How do I know which LSAT Reading comprehension passage I should work on first? Second? Third? Fourth? How can I improve my score by selecting a better order?
I like to work through the lsat reading comprehension section with the most questions first and the lsat reading comprehension section with the fewest questions last.
I always flip through the section, write the number of questions per passage at the top of the page for each passage, and attack the longest passage first, the shortest passage last. If one passage has 5 questions and another has 8 questions, attack the 8 question passage first and take a bit more time.
It takes 3 minutes to properly read nearly any passage, regardless of the number of questions associated with it. Spend this time commitment wisely by attacking passages with 7/8 questions first.
Consider reading an LSAT passage as an investment. You are investing your precious time reading through the passage. In order to maximize your score, you want to maximize the number of questions that you will be able to answer by reading through a passage. By front-loading the passages with more questions, you will be able to get through more of these questions sooner. That way, if you end up low on time during the last passage, you will be rushing through fewer questions.
1 Comment
This is a great tip. One thing I find, however, is that the passages with fewer questions tend to be the easier ones (and usually appear first). I suppose I can still follow your advice; it’s just a matter of not getting too intimidated by the terminology in the more challenging passages and tacking them like any other. I do agree that 3 minutes (and potentially less) is enough time to read any passage.