Still having RC Problems? Forum

[Arad]

Although my score has improved drastically on RC (missing on average 2-6 and usually between 2-4), I am still having some problems with the section that I would like to improve upon prior to the September exam.

Even when I take an untimed, I miss ~1 question. (EX: Preptest 46, Passage 2, Question 14: Joy Kogawa passage)

At this point, what does everyone think would be the best method of preparation for the RC section?

I have regularly been reading the Economist as well as the Wall Street Journal. Every now and then I read a book on some topic I am unfamiliar with and whenever I come across a word who's meaning I do not know I write it down and try to incorporate it in my vocabulary on a daily basis.

Thank you in advance for any help.

[HRomanus]

If you're missing questions untimed it means you don't fully know the fundamentals of the questions. Reading The Economist, WSJ, etc are only to help you develop efficient reading comprehension. Untimed your reading comprehension is irrelevant - you have an eternity to search through the passage for answers. What kinds of questions are missing on untimed?

[KDLMaj]

Although my score has improved drastically on RC (missing on average 2-6 and usually between 2-4), I am still having some problems with the section that I would like to improve upon prior to the September exam.

Even when I take an untimed, I miss ~1 question. (EX: Preptest 46, Passage 2, Question 14: Joy Kogawa passage)

At this point, what does everyone think would be the best method of preparation for the RC section?

I have regularly been reading the Economist as well as the Wall Street Journal. Every now and then I read a book on some topic I am unfamiliar with and whenever I come across a word who's meaning I do not know I write it down and try to incorporate it in my vocabulary on a daily basis.

Thank you in advance for any help.

The WSJ and Economist have nothing to do with RC Passages on the LSAT (despite popular opinion). The only thing that reading those can be useful for is vocabulary. (ESL Students can benefit from this, for example) If that's you- great. If not- you're wasting your time unfortunately


Your first job is to figure out what you're missing and why.

1) How long is it taking you to read a passage?
2) How long is it taking you to finish the question sets?
3) Are you running out of time before the end?
4) Are you rushing through the last passage and missing most of the Qs there?
5) Do you tend to miss most of those Qs in one passage? Or are they fairly spread out between all four?
6) Is there a particular type of Q that you're more prone to miss than others?
7) When you answer the questions, are you predicting the answer before reading the choices?
Do you research back in the passage after reading the Q stem?
9) Do you know you're going to miss these questions when you're doing them? Or do most of them come as a surprise?

Throw out some answers to those, and that'll help with next steps. If there are any of those Qs you can't answer- your first job is to go study yourself a bit and figure it out.

Don't worry- there's ALWAYS a solution. You just have to figure out the problem!

[KDLMaj]

If you're missing questions untimed it means you don't fully know the fundamentals of the questions. Reading The Economist, WSJ, etc are only to help you develop efficient reading comprehension. Untimed your reading comprehension is irrelevant - you have an eternity to search through the passage for answers. What kinds of questions are missing on untimed?

Disagree with your first statement here. RC Questions are tough. The OP is missing ~1 question untimed- that doesn't even remotely suggest that they're missing the fundamentals. On the contrary, it suggests that they DO know the basics but that timing and management are the real culprits.

[Arad]

Your first job is to figure out what you're missing and why.

1) How long is it taking you to read a passage?
2) How long is it taking you to finish the question sets?
3) Are you running out of time before the end?
4) Are you rushing through the last passage and missing most of the Qs there?
5) Do you tend to miss most of those Qs in one passage? Or are they fairly spread out between all four?
6) Is there a particular type of Q that you're more prone to miss than others?
7) When you answer the questions, are you predicting the answer before reading the choices?
Do you research back in the passage after reading the Q stem?
9) Do you know you're going to miss these questions when you're doing them? Or do most of them come as a surprise?

