How to Imporve the Reading Section on Lsat
How to do LSAT reading comprehension sections faster
Photograph by pedrosimoes7
Iv Part Series: How to go faster
1. How to go faster on the LSAT
2. How to become faster on Logical Reasoning
3. How to get faster on Reading Comprehension [This Article]
4. How to get faster on Logic Games
"I take really long reading the passages (timed myself 3 to 4 mins) and then I tend to non refer back to the passages thinking there is no time. I read the passages intensely and and then end up staring at the answer choices. Information technology's the time pressure that really hurts me… what should I practice?" – Julie
This is a pretty mutual question. A lot of students have difficulty finishing all iv LSAT reading comprehension passages on time. Or y'all may exist able to finish all the passages, just you feel rushed and uncertain about the answers you lot're picking.
In the main speed FAQ, I wrote that the biggest determinant of speed is competence. If yous know the material, you'll go faster. That's true for reading comprehension too. The more y'all practice and learn about LSAT reading comprehension, the faster y'all'll go. And if y'all don't know the material, you lot won't become equally fast as those who do.
That said, in that location are some techniques you lot tin can utilize to increase speed. Though note that these are really just "doing well at reading comprehension" tips. I've also written a separate article on improving reading speed.
1. Know the Passage Structure
Knowing an RC passage's structure lets y'all go faster
photo by Marker Spence
LSAT passages aren't like regular texts. They all follow a set format. The passages have 3-iv paragraphs. Each paragraph is typically organized around a theme. If you know the indicate of each paragraph, then yous tin can knowwhereinformation is. This helps y'all quickly locate line references if needed. Knowing the indicate of each paragraph as well helps you think about the passage more clearly. The single biggest speed mistake on LSAT reading comprehension is moving on to the questions without having understood the passage. Thinking about the theme of each passage helps you avoid this trap.
Yous can tell that the paragraphs are important because the LSAT actually tests this knowledge explicitly. Some questions ask y'all to place the construction of the passage. Each of the five answers will have a sentence for each paragraph. Knowing passage structure will obviously help with those questions, but the being of these questions is a stiff hint that knowing passage construction will assistance onallquestions.
To meet my ain rough summaries, check out my explanations for LSAT reading comprehension. Annotation that the summaries I've written aren't quite the aforementioned as what I have in my head on a timed section. In timed practice, I know both more and less than the summaries I write. More, because I retain details from the passage I don't fit into the summaries. Less, considering my summaries simply take to make sense to me, so I tin can cut out some detail. My written explanations are longer considering I accept to include enough particular that they make sense to anybody, not but to me.
2. Spaced repetition and rereading
Spaced repetition is a retention technique. It'southward incredibly effective for both long term and short term memorization. I've personally used it for language learning. If you e'er used Pimsleur, Duolingo, Memrise, or Supermemo, so you've been using a spaced repetition algorithm. Spaced repetition can also assistance y'all increase your speed on LSAT reading comprehension by allowing you to memorize information quickly.
The gist of spaced repetition is that we remember information better the more times we see information technology.Severaltimes better. And there are optimal time intervals for seeing information again. Here are the time intervals used in Pimsleur languages courses:5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, five hours, ane day, 5 days, 25 days, four months, and 2 years.
I bolded the first four intervals because they roughly match the time you spend on a single reading comprehension passage. What exercise these intervals mean? The idea backside spaced repetition is that you should run into data merely as y'all're near to forget it. Then you lot'll retrieve information technology until the next interval.
Then if you've seen information one time, then you'll forget virtually of it at the five second marker. If you lot see it again at that time, notwithstanding, you'll remember it longer, upwardly to 25 seconds. If you see the informationagainat the 25 2nd marker, then you'll retrieve it even longer, up to two minutes. If y'all see the informationover againat two minutes, and so you volition remember it for ten minutes. So effectively you'll have memorized the data for as long equally yous're doing the passage. This method really works; I effortlessly learned Portuguese and Italian using spaced repetition.
Now, patently you can't reread the fabric in the passage at precise fourth dimension intervals. But y'all can use the knowledge higher up to guess the repetitions. Hither's how I mimick the intervals. Basically, I take every gamble I can to reread. Rereading ismuchfaster than reading the first fourth dimension.
