LSAT Reading Comprehension Strategy

Every LSAT administration has at least one Reading Comprehension (RC) section, and some may have two, depending on if the experimental section contains Reading Comprehension or Logical Reasoning questions. Test takers are given 35 minutes to read four sets of passages. Three of those sets will contain a single passage of text, while one set will contain two passages and is often referred to as "Comparative Reading." Test prep professionals recommend spending approximately eight (8) minutes per set, which works out to 32 minutes, leaving you three minutes to review any questions you flagged or your answers in general.

You must use a strategic approach when completing RC sections to tackle complex passages efficiently and accurately. Many students spend all their study time preparing for Logical Reasoning questions, and while these questions are notoriously challenging, Reading Comprehension questions are also difficult in their own unique way. Passages are derived from the biological and physical sciences, law, the humanities, and social sciences. They intentionally feature high-level vocabulary words and complex rhetorical structure. Since most test takers do not regularly consume this type of material, it is critical that you devote ample time to mastering Reading Comprehension questions.

Here are key strategies to maximize your performance.

Engage in Active Reading

Skimming large blocks of text is fine when reading novels. Speed reading even has its place in getting through the lengthy chapters of certain undergraduate or academic textbooks. Fast and efficient though it may be, skimming, speed reading, or other forms of passive reading have no place in the LSAT's Reading Comprehension section. Instead, active reading is necessary to make it through the passages.

Active reading is a skill that involves thinking critically about the text you are reading, as well as asking yourself questions and making predictions as you go. Train yourself to read with purpose so you can easily identify important pieces of information such as the main idea, the author's tone, argument structure, inferential thinking, and more. Staying engaged with the passage you're reading is part of the challenge inherent to Reading Comprehension questions, and if you haven't developed your ability to engage in sustained active reading, you will quickly find yourself bored, disengaged, or completely lost within the text.

Utilize Passage Mapping

Passage mapping is a reading comprehension strategy that involves creating a mental or visual roadmap of a text to improve comprehension and recall. Test prep experts strongly recommend against highlighting every sentence of a given passage or rewriting every bit of information on your scratch paper. Instead, you want to focus on key pieces of information, such as the main idea, evidence, assumptions, specific arguments and counterpoints, viewpoints, and the author's conclusion.

The most common Reading Comprehension passages you will encounter on the LSAT include argumentative, comparative, and informational passages, and passage mapping is especially helpful when it comes to understanding the structure of an argument. Once you understand how the author has chosen to organize and present their ideas, it is significantly easier to follow along with, strengthen, and/or weaken the given argument. Passage mapping can also be helpful in directing you back to parts of the passage containing specific information that is needed to answer a question.

Not All Details are Important

LSAT passages often contain dense information, and sometimes information is included that is not relevant to the questions you will be asked at the end of the passage. The challenging part is knowing what information to focus on and what information is simply present or purposefully intended to trip you up.

When you are reading through a passage and practicing your active reading skills, note if a sentence is related to anything you have previously read. If it directly supports or contradicts something earlier in the passage, it may be important. If it includes a date, numerical amount, or something else involving numbers or quantities, it may be important and may also end up being something you are referred back to in a question.

However, you may also be given dates, prices, quantities, or other numerical information that you are never asked about and that is not, strictly speaking, relevant to successfully answering questions. Using passage mapping to understand the structure of the argument may help clarify what pieces of information are important. The best way to determine whether or not something is a key piece of information is to determine the role that information plays in the passage, how strongly it is linked to other provided information, and whether it is directly featured in a question at the end of the text.

Master Prioritization

Since the RC section has four lengthy sets of passages, it is very important to avoid getting stuck on any single passage. As we mentioned before, you should allocate approximately eight (8) minutes to each passage. What you might not know is that you do not have to complete the Reading Comprehension passages in the order they are presented.

In fact, many prep test experts recommend taking 30 seconds to one minute at the beginning of the section to glance through the passages and order them based on priority. There is no strict method when it comes to prioritization and much of it ultimately comes down to personal preference. If you know you perform exceptionally well on sections with topics from the social sciences and struggle with passages focusing on the physical sciences, start with what you know you will do best on and work your way through the passages from there.

Prioritization is also helpful when it comes to specific questions. Certain questions are easier than others, which means you may find it helpful to start with Main Idea questions or questions focusing on the author's conclusion rather than jumping into more vague questions, such as those dealing with assumptions or inferences. The more you practice answering Reading Comprehension questions, the better you will become at discerning your own strengths and areas of growth, allowing you to prioritize RC passages in a way that helps you achieve your highest score.

Employ the Process of Elimination

No matter how diligently you prepare or how many practice exams you complete, there will come a point on the LSAT when you have absolutely no idea what the correct answer is to a question. This is not a reflection of you or your effort, it's simply inevitable. Fortunately, becoming comfortable with employing the process of elimination will make it easier for you to do away with obviously incorrect answers, increasing your chances of correctly guessing the right answer.

There is usually at least one obviously incorrect answer option offered for each Reading Comprehension question. These wrong answers are intended to trap you, but you can easily outsmart the test makers by being on the lookout for answers that are:

Only half-true: these answers may contain information that is partially true, but do not contain the full truth.
Too extreme: these answers represent all-or-nothing ways of thinking, taking a position that is not supported by any of the passage text.
Outside the scope of the passage: these answers may not relate to the passage at all, or they may ask about things you have no way of knowing or even inferring based on the information you have been given.

Many test takers struggle with guessing and feel terrible when they don't know the answer to a question. While this attitude is understandable, it's not helpful, and it could keep you from correctly answering a question through eliminating wrong answers and making an educated guess.

Practice Under Timed Conditions

Simulate real LSAT conditions by practicing with full-length, timed RC sections. This builds endurance and helps refine your reading speed and comprehension efficiency. Reading Comprehension passages can be mentally exhausting, as it takes a great deal of effort to maintain focus for an extended period of time. Thankfully, your ability to concentrate is similar to a muscle, and just like a muscle, it becomes stronger through regular use.

If you find yourself struggling so much that you begin avoiding Reading Comprehension practice, start by completing sections without using a timer. Work at identifying important pieces of information, practice recognizing question types, engage in passage mapping, and employ other successful strategies until you are more comfortable with them. Then ease your way into practicing under timed conditions identical to those you will experience on the real LSAT. By the day of your exam, you will have become so comfortable with Reading Comprehension sets that you will know exactly what to do and how to execute it within the given timeframe.

Conclusion

By consistently applying these strategies, test takers can significantly improve their accuracy, speed, and confidence on the LSAT Reading Comprehension section. Whether you prepare on your own or as part of a group, work with a private tutor, or complete an online prep course, preparing is all about what works for you and what helps you achieve your highest score. Make sure not to neglect Reading Comprehension questions in your preparation in order to set yourself up for the LSAT success you deserve.

The LSAT Reading Comprehension Strategy