Reading Comprehension Help

[peg_city]

Can someone give me some tips on how to dissect the Reading Comprehension section? I have read the Powerscore book and it really didn't help much. All I got from it was to underline, bracket and number (they really didn't provide enough examples for the reader to compare their techniques).

This is easily the toughest section for me. I usually get in between 14-16 right. I'm getting between 17-21 in the logical reasoning section and feel confident that I can hit my mark (+20). In the games section I usually hit at around 20+ and I'm gunning for 100% in that section. Need mark, 163-165.

Thanks again

[bbirdwell]

I can (and do) talk about Reading Comp strategy for hours! A forum post is hardly the ideal medium for teaching RC strategy -- I'll do my best to sum up a few concise points.

The soundbite strategy can be summed up in two words: structure, process. You don't need to understand everything in a passage in order to perform well. You need to understand what's important. And what's important is dictated by structure, not details. And structure is indicated by very small words like "however, but, thus, therefore, furthermore, etc." Arriving at a structural understanding and using it to efficiently eliminate answer choices is best accomplished by developing a consistent and reliable process through which you approach each section, passage, and question.

Next, I'd recommend dropping in on one of my free public LSAT courses (see footnote below), and posing this question there, where we can discuss it in a live setting.

Finally, at the risk of looking like a schmarmy sales guy, I'll say this: Buy the Manhattan LSAT RC strategy guide. I've been teaching the LSAT for 8 years, and I've taught for three different companies. This company is my favorite because, in my opinion, it's the best. One distinctive feature of this company is its Reading Comp methodology.

One reason for this is that one of the co-writers of our curriculum - an outstanding teacher and 99th percentile LSAT/GMAT/GRE scorer -- STRUGGLED with the Reading Comp section. According to him, he had always struggled with reading comp on standardized tests. Clearly, he has now mastered it, and I think his personal learning experiences, combined with his superior teaching skills, contributed to the creation of an accessible and effective method for reading comp mastery.

You can download a .pdf of the first chapter here.

Good luck!

[jiyoonsim]

Like bbirdwell said, RC is more of structure. And it really helps to keep track of "this," "that," and who said what on different opinions.