Most test-takers aim to spend 8-9 minutes per passage plus questions, giving you roughly 35 minutes for all four Reading Comprehension passages. However, the right strategy depends on your strengths. Some students read quickly but struggle with recall, so they might reread key sections. Others read slower but understand deeply the first time through.

Expert tutors help you find your optimal approach by having you practice different strategies on actual LSAT passages, then timing yourself to see what works. Common techniques include underlining topic sentences, making quick margin notes on passage structure, and tackling specific question types (like "main idea") before others. The goal is building a system that maximizes accuracy while keeping you moving.

The biggest mistakes are: (1) choosing an answer that sounds right but doesn't match the passage, (2) overthinking questions and reading too much into details, (3) missing the author's tone or perspective, and (4) rushing through difficult passages and getting lost. These mistakes often cluster—if you're missing inference questions, you might be either reading too literally or inferring beyond what the passage supports.

Tutoring helps you catch your personal pattern. By reviewing practice tests with expert guidance, you'll see whether you're making careless errors on questions you could get right, or if certain question types consistently stump you. Once identified, targeted drills on those specific weaknesses become high-leverage practice.

The LSAT Reading Comprehension section tests about 8-10 core question types: main idea, supporting detail, inference, author's tone, logical structure, comparative (in paired passages), application, and weaken/strengthen variations. Most students find inference and logical structure questions the most challenging because they require deeper understanding of how ideas connect—not just what the passage says, but what it implies.

Paired passages add another layer of difficulty since you must understand two passages and then answer about their relationship. A tutor can walk you through the strategy for each question type, showing you how to eliminate wrong answers systematically and avoid common traps that test makers use.

Effective practice test use involves three stages: (1) taking full sections untimed to understand the content, (2) timing yourself to build speed while maintaining accuracy, and (3) reviewing every single question—especially ones you got right but guessed on. The review phase is where real learning happens. Understanding why the right answer is right and why three wrong answers are wrong builds pattern recognition you'll use on test day.

Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who excel at analyzing your practice test performance. They'll show you which question types trip you up, whether you're making careless mistakes or conceptual errors, and exactly how to adjust your strategy. Having someone guide this process accelerates improvement far faster than reviewing on your own.

Dense passages—often about science, philosophy, or law—intimidate many test-takers, but they follow the same structure as all LSAT passages. The trick is reading actively by identifying the main idea quickly, then understanding why the author included supporting details. Many students get bogged down trying to fully understand every sentence, which wastes time. Instead, focus on the passage's argument and structure.

Practical strategies include reading the first sentence of each paragraph carefully (it often signals the main point), jotting quick notes on passage organization, and saving detailed rereading for when you encounter a specific question. Tutors can show you how to read these passages with speed and confidence by practicing on real LSAT examples and building familiarity with the academic writing style the test uses.

Test anxiety in Reading Comprehension often stems from time pressure or encountering an unfamiliar passage. Two powerful anxiety reducers are: (1) thorough preparation with timed practice so you know you can handle the pacing, and (2) a consistent routine you've rehearsed. If you practice with the same pre-passage ritual each time—take a deep breath, scan the passage for structure, note the topic in margins—it becomes automatic and calming on test day.

Working with a tutor helps because you build confidence through success. As you see improvement in your practice test scores and understand the patterns behind questions, anxiety naturally decreases. Tutors also teach you to recognize when you're overthinking (a common anxiety trigger) and give you permission to skip a tough question and move on, since timing strategy matters as much as individual accuracy.