- If I don't understand a line, I reread information technology (roughly five second mark)
- If I don't understand a paragraph I read, or if I forgot the paragraph, I'll reread it. (Roughly 25 second mark)
- Afterwards I finish a passage, I skim over everything. I slow down to reread anything I've forgotten. (Roughly two minute mark)
I have a bias towards rereading anything I don't understand or I've forgotten. This has the obvious benefit that I sympathise the passage much meliorate. But this also has the non-obvious benefit that I more than or less effortlessly memorize the passage by following the timing above.
Meliorate understanding and memorization of the passage both dramatically better speed. Attempt the rereading approach I outlined above and come across if you lot notice a difference in your speed and understanding.
3. Returning to the passage
You tin learn to return to the passage faster than this guy.
Photo past robertjoseph
Idetestwriting explanations for LSAT reading comprehension. Information technology's the most boring section past far. The answers don't crave thought. They only require line references. "C is wrong because line 32 says…." "Line 47 directly says D", etc. There's none of the logical subtleties of LR, or the bondage of reasoning from LG. In reading comprehension, you lot can prove or disprove near answers merely by pointing to a line.
This is dull when writing explanations, but information technology's great when doing passages. At that place's no need to agonize over answers. You lot tin just go to the passage to prove them right or wrong. Nearly incorrect answers are nonsense designed to sound like something the passage said (but actually didn't say).
I know, I know….you're thinking "I don't take time to get back to the passage!". That's just because you haven't skillful. I've tested this with my classes. Nearly students take 30 seconds or so to detect a line reference if they just go almost it the normal way. That is indeed to slow to do regularly.
Simply inside a few minutes, I can accept students finding line references in 2-v seconds, almost as fast as I can observe them. How? By using the techniques I described in the earlier sections. If you know what's in each paragraph and you understand the passage, then you know where information is located. You don't demand to search the whole passage to find a line. You can just search the paragraph that you know the line would be located in. This is 4-5x faster.
You can practice this. Print off two copies of a passage. Read it yourself, and accept a friend read it. And then have the friend drill you on the passage. They can read out a few words, and you lot have to find them as fast as you tin. If yous practice this for a bit you tin exist as fast as me. It takes me about 2-iii seconds to notice virtually lines. Once y'all principal this skill, you can quickly eliminate or testify answer choices.
4. Author'south main Point
Always inquire why the author says what they say. Why, why are you lot doing this to me?
Notation: not an actual LSAT writer, just I imagine they look similar this.
Photo by Eduardo Delgado Santana
In that location'south always a reason that LSAT authors say what they say. If you tin discover this reason, then it becomes much easier to interpret what they're saying. The questions are as well easier. Some answers may seem tempting, merely if you know the author's point, so it volition be obvious that an respond wouldn't have been something the author said.
Pretend the author is a real person. Why are they telling you all this? How does the information in each paragraph support what they're saying? If you have a clear view of the author'south point, then yous'll be able to sift through answers much faster.
You can exercise understanding the author'southward indicate by discussing passages with a friend. Hold yourselves to a loftier standard. LSAT reading comprehension passages accept a lot of depth, andeverythingis said for a reason. If you correctly figure out the chief point, you'll be able to say why the author says each and every thing they say.
A truthful agreement of the chief point will not only help you lot become faster, but it will let yous get more than questions right. Even questions that do not seem like main signal questions often involve the main point somehow.
RC Mastery Seminar
Update: If you demand more than help on reading comprehension, I've created an advanced seminar on how to exercise better at them: https://lsathacks.com/rc-mastery-seminar/
More LSAT speed tips
Iv Part Series: How to go faster
1. How to get faster on the LSAT
2. How to get faster on Logical Reasoning
3. How to go faster on Reading Comprehension [This Commodity]
4. How to go faster on Logic Games
Podcast Episode:LSAT Pros ep. x, Reading Comprehension Strategies
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Source: https://lsathacks.com/guide/faq/how-to-go-faster-reading-comprehension/
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