The Economist, too dense--what to read? Forum

[eli88]

I'm truly ashamed. As a child, I did minimal reading--perhaps 30 minutes of skimming through texts prior to exams. In an attempt to recuperate my weak reading comprehension skills, I subscribed to The Economist magazine, as endorsed by many on TLS.

It is a well-written magazine indeed. But, I always find myself having to re-read passages to get a better grasp of the topics/issues--this is fatal for the LSAT. I constantly come across new vocabulary, is this uncommon? What readings do you suggest as an alternative? Perhaps, I should spend 3-4 months reading The New York Times and/or World Street Journal on a daily basis before I start tackling the Economist?

I'm open to any advice or constructive criticism you wanna throw at me. Thanks in advance.

[dakatz]

LSAT passages are specifically constructed in a certain way and they have definite trends and tendencies. You shouldn't be reading the Economist or any other such magazine/newspaper for that matter. I hate when people make this recommendation. You should be studying the RC passages themselves, looking for the patterns, picking up on the trends, copiously breaking them down to see what you found and what you missed. That is the only way to actually improve on RC. You can't make yourself a better reader by reading fancy papers, nor is your goal to become a better reader. Your goal is to beat the LSAT, and that takes knowledge of the LSAT's tricks.

[nigelfrost]

Read Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It will prepare you for law school in ways that none of those publications ever will.

[AreJay711]

The economist too dense? Really?

[bk1]

While I agree with Dakatz's advice generally (e.g. that practicing RC itself is best), if you're struggling with vocab in The Economist, I think that you really need to expand your reading skills.

[mac35352]

I wouldn't describe it as dense, perhaps boring.
In order to become a better reader find books or magazines on topics you have an interest in and go from there. Not necessarily for the LSAT but for law school/career in general.

[fathergoose]

Read Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It will prepare you for law school in ways that none of those publications ever will.

Hahaha I love this book.

And yes, a book about a never ending hopeless journey through a desolate world of perpetual fear will prepare you for 1L year far more than the economist.

[LeDique]

Try reading a few articles from long form sources everyday- longform.org longreads.com givemesomethingtoread.com - I tend to read 3-4 of these a day and not much of books. There's a ton of variety posted so you should be able to find something that interests you everyday. Just keep reading new sources and new things. That will be a huge first step.

[danquayle]

The economist too dense? Really?

Yeah... the Economist is kind of written like a tabloid... shouldn't be a hard read.

[TaipeiMort]

Tip: Read and reread LSAT RC passages ONLY. You need to get used to the style of the game.

[2011Law]

You subscribed (paid) for the Economist?

1) You obviously have money to throw around
2) Get an LSAT tutor
3) ???
4) Profit

[tallboone]

If you can't get through an article from The Economist without any difficulty, you have bigger problems than the LSAT. Consider ADD/ADHD treatment and/or not going to law school.

[upfish]

Try reading a few articles from long form sources everyday- longform.org longreads.com givemesomethingtoread.com - I tend to read 3-4 of these a day and not much of books. There's a ton of variety posted so you should be able to find something that interests you everyday. Just keep reading new sources and new things. That will be a huge first step.

Well, you have just changed my life for the better! I knew about longreads.com, but not these others!

But, OP, if you want to read magazines to up your reading speed/comprehension and The Economist is too dense, check out something like Newsweek or Time. They are written at a pretty basic level.

[loblaw]

Try reading a few articles from long form sources everyday- longform.org longreads.com givemesomethingtoread.com - I tend to read 3-4 of these a day and not much of books. There's a ton of variety posted so you should be able to find something that interests you everyday. Just keep reading new sources and new things. That will be a huge first step.

Well, you have just changed my life for the better! I knew about longreads.com, but not these others!

But, OP, if you want to read magazines to up your reading speed/comprehension and The Economist is too dense, check out something like Newsweek or Time. They are written at a pretty basic level.

+1 those sites are awesome, thanks!

And, honestly, the fact that the Economist is too dense for you doesn't mean you shouldn't be a lawyer or that you have ADD. Just work up to it. Start with WSJ and the sites above. If you're reading a political article that doesn't make a ton of sense because you don't know the history behind a specific conflict or situation, wiki it to get a quick idea of the basics and return to the article so it becomes more meaningful to you.

But, I consider the above advice more applicable for gearing up for 1L than getting ready for the LSAT though. Get Cambridge's "difficult passages" and follow @dakatz's advice. I think it's way more efficient in picking up on the trends you need to notice. You eventually get to a point that you will read a sentence in the passage and know that a certain type of question will be asked about it. That's something the Economist won't give you.

Studying LSAT RC will also give you the background in lichen and dinosaurs that you will need to practice law .