Articles published in Reading Comprehension

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind LSAT RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 56, Section 4, Passage 1

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Stories Behind the LSAT: Amos Tutola by Matt ShninersUnder the time constraints of the LSAT, you won’t have time to appreciate some of the great content in the Reading Comprehension passages and Logical Reasoning questions. In this blog series, we’re slowing things down to tell some of the most interesting stories from the test and explain how they can aid in your LSAT prep.


Anyone who took PrepTest 56 learned a little about Amos Tutuola and his folktales (not novels), as the author classified them, in the reading comprehension questions of section 4, passage 1. He wrote in the African oral tradition, according to the passage, and his works should be viewed through that lens.

But what else can we learn about the man? Read more

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 37, Section 1, Passage 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Stories Behind the Test: Ralph Ellison by Matt ShinnersUnder the time constraints of the LSAT, you won’t have time to appreciate some of the great content in the Reading Comprehension passages and Logical Reasoning questions. In this blog series, we’re slowing things down to tell some of the most interesting stories from the test and explain how they can aid in your LSAT prep.


Ralph Ellison and his most famous novel, The Invisible Man, featured prominently in passage 3 of PrepTest 37’s Reading Comprehension section, which suggests the writers of the LSAT felt that the average reader wouldn’t know much about him. After all, they try to pick more obscure subjects to avoid giving anyone an advantage. Hopefully, however, this post makes him slightly more visible to the average LSAT prepper! Read more

I’m in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! – Part 5

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - I'm in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It - Part 5 by Chris GentryThis is a continuation of a series of posts exploring the June 2007 LSAT in detail. My goal is to demonstrate where hidden opportunities lie; then, using these analyses as a template, you can find those hidden opportunities in other practice tests. And, of course, find them on test day! Why the June 2007 LSAT? Because this is the LSAT all potential test takers can freely access; this is where most test takers probably begin their prep. And I want to give you some help from the ground up, so to speak!


So, we’ve covered some basics in LR and RC. In LR, we looked at some problems that most test takers skip, and why they shouldn’t. In later posts, we examined speed in LR and in RC. If you haven’t read any of those previous posts, you can start at Part 1.

But we haven’t talked about LG yet.

 Why leave LG for last? Read more

We Reviewed the June 2016 LSAT on Facebook Live. Here’s How it Went.

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - June 2016 LSAT Review - Published!Last week, Manhattan Prep instructors Matt Shinners (180 LSAT, Harvard Law JD) and Christine Defenbaugh (180 LSAT, Columbia Law JD) broke down the June 2016 LSAT (Prep Test 78) on July 7th, 2016 on Facebook Live. Read more

I’m in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! – Part 4

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - I'm in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! - Part 4 by Chris GentryThis is a continuation of a series of posts exploring the June 2007 LSAT in detail. My goal is to demonstrate where hidden opportunities lie; then, using these analyses as a template, you can find those hidden opportunities in other practice tests. And, of course, find them on test day! Why the June 2007 LSAT? Because this is the LSAT all potential test takers can freely access; this is where most test takers probably begin their prep. And I want to give you some help from the ground up, so to speak!


So, last time we discussed the idea of speeding up your read of the passage, and applied that to the first passage in the June 2007 LSAT. Today, let’s take a look at the questions.

Last time, we were focused on speed. Today, our central question is: Read more

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 59, Section 4, Passage 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions - PrepTest59, Section 4, Passage 3 by Matt ShinnersLearning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


There’s some really interesting reading content on the LSAT that you won’t have the time to appreciate while dissecting logic. In this behind-the-scenes series, we’re taking the time to examine the stories behind RC passages and LR questions. Ever wonder what that art you’ve been reading looks like? What that science was really all about? We’ve got you covered.

This article is based on PrepTest 59, Section 4, Passage 3. Read more

I’m in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! – Part 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - I'm in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! - Part 3 by Chris GentryThis is a continuation of a series of posts exploring the June 2007 LSAT in detail. My goal is to demonstrate where hidden opportunities lie; then, using these analyses as a template, you can find those hidden opportunities in other practice tests. And, of course, find them on test day! Why the June 2007 LSAT? Because this is the LSAT all potential test takers can freely access; this is where most test takers probably begin their prep. And I want to give you some help from the ground up, so to speak!


If you haven’t seen part 1 or part 2, you may want to take some time to go back and read those.

Today we take a step away from Logical Reasoning, the focus of the previous two posts, and begin an exploration of Reading Comprehension (RC).

There are several aspects of RC that make it an intriguing component of the LSAT. One aspect that may be commonly overlooked is very basic: the number of questions! In terms of questions per section, no single section has as many questions as RC. And in terms of questions per source material, no question type has as many questions that focus on the same source.

This post will be broken into two separate components: analysis of the passage, and analysis of the questions and answers. There are two basic reasons for

So RC is unique in one unfortunate way: it’s possible you may be looking at 8 questions that completely freeze you, and that you have no idea how to efficiently answer, if you’re missing a core process to effectively read the passage. In the next post, we will look at some common challenging aspects to RC passages, but today, I’d like to consider RC from a different point of view: Read more

Here Are the Two Types of Vocabulary Challenges on the LSAT (and How to Beat Them)

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Here Are the Two Types of Vocabulary Challenges on the LSAT (and How to Beat Them) - Allison Bell Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person LSAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


One of the most unforgiving parts of the LSAT, especially in Reading Comprehension, is the vocabulary. It may be just one tough word that, like a big splotch of bird droppings on your car window, makes it hard to get the “full picture” of a question or passage. Even worse, sometimes there’s a whole slew of technical vocabulary, like a thick sheet of ice covering your entire windshield: if you don’t clear things up, you won’t have a clue where you’re going.

So today we’ll tackle two kinds of vocabulary challenges the LSAT throws at you. Read more

LSAT Scaffolding Part III: Reading Comprehension

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - LSAT Scaffolding Part III: Reading ComprehensionDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person LSAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Starting your LSAT prep can be a scary experience. You pick up a book and see all the complexity of the test at once. A long list of LR question types; many variations of logic games; Reading Comprehension, chapter after chapter! It’s a lot to take in, and most places that break the test down into categories like to impress with their long and exhaustive list.

This series of three blog posts—one for each section—will break down the LSAT at a much higher level. It’s important to start with a strong scaffold for the section. Read more

Here’s Where to Start Your LSAT Prep

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blog-startlsatWhen you first begin preparing to take the LSAT, it certainly feels like there is a lot—too much—to take in. There are dozens of practice tests; dozens, if not hundreds, of websites; and dozens of strategy guides! Where do you begin?!?! Read more