Tips For the Digital LSAT Reading Comprehension Section


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The digital LSAT will require students to take a different approach to the reading comprehension section.



As of last summer, LSAT test-takers in the U.S. and Canada traded in their pens and paper for stylus and tablet. The digital LSAT brought complaints and growing pains but ultimately allowed for faster scoring, more frequent test dates and easier accommodations for those with sensory impairments or other special needs.

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting higher institutions and legal education, college students can expect even more changes. April, May and June in-person LSAT test sessions have been cancelled and replaced with self-conducted, remotely proctored tests called the LSAT-Flex.

LSAT-Flex has the same three sections as the LSAT:

  1. logical reasoning
  2. analytical reasoning
  3. reading comprehension
But unlike the LSAT, there is no second logical reasoning section and no unscored experimental section.

Applicants who are planning to take the LSAT in the coming months should keep a close eye on COVID-19 updates on the Law School Admission Council website so they can monitor further test cancellations and changes.

How can you prepare for the Digital LSAT?

Applicants can prepare for the LSAT, LSAT-Flex and paper LSAT in the same way. The Law School Admission Council offers free and low-cost resources, including online tests that simulate the digital test environment, to familiarize users with tools like the timer, navigation bar, setting and ability to mark and flag questions for retrieval and review. Test-takers that can practice with a tablet computer can mimic the experience of a digital test even more closely.

In the logical reasoning and analytical reasoning sections, test takers can no longer write notes and diagrams directly in the test book. Students will then need to accustom themselves to using scrap paper on the side. To avoid switching between pen and stylus, students might try a technique where they use their dominant hand to hold their pen and their other hand to navigate the tablet.

For the reading comprehension section, traditional tactics like marginal notes, symbols and underlining need a digital update. Keep these four tips in mind:
  1. Change your view.
  2. Highlight methodically.
  3. Don’t scrap the scrap paper.
  4. Choose your order.

Change your view.

Before starting the test, acclimate to the software and change its settings. You can always adjust these settings throughout the test as your needs shift.

For example, you may want to increase text size and spacing to make it easier to accurately highlight text.

Highlight methodically.

LSAT passages are always going to be quite dense, convoluted and difficult to understand—more like legal texts than your typical essays or college textbooks. Highlighting too little or too much will result in a struggle to find information necessary to answer test questions.

Use a systematic approach when highlighting. The LSAT gives you three color options—pink, yellow and orange—as well as the option to highlight.

Use different colors to mark different types of information. For example, you could use pink for names and dates, yellow for definitions and orange for key words. Another example could be using pink for author’s views, orange for a source or perspective the author disagrees with and yellow for an alternate view.

Use underlining as well and you now have a wide range of visually distinct tools at your disposal.

Don’t scrap the scrap paper.

Reading comprehension questions depend on understanding a passage’s structure: how sentences and paragraphs relate to each other and fit together to make an argument. Paper LSAT tactics use marginal annotation, like tags or symbols, to mark key argument features like the main point, other viewpoints or interrelated information located in different parts of the passage.

On the digital LSAT, you can use scrap paper on the side to make a roadmap or outline the passage with a column enumerating each paragraph: P1, P2, P3, etc. Jot down quick abbreviations or symbols for future reference. You can use arrows to show paragraphs with connecting or contrasting points.

Choose your order.

The navigation bar and flagging function will make it easy on the digital LSAT to do questions in your order of choice. Save passages you don’t like for the end. Flag irksome questions and save them for later.

If you are unable to reach the end of the section before time is called, that’s a sign you should flag and skip more questions. Flagging questions eases time pressure and allows you to ensure that your unanswered questions are ones you chose not to do. Reaching the end with time to spare and going back helps you build confidence and reduce anxiety.

Develop your LSAT skills with focused practice. Experiment with whatever approach works for you and apply it methodically and consistently.




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