RC On the recent preptests are killing me... Forum

[Gracelover]

A little background: RC used to be my strongest section. Seriously, on my diagnostic test (SuperPreptest B or C) I only missed 2 on the whole RC section...I counted myself as one of the lucky ones, because I heard RC is super hard to improve on....

But after taking preptest 60, 61, 65, and 72, my confidence is at an all time low....I get at least a -7, and most recently a -9!!!!!! LR and LG are down too. But I am more worried about my RC section....Most of the questions I miss on the new RC are the inference/analogy questions. And I try the whole "checking the answers with the passage" strategy but I still end up picking the attractive wrong answer choice, not to mention it sucks up a lot of time, time that I could spend on the more easier questions to get them right.

Has anyone else experienced this? What did you do to overcome this? And did you ever manage to bounce back to your previous scores?

[jewkidontheblock]

Few tips:

- Can't speak to your work habits, but I've heard of this kind of thing happening with people who have burnt out. If this is the case, try taking some time off
- Consider tweaking the order you do the passages in (hardest --> easiest, most questions --> least) if you want to hedge your bets a little
- I've found that the more interested I am in the material, the more I focus. Try convincing yourself that each passage is the most fascinating literature you've ever read. Maybe that it's in your favorite magazine.
- If the answer choice is too good to be true, it probably is. Most commonly, the sucker choices will be exactly what you're looking for, but too strong. If the answer contains "always" or "all" you should definitely be skeptical.

[Gracelover]

Thank you for your advice! I actually took your advice and took some time off. I will also remember the other things you told me too.

[champv17]

Hey, I'm on the same boat as you. On my Diag. the RC was my strongest section and I got about a -4. On my most recent test (PT 54) I got a a 168 but -7 from RC. I feel like these RC passages are tougher than the previous ones. My strategy in the next few weeks will be to perfect these by developing a method and using the same routine on all PT. EX. Underline the same types of words, box the theses, etc.

[Gracelover]

Hey, I'm on the same boat as you. On my Diag. the RC was my strongest section and I got about a -4. On my most recent test (PT 54) I got a a 168 but -7 from RC. I feel like these RC passages are tougher than the previous ones. My strategy in the next few weeks will be to perfect these by developing a method and using the same routine on all PT. EX. Underline the same types of words, box the theses, etc.

Hey, thanks for writing. So I guess that might be the reason for the score drop. If I find anything insightful or of use to you, I will PM you.

But in the meantime, check out this post: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=234382. I'm hoping it will give me the boost I need. It might help you too

[Lightworks]

RC has actually gotten objectively more difficult on recent tests (at least that's the TLS consensus).

I did prep tests 52-61, then drilled RC sections from PTs 20-40 and was stunned at how much easier they were. I went from being consistently -2-to-4 on the PTs to going 7 or 8 passages between misses while drilling.

The passages are more intricate now, and shot-in-the-dark 50/50's are much more common.

[Gracelover]

RC has actually gotten objectively more difficult on recent tests (at least that's the TLS consensus).

I did prep tests 52-61, then drilled RC sections from PTs 20-40 and was stunned at how much easier they were. I went from being consistently -2-to-4 on the PTs to going 7 or 8 passages between misses while drilling.

The passages are more intricate now, and shot-in-the-dark 50/50's are much more common.

Yeah, that's how I feel too. Which is sad because RC used to be my key to scoring a 170(I suck at logic games, been working on them for almost a year, still miss an average of 6). But now with RC as a strength gone....I feel hopeless! How to overcome?

[champv17]

There doesn't seem to be any kind of shortcut or prevailing strategy. I would just recommend drilling and drilling everyday by using the same method and looking out for recurring patterns. Not the best answer, but don't see anyway around it other then putting in the hours.

[Colonel_funkadunk]

I suck at logic games, been working on them for almost a year, still miss an average of 6).

Not to go off thread Topic but that seems like a long time to spend on lg to still avg -6, have u been drilling or what?

[Gracelover]

I suck at logic games, been working on them for almost a year, still miss an average of 6).

Not to go off thread Topic but that seems like a long time to spend on lg to still avg -6, have u been drilling or what?

Yup, I've been drilling. Every single day. Still average -6. To give a little background: I suck at math(seriously) and spatial reasoning. I have gotten -1 before (PT 59). So I'm beginning to think that I have the fundamentals down, but maybe it's just my strategy. Someone told to me slow down while doing logic games. I tend to rush through them because I want to get every question done. I'm hoping that's the issue, because I've been so depressed by my LG scores.

[Gracelover]

There doesn't seem to be any kind of shortcut or prevailing strategy. I would just recommend drilling and drilling everyday by using the same method and looking out for recurring patterns. Not the best answer, but don't see anyway around it other then putting in the hours.

Hey, thanks! Yeah, I figured that's what I would have to do...