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Related Discussions
3 Likes
Slow Reader...
So.... I'm having a hard time finishing more than 17-19 Questions in LR Sections and about 15 in RC.... I always thought I was a fast reader... until now 
.. How do I become faster at reading all of this and yet have time to answer the questions?
English IS my second language, but still I'm a faster reader than some of my american friends... so I'm not sure if that has something to do with me not being able to read fast enough for LSAT.... Its really stressful... How did you guys become fast in those sections???
Comments
Speed comes with familiarity with the subject matter and repetition. You will speed up as you start taking PT's.
Yeah, it may not be so much that you are a slow reader, it may just be that you still have a lot to learn with the test. As the above poster said, speed comes with familiarity. The more familiar you are with how to approach things, the faster you will be able to do it. It takes lots and lots of practice, but you CAN get there.
As you practice more, you will hopefully learn what to prioritize as you read and what to be on the lookout for when doing different question types. This will help you be able approach each LR question much more efficiently.
You'll also get used to reading the LSAT's arguments and the grammar they use too.
I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.
Where are you at in your studies? Of course, you will get faster at both as a matter of course as your practice. I would also stay that there are strategies for saving time on sections (e.g., skipping certain questions) that do have a significant impact on the time needed to complete a section. Also, individual question/passage drilling for time (actually, for better than time) helps you improve greatly. Much luck at getting past this hurdle!--A.c.S
English is my second language as well. A few tricks I use are to visually abbreviate words that are not necessary to the understanding of the passage or argument, like "floccinaucinihilipilification" I would read as "flac" and be confident its context will provide the meaning. Also, a big problem I've overcome is letting my eyes return to the previous word or words. This is a bad habit. So, to break this habit, force yourself to eliminate rereading as an option. It will force you to focus on the words you are currently reading, help comprehension, and ultimately increase your speed. Of course rereading is sometimes necessary, but as a drill not rereading is very helpful. Also, with general practice w/ PT's you will get faster!
Thank you everyone. I appreciate the kind responses. I'll just keep practicing.... Hopefully I get faster.
I think you should see some of the Live Commentary videos in the CC. High scorers actually read slowly. But they identify what's happening in the argument quickly and pick ACs quickly.
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but you should not try to read fast. Instead, try to understand the argument. I'm pretty sure that you will get better at it when you get used to it
@morzoey
I had the same problem! I read faster than most people, but I really struggled when it came to the LSAT. Nonetheless, I realized that it honestly helps once you become more confident and familiarize yourself with the different question types. Just drill, drill, and PT.
Don't lose hope & good luck
I've started reading The Economist and it's really helped with my RC and LG.
This is great advice. I also do both of these things and can attest they can help.
I just want to add that using a pencil or finger to follow along each line with can seriously increase visual tracking and along with it our speed.
I just want to add that abbreviating is very helpful on this test. You really don't need to know how to pronounce a long and complicated word, who cares? If it's something like floccinaucinihilipilification, I literally just say 'F'. I know what it refers to, and don't have to waste time trying to pronounce or understand it!
I completely understand your frustration as I was in the exact same situation before (might be even worse) When I got started, I couldn't finish the second passage, like literally. And the ones I've "finished" are half guess work. I'm still not even close to where I need to be in RC but have come a long way. I have tried lots of methods to improve and they all could be helpful to certain extents but what I have gained the most is to practice the real LSAT passages and BR breaking them down into pieces fully absorb and analyze every nuance of it, including every single AC. It takes a lot of time but I believe it's necessary for us as ELS at the beginning. Same strategy for LR, which is why this LSAT is taking me so long..but the result is worth it I promise. So I would start by doing all the RC from pt 1 to 38 (or even up to 40's if necessary but save at least 30 fresh new ones for pting later on) Don't rush yourself, doing them untimed to at the beginning with thorough BR, as you improve your timing will get better accordingly. The reason we are so slow at RC is partially due to the unfamiliarity with LSAT language, (which explains why we aren't slow with reading everything else) and doing RC untimed at stage one is to familiarize yourself with it's language paving the foundation for further success at later stages. I know i have no tricks to offer but this is the safest way to improve if all else fails, it's a method with "guaranteed" results and it's what i have been doing personally and will be continually doing myself.
"The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried"
I know I have quoted this quote numerous times but I think it's such a powerful statement especially for folks facing hardships and obstacles for things like the LSAT. I hope it will speak to you to some extent as well.
With RC, don't get bogged down in the details. A given passage will have 10 to 15 details (or more) that while you read think to yourself "this might be needed", but honestly, you are not going to be asked about the vast majority of them. If you know where to find details, you can quickly find them and re-read it with regard to that specific question when you need to. The vast number of RC questions are about: the main point of the passage; the author's main point (which is often the main point of the passage); the primary purpose of the passage; the author's attitude and argument about the subject matter; what the author would agree/disagree with; what is the structure of the passage; and maaaybe 1 or 2 questions about some detail in the passage. All those types of questions - aside from the detail oriented questions (which are a minority in RC) - require the reader to understand the structure of the passage, so read for that, and that can be done quickly. You'll get there!
Dang I really appreciate this! I do a lot of rereading when I do the reading comp and LR but I am starting to realize that if I did not have to reread, I could do much better on time. Currently I run out of time quite frequently. But would you suggest just reading slower to comprehend much better? I find myself wandering a little trying to think about the big picture whilst reading at the same time. thanks for you help again!
At fist, preventing yourself from rereading will force you to read slower. Think of it this way; you only get one chance to understand what this sequence of words is trying to tell me. After some disciplined practice, your reading speed will actual increase because your ability to comprehend and your ability to focus will have improved! It really does work for us "slow readers."
What is your RC secret!?
Helpful advice, thank you