Writing Low resolution summary after each paragraph

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• akistotle Member ⭐ 🍌🍌

  February 2018 edited February 2018 9382 karma

  Unless you are a really fast reader, I don't recommend writing them down. J.Y. doesn't (you can see in his Live Commentary videos). You should do it in your head.
• 3 Likes

  JPJ July2021 Core Member

  February 2018 1532 karma

  I think it could be a good strategy when studying but there wouldn't be time to write down summaries on the actual test.
• 6 Likes

  Leah M B Alum Member ⭐

  February 2018 8392 karma

  I've been doing very few notations, but have been writing extremely low res summaries next to the paragraphs. Mostly like 1 or 2 words, just to help me know where to look if I need to refer back. Things like: theory, rebuttal, new plan, value, etc. I keep it very short. Not necessarily each paragraph either. Sometimes I just underline 1 or 2 words that will point to what is being discussed.
• 1 Like

  paulmv.benthem Alum Member

  February 2018 1032 karma

  I use basically the same technique as @"Leah M B", and I've found to be the best system. I used to just pause and try to imagine low res summary before moving onto the next paragraph, but I find, especially if I'm feeling a little low on time, I have a tendency to move onto the next paragraph too quickly without a good understanding of the paragraph's main point. Jotting down a word or two next to the paragraph has done wonders for my RC (that and adding blueberries to my daily breakfast routine)! I've also found that with time, I've sort of collected a grab-bag of go-to terms for my summaries. This helps a ton with the time, and it helps me to keep the structure more organized in my mind because it begins to connect the new passage structure into structures I've already encountered. Hopefully that makes sense. Since doing this, I find that I usually spend about 4-4.5 min on the passage (longer than average), and then 2.5-3 min on the questions, and rarely do I need to revisit the passage. In some ways, I treat RC similar to LG in how most of the time is spent upfront with the passage.
• hawaiihi Free Trial Member

  February 2018 edited February 2018 973 karma

  @"Leah M B" said:
  I've been doing very few notations, but have been writing extremely low res summaries next to the paragraphs. Mostly like 1 or 2 words, just to help me know where to look if I need to refer back. Things like: theory, rebuttal, new plan, value, etc. I keep it very short. Not necessarily each paragraph either. Sometimes I just underline 1 or 2 words that will point to what is being discussed.

  I usually go -0 on RC, and I usually write one/two word summaries like the @"Leah M B" said. I don't have a problem with running out of time, either. I think it's possible, but maybe not for everyone?
  Still, you can do it pretty quickly once you know where to look––sometimes after a quick scan/first sentence/keywords of each paragraph, it's clear.
• westcoastbestcoast Alum Member

  February 2018 3788 karma

  1 or two words can help. I know having really minimal notation has helped me get a -1 in SAT critical reading in past and helped me average -5 on the RC on LSAT. While I know my RC average isnt the highest, this strategy has helped improve the most.
• 1 Like

  Habeas Porpoise Alum Member Sage ⭐

  February 2018 edited February 2018 1866 karma

  During a PT I do low-res summaries in my head after each paragraph.

  That said, I also make quick notations while reading, like the following:
  - POV 1, POV 2: point of view 1, 2, etc.
  - AO: author opinion
  - AT: author tone, when I catch a tone word
  - HYP/Phen (+ 1, 2...): hypotheses/phenomena on science passages, using numbers if there are multiple
  - MP: main point, on the rare occasion the main point is clearly written as a sentence in the text
  - If there's an especially convoluted paragraph with referential phrasing, I'll sometimes draw a quick arrow to connect concepts.

  At the end of the passage I always summarize the main point before moving into the questions.
• youbbyun Alum Member

  February 2018 1755 karma

  thanks for all the helpful replies!