are moving but I just cannot absorb the information.
Did this happen to you?
How did you overcome it?
Trying not to pronounce the science words sounds good, I'll definitely try to do that lol

Alex

@strasvery said:

Thanks! Yeah, I have heard that before too and tried not to subvocalize, but then I found I actually do not understand what the author is talking about in the passage...my eyes are moving but I just cannot absorb the information.
Did this happen to you?
How did you overcome it?

No problem dude!

Thinking back about it, yeah, I do think it was a bit odd at first not hearing the little voice in our heads saying the words as we read.

How did I overcome it? Just kept practicing and realizing and developing faith and eventually trust in myself that when we read words--whether or not we subvocalize them--we understand them. I think the reason I had the problem you mention originally was that I didn't think I was understanding the words if I didn't have that voice in my head.

Don't feel compelled to implement this into your RC strategy if it doesn't click. It is kind of against all credible RC orthodoxy. RC is very much the section where your own style and technique should be adopted and used. Find what works for you and go with it! I know people who got 170s who annotated a bunch and some who didn't make a mark. As a matter of fact, I think 7Sage endorses using subvocalization or I've heard reading the passage in the voice of Morgan Freeman. It might actually be you need to subvocalize more or differently if you're the type of person who this style is for.

Most importantly the changes I made with regard to my reading was hunting for things like the main point, tonal changes, and the normal questions they ask on RC questions. Also, I have made it a habit of finding "proof" in the passage to ensure I have chosen the correct answer. The answers are in there... I can't stress it enough. Never let even the more challenging RC passage scare you because you know the answers are in there. Hunt for them!

strasvery-deleted

Thanks! @"Alex Divine"
It's good to know we can actually stop subvocalizing and still solve RC questions...if I can do that, it would save a lot of time! I'll practice it

lsatblitz

I was in the same exact boat for about a year. I've been able to finally gain ground, so working on RC is not a lost cause, it just takes longer to improve on than any other section did for me.

The single most important shift I made in my studies was buying most of JY's explanations for the PT's in the 70's. After watching JY read 10-15 passages and attack the questions, I've sort of developed his same confident and focused approach to RC.

Through his explanations, JY constantly reminded me that it's not the end of the world when you come across a passage where you have no clue what's going on. Just pull through and get the main idea of each paragraph and really try to understand the structure.

The thing is, I've heard that same thing said to me about a million times from a bunch of different sources, but I never really understood what it meant until recently.

All in all, I highly recommend listening to JY explain his interpretation of the passages up until you adopt the same sort of attack strategy that he has.

strasvery-deleted

@lsatblitz

@lsatblitz said:
The thing is, I've heard that same thing said to me about a million times from a bunch of different sources, but I never really understood what it meant until recently.

Do you mean...focusing on structure? So did you buy the individual explanations? I see you are starter, so the package does not include the explanations for 70s I guess?
I wish they sold only RC section explanations or something...
I'm thinking to get the starter too, but the explanations included is kind of old if I remember correctly...Does he explain in the same way as he does for 70s?

Thanks in advance!