LSAT Discussion Forum

Now that I have entered most of my previous practice tests into the system and have analytics, I see some specific weaknesses to address. Great! That's the idea! But, I don't see pre-existing drill sets that are quite on point. Within RC, it appears that I'm notably weaker on Organization and Strengthen questions than on some other question types. I realize that there are LR drill sets for Strengthen, and perhaps they can help some. I don't see anything specifically for Organization, though.

What are some recommended ways to work on these specific question types, particularly within RC? If I've missed a blog post with the answer, I'm happy to have links.

We don't have any drill sets specifically for Organization/Structure questions in RC, a2000, and they are relatively rare, showing up in maybe 1 passage per test, sometimes 2. But here's one way you can work on them that will also have a positive impact on your overall RC performance:

1. Read the first paragraph, and then on your scratch paper write just a few words that describe the purpose of the paragraph. Why did the author write this? What were they trying to accomplish here? Notes like this will say things like "describe a paradox" or "compare two theories regarding a phenomenon" or "introduce a person who has been unjustly criticized."

2. Read the second paragraph and do the same thing, but be sure to look for how this paragraph connects to the first one. The author is building a case, telling a story, and you want to see HOW they are adding to that story at every stage of the passage. If the first paragraph's purpose was to "describe a paradox," the second might be to "examine research intended to resolve the paradox," or perhaps "explain why the paradox has practical implications."

3. Do the same for each succeeding paragraph.

When you're done, your notes will tell the story of the passage. They will be the answer to the Organization question, but they will also reveal the Purpose of the passage, and will likely tell you the Main Point and Tone and Author Viewpoint as well.

Keep these notes short and simple, never delving too far into the details of the topic, but allowing for some indications of the Tone. Maybe one paragraph has the purpose of "criticizing those who refuse to acknowledge the problem." That not only tell you what the author is doing, but also how they feel about it!

One nice thing about this exercise is that you can go back over any passage that you already did and see it in a while new light. You don't have to burn new material doing this! Give it a try, especially on any passages that gave you a really hard time, and see if this approach improves your overall performance on RC.