Pre-Law and LSAT (1 viewing) (1) Guest
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Topic History of: Reading Comp
Max. showing the last posts - (Last post first)
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Aces wild
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Wow. Sounds like you have a real handle on all this. thanks for the advice I will keep it in mind. In fact I printed your post to save. Have any advice on the logic games. All this is just one big mental marathon.
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Gold Medal
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Most people use the read for detail technique for RC. I think this is a waste of time. Its impossible to memorize everything you read.
The RC can and should be approached much like the LG: you need a format to use for each game and a structure to refer back to as you answer the questions. The whole trick is to avoid rereaing the whole passage. You want easy references that allow you to find critical pieces of information quickly.
The RC passages cover btwn 4-6 major points. Try using 2 main techniques to create references for yourself:
First (1) actually writing out the main idea of each paragraph and of the passage itself in the margin. Do this in your short hand. This will help you zero in on specific paragraphs for detail questions.
In dense passages (with 2 or 3 paragraphs) look for natural topic shifts within the paragraphs. Once you find them then create your own paragraph writing a few points next section of the paragraph in the margin and putting a bracket in the text. Now, that rough 2 paragraph passage is now a much more manageable 4 paragraphs. In addition, since the dense ones turn out to often have easier content, it is now cake.
Second (2) Underlining and boxing. put boxes around all terms which have definitions and all names. That way, when a term or a certian person's view/background comes up in a question you do not have to hunt the paragraph for the definition. Your eyes will go to the boxes. Also, underline all phrases that I think might be relevant later on. This includes paragraph and passage thesis statements as well as the author's viewpoint, among others. What I underline is based on my experience taking practice tests and figuring out what I will most likely be asked later.
One danger with both of the above is doing too much marking. If you do too much, the markings become worthless, so you will need to practice balancing having the right amount of reference notes/marks.
By doing the above you will not only have handy references for yourself, but you will also find that you will retain the information the knowledge in the passage much more easily. You become an active reader and suddenly you are able to answer questions without even looking at the passage.
When you actively read you will find:
1) Main point of the passage (usually covered in the first paragraph). I actually write out a 3-5 word/symbol summary next to the text.
2) Main point of each paragraph.
3) By boxing all names and terms there is almost always an explanation of the person/term right after it. Then you can just find your boxed name and read the explanation that follows for certian questions.
4) Underlining key points/evidence. This just takes practice. Over time you will figure out what is key and what is not. In the beginning, if it seems important underline it. As you take practice tests you will refine your approach and underline less.
5) If, at any time, the passage tells you what the author thinks (sometimes it will do it in a sneaky manner) WRITE IT IN THE MARGIN. Most passages will have a question asking about the author's opinion. You just gained yourself a free point.
6) Look for keywords and cues. When the passage says "some critics argue..." you KNOW the passage will post evidence against them 2 sentences later. Watch for it. UNDERLINE the "some". There are tons of these key words and I do not have the space to delve into them in detail.
Finally, in addition to the above, you have to be a fast and competent reader who can read for content. The above will help, but nothing is better than just doing tons of reading passages over and over.................
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Wizkid
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I'm not sure why you want the MCAT books. You can get RC books for law school that have standard examples and formerly used questions on topic. Barrons makes a good one and you can get the kaplan books and so forth, lots of stuff out there.
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lydiuz
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Not sure which MCAT book you ar etaling about; but i would stick to LSAT material. you could get a false sense of success with other materials.
Have you taken any prior exams? If so which ones and what was your score?
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Aces wild
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What kind of books/articles best resemble the difficulty level of RC section. For practice of fast reading.
Als MCAT book with 101 passages, that was suggested earlier. Where to get it abd what is it name?
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