9 Common LSAT Reading Comprehension Mistakes

Underlining provides no value when answering the questions. Instead, circle structural keywords, especially those indicating contrast (“but,” “however,” “although,” etc.), point of view (“some say…”, “critics argue…”, etc.), and author opinion/emphasis (“very significant”, “more trouble”, “terrible”, etc.). By zeroing in on these keywords, you’ll be able to efficiently grasp the passage’s organization, the author’s conclusions, and any additional points of view—all of which are key targets for questions.

Minor details of the text are often (purposefully) more confusing than the main ideas. Learn to be comfortable skimming certain parts of the passages. If the information isn’t part of the main idea of the passage, don’t worry about it. Let keywords that indicate contrast, point of view, or author opinion/emphasis (see above) slow you down; that’s where you need to read more carefully. Keywords that indicate more of the same (“additionally,” “and,” “moreover,” “furthermore,” etc.) or specific examples (“for example,” “the case of,” “for instance,” etc.) can be skimmed quickly. Remember, if you need those details for a question, you can always go back into the text. If you don’t, they aren’t germane to the big picture.

You have three to four minutes per passage to read, which means you have to use the reading strategy described above. Pause at the end of each paragraph, jot down some quick margin notes indicating where the important stuff is (like a table of contents), and continue. Use the first sentence in each paragraph, as well as the scope of the passage and keywords, to help you figure out what is truly important to remember from each paragraph, then read for those items.

Make sure you stick to the reading strategy outlined above. As you go through answer choices, keep an eye on two things: Are the author’s main idea and purpose addressed, and does the answer stay in the scope of the passage? Wrong answers will frequently veer outside the scope of the passage.

This is a huge mistake made by even really strong test-takers. On easier questions for easier passages, you might get to the correct answer based on what you think you know, but relying on memory as a consistent strategy prevents you from getting the hang of the section as a whole. Instead, think of LSAT reading comprehension as an open book test. Use your roadmap (table of contents-style margin notes) to direct where you should be looking for answers. Anticipate which information in the reading will be relevant when you get to the questions, and you will be less likely to choose those tempting wrong answers.

The tentative language of inference questions (“the passage suggests…,” “the author would be most likely to agree with…,” etc.) can encourage test takers to mistakenly look for answers that could be possible given the information presented in the passage. Remember, inference questions in the LSAT reading comprehension are asking what MUST BE TRUE, and we should answer them accordingly. Watch out for extreme wording (does the author say that fairy tales ALWAYS have their basis in true stories?), and keep an eye on the big picture—the right answers tend to be safely worded and refer back to the main idea or overall scope.