Reading Comp Issues Forum

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kiklavan

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Reading Comp Issues

Post by kiklavan » Tue Sep 26, 2017 12:32 am

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Last edited by kiklavan on Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Pozzo

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by Pozzo » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:31 pm

Given what you've mentioned re: your reading style and the types of questions you get wrong, it sounds to me like you're reading for information, not for argument structure. Reading for the LSAT is very different than reading for any other purpose. What prep have you done aside from taking PTs?

kiklavan

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by kiklavan » Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:36 pm

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Last edited by kiklavan on Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pozzo

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by Pozzo » Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:54 pm

kiklavan wrote:
Pozzo wrote:Given what you've mentioned re: your reading style and the types of questions you get wrong, it sounds to me like you're reading for information, not for argument structure. Reading for the LSAT is very different than reading for any other purpose. What prep have you done aside from taking PTs?
I took a prep course which included RC drills & I also do RC sections on their own. That's what I also thought -- that I'm reading for information and not structure -- but then how is it that I'm accurate on MP & Purpose questions?
You can get the main idea of a passage from "gloss reading" it, but you're going to have a hard time with strengthen/weaken, etc. if you don't have a strong understanding of how each part of the passage fits together and what role each paragraph/section plays in the overall argument. If you're missing the same questions on BR, then it's not just stupid mistakes. You need to review the questions until you can articulate in your own words the incorrect answers are incorrect and why the correct answer is correct.

I used The LSAT Trainer for RC prep, and I found it to be a really good resource that helped me get over the hump with RC.

kiklavan

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by kiklavan » Mon Oct 02, 2017 5:05 pm

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Last edited by kiklavan on Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Bartlet4President

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by Bartlet4President » Tue Oct 03, 2017 8:35 pm

From my experience, I would say that you should look at different resources, test their strategies, and keep what you find useful and dump what you don't. Some are really big on notes, others are totally against taking notes. I myself found the Memory Method to be helpful because it put me in the habit of looking to establish the relationship of each paragraph, critic, quote, example, etc. to the larger relationship of the passage's main point. I am often writing one word next to a paragraph or an example. This helps me make sense out of everything.

Something different probably works for you.

Try different techniques and get a lot of exposure.

I went from -6 - 12 or so to now a -1 - 3 (rarely). Most often a -1 or 2.

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JazzOne

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Re: Reading Comp Issues

Post by JazzOne » Sat Oct 07, 2017 5:08 pm

kiklavan wrote:I have a major issue with reading comp and I am realizing that it is somewhat unique (?) I'm posting this in hopes someone has worked through a similar problem.

I consistently miss 5-9 on RC but I'm not a slow reader. Oddly, I'm a ridiculously quick reader, but I gloss-read, which has made this process all the more challenging. I feel that I've become significantly more accustomed to reading LSAT-appropriately but my problem lies with the questions.

When I BR, I generally get the same wrong answers. Something about the questions trip me up.. and problematically I can't come to terms with the correct answer a lot of the time, even after reading explanations. I generally miss the same amount (+/- 1) in both LR sections combined than I do in RC. My RC scores were significantly higher on old tests but post-50s it started to plummet.

Perhaps most problematically, it's really draining for me to review this section and I feel that I make no significant gains by doing so. It ends up absorbing my energy and I run out of time/energy to properly review games and LR then those scores start to go down too.

Just for context, abstract art passages are the bane of my existence, I rarely miss MP, AA, or Purpose questions, and I nearly always miss strengthen/weaken & most likely to agree questions.

Does anyone have tips and tricks? What is the best way to review RC?
You've packed a lot into one post, so I'm only going to address one question: how to answer RC strengthen and weaken questions. I'll let others suggest general RC materials.

For RC strengthen and weaken questions, I think it's particularly important to pre-phrase an answer. But my idea of pre-phrasing does not mean predicting the answer. It simply means reviewing the relationship between the question and the stimulus. Here's what I mean:

In order to effectively answer a strengthen question, you need to know what position you're trying to strengthen. I'm surprised by how many of my students read an RC strengthen question and then go immediately to the answer choices. I usually stop them them and ask, "What are you looking for?" They're hoping the correct answer jumps out and says, "Here I am!"

To pre-phrase an answer to strengthen questions, I suggest mentally articulated the position you think you're being asked to strengthen. If you can't even do that, you might as well just take a guess and move on. These are legitimately tough questions, so I'm not being facetious. What criteria are you using to evaluate answers if you can't determine the underlying point the question asks you to strengthen?

In summary, i suggest taking 15 extra seconds before moving to the answer choices to summarize the argument or position that you're being asked to strengthen or weaken.

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