4.2 - One Perfect Passage at a Time

This lesson will be short and sweet.

Recall from our Accuracy > Speed lesson that the real key to this test is taking things one question at a time. In Reading Comprehension, we build on this idea by focusing on one passage at a time.

In particular, we focus on getting one passage perfect—that means nailing every question with certainty and not advancing to another passage until we've done so. If you can do one perfect, eventually you can do two, and three, and finally four. It takes time, but you can get there.

In practice, this means not worrying about the clock and treating the other passages as if they don't exist until you're ready to give them the same attention you gave the last one.

The Math Behind This Advice

It took me a long time to buy into this idea. Like many of you, I would feel the clock nagging me. I'd feel my unanswered questions begging for my attention. Giving in didn't help me and it won't help you.

Eventually, I considered the math and changed my approach.

Let's use round numbers, assuming the RC section we're working on has 28 questions (even though most have 27), broken up into four passages with 7 questions each.

Early on, I'd strive to answer each and every question. I would feel a sense of failure if I couldn't even get to that 28th question. So I'd rush here and there making clumsy mistakes. A typical performance might look like missing two questions per passage—a 20/28, or -8 in LSAT lingo.

Then, I adopted the one-perfect-passage approach.

I'd begin my first passage with a deep breath, I'd turn off the timer, then I'd dive in, pretending the other three passages didn't exist.

I'd read carefully and take my time. Then, I'd absolutely destroy the questions. I'd repeat this process for passage number two. Then again for passage number three. Typically, the 5-minute warning would pop up when I was about halfway through reading the fourth passage. I'd finish reading, usually answering a main point question with certainty, and then I'd bubble in whatever was left. On a bad day, I'd score 22/28. But random chance would often reward me another point or two, so even a mediocre performance would be in 23-24/28 range. On my best days, I'd finish perfect.

See the difference?

Old Me focused on the wrong things and paid the price in coughed up points. New Me took his time and cashed in. Even before reading the fourth passage, he was already ahead of Old Me score-wise, even on the worst days.

See, I can't force you to accept that getting faster (especially at RC) has almost nothing to do with reading quickly. But if you adopt a perfect-passage mentality, I can coach you through all the other skills that will improve your accuracy, and thereby, your speed.

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That all for our brief sales pitch on going one perfect passage at a time. Join us in our next lesson where we talk about the heart and soul of RC—the main point.

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What'd you think of this lesson? Are you going to adopt this approach in your RC practice? Why or why not? Leave me a comment so I can improve this course for you and future test-takers.