LR -2, LG -0, RC -12. What to do? Forum

[Close Diamond]

While I seem to be improving nicely on other sections, I'm getting worse on RC. My most recent test (which was the only one in which I tried diagramming the passages) was my worst yet as the diagramming slowed me down and I ran out of time.

February 6th is fast approaching. Any suggestions?

[Paix]

While I seem to be improving nicely on other sections, I'm getting worse on RC. My most recent test (which was the only one in which I tried diagramming the passages) was my worst yet as the diagramming slowed me down and I ran out of time.

February 6th is fast approaching. Any suggestions?

Depending on your target score, perhaps try doing 3 passages. If you pick the passage with the fewest questions to skip and get 100% accuracy on the rest, you would probably get -4 (assuming you get 1/5 by guessing randomly). -4 is a lot better than -12

[Close Diamond]

While I seem to be improving nicely on other sections, I'm getting worse on RC. My most recent test (which was the only one in which I tried diagramming the passages) was my worst yet as the diagramming slowed me down and I ran out of time.

February 6th is fast approaching. Any suggestions?

Depending on your target score, perhaps try doing 3 passages. If you pick the passage with the fewest questions to skip and get 100% accuracy on the rest, you would probably get -4 (assuming you get 1/5 by guessing randomly). -4 is a lot better than -12

Thanks Paix. 3 passages at 11.5 minutes per passage is tempting. I'll give it a try on my next PT and see if I can get 100% on those that I read. Heck, even missing 1 per would give me an −7 or −8.

[GordonCole]

I would advise against skipping a passage. You only missed 2 questions on the rest of the test, that's pretty damn awesome. I think you owe it to yourself to shoot for a really high score.

You may be over-thinking the diagramming. You're not going to change your reading style and get comfortable in a few weeks. Just do what you usually do when you read an academic kind of text. You don't want to be thinking about how to "diagram" a passage, you want to be focused on reading. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming there's all these tricks and special strategies for the test. There are certain tendencies and nuances to RC passages but the best way of getting a sense of that is just pure practice. Ultimately, you just read the passages and answer the questions. Don't make it into anything more than that.

[Close Diamond]

I would advise against skipping a passage. You only missed 2 questions on the rest of the test, that's pretty damn awesome. I think you owe it to yourself to shoot for a really high score.

Yes, it is pretty damn awesome. But as for RC I've never missed less than 7 (I average −9) and I've been at this since September. All that time studying shows in LR and LG, but with the test in three weeks it may be time for some drastic measures i.e. skipping a passage. Maybe it won't even help. I'll find in a couple days.

[7ED]

-2 on the rest of the test? Dear god man, don't give up on that RC. I had the same problem as u at the beginning, my RC was ridiculously low. I suggest timing urself one passage a ta time, staying in the 8 minute range, moment its up, move on to the next one. Read the passage over once, and only once, circling the keywords as u go, underline big theoretical statements, the ones that proceed the evidence. u'd be surprised at how much more u grasp just by paying attention to keywords. Perhaps a practice exam every 2nd day with the free day devoted to RC?

[faceman9000]

Do not skip a passage!

If you are going to skip something, skip difficult questions, like long and/or complex inference and parallel reasoning questions.

Practice RC sections timed over and over, and make sure you are taking roughly 8-8:30 per passage. Choose questions strategically--not in order--and if you notice you are over time on a passage, skip the remaining questions and start the next passage. Use any time at the end to come back and ponder skipped questions, there may be 4-5. Do your best to get to all of them, but at least make sure to look very closely at 2-3, and bubble the rest.

I had the exact problem you do. This method should help you cut down to at least -5 or -4 on your RC by test day.

[cubswin]

Take your time on the 3 full-length passages, saving the comparative reading for last. If you just read the topic sentence of each paragraph, you should get a feel for how the passages disagree with one another. This should make you able to answer at least half the questions pretty easily, and then you can hunt for the detail-oriented questions with whatever time remains.

You'll need to get just about every single question right on the 3 others for this to work well. Ideally, you'll only spend 9 minutes or so on each passage and still be left with 8 for the comparative, but I think you can handle the comparative passage with this strategy in about 5-6 minutes.

Worth a try on one PT, anyway. It worked for me. -2 on RC on the December LSAT