Edit&additional questions:
Let me change the title and ask a bit different question since it seems we can only post 2 threads per day...
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?
Original post:
Hi, this may sound a little weird question, but...
Which makes you comprehend the reading better, read it faster or slower?
Especially for those hard questions and passages in LR and RC...
I found sometimes even though I decrease the speed to understand better, it sometimes makes me even more confusing when I read slow. (and sometimes it's the same) But sometimes reading slower works better...
So I was wondering how others read...when you do not understand something in the passage, do you decrease your speed?
Or push reading?
Thanks
Comments
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?
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.
I guess for easy questions go fast and hard questions go slow maybe...
@tams2018
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?
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!
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.
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.
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) "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.
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.
@ 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!
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!
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.