1) I take about 3-5 minutes to read each passage depending on how dense it is and how familiar with the topics I am. Usually Literature passages take longer, science passages take less
2) Questions take about 3.5-5 minutes
3) I do not run out of time before the end of the section. I do however only time myself with 33 minutes/section
4) No I don't rush
5) I tend to miss the most questions on the passages I don't grasp well, such as the aforementioned Joy Kogawa passage. In most instances I will not miss more than 1 question on the other passages.
6) Nothing in particular, it varies
7) Not really, I do this alot with LR but have trouble with RC
Sometimes, not always
9) Usually if I miss the questions I am unsure about and I notate them with a dash.

[KDLMaj]

Your first job is to figure out what you're missing and why.

1) How long is it taking you to read a passage?
2) How long is it taking you to finish the question sets?
3) Are you running out of time before the end?
4) Are you rushing through the last passage and missing most of the Qs there?
5) Do you tend to miss most of those Qs in one passage? Or are they fairly spread out between all four?
6) Is there a particular type of Q that you're more prone to miss than others?
7) When you answer the questions, are you predicting the answer before reading the choices?
Do you research back in the passage after reading the Q stem?
9) Do you know you're going to miss these questions when you're doing them? Or do most of them come as a surprise?

1) I take about 3-5 minutes to read each passage depending on how dense it is and how familiar with the topics I am. Usually Literature passages take longer, science passages take less
2) Questions take about 3.5-5 minutes
3) I do not run out of time before the end of the section. I do however only time myself with 33 minutes/section
4) No I don't rush
5) I tend to miss the most questions on the passages I don't grasp well, such as the aforementioned Joy Kogawa passage. In most instances I will not miss more than 1 question on the other passages.
6) Nothing in particular, it varies
7) Not really, I do this alot with LR but have trouble with RC
Sometimes, not always
9) Usually if I miss the questions I am unsure about and I notate them with a dash.

When you get to that last passage- how much time do you usually have for it?

Taking a look at the facts here, there are a few things that pop out as likely culprits:

1) You may be reading too much of the passages and too carefully. Literature passages tend to be very detail heavy, and that can really bog you down. But remember- your job on the section never changes no matter what the passage is about. I want you to try reading a bit differently for a bit. For the next few passages/sections:

Read the intro as usual. Then read the first sentence of every paragraph. Use that to quickly get a gist of where this passage is going and what kind of passage it is. (Check out these notes for some background on the types of passages in RC. There are 4 major types, and I'm not referring to subject areas. https://cloud.box.com/s/bi80az2gpy5ht0b8ompg)

You'll be shocked at how often doing this immediately tells you the main idea. (Which is what you should be asking yourself when you're doing this) If it doesn't, it will at least tell you where it is.

When you've got a bird's eye view of the structure of the passage, jump right back to P2 and skim like mad through the rest of the paragraphs EXCEPT for the one with the main idea in it. (It should be pretty clear to you after that initial glance once you get good at this)

2) You're not predicting for RC questions. HUGE problem. Take a look at the following question stems and tell me which one will be the hardest question:

Which of the following describes the author's main idea?
What is the primary purpose of the passage?
The author suggests which of the following about literature in the late 1800's?

The answer is- you have absolutely no idea. It's not the question stem that makes an RC question hard- it's the answer choices. And if you walk into a tough question's answer choices without a clear concept to look for, you're going to end up being swayed by them. Any questions that allows for a prediction (which is most of them- except the ones that aren't global and don't give you any references), should always get one.


3) You're trying to answer questions on memory. Also not a good idea (with the exception of globals). Ideally you want to skim through a passage in 2-3 minutes max, drawing out the main idea and the function of each paragraph. Then, spend the rest of your time in the questions- going back to re-read only the things you're being tested on. Why bother spending an extra 2 minutes reading a bunch of crap in a passage that you're not going to be tested on? And even though you can very reliably predict WHAT will be tested in a passage, you can't predict HOW they'll test it.

So say there's an important detail that's clearly marked with "For Example" and supports the author's main idea. You KNOW that's going to be tested. But they could go about it in a few ways:

The author mentions literature in the late 1800s in order to
The author suggests which of the following about late 1800's literature?
Passage states which of the following about late 1800's literature

Every one of those requires a different way of reading the same piece of the passage. So don't bother getting stuck in it the first time around- just quickly mark where it is in the passage and move on. Then, once you figure out how they want you to read that piece, go back and do it right. That also helps you make accurate predictions.


