On passages where I'm either familiar with the content (biology/economics related) or am highly interested in the content, I breeze through it. I wreck through the questions 30 seconds a pop, and come out the other end with no fatigue feeling like I can eat a tank, and then shoot cannonballs from my chest.
On passages where the contents are unfamiliar (history, some art ones, and even law-related ones), I will literally read half of the passage, go "what the fuck did I just read? I don't remember anything", and re-read it. Repeat for questions.
A lot of people say "just get interested in law/history/art!", as if I didn't try that already. But it's more an issue of familiarity; I can convince myself history is interesting, and it is, but the terminology is not something I've dealt with for 4 years of my life, and I struggle because yeah I know what each individual word means, but when you put them in that order it just confuses me. On content I'm familiar with, I can practically skim and get all the information. Take PT42 passage 4, about neurology. Shit, that was such a breeze I thought I left the window open. Take the same PT, first passage about Thurgood Marshall. Took way too much time, wasn't sure on a bunch of answers, and basically struggle-bused my way.
I've a month to my test (Oct 5th), so "read lots of history!" isn't going to help. Will just constant drilling help? I'm at the point where I'm shooting for -0 timed on everything, and RC I'm doing -4 to -2. I can hit -0 intermittently on all the other sections but I've never gone -0 on RC because there's always at least that one section that just demolishes me.
RC passage contents drastically affect my results Forum
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PeanutsNJam
- Posts: 4670
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MadagascarYX
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Re: RC passage contents drastically affect my results
Scan the first paragraph of each passage you are working on. If it is something you are familiar with, then use whatever method you are utilizing now. If it is something you frown upon, say, history, law-related, make marks, read slowly but carefully, use your pencil to track your reading. In a word, when it comes to difficult passages, take more time understanding what each sentence is saying, what role every paragraph is playing and what the author's opinion is, stuff like that.
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JamMasterJ
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Re: RC passage contents drastically affect my results
I was just the opposite. The science stuff always killed me. I started reading scientific america a few months before the LSAT and I think it helped a little because that's where a lot of the articles come from. This is very useful for understanding the structure of the way things are written. I would guess that this goes the other way so there is real benefit to reading the Economist or wherever the other passages come from.
