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1 Like
RC Help
absabourygaye99
Member
I really really need help with RC. I get like -15 and i'm taking the november test. can someone help me please?
Comments
One resource that helped me IMMENSELY with RC was the LSAT Lab on YouTube. Their videos are kind of cheesy, lol, but trust the insight. They condense RC in a very digestible way.
There are a few videos in the series, so I'll share a link to the first one
I hope it helps you like it has helped me!
Writing down a bullet point for each paragraph from the passage made a huge difference for me when it came to retaining the information and understanding the argument
In addition to these tips, for the comparative passages, I find it easier and less time consuming to scan the questions after passage A and answer questions pertaining to it before moving onto passage B since it's fresh in my mind and you wont have to go back and forth to double check your answers
Personally when I read the RC passage I read for the main point. Sometimes, the passage is spelled out for you other times you have to dig. But the passage is always centered around the MP from what I've noticed.
Reading for the main point kinda let's you zoom out and see the argument structure of the passage, which is something you should always read for.
I only started to get better at RC when I STOPPED taking notes. Instead I highlight certain words/phrases on screen that indicate:
a) a change in viewpoint
b) introduction of a new argument
c) a question asked
d) a list of factors
This comes straight from Powerscore which was very helpful. I realized that taking notes on paper was slowing me down, not contributing to my retention, AND I never looked back at them.
I don't know how I did overall on the October LSAT but I do know I had 2 RC sections and finished both with several minutes to look back and review flagged/tough questions.
The powerscore book for reading comp really helped me. It gave me drills and in depth tools for what to look out for and notice. I went from -12 to -5 and now I have been practicing and hardly getting any wrong.
@"giulia.pines" , same for me. I tried all the things and note taking definitely took the most time and produced the fewest gains. I ALSO had 2 RC sections and finished with extra time, I hope that was a good thing... I actually remember a lot of details even still, so I am going to assume it wasn't bad
I will say that note taking can be worth trying, untimed, as it is a good exercise in engaging with the material and looking more for structure if you have a hard time seeing it. I ultimately stopped using it as a tool as I was not looking back it nor finding it helpful under timed conditions. I have internalized the practice and synopsize what I've read in my head after each paragraph, and link it to the other paragraphs before moving on.
I do love me some highlighter, it keeps me engaged and helps me track important info without taking up a ton of time. A few additional things I like to highlight: unfamiliar words, author's perspective (can be, and often is, subtle), indicator words like however, thus, although, which all point to shifts in perspective or opinion.
Keeping this post alive as it is probably the most comprehensive foundational RC advice around.
https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/26560/my-guide-to-reading-comprehension-part-1-long-ish-post
I have found literally so many of your comments on these forums extremely helpful, thank you!!
@Jagbirh , you are so welcome! I am twiddling my thumbs till scores release on October 27th, gotta pay forward all the pearls I have picked up over the last year!
@sarakimmel Wow..That's so good to hear.
Thank you for the tips...I honestly can't see how I would finish all 4 passages in the 35 min.
I agree I also do not find the notes helpful in answering.
Hi Sara, do you mind elaborate a bit more on your take or what you think that made RC click for you? Especially when it comes to timing. Finishing with extra time on RC is very impressive. I feel as though I am and did "internalized the practice and synopsize what I've read in my head after each paragraph, and link it to the other paragraphs before moving on," but it won't reflect in the questions (Though it does reflect in BR most of the time). Time pressure causes me to mis-read words or interpret phrases loosely or wrongly. Would love to hear your experiences!
@CEOofgettinga170 remembering that the answers to the questions are in the passage is probably the one thing that helped more than anything else... I know it sounds stupidly simple, but easy to forget, or think the LSAT is trying to trick you (shout out to my amazing study partner @atticusbinch00). Slowing down and practicing without the pressure of the clock so that you really understand what you're reading is also huge. Once you prefect the practice or reading for understanding, you will find the questions go so much faster, you will be looking for the answer instead of choosing from possibilities. That's where to save time, not in the reading.
Echoing this - Sara you're a star!
An issue I face is doing it on the laptop, since we can't physically highlight and it is time consuming to click on the tool or even take notes I find myself not being able to understand anything I read and go into the questions because there isn't any time left. Any advice on taking RC on the online/flex platform?
@anoshkapande You can double-click on words to highlight them, and I find the forcefulness of the action does to my brain the same thing that a definitive underline would do on paper. Helps me remember that word or point in the passage. If you see highlighting as a way to break up the passage and alert you to where key changes happen, instead of as a way to mark up all the important bits (which can seem like a lot when you first read) then you won't overmark and it will help you remember.
@anoshkapande I see a lot of comments advocating for no note taking. I'm a tactile learner, and have always felt like the act of reading, underlining, and physically holding the paper/pen in my hand really makes a huge difference for me. In undergrad, I took all my notes by hand. So while I don't feel like my note taking really is super helpful for me to reference back to DURING the passage, it does help provide that physical cue I would get from reading the passage on pen and paper, and helps me commit the details to memory.