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Assessing Reading Comprehension

K SK S Free Trial Member
edited November 2013 in Reading Comprehension 86 karma
I have been working on Logical Reasoning and Logic Games, and I feel pretty comfortable with them. I still end up scoring in the 150's however due to reading comp. I feel like the only way to really improve is to do them and get them wrong and try to do better next time? I feel sort of lost. I have been reading the Economist and scholarly journals on scientific information to try and hone those skills as far as reading goes. However, I am not sure why I just cant make it work.

Any Tips?
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Comments

  • The_RiseThe_Rise Alum Member
    283 karma
    what books do you have for reading comp? I think the trainer is probably the best RC book.

    also google, "voyagers reading comp tips" should take you to a thread on TLS which many people said helped their reading comp scores.
  • Nilesh SNilesh S Alum Inactive ⭐
    edited November 2013 3438 karma
    and my two cents ...Manhattan LSAT reading strategy guide...though JY says that trainer is better, MLSAT did the job for me...down from - 10 to -1 to -3 on the tests
  • K SK S Free Trial Member
    86 karma
    What do you mean "trainer" am I going to have to buy the entire trainer book just for that one section? Like this: http://www.amazon.com/The-LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-driven/product-reviews/0989081508

    What is in the Manhattan LSAT reading strategy guide that made it so effective for you?

    My issue I found lat night isn't with the main point of the passage or with reading quickly. Whether I do the question fast or slow I seem to get about the same amount wrong. I trip up in the inference must be true questions usually. However, seeing as they make up around 40 % of the reading comp section. It make sense why I would be getting them wrong....

    My plan is to do JY's tip of short term memory and just keep repeatedly doing it. I need a maximum of minus ten to make my goal.
  • EuripidesFanEuripidesFan Free Trial Member
    83 karma
    Do not follow voyagers guide. It comes down to understanding the essence of what u read in under 4 minutes so that you can answer general questions quickly and have time to look back for specific questions. Little to no markings are needed.
  • Nilesh SNilesh S Alum Inactive ⭐
    3438 karma
    For me it was the tips and tricks that the MLSAT RC guide gave me...as in what to look for while reading the passage...how to eliminate wrong answers...how to effectively annotate the passage while reading.
  • Nilesh SNilesh S Alum Inactive ⭐
    3438 karma
    Trainer does the same as they are both written by Mike Kim
  • J.Y. PingJ.Y. Ping Administrator Instructor
    edited November 2013 14017 karma
    Hey guys, I don't want to hog the conversation, but I have to put my (hefty) weight on the Trainer. Mike Kim is the man. He just published the Trainer, which to me, means that it's better than the old stuff he wrote for MLSAT.

    You guys are so awesome for helping each other out. Seriously, every time I read the forums, I want to hug you all.
  • K SK S Free Trial Member
    86 karma
    Awesome, I got the book. I really hope that my reading comp goes up. I spent a significant amount of time on it today...and took some time off work to ensure its where it needs to be by the test. THANK YOU
  • Mike RossMike Ross Free Trial Member
    edited November 2013 46 karma
    NVM my last comment, ordered the Trainer!
  • K SK S Free Trial Member
    86 karma
    In the meantime while I am waiting for the book, I have been going through kaplan's reading comp worksheets/drills... I feel like when I do the "memory" method I feel rushed and don't do as well as when I do the kaplan workbook and take my time.

    Do you think that maybe I should just try and get through the workbook and THEN start doing the memory method? Or do you think the reason I am doing poorly is directly related to the fact that I am not retaining enough and thus should do more with the memory method?
  • Amir ShakoorianAmir Shakoorian Free Trial Member
    57 karma
    I have been working through the RC sections of the trainer this week and I think it's a great book. It's approach is very well explained and makes a lot of sense... If you're having problem making improvements on RC, the trainer may be the best approach out there..
  • Luis89011Luis89011 Alum Member
    48 karma
    Know what Book im gettn
  • theformstheforms Alum Member
    edited November 2013 45 karma
    Hi KS - in response to your question, I just created a new discussion and posted a very long and very very detailed explanation of how to deal with RC passages. I also give a more conceptual explanation of why the LSAT even includes RC in the test - how thinking like a lawyer might help with this section of the test. I didn't post this in the comments because it was so long and detailed. if you are still struggling, please, please do check it out.

