RC Strategy: Main Idea vs. Detail

[chike_eze]

Looking for some strategy advice on RC.

I've improved my score and timing on RC passages by focusing on structure/reasoning as opposed to strictly detail. However, I find that on tougher RC's I tend to miss detail questions or inferences that hinge on detail in a particular section.

To get some of those pesky detail questions right, especially inference Q's based on detail with no line #'s, I usually have to spend extra time (more time than necessary) tracking down the particular section. So that even if I get the question right, I end up wasting an extra 2+ minutes which hurts my overall timing.

I get most "main idea" and "purpose of passage" questions correct (I think I'm at 90% the past few RC's). So my issue is not necessarily with understanding the passage as a whole, but I think my strategy on mapping the passage, so I can easily go back for detail, is lacking.

Please provide effective RC mapping strategies (or other methods) that will help me not only understand the entire passage, but also map each paragraph/section so I know where to go back to for detail.

Thanks

PS. Prioritizing detail is also something I'm working on. Any tips on deciding what/what not to focus on? I appreciate the help.

[maryadkins]

Could you post a particular passage and your mapping of it? And maybe a couple of the questions you got wrong or spent too long answering? That could be a good place to start...

Thanks!

[chike_eze]

Could you post a particular passage and your mapping of it? And maybe a couple of the questions you got wrong or spent too long answering? That could be a good place to start...

Thanks!

Thanks for responding. Please see my post related to this issue
> q12-t4895.html

[LSAT-Chang]

Hey chike_eze,
I would love to know how you improved your score....
My worst section is RC, and I try so hard to read for structure but I think I just suck at it. I can't seem to move on to the next sentence without understanding what electromagnophytoblahblahlbalh is..
I'm really curious to know how to study for the RC. I guess some of the things that I'm really curious to know about is:

@How many passages do you solve a day?
@How do you "check" your answers? Like what do you do with the incorrect answers?
@Do you do them timed first? And then re-do them un-timed?
@How do you annotate? I tried all sorts, and I really figured that the best way for me is actually taking mini notes to the side such as "author" "oppose author" "background info" etc. but it does take more time than when I used to underline but the main problem I had with underlining was I didn't know what the heck I was underlining when I went back to the passage to solve actual questions. I wouldn't "get" why I underlined some things and just was lost in the midst of so many "lines" across the passage lol..
@By how many points have you improved? I kind of "gave up" on RC actually.. I haven't been doing any for the past 3 weeks because I was just so frustrated, and so I made the decision (might sound really stupid) to not focus on RC and just try to get -1 max on logical reasoning (I've been working super hard on these), and just get -9 or -10 (how I usually get) on the RC lol I don't know what your goals are and where you started on RC, but I would love to hear your approach to it..

[chike_eze]

@Changsoyeon,

Please don't misunderstand. I'm still not where I need to be on RC, but I've improved about 3-4 more correct from where I was before. I'm trying to get to -4 or -3 in the next 2 weeks, but I'm not there yet. Funny enough, I had to return to RC after making some gains in LR but regressing in RC.

My biggest issue in general is timing. Most times, if I review RC and LR passages untimed, I can usually dissect it. But I tend to make silly mistakes under time pressure.

Anyways, I can only give you specific advice on reading to answer "main idea", "purpose" questions -- still struggling with detail Q's.

Reading for Structure:

1. I start reading the first paragraph slowly. If I don't understand a sentence, I re-read it. I start picking up the pace if it makes sense.
> I actually noticed something today -- when I lean forward, my pacing slows down and I zoom in. On the other hand, when I sit up straighter I tend to focus more on the "big picture". Ha!

2. After reading the first paragraph (and this is a must for me), I write out in a few words what I think the main idea of the paragraph is. I keep this in mind and think about how it relates to the 2nd paragraph "Okay, P2 is expanding on P1", "Oops, P2 is narrowing the scope", "P2 intros new idea... okay". Same for P3, P4 etc.

3. As I read through all paragraphs (especially P2 and on) I underline things I think are important, circle terms/positions -- especially those odd-sounding words like "tetra-oxo-bi-carbo-!!"
> Underlining is a work in progress. Some stuff I underline don't even come up in Q's, but I've started underlining less -- I suppose that's progress.

4. I always slow down on the last paragraph until I can figure out if something new is in there -- maybe the conclusion! (I've been burned several times)

Not sure how you've been practicing, but I've been doing a lot of individual RC passages. E.g., I'll do Passage 2 timed, review untimed and then check answers; then I'll repeat the process for Passage 3 or 4 of the same RC. etc. Hopefully, this will help me improve my individual timing on each passage which should improve my overall RC timing.

Note: My annotating process is not perfect -- still a work in progress -- but it really helps me understand the structure of most passages. The act of actually writing something down helps me understand better. Now, if I can only get better at detail->Inference questions...

Hope I answered most of your questions

[LSAT-Chang]

My biggest issue in general is timing. Most times, if I review RC and LR passages untimed, I can usually dissect it. But I tend to make silly mistakes under time pressure.

