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Reading to understand: is it beneficial to let my voice guide me?

Creasey LSATCreasey LSAT Member
edited December 2016 in General 423 karma
I know this discussion comes from nowhere but I'm curious to understand how some of you think. While prepping for the LSAT, I've looked into various strategies and techniques on how to become a "better" reader. Becoming a "better" reader in the LSAT sense of could mean a lot of things and seems very subjective, but, to me, "better" is just synonymous with "increased understanding." Now, I forget where and when, but somewhere along my journey I remember coming across an article that suggested I should train myself to learn how to read without listening to my own voice. I think I was searching for ways to become a faster reader, I'm not sure, but the premise of the article was somewhere along the lines of "don't read the words aloud in your head because it slows down your reading."

Personally, I have no clue how to read without listening to own voice. The idea doesn't even make sense to me! I've always listened to my own voice when reading. With the LSAT, I literally have conversations with myself during the process of reading a stimulus or RC passage. It helps me digest whatever bullshit argument or scenario the LSAT is throwing at me.

My questions: when you are reading LSAT material, is there a "right" way to read? Is there a "better" way that I don't know about? What is the balance I should be trying to obtain between speed and proper understanding?

Does any of this even make sense to any of you?
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Comments

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    edited December 2016 23929 karma
    Yeah, it makes sense. Saying the words to yourself in your head is known as subvocalization. On the whole idea of subvocalization vs non-subvocalization on RC, I think it comes down to personal preference/skills.

    I actually read some books on speed reading back in high school when I was interested in becoming a faster reader, and recently I made a post about subvocalization and the RC section (I'll post when I find it), but my opinion is that if you already haven't trained yourself to do it, don't start now. It actually can takes years of practicing to stop subvocalizing and then on top of that, time pressure, and remembering what you read can all make it even more challenging to adopt a non-subvocalization RC method. Also, the passages aren't long enough that learning to read without subvocalizing probably isn't worth it.

    I actually think subvocalizing can help one during the RC section in many ways if it helps you remember and make a mental map of what you are reading.
  • Creasey LSATCreasey LSAT Member
    423 karma
    @"Alex Divine" For some reason, I had a feeling you'd know what I'm talking about. Thanks, man!
  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma
    @"Creasey LSAT" said:
    @"Alex Divine" For some reason, I had a feeling you'd know what I'm talking about. Thanks, man!
    No problem, man! I'm glad I knew :)
  • J.Y. PingJ.Y. Ping Administrator Instructor
    14206 karma
    @"Creasey LSAT" I wouldn't worry about subvocalization. I still do it and it helps a lot with my comprehension. The speed reading advice generally misses the point. It's not about how fast you can get through a passage. It's about comprehension. RC passages aren't very long but they are difficult to understand. You don't need to read them fast. In fact, I think you should first try to read them slow and read them well. Start with older RC passages. When you encounter passages that introduce novel ideas, Google them. Watch YouTube videos about them. They seriously help you get a better understanding of the subject matter. That familiarity with the subject matter will then translate into more fluency with other passages that talk about the same subject matter. Lack of subject matter familiarity accounts for a large chunk of RC difficulty.

    Art


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  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27900 karma
    Yeah, I don't even quite understand how reading without doing this is even possible. I've given it a shot at times, but no thanks.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27900 karma
    LOL at 4:13 evolution! Great videos.
  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    edited December 2016 23929 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    LOL at 4:13 evolution! Great videos.
    Haha the bears! lmao :')
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    Yeah, I don't even quite understand how reading without doing this is even possible. I've given it a shot at times, but no thanks.
    Right!? Haha. I practiced trying to get it down for a while, but the thing is that the speed readers who use this technique also learn to master other memory devices to remember what they read. It really seems to add a bunch of difficulty trying to implement this into the RC section.
  • Creasey LSATCreasey LSAT Member
    423 karma
    Thank you @"J.Y. Ping"! You're my hero.
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