RC - I've read the various threads, but what do YOU do?

[AkhilAmar]

So I've been running into a little trouble with RC. I read all the threads regarding RC but was wondering what past LSAT-takers actually did on the test. Did you write out one-sentence summaries of each paragraph? Underline/highlight main points? Note various points of view? I just find myself having serious time issues when I write ANYTHING out. Should I just practice on my comprehension of the material, as to allow me to mentally note the aforementioned strategies. All help/insight is appreciated.

[SergioCQH]

Reading the passages is time consuming enough. Only circle, underline, or highlight if it increases your accuracy more than it wastes your time. Writing out summary sentences? That's useless.

I do none of the above. I just read the passage, then attack the questions. I got a perfect RC section on the June LSAT.

[Eveman in Ingmarland]

So I've been running into a little trouble with RC. I read all the threads regarding RC but was wondering what past LSAT-takers actually did on the test. Did you write out one-sentence summaries of each paragraph? Underline/highlight main points? Note various points of view? I just find myself having serious time issues when I write ANYTHING out. Should I just practice on my comprehension of the material, as to allow me to mentally note the aforementioned strategies. All help/insight is appreciated.

Don't waste your time writing things out if it doesn't increase your comprehension/accuracy.

Here's my theory: test prep companies know that taking tons of notes doesn't really work, but they need to put something in the books, so they say it does.

As with the other sections, there is no Secret Knowledge that will allow you to get all the questions right. There are numerous strategies, some of which may be effective for you, but no silver bullet.

In summery, there is no substitute for hard work.

If you're having time issues on RC, than you might want to work on bringing your reading speed up, in which case I would recommend going down to a used bookstore and picking up a dozen back issues of Scientific American, Smithsonian, Etc. and forcing yourself to spend more time reading generally.

Set goals, such as 7-10 news paper articles each morning, 80-100 pages of a book, and two magazines a day, for instance.

[Beurre]

seriously, I can't read 80-100 pages a day...

[Eveman in Ingmarland]

seriously, I can't read 80-100 pages a day...

Sure you can. Anyone can. Once you get your reading speed up, it'll take you roughly 2 hours a day.

[hopefulgrl]

So I've been running into a little trouble with RC. I read all the threads regarding RC but was wondering what past LSAT-takers actually did on the test. Did you write out one-sentence summaries of each paragraph? Underline/highlight main points? Note various points of view? I just find myself having serious time issues when I write ANYTHING out. Should I just practice on my comprehension of the material, as to allow me to mentally note the aforementioned strategies. All help/insight is appreciated.

Don't waste your time writing things out if it doesn't increase your comprehension/accuracy.

Actually, I was taught something similar and have to admit that this kind of strategy works for me. Of course, it all depends on what you're actually writing on the side--if it's a bunch of meaningless garbage then of course it's not going to help you when you reference back to it.

[theo]

seriously, I can't read 80-100 pages a day...

Uh....

you are planning to go to law school, right?

[AkhilAmar]

I think that is great advice (increasing reading speed via increasing amount of reading). I just implemented that method into my studying. I got a book on systems biology and American Lit. (two sub-topics of subjects I hate on the LSAT) which I'm going to read in the next two weeks.

[SergioCQH]

Only read outside material if you already plan on doing every single PrepTest available. The single best practice for RC is more RC.

[Bernie]

The key, really, (and what writing out a short summary helps force you to do) is to think while you're reading; how do things fit together, what's the paragraph getting at, how does it fit with the others, how does it do its job, etc.

The second key is to realize they pretty much only ask 6 or 7 different questions.  Combined with the first key, you should almost know what they're going to ask before you're done reading.  Best way to do this is to gain familiarity by doing lots of practice sections.

Don't bother with reading other materials hoping to practice for RC if reading other materials isn't already something you do.  (Although reading widely is a good thing in general... I recommend it for everyone, just not as an LSAT study method).

Seconded.  I also write a note next to the paragraph (no more than 6 words, usually only two).  It helps me cut through the crap and find what was important. 

Actually, I never used to write margin notes; Barnum always wrote margin notes.  Then we sat down to do a timed section together and I used his strategy and he used mine.  I was sold afterwards on the margin notes.  There were a handful of questions that had been really easy to answer based on them (primary purpose, title of the passage, and organization of the passage were the three that they really helped on for that particular section.)

Even when I didn't do margin notes, I still had to force myself to pause after each paragraph.  Otherwise, I just read and find myself at the bottom of the page with no memory of the past two minutes.  Even when I concentrate, I still won't understand how everything fits together unless I'm fitting it together as I go along.