Would reading questions first be helpful at all to grasp what the passage would be about?

Comments

• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 11542 karma

  Not weird at all. I also find reading too slow to try and comprehend every single thing does more harm than good! When I read casually it makes main ideas and important facts stick out more. It's all about balance, I think and of course repetition.
• LSATaker Free Trial Member

  November 2016 250 karma

  @montaha.rizeq
  Glad to hear it's not only me!
  Sometimes I try to read slower in order not to miss those important words "most" "likely" etc in LR...
  Do you overlook those words when you read faster?
• Tinyosi1 Alum Member

  November 2016 235 karma

  I think for everyone it is different, but when I don't understand a sentence I usually go back and read it a little more slowly. A general rule I use for myself is that if I can't paraphrase it in my head then I didn't really "read" it and have to give it one more glance.
  
  It also depends on the situation with this test though. There are many times the LSAT makers create deliberately complicated sentences or include overly technical information to zone you out. When dealing with these it is definitely more beneficial to not get hung up on whatever the specifics of the passage are.
  
  So the "correct" answer for me would be that it depends on the situation. If I get tripped up with a seemingly meaningful sentence I slow down for a moment and re-read it, but if I am reading a passage with overly technical info I pretty much just skim it.
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 11542 karma

  @LSATaker said:
  Do you overlook those words when you read faster?
  

  It could happen for sure which is why it all goes back to balance and repetition. Overlooking such words can be detrimental to figure out the right answer.
• LSATaker Free Trial Member

  November 2016 250 karma

  Thanks!
  I guess for easy questions go fast and hard questions go slow maybe...
• 1 Like

  tams2018 Member

  November 2016 727 karma

  continue to read difficult text and looking up words you don't understand. Eventually you will be able to read dense text. Maybe dissecting sentences and think of how it fits with the author's overall point? Repetition is the key here.
• LSATaker Free Trial Member

  November 2016 250 karma

  By saying repetition do you mean read the same passage again and again or different passages but the same difficulty level?
  @tams2018
• BinghamtonDave Alum Member ⭐ 🍌🍌

  November 2016 8711 karma

  @tams2018 makes a great point about looking up words and directing sentences. Couldn't agree more.
• Cackie Jhiles Alum Member

  November 2016 88 karma

  When you are reading, let main points lead the way, keep an eye out for perspectives, and read for macro understanding. If I get stuck on a difficult passage, I push through by keeping these points in mind and reading at the same speed as an easy passage.
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 11542 karma

  @"Habeus Scoreplus" said:
  When you are reading, let main points lead the way, keep an eye out for perspectives, and read for macro understanding. If I get stuck on a difficult passage, I push through by keeping these points in mind and reading at the same speed as an easy passage.
  

  Great tip.
• LSATaker Free Trial Member

  November 2016 250 karma

  Thank you! Let me change the title and ask a bit different question since it seems we can only post 2 threads per day...
  Um, so for RC, do you think reading questions first would help me to understand what passage would say better?
  Especially for those hard passages...
  I know ppl recommend not reading questions first, but I'm terribly weak at hard RC...would it be helpful?
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 edited November 2016 23929 karma

  @LSATaker said:
  for RC, do you think reading questions first would help me to understand what passage would say better?
  Especially for those hard passages...
  I know ppl recommend not reading questions first, but I'm terribly weak at hard RC...would it be helpful?
  

  I personally don't find that this helps me, but if you think it is something that might help you, try it! Take a peek at the questions first and then see if you are using the information from the questions to help you in any way. So try it and evaluate the results.... I'm skeptical of doing this for two reasons: First, humans cannot multitask well. There are studies to suggest that we cannot really do it at all.... So when you read the questions first you'll be multitasking by trying to juggle the ideas of the questions in your head, which can in turn make understanding the passage more challenging. Our short term memory is very important during the RC section, so using some of it up as it were to look at the questions and try to remember them might have a net negative. Second, I think it is a waste of time. You'll spend something like 20-30 seconds upfront to do this and then you'll almost certainly have to re-read the questions anyway. It is a lot easier to re-read a sentence long question as opposed to have to re-read a paragraph in the passage....

  @LSATaker said:
  Which makes you comprehend the reading better, read it faster or slower?
  

  The answer is a resounding slower. Reading slower makes it easier to comprehend the RC. However, it is timed, so it is important to get good at reading the passage in under 4 minutes. Ideally 3:30. This allows you enough time to hit the questions with about :45 seconds each.
  

  @LSATaker said:
  So I was wondering how others read...when you do not understand something in the passage, do you decrease your speed?
  Or push reading?
  