Give these things a shot- see if they help. The other obvious thing going on is that you're getting hurt on difficulty level. Part of the calculus here is just that the toughest passage is...well, the toughest. But those are definitely the ones that require you to dot your i's and cross your t's in the questions. (ala my suggestions above)

[Arad]

When you get to that last passage- how much time do you usually have for it?

Taking a look at the facts here, there are a few things that pop out as likely culprits:

1) You may be reading too much of the passages and too carefully. Literature passages tend to be very detail heavy, and that can really bog you down. But remember- your job on the section never changes no matter what the passage is about. I want you to try reading a bit differently for a bit. For the next few passages/sections:

Read the intro as usual. Then read the first sentence of every paragraph. Use that to quickly get a gist of where this passage is going and what kind of passage it is. (Check out these notes for some background on the types of passages in RC. There are 4 major types, and I'm not referring to subject areas. https://cloud.box.com/s/bi80az2gpy5ht0b8ompg)

You'll be shocked at how often doing this immediately tells you the main idea. (Which is what you should be asking yourself when you're doing this) If it doesn't, it will at least tell you where it is.

When you've got a bird's eye view of the structure of the passage, jump right back to P2 and skim like mad through the rest of the paragraphs EXCEPT for the one with the main idea in it. (It should be pretty clear to you after that initial glance once you get good at this)

2) You're not predicting for RC questions. HUGE problem. Take a look at the following question stems and tell me which one will be the hardest question:

Which of the following describes the author's main idea?
What is the primary purpose of the passage?
The author suggests which of the following about literature in the late 1800's?

The answer is- you have absolutely no idea. It's not the question stem that makes an RC question hard- it's the answer choices. And if you walk into a tough question's answer choices without a clear concept to look for, you're going to end up being swayed by them. Any questions that allows for a prediction (which is most of them- except the ones that aren't global and don't give you any references), should always get one.


3) You're trying to answer questions on memory. Also not a good idea (with the exception of globals). Ideally you want to skim through a passage in 2-3 minutes max, drawing out the main idea and the function of each paragraph. Then, spend the rest of your time in the questions- going back to re-read only the things you're being tested on. Why bother spending an extra 2 minutes reading a bunch of crap in a passage that you're not going to be tested on? And even though you can very reliably predict WHAT will be tested in a passage, you can't predict HOW they'll test it.

So say there's an important detail that's clearly marked with "For Example" and supports the author's main idea. You KNOW that's going to be tested. But they could go about it in a few ways:

The author mentions literature in the late 1800s in order to
The author suggests which of the following about late 1800's literature?
Passage states which of the following about late 1800's literature

Every one of those requires a different way of reading the same piece of the passage. So don't bother getting stuck in it the first time around- just quickly mark where it is in the passage and move on. Then, once you figure out how they want you to read that piece, go back and do it right. That also helps you make accurate predictions.


Give these things a shot- see if they help. The other obvious thing going on is that you're getting hurt on difficulty level. Part of the calculus here is just that the toughest passage is...well, the toughest. But those are definitely the ones that require you to dot your i's and cross your t's in the questions. (ala my suggestions above)

Thank you for the advice, I intend on testing it out this Friday in conjunction with a few of my own strategies.

I approached RC slightly different than normal today. After each paragraph, I took a second to pause and make sure I understood everything I read, and sure enough I grasped everything more. I took 2 4 section exams today Preptest 56 and Preptest 14 with no break in between sections, an hour break between both PTs and only allotting 33 minutes per section. On Preptest 14 I scored -2, on Preptest 56 I scored -0.

[KDLMaj]

If you're missing questions untimed it means you don't fully know the fundamentals of the questions. Reading The Economist, WSJ, etc are only to help you develop efficient reading comprehension. Untimed your reading comprehension is irrelevant - you have an eternity to search through the passage for answers. What kinds of questions are missing on untimed?

