reading comp going down Forum

[lawschoolgirl312]

Hi,
I used to miss 6 for my RC sections..but lately I have been missing 10-12.. and I can't seem to get myself to care about even the easiest passages...

I'm worried because this is my weakest section and the one I am most worried about.
The questions I miss are all over the place.. I don't know if I am burning out or not. I have been studying only for the LSAT since June everyday and I have taken time off but now I'm worried because the september test is in a month

[Voyager]

Hi. Sounds like you have psyched yourself out a bit and are stressed.

Do you have a set process/framework you religiously use for RC? I found that helps with consistency.

I suggest drilling in RC and studying the answers carefully. Relearn your approach to the section. Focus and don't let yourself get mentally lazy in practice.

I bet your scores bounce back in RC pretty quickly.

Many students experience dips like this in practice. Don't worry. Focus and keep training.

[PDX4343]

Have you done any drilling in RC? I found it very helpful. Also, are you going back and figuring out why you missed the questions that you are? If so, are there any trends that you can identify? My process was to make a note of what question types I was struggling the most with and then drilling those types repeatedly. If there aren't any trends in the types of questions that you're missing it's probably something else. Maybe try taking a few days off and going back at it afterwards. Breaks are annoying in that you can't do anything, but I found them pretty helpful when I prepared to take the LSAT. Good luck!

[lawschoolgirl312]

I do have like a formula and I feel like I used to be able to see the patterns..but lately with PT 70s - onwards, its as if none of those tricks matter but when I do like PT 50 and below, I can miss like 3-4 .. so now I'm worried the RC has just gotten harder but I don't have the resources to practice on

[Voyager]

I do have like a formula and I feel like I used to be able to see the patterns..but lately with PT 70s - onwards, its as if none of those tricks matter but when I do like PT 50 and below, I can miss like 3-4 .. so now I'm worried the RC has just gotten harder but I don't have the resources to practice on

Can you expand on your "formula"? Not sure there is really a "formula". More about being able to quickly find the answers to the questions. I did that by taking notes as I read directly on the test book.

Here is how I approached it 9 years ago:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... f=6&t=7240

[lawschoolgirl312]

I basically do the formula you have written down!
I guess what gets me is the inference questions because I always end up choosing the second best answer

[Voyager]

I basically do the formula you have written down!
I guess what gets me is the inference questions because I always end up choosing the second best answer

Ah! Well, then, I suppose I am going to provide some advice that will not be particularly surprising and that you have probably already thought of yourself: drill inference questions. Read the answers to understand the explanation.

Do the set
score it
read the answers
REDO the passage with the answers in front of you
then put the section away
come back later and retake the section, applying the explanations you read
Take another break
Try a new section
etc.

I wish I had a silver bullet for you...

[Voyager]

I should add: practicing my approach is all about learning what to mark/take notes on and then getting used to using the same notation system.

Reading the explanations will help you get better at targeting your notes.