ME TOO!!! Because I'm pressured, I just tend to skim the passage so by the time I'm into the questions, I have no clue what I read -- or sometimes it's the other way around -- I try to "ignore" time and just use the skills that I've learned but then I realize that I've spent 10 minutes on the first passage so then I start freaking out.

Reading for Structure:

1. I start reading the first paragraph slowly. If I don't understand a sentence, I re-read it. I start picking up the pace if it makes sense.
> I actually noticed something today -- when I lean forward, my pacing slows down and I zoom in. On the other hand, when I sit up straighter I tend to focus more on the "big picture". Ha!

hahaha that is kind of interesting.. I think I always lean forward, but maybe I'll try sitting up straighter next time

2. After reading the first paragraph (and this is a must for me), I write out in a few words what I think the main idea of the paragraph is. I keep this in mind and think about how it relates to the 2nd paragraph "Okay, P2 is expanding on P1", "Oops, P2 is narrowing the scope", "P2 intros new idea... okay". Same for P3, P4 etc.

I would love to do this but I don't think I will be able to because I just get so nervous about how much time I'll take writing down stuff to the side (I always always wanted to -- so I tried, and that took me 12-13 minutes to solve 1 passage but did get every question right!)

4. I always slow down on the last paragraph until I can figure out if something new is in there -- maybe the conclusion! (I've been burned several times)

Great tip.. I tend to overlook the last paragraph for some reason, I guess I get tired towards the last paragraph, but I've heard that the last paragraph could contain the goodies so I should focus on it more. Thanks again.

I'll do Passage 2 timed, review untimed and then check answers; then I'll repeat the process for Passage 3 or 4 of the same RC. etc. Hopefully, this will help me improve my individual timing on each passage which should improve my overall RC timing.

So are you saying that you solve at least one RC section from a test everyday?

Hope I answered most of your questions

Thanks so much for the great info!! That helped a lot -- I feel somewhat more motivated now that I know someone has actually improved on the RC -- I always had this thought (and not going to lie, but I still do) that I just will never improve on that section. But your experience pushed me forward a bit, so thanks!!!

[chike_eze]

@changsoyeon,

I think we can all improve in every section. I'm curious though, you said when you wrote things in the margins you were able to answer all attempted questions correct even though you were slower.

But when you don't write in the margin you tend to get more questions wrong. This suggests that writing in the margins may be a good notating strategy for you, which probably needs to be refined (and practiced with often) to get to that sweet spot. (i.e., understanding + speed)

I know how I learn. And I know that "writing in the margins" always works for me. Most times I understand a text when I notate in this way -- so the way I see it, Why change what works for me? Modify it, refine it, make it more concise but don't try to use some other strategy because others prefer it.

On my PTs, I still have to guess on some (4-6) questions because I run out of time, but I think it's better (for now) to attempt most questions confidently than to attempt all questions hastily with less understanding. I can only trust that with time and practice, my speed (while writing in the margins) will improve.

Hope my "rant" makes sense. Remember...

Accuracy first, then Speed!
> borrowed line -- <insert credit here>

Good Luck!

[LSAT-Chang]

but I think it's better (for now) to attempt most questions confidently than to attempt all questions hastily with less understanding. I can only trust that with time and practice, my speed (while writing in the margins) will improve.

I completely agree with you. I tried a section timed, and I was only able to get through 3 passages, but because I answered the questions with a good amount of information, I ended up getting all only -1 wrong out of all 3 passages, and -6 from the last passage (since I didn't solve any questions) so I ended up with a -7, which is 2 or 3 points better than I used to. I definitely don't want to be aiming for only 3 passages out of 4, but I feel like when I spend that much time solving 1 passage, I do get the questions all right -- so I'm really contemplating, but for now, I totally agree with how you should attempt most questions confidently than to attempt all questions hastily with less understanding.

Good luck to you too!

[maryadkins]

Great discussion, here!

To speak to your initial question on this post (and after reviewing your related post), I have a couple of suggestions. Keep in mind that notating methods are very personal, so what I suggest isn't a universal "best practice" for everybody. But there are a couple of things that work for me that you might try.

First, it's great that you're writing big picture and paragraph summary notes in the margins. But if you're just underlining important portions of the actual text, that's an area where you can play around with some more creative mapping. Some things I do:

-Draw squares around key terms and their definitions. This allows me to zoom in on them and their definitions right away later, even if they're separated by several sentences (which is often the case).

-Number lists. If several reasons, or examples, or theories--you name it--are given, I start a numbered list in the margin. This way, I can refer back and see that paleontologists have seven ways of excavating neanderthal bones... or whatever.

-Arrows. If something at the beginning of a paragraph leads to something later in the paragraph--or even later in the passage--I draw an arrow all the way down the page. This helps me link them later conceptually if necessary.

Finally, it sounds like you're at a place where you can try to read for a little more detail than you are. You obviously don't want to try to memorize the passage, and reading for structure and the central argument is key. But given where you are in your RC practice, in PT21, S4, Passage 2, for example, you should aim to have a basic conceptual understanding of the several theories discussed when you finish the passage. This is not to say you won't have to look back--you should and often must. But push yourself to absorb at least enough detail so that when you reach a question like Q12, you aren't completely lost. How does that sound?