Reading Comprehension getting really tricky since 2004... Forum

[dba415]

I need a lot of help on reading comprehension, they have been getting progressively trickier ever since 2004, and then each year it seems to be getting more difficult.

I have no problem with ones before then, I may miss 3 total on RC on tests before 2004ish and finish with time to spare.

The new ones take more time, questions are trickier and take longer, requiring you to scour the entire passage rather than look at just one spot to find the correct answer. Also, the right answer is not as obvious anymore.

I have done the powerscore reading but I mean it's not really helpful. Should I buy the Manhattan RC book?

How do you deal with the RCs (particularly the newer ones)

[Scotusnerd]

I've noticed this as well. I'm no LSAT test preparer, but I noticed that as we got closer to modern tests, they start to play games with the words and the structure and the questions. Instead of simply testing your knowledge, they start to play 'hide the shell' with the questions, and then plug in a trick answer. They're trying to rattle you.

I don't think a new method is in order if you're doing that well. Just read the question, actively and carefully. Figure out exactly what it is asking, exactly where you can find it, and exactly which one of the answers is the best choice, and why. Don't let them throw you.

HTH

[DaRascal]

Tell me about it. I ****ing hate Reading Comprehension. I got -12 in June and it just about ruined me.
I was always going -5 to -7 in PTs so it's always been my weakest section and people on here were telling me not to take the LSAT until I improved and got better at it but I took it anyway because I figured I had 2 more retakes if I needed them anyway (and realistically only 1 because I want to get the full advantage of applying before Thanksgiving and I don't want to lose a year in earnings by going to law school two years from now).

I've read the PowerScore Bible three times front to back. I thought it was kind of helpful. I'll be curious to see the answers this thread gets. I'm thinking about buying the Manhattan book too. I bought it for Logical Reasoning and I think it kinda helped.

I usually deal with RC using PowerScore's method but I'm not a fast reader, I'm a very average reader so by the time I get to the fourth passage I'm rushing to beat the clock. It's just a terrible situation to be in. I'm trying really hard to sacrifice speed for accuracy. I dunno, man. Let's see what everyone else thinks about the best way to attack this damn section.

[EstherG]

I have the same problem, especially with the answer choices. I seem to always get stuck between two that seem half-right.

I apologize if this advice is useless because its something you're already doing, but what I've found really helpful for the newer RC is to do untimed practice, paying special attention to where the questions are coming from in the text, how the right/wrong answers are worded, and the differences in the language between the text and the answer choices. I found that this really helped me recognize some of the subtleties of the questions.

DaRascal, I did the same thing in June: I was usually -5 on RC in practice and went -8 on the real thing. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly went wrong there haha. But, after doing more untimed work on it, I've improved to -3 pretty regularly.

[ninetails]

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[bp shinners]

If you're finding the RC on recent exams tricky, the best thing you can do for yourself is to start to treat them as LR questions. A lot of people view them as 'softer' logically than LR, and that's incorrect. The questions and incorrect answers are getting closer and closer, as well.

So start applying the same rigorous requirements for an incorrect answer on them as you do for LR. This should put you on the lookout for those single words that change a correct answer to incorrect, force you to evaluate logical force of the statements, etc... and hopefully avoid falling into some of the traps.

[Scotusnerd]

If you're finding the RC on recent exams tricky, the best thing you can do for yourself is to start to treat them as LR questions. A lot of people view them as 'softer' logically than LR, and that's incorrect. The questions and incorrect answers are getting closer and closer, as well.

So start applying the same rigorous requirements for an incorrect answer on them as you do for LR. This should put you on the lookout for those single words that change a correct answer to incorrect, force you to evaluate logical force of the statements, etc... and hopefully avoid falling into some of the traps.

Hah! My girlfriend (who has no experience with the LSAT) gave me exactly the same advice a month before I took my test. She looked at me like I was stupid for not doing it and everything.

It was good times.