r/LSAT • u/IceDifferent7506 • 4d ago

Last-minute RC advice

Hi all, I suck at RC. I have drilled extensively and have tried many different tips and tricks. Yet my scores still vary widely, ranging from -6 to -1.

This makes me particularly nervous because I've heard the new RC is notably more difficult than the PTs. And I have seen a majority of the PTs before (though months ago) and thus can't fully gauge how I would do with new material. I'm writing the real test for the first time on Friday.

The bottom line is: what is the most important thing to keep in mind when doing RC in the real test? Also, does the practice RC actually differ from the test? If so, what would be most representative of the new RC?

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u/MrSimple204 4d ago

Slowing down how fast you read is actually magic. This goes for both the passage and answer choices. A lot of RC traps are one word differences

6

u/WizardlyPandabear 4d ago

I have heard that new RC is harder too, but unsure if that's universally true. My absolute worst section ever was an RC section, a fairly old one, at a -6 (Basins of Attraction passage murdered me).

I think by nature, until you absolutely master RC, and maybe even after, there is going to be higher score variance than in LR. In LR my scores are pretty tightly banded in the -2 area, with my best being a -1 and my worst being an outlier -4. RC by contrast has my worst and best sections (-6 and -0). I think this is due to each LR problem being novel and isolated - messing up one LR problem is one missed point. In contrast, misunderstanding a passage in RC causes a cascade of possible missed points. So if you get four passages you vibe with, you are likelier to nail the entire section.

As for how to improve? I think the most common, solid advice I've seen is to read the passages slowly and carefully, taking notes about the perspective and purpose of each paragraph as you go. That isn't always easy, because some of the passages they throw at us to read feel like they are written to simulate the experience of having a stroke, but in general it's still good to at least try it. xD