Eratic RC scores

[rameday]

Hello,

So Ihave noticed that when I do timed tests my RC score is very poor like I get around half the questions wrong more or less. But when I do timed sections I consistently get over 20 correct.

Any ideas what could be the cause of my erratic scores. Also how do I stop it.

Also do you have any advice for students who really struggle at science passages!

A

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi rameday,

What you're experiencing is perfectly normal: RC comprehension is often a matter of focus, and when you're timed you tend to rush. Your ability to focus and engage with the text drops precipitously, and so does your accuracy. This will get better with time, but you have to work on it! Start by taking 12-min RC passages, and every two weeks shave off a minute. By doing it gradually, you'll get accustomed to the pace. Remember - the LSAT is a speeded test. In psychometric terms, this means that the average person is not supposed to be able to complete any of the sections in the time allowed. It is absolutely essential that you do RC practice every single day: start your day with a 12-min passage, and end your day in the same way. It's your Reading Comp prescription for the next 3 months

Regarding science passages, the FL course will discuss those extensively in Lesson 10. In the meantime, you can download the extra science passages from the Online Student Center (Lesson 10 Lesson and Homework Supplements). There is no harm in starting those now. Also, I would definitely recommend reading magazines such as Scientific American, Popular Science, National Geographic, Science (if you have some background). This will make you more comfortable with the language used in Science passages, which is a major stumbling block for many test-takers.

You may also want to check out this blog post on the topic:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/342 ... prehension

Hang in there! RC will be the most difficult section to improve on, so it's awesome that you're asking this question now, instead of September!

[rameday]

Hello,

Thanks for the response that helps a lot. Just a follow up question. What I have been doing instead is timed sections twice a day and giving myself 32 minutes. Do you think I am pushing myself to much? And maybe I should give myself 40 minutes and shave off time every 2 weeks as you suggested? Also should I keep doing timed sections or should I start off with just timed passages as you suggested?

Also, would you recommend reverse engineering the passages that I already did from the class work book?

A

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey A,

I am 100% serious here: don't do 32-min sections (yet). Your accuracy is not where is should be, and I feel like you'd be burning through RC passages with little benefit. Start off with 40-min sections, and shave off a minute or two every two weeks. The goal should be to complete a typical RC section in under 35 minutes by mid-August. Keep in mind these sections have gotten significantly more challenging in the last five years.

I have no problem with you doing full sections instead of RC passages, assuming you have the time to do it. Definitely a harder regimen to follow than my own recommendation, but it can only help. And yes - reverse engineering is an awesome thing if you can do it right: I would definitely recommend it if you can do it right.

Hope this helps! Let me know.

Thanks!

[rameday]

Hello,

another follow up question. How does one go about not doing reverse engineering right? I am a bit confused what is the wrong way to go about reverse engineering? Just want to make sure that is not what I am doing.

A

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi,

By "reverse engineering," we typically mean "figure out how the argument or passage would need to be changed in order to make incorrect answer choice XYZ correct." There are questions you just can't reverse engineer, and there are others where this won't be particularly productive. But, if you can do this occasionally, it's great exercise.

Thanks!

[rameday]

Hello,
So I did your recommended program for the last two weeks and although my scores are less erratic than before they are still a bit erratic. Also, should my focus be on getting every question in the passage correct? Because there are some passages where I get all the questions correct but for the most part I am getting 2-4 questions wrong per passage.

Right now I am doing ten minutes per passage, the plan was to shave off a minute but I was wondering maybe if I should give myself another week of ten minutes per passage or should I even move up to 11 or 12 minutes and try to focus on getting all the questions correct?

A

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hello Rameday,

While it seems like RC is a trade-off between speed and accuracy, it really isn't. Once you learn how to be accurate - i.e. how to use the VIEWSTAMP method to efficiently prove the correct answer choice - your speed will improve. For now, focus on your accuracy, even if that means pushing the time up to 11 mins/passage.

It's even more important, in my book, that you carefully go over every single one of your mistakes. Why did you miss the question? Did you not prephrase the answer? Did you fail to locate the information in the passage? Etc. I cannot stress enough how valuable such review can be.

Good luck!

[rameday]

Excellent. Good to know!