No offense, but telling people read WSJ, Economist, etc. is of no real value. RC is a predictable format and writing style that bears no resemblance to journalistic publications. (Even though the original articles often come from them)

And sometimes missing a question just means...it's hard. RC is not a straightforward section; it uses extremely abstract language in answer choices to make things tough. If you only miss one question untimed- I'd say you're doing just fine.

It also means that your biggest enemy is, in fact, timing. Specifically, I'm going to guess you get far less efficient while the timer is going and start cutting corners where you shouldn't be. I posted this a long time ago, but here're my basic RC suggestions: (Try the question skipping piece- as counterintuitive as it may seem)

Here are 7 pieces of advice to get you started with RC (Along with links to some resources)

1) EXERCISE: First start by training yourself to find the Big Picture. Practice reading the intro paragraph and the 1st sentence of each paragraph for the gist, and then try to figure out what each paragraph is going to be about. ALWAYS read the intro paragraph and the 1st sentences before diving into the rest- once you have a big picture view, it's really easy to skim the rest of the junk. As you get better at this, start training yourself to guess where the author's main idea will be located so you know which paragraph to read more carefully and which ones are junk.

2) CONCEPT: Every passage on the LSAT is about one of four things: someone's theory/belief, a debate between multiple perspectives, something significant someone has done, or a problem/phenomenon (these days- mostly problem). Start trying to figure out which of these scenarios you're in when you read for the Big Picture- it makes it easier to get past the details and get to what matters. This is the true scope of the passage- make identifying it your first goal when you skim the intro and 1st sentences. (For example: a passage about dead dolphins and a researcher's hypothesis about why they died is really about the hypothesis- NOT the dolphins. It's a theory passage. Focus on the hypothesis, ignore dolphin crap)
(Notes On Passage Types: https://cloud.box.com/s/bi80az2gpy5ht0b8ompg)
(Visual Guide To Passage Types: https://cloud.box.com/s/7wy79v6p59ffg8zu1w5g)

3) CONCEPT: Once you know which of those passages you're in, all you have to do is find the author's opinion of that scope. That gives you the main idea, and the primary purpose. Broadly speaking, an author can either be pro, con, or neutral (if neutral, the main idea is just a description of the scope). If the author is con, be on the lookout for an alternative perspective (which then becomes the main idea). Once you have main idea, you can answer at least half of the questions in most passages. (It is the single most important concept you're tested on) THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOU LEAVE A PASSAGE IS THE AUTHOR'S MAIN IDEA AND WHAT EACH PARAGRAPH DOES. THE REST IS MOSTLY JUST CLOGGING UP YOUR BRAIN.

4) EXERCISE: The RC section assigns 6-8 questions per passage. Once you subtract your standard big picture questions like main idea, organization of passage, etc. most passages are left with 4-5 questions. On average, a passage is testing you on 5 or 6 sentences. The rest is utter garbage that doesn't matter. You have to read these passages KNOWING that most of what you see is never going to show up in the questions. Of those 4-5 questions, most of them are incredibly obvious about where in the passage they're coming from. Go flip through some passages you've never read and try to answer some of the questions- using their clues to take you back to the passage for the answer. You'll be shocked at how many you can answer VERY quickly. So there's no reason to try to read a passage by memorizing every little thing mentioned- most of the questions will tell you exactly where to go later.

