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I plan on taking the LSAT next October/December or so and was thinking about reading a few novels in the next few months in order to improve my reading comprehension abilities. Would this be advisable? Or are there better uses of my time? I will of course be supplementing this with intense LSAT preparation as well. Any advice or experiences from someone who has done this would be appreciated.

I actually think it's a great idea. One of my biggest assets on the test was the ability to read the passages quickly. The more I got into the habit of reading quickly on a regular basis, the better my rc sections got. If you find books you like, it can also be a nice break from the studying.

I read some last night and missed 8 questions on an RC section today, doubling my average. So clearly reading has a negative influence on RC scores.

Good idea.

Sandro777 wrote:I read some last night and missed 8 questions on an RC section today, doubling my average. So clearly reading has a negative influence on RC scores.

The reasoning above is flawed because it fails to recognize that..

I agree that this is a good idea. Two things I would consider. First, it's probably best to try and read dense non-fiction as this is most similar to the stuff in RC sections. The downside to this is that it's often less enjoyable to read than fiction. Second, IDK if you are still in school, but the amount that this will help you probably pales in comparison to what a higher GPA would do. So if there would be some trade off between time spent studying and time spent reading random things as LSAT prep, I'd go with studying. For this reason I think it might be smarter to take a class that requires you to do heavy reading (a history/polysci class that requires you to read Supreme Court decisions for example). This would let you work on RC skills while you do schoolwork.

Grab a subscription of the Economist.

https://www.economistsubscriptions.com/searchcs/ca/

I'd like a full report in 48 hours.

Start early, as early as possible, on doing this, and do it often.

Also, at some point maybe even challenge yourself to read faster. Shoot for goals of like a book a week or something - depending on your current work/school schedule.

wiggsb wrote:

I'd like a full report in 48 hours.

--ImageRemoved--

... and for extra credit

KibblesAndVick wrote:

wiggsb wrote:

I'd like a full report in 48 hours.

--ImageRemoved--

... and for extra credit

sorry to pwn both of your little pink books, but:

I really like to read fiction, but I'm planning on beefing up my non-fiction/Economist style reading for the next four months. The only problem with that is that I can't buy The Economist here in Australia without paying tons more for it than I would in Canada. Grr. These are the times that I miss being able to rock up to Border's and order a coffee and sit for ages reading whatever LSAT friendly books and magazines I would like!

I'm currently plowing through The Girl Who Played With Fire, which I'm loving, but somehow not sure that it's LSAT type material...

My opinion is that reading to enhance RC skills may take away from the enjoyment that light reading entails. I love to pick up a book, maybe read 50-100 pages one day, set it down for a couple days, pick it up again, maybe finishing a 300 pager in 2 weeks. By reading in this fashion, I don't believe it would assist me, personally, in what RC is about, and that is reading extremely critically in a short period of time. I would pick up any type of magazine or journal you can get your hands on (Time, Newsweek, etc, etc) and read with the mindset that there will be 5-8 questions on the passage. This would be more favorable, in my opinion, in respect to RC preparation.

Yes, the best way to improve reading comprehension is to read. I wouldn't suggest Joyce or Pynchon though, as reading comp rarely tests your ability to explain complex literary allusions, stream of consciousness writing or postmodern theory. And of course, Ayn Rand is for morons and sociopaths (--LinkRemoved--). Melville would be good (complex, rich writing) as would Rushdie, and Lady Chatterley's Lover is what they used to recommend for SAT prepping kids with low vocabularies. The Economist is commonly recommended and though it's articles are often LSAT length, I don't find it terribly complex. I would even suggest getting a Norton Anthology of Literary Criticism and plowing through it; I came from a background in Lit Theory and I have to say that it made RC a piece of cake in comparison to what I had been schooled in reading.