    Basically, I wrote out this explanation because I think that the RC passages do actually lend themselves to a systematic method that can balance both speed and accuracy, but I don't think that, in comparison to LG and LR, a good, working, systematic method has been fleshed out for RC by most materials I've encountered. That said, Trainer could be better than my method - I may order it, though we're getting very close to test day, so IDK.

    Anyway good luck, I hope you or someone else finds the information useful.
  • David WayneDavid Wayne Free Trial Member
    571 karma
    I am desperate for RC help. 7sage has gotten my LG and LR to near perfect at times but RC is consistently killing my score, i'm averageing -7 wrong per test. I am thinking of ordering Mike Kim's book - can anyone else speak to its effectiveness?
  • pritisharmapritisharma Alum Member
    477 karma
    Is there anyone out there that benefited from Voyager's method? I think Trainer is great and I am averaging to 1 wrong per passage right now. But 1. I think I am taking to long to read the passage (4-5 min) especially considering how long I take to do the questions. My average time /passage is currently about 9 min + . I want to improve both time and efficiency. I am waiting for my Manhattan RC guide.
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    @"J.Y. Ping" said:
    Seriously, every time I read the forums, I want to hug you all.
    image
  • fishtwentyfivefishtwentyfive Free Trial Member
    227 karma
    I suggest rereading the passages you've already taken. Everyone suggests reading other sources to hone their LSAT RC skills, but the truth is, none of those other sources are LSAT passages... The cool thing about RC is that near every correct answer choice is actually PRESENT in the passage. So, when you review and read the passages you've already taken, look for the credited answer in the passage, and if it's not there, then think about it really hard until you understand it. I've also noticed that RC has more 'deceptive' answer choices than any other section-- word choice is incredibly precise.
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    @kylemitchellx said:
    I suggest rereading the passages you've already taken. Everyone suggests reading other sources to hone their LSAT RC skills, but the truth is, none of those other sources are LSAT passages...
    Agree with this! We've already got such a wealth of material; I think just laying eyes on the different subject matter helps with comfort level. Reading through a section will help you switch from subject area to subject area because ... well ... it's the real thing. And then we'll all say, "Hey, I am not afraid of passages about X because reading these RC passages in a safe context lessens my fear of them." Right?

    And hey! You might learn things, too :)
  • Dr. YamataDr. Yamata Member Inactive ⭐
    578 karma
    I find that I need to run through a few RC passages before I take my PT's to warm my eyes and brain up for the density of information I'm about to be tested on. This is really the only tactic that I've noticed a big difference using. It's just so subjective. I've hit near perfect RC's using ridiculous amounts of notation and highlighting, whereas I've hit near perfect RC's not even touching the pencil to the passage at all. I think at the end of the day, you just have to be able to understand what you read quickly and memorize it enough to answer questions about it, or have a clue as to where to jump back and find it.

    Another huge piece of the puzzle is being INTERESTED in the passage. I know this may be a lot to ask. But get into it for 5 minutes. You need to be like.. "Australian Property Regulations!!!!!! YES!!!" Find something interesting about it and get engaged. Approaching the passages with fear, some mechanistic system of notation strategy, or boredom will almost invariably lead to not comprehending the passage as much.
  • bstew2002bstew2002 Alum Member
    269 karma
    You know that part of the 7Sage curriculum where you do all logic games from PTs 1-35 STRAIGHT and next thing you know you are -0 to -2 on all LG sections when PT'ing? Because you drilled the sh*t out of LG.

    Just do the same for RC. It sucks but it pays off. Save a few passages for pre-PT and pre-Test Day (holy sh*t that's Monday...) warm-up like @"Dr. Yamata" says. He's right. You have to warm your brain up and RC passages are safer than sticking your head in the microwave.
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