5) EXERCISE: When you review a passage, ALWAYS mark where in the passage all of the correct answers came from while you're doing it. Then go back over the passage and figure out why they tested what they tested, how you could have known those were going to be tested, and what you focused on that ended up being worthless (and how you could've known it was worthless). This is the single most important thing you can do when reviewing RC.
(Issue Spotting Exercise: https://cloud.box.com/s/7h8ny3c9yp7zd25hmt7v)

6) CONCEPT: The LSAT RC section is testing you on your issue spotting skills. The parts of the passage they draw on for questions are incredibly predictable. Here's your cheat sheet:

When you're reading a passage, if you run into a sentence that matches one of the following criteria, then you are likely to be tested on it:
1) Someone's Opinion (They'll test A's opinion over someone else's opinion if they have to choose)
2) Contrast between two things (especially between opinions)
3) An Emphasized Detail (either set off by a phrase like "For Example", is a proper name or noun, or something that supports the A's opinion directly)

If it doesn't fall into one of those categories, it's not going to matter.
(Notes on Keywords in RC: https://cloud.box.com/s/u3nwouqfetj8va0e37eh)
(List of Emphasis/Opinion Words- the MOST IMPORTANT of them all- https://cloud.box.com/s/5p3425vav3e9153u7w2a)

7) CONCEPT: You can predict which sections of a passage you'll be tested on, but you can't predict HOW you'll be tested on it. For example, the LSAT may choose to test you on an example used to back up the author's main idea. They could test you in the following ways:
1) The passage states which of the following about <example>? (testing you on the example itself)
2) Describe the role the example played in the passage. (describing what it DOES, not what it IS)
3) The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements about the example: (really testing you on the A's opinion)
etc

Each of these questions requires a different reading of that part of the passage. So don't waste your time reading the crap carefully the first time. Just mark where it is, figure out the main idea and what each paragraph is doing, and move along. You can be the person who understands every piece of the passage better than everyone in the room, but that doesn't mean you're going to be able to answer the questions. Wait until a question directs you back to a piece of the passage before you read it carefully. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THIS IS THE MAIN IDEA. YOU MUST WALK AWAY KNOWING THE MAIN IDEA WELL BEFORE GOING TO THE QUESTIONS.
(Ongoing RC Exercise To Help With Timing and Issue Spotting: https://cloud.box.com/s/hrdruzathbd3ot5m4fax)
(Section Management Notes: https://cloud.box.com/s/1kcm44eli9fczsnpizj3)

[fhdjks]

KDLMaj, this is extremely helpful thanks a million!!

[k5220]

Missing one question on an untimed test doesn't seem that bad; I'd work mostly on picking up your speed. The thing that helped me most on timing was leaving the comparative passages for last, cause they are easiest to rush through. (Since both passages have to be short, they can't get as in-depth and are less complicated).

[KDLMaj]

KDLMaj, this is extremely helpful thanks a million!!

Happy to hear it! I also saw your private message you sent, but your settings actually don't allow me to reply.

Go ahead and let me know what your current LR problems are, and I'm happy to send you anything I've got on it!

[Rooster Cogburn]

KDLMaj, this is extremely helpful thanks a million!!

Happy to hear it! I also saw your private message you sent, but your settings actually don't allow me to reply.

Go ahead and let me know what your current LR problems are, and I'm happy to send you anything I've got on it!

I just wanted to applaud you for the willingness and ability to be helpful to us poor strangers on the internet.

[KDLMaj]

KDLMaj, this is extremely helpful thanks a million!!

Happy to hear it! I also saw your private message you sent, but your settings actually don't allow me to reply.

Go ahead and let me know what your current LR problems are, and I'm happy to send you anything I've got on it!

I just wanted to applaud you for the willingness and ability to be helpful to us poor strangers on the internet.

Of course! Glad you found at least some of it helpful!

[i_wish_i_was_smart]

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[equang]

I miss about 0-3 per RC section, through 10 PTs. I'm going to try the intro + first sentences method. Is the suggestion to skim/ quick read the rest so unnecessary details aren't too distracting/ bothersome? Given the specificity of the questions, the method does seem to make sense.

Thanks for the long post, KDL.

[Clyde Frog]

I miss about 0-3 per RC section, through 10 PTs. I'm going to try the intro + first sentences method. Is the suggestion to skim/ quick read the rest so unnecessary details aren't too distracting/ bothersome? Given the specificity of the questions, the method does seem to make sense.

Thanks for the long post, KDL.

That method should work fine if you're shooting for high 150s/low 160s.