Monday, June 1, 2009

LSAT Prep - Reading

I have already covered alternative approaches to traditional studying for the logic games, and I thought I would add something for the reading comprehension section.

In discussions with my peers, I have noticed a strikingly large group that does very poorly on reading comprehension. To compound this, experts tend to agree that reading comprehension is the hardest part to study for, in that your score the first time is going to be pretty close to your score the final time. You are either good at reading for information, or you are not. Perhaps more accurately, you are good at it, or you do not have the time required to improve significantly.

So, you want to improve, what to do? I suggest reading. Lots. This is how I got good at it, simply reading all the time. Sometimes cheap and easy stuff, sometimes difficult novels or texts. I always have at least two or three books I am reading at all times. One is usually an easy Stephen King or John Grisham bestseller type, very easy and relaxing. One is a piece of difficult fiction, a world classic or good piece of history. This is something to struggle a bit with, but still it is a story. Then, occasionally I pick up a technical manual or textbook of some sort. This I think is good for the highly technical writing on the LSAT. A lot of times I go for things that are relevant to my background (like the latest manual on new Psych drugs!). One final thing I do: Always keep one book on hand. That way, if I am waiting for an appointment, I can whip it out and read two pages.

More important, however, I would like to share a resource with you. Give Me Something To Read has links for good articles from around the internet. They are frequently high level (such as the Economist, the New Yorker) which most LSAT books tell you are the same level as the LSAT. They articles range from one page to several, so most are about the length of an LSAT reading sample. They are also interesting and range in topics, although I will admit the editor likes articles about newspapers and journalism.

If you want to get some practice reading in, try these for a bit. If you want to share some other resources or tips, leave a comment!

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