Top Law Schools

Deleted Post

I've posted a few blog pieces on the topic over at Ms. JD. Might be helpful!

I was averaging -10 on RC and decided to buy the Manhattan Reading Comp book. It's been helpful so far. Went -4 on my last PT, which included doing one passage by only reading a couple paragraphs. It's pretty basic, but the way it explains incorrect answer choices really helped me.

Perhaps try another source that can help break it down more thoroughly. In addition, make sure to always read full answer explanations for both correct and incorrect answers as well as taking notes to help trigger that question in your mind when you go back for review.

mist4bison wrote:I was averaging -10 on RC and decided to buy the Manhattan Reading Comp book. It's been helpful so far. Went -4 on my last PT, which included doing one passage by only reading a couple paragraphs. It's pretty basic, but the way it explains incorrect answer choices really helped me.

This is good to hear!

I'm going around -10 on RC right now, but just bought the Manhattan book and am going through it. Hope I have the same results!

Post removed...

Focus on the role of sentences and paragraphs relative to the whole passage. I do my best on science passages. Why? Definitely not because I have a background in the sciences. But because science passages are where this technique really shines. I'm able to abstract away from the subject being discussed to focus on how the sentences or paragraphs I'm reading fit together. I never understand (or try to understand) everything I'm reading. I typically only spend two minutes (three at most) reading the passages, and use my remaining time to answer questions. While investing more time to understand a passage may result in a shorter amount of time spent solving questions, I've found I'm at my most accurate when I spend less time reading and more time returning to the passage in the process of answering questions.

But this is what works for me. You have to find out what works for you. Prep books will help. But this is something you have to discover on your own through trail-and-error experimentation with individual passages and PTs. Focus on your skill-set, constantly assess/evaluate yourself, and develop an RC system which fits you best. I have friends, for example, that spend a significant amount of time reading passages, and only a minute or two answering the questions. I can't do that. Their ability to retain information is far better than mine. They can do it. I can't. So, obviously, I have to develop strategies which work for me and which complement my skill-set. What am I good at? Seeing the big picture. Not missing the forest for the trees. You get the idea. This is the type of process you should constantly use to develop an RC system which works for you.

Regarding the LSAT test-prep literature, I'd recommend MLSAT and BP. BP RC's focus on secondary structures definitely took my RC skills to another level. But you should view these as training wheels. Practice with them, but once you feel like you can strike out on your own, develop your own strategies and techniques. Another example, I used to have an elaborate notation system for RC. My passages would be marked up from beginning to end. Eventually, however, I started to mentally note things I would previously note with my pencil, and I abandoned the notation system outright. My diagnostic RC passages were a mess. My RC passages now are as clean as new. I don't mark anything.

Wow. I definitely did not expect to write as much as I did. Nonetheless, wishing you the best!