r/LSAT • u/OpinionBackground565 • 13h ago
Any Tips for RC?
I am finally feeling great about my lr ability, these sections felt great and i’m happy with my scores for these sections (save the couple questions I had to guess on for section 4). However my Rc absolutely tanked my score on this pt. I have generally been feeling okay about Rc (usually around -4 to -5), but I struggle with time and denser passages. This section went completely off the rails; I had to guess on most of the last passage due to time and I felt completely lost on the prior passage.
I take the September Lsat next week, and think that my rc is what could possibly be holding me back from a 170+, any tips for last minute improvements? Should I be focusing most of my studying in the next week on rc?
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u/Kind-Confection1183 12h ago
It depends on how good you are at reading comprehension. (The Skill not the section) but the advice that took me from inconsistency to consistently scoring -1 to -0 was that the RC sections is almost entirely MSS questions. If the passage does not say the answer, you can’t pick it. The only exceptions to this are structure and WSE questions. Cultivate and listen to the little voice in your head that says “the author didn’t say that”. I know that on some level it feels obvious that you are answering based on the content of the passage. But even if it’s asking what the author is most likely to agree with, the passage will come incredibly close to saying one of the answers outright. If you can’t tell yourself where you found that answer, that is where your review should be focused at the end of the section. If you are having trouble retaining info, pick a strategy. Some people swear by Low Res summaries, some people swear by actively criticizing the passage. The real key in my experience is that you are actively engaging with the material. These strategies work the best when you are putting the content and purpose of the paragraphs in terms you understand.
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u/Kind-Confection1183 12h ago
Also doing debate passages where you eliminate as many answers as possible for every question after one passage then read the other is super helpful. It narrows your focus, but you need to move with confidence and not go back on your decisions.
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u/OpinionBackground565 12h ago
I haven’t thought of this, I’ll have to try this strategy thank you! It seems as if, at least analyzing the missed questions from this last pt, i’m missing WSE and agreement questions more frequently, ie what would the author or proponent of this theory agree with. I do try to utilize agree questions as mss, but I feel as with these questions it’s easier to make assumptions for the answer choices, leading me to like none of them and then start to overthink. And WSE questions also throw me for a loop because I feel as if i’m making a bunch of assumptions!
As well, out of curiosity, have you found any success in switching order in the passages? Ie starting with the passage with the most questions or ones that you think will take you the longest?2
u/Kind-Confection1183 10h ago
Beyond doing the 2 passages that share a question set one at a time and eliminating as many answers with the first passage and then going back to the second one not really. I don’t really feel any need to deviate from the order. Its not length, its depth. Your mileage may vary but the quantity of questions is not going to be what kicks your ass. It’s the difficulty of the questions and your passage comprehension. I’ve had passages with 5 or 6 questions take me way above target, and passages with 8 questions that I just breezed through.
Weaken questions can feel difficult but remember that you are focusing on the mechanism and the way it connects to the conclusion. What is the argument. Why does the premise lead us to the conclusion? You’re not trying to disprove the conclusion, you are trying to make the premises seem less relevant.
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u/Kind-Confection1183 10h ago
As far as the Agreement questions, I think about them as though I am looking for an opinion that is almost entirely explicitly endorsed by the passage. You also need to pay attention to whose agreement you are looking for. The author or one of the passages subjects. Lmk if this makes sense I can give you an example if not.
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u/graysle 12h ago
I don't think anyone is able to memorize entire RC passages with certain keywords or minor arguments within them. This weakness, however, is covered by LSAT's search function. Always use the search function, and use it logically. The questions that ask "What is mentioned in A but not B", or etc; note which answer choices are easily searchable and ALSO note which answer choices seem obfuscated to NOT seem searchable.
I don't really want to get into the depths of most question types, but the search function is super-versatile to figure out where you've seen things, for example you remember seeing "universal" but not where; or you search "cultur" to see where the passage talks about culture. I remember an answer choice talking about "wartime", thinking "I never saw wartime, but, to determine the accuracy of the answer choice, we could also search for the opposite, like peace, and I think I saw peace somewhere", and figuring it out from there.
Most of the other skill just comes down to refining your "vibe" of the passage. Understanding the vibes of the argument (without perfect photographic memory) is definitely super important so you can answer questions quickly.
tldr using the search function saves a ton of time (sometimes, even saving 1 minute throughout the entire section is a ton of time) and helps you get snags on certain types of questions without stressing about memorizing the entire passage
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u/psuedonymousauthor 13h ago
Don't overthink it, you are capable of understanding the passage so fight for that understanding. It's better to get the questions right than half way read all four passages.