  

  Specifically when I do not understand something in the RC passage I re-read it. I re-read it until I understand it. Sometimes it takes 2-3 reads. Usually it is a confusing sentence in the first few sentences before I really understand what the passage is getting out.
  
  My advice is to not focus on speed. Speed isn't a useful tool one can force for this test and unfortunately taking as much time as we need is always going to be at odds with the time constraints. We need to focus on learning the good habits that allow us to be efficient, effective, and accurate! This is why doing timed RC passages and then BR is a good idea!
• Tinyosi1 Alum Member

  November 2016 235 karma

  I have to agree with @"Alex Divine" about the "questions first" approach to RC. It seems like you will just waste time doing this.
  
  If you have trouble reading a passage WITHOUT all that other stuff to consider, how will this help you? In my opinion doing this would just psyche you out in general, but even if it didn't I bet the time sink would be great enough to affect your fourth passage.
  
  If you really want to try it then please go for it, but I am skeptical. Just focus on reading the passage and answering the questions well as you study, and eventually speed will happen when you get good enough at it. You have to walk before you can run as they say.
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  November 2016 27900 karma

  @Tinyosi1 said:
  If you have trouble reading a passage WITHOUT all that other stuff to consider, how will this help you?
  

  @"Alex Divine" said:
  So when you read the questions first you'll be multitasking by trying to juggle the ideas of the questions in your head, which can in turn make understanding the passage more challenging.
  

  Excellent points guys. This is the main thing to consider in this context. I would add, that once you've gained enough experience through PTing/BRing, you shouldn't really need to read the questions first to have a pretty good idea of what they're going to ask anyway. I consider reading RC questions first a bit like taking time to read the directions at the beginning of each section. It's valuable information, but it's information you should know going into the test so that you don't have to use precious test time on it. This is just a matter of building experience, so keep drilling RC and you'll get there!
  
  Another exercise I've found really valuable for RC is redoing sections. It's almost like a really abstract foolproofing. The second and third time through, you can spare a little extra attention away from the passage and see the underlying mechanics a bit better.
  
• 1 Like

  LSATaker Free Trial Member

  November 2016 250 karma

  Thank you guys,
  
  So it seems people agree on not reading the questions first...
  Let me actually try for a couple of PTs before making the decision, but those thoughts are really helpful!
  Thank you so much.
  
  
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  November 2016 27900 karma

  Never hurts to try!
• Stevie C Alum Member

  November 2016 edited November 2016 645 karma

  There are some questions you can answer or partially answer without reading everything
  
  1) "What is discussed in A and B?" : You can eliminate a few answers after reading A
  2) Questions that only refer to passage A
  3) Questions that refer specifically to the first or second paragraph
  
  in general, no, I don't think looking at all the questions first helps me understand the passage. What it does do is cue me in to some things to focus on -- at the expense of time, so it's a definite trade-off. To clarify, I don't actually read the questions, I spend 15 seconds upfront glancing at them.
• Shownuff Alum Member

  November 2016 222 karma

  Piggy-backing off what others said, repetition and looking words up goes a long way. As a lit major I had to read text like Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, The Tempest, etcetera where the words were written differently and had different meanings from what they mean today. Long & short of it, I started reading those text with greater ease with time and effort.
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  November 2016 27900 karma

  Hey, I was a lit major too @Shownuff ! What was your main area of study?
  
  And great point about looking stuff up. I studied Chaucer which is barely still English at that point, lol. At first, I straight up couldn't read it. By looking stuff up though, I acclimated to it and soon got to where I was reading really fluently. Same thing goes for LSAT.
• 1 Like

  Shownuff Alum Member

  March 2017 222 karma

  @ Cant Get Right... sorry for taking so long to get back -didn't see this 'till now for ome reason? Anyways, to finally answer your question I absolutely loved Gothic Literature, and Ernest Gains has got to be my main man! From one Lit major to another... much love and respect!
• TexAgAaron Alum Member

  March 2017 1723 karma

  I would definitely say read the passage first and not the question(s). First, your main focus should be on the passage and understanding it; its redundant to me to read a questions 2 separate times. The other part and probably most important part in my opinion is that some of the questions you may end up skipping. Why waste precious seconds on a question that you may not even attempt? Just my two cents. Good luck!
• 1 Like

  TimLSAT180 Alum Member

  March 2017 619 karma

  I agree with @akeegs92. The test is constructed in such a way to prevent test-takers from reverse-engineering by reading the questions first. If you do this, you'll get sucked into a lot of the trap answer choices that the test writers have purposefully planted. So, always always read the passage first.