What the four passages actually test
Question types recur across passages: main point, primary purpose, the author's attitude or tone, a specific factual detail, the function of a stated example or a paragraph, and how the passage's reasoning would apply to a new, hypothetical situation.
- Main point and primary purpose
- Author's attitude or tone
- Specific detail (with line reference)
- Function of an example or paragraph
- Application to a new situation
- Comparative-passage relationship questions
A first read built for structure, not memorization
Read for the argument's shape on the first pass: what claim is being made, what evidence supports it, and where the author agrees or disagrees with a view described in the passage. Trying to memorize every detail on a single read is slower and less reliable than returning to the text once a question asks for it.
For comparative sets, identify each passage's own point first, then work out the relationship between them — agreement, disagreement, one passage responding to the other, or two passages addressing the same issue from different angles.
Where Reading Comprehension sits in the LSAT's design
LSAC says the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT has one scored Reading Comprehension section, alongside two scored Logical Reasoning sections and one unscored section that is either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension. Every section is 35 minutes long. Reading Comprehension is therefore one of three scored sections, or one-third of the scored testing time, by arithmetic from LSAC's section counts.
Because the unscored section can also be Reading Comprehension, a test taker may see two Reading Comprehension sections and cannot tell which one counts. LSAC uses the unscored section to validate new questions for future use.
What the score counts
LSAC's raw score is the number of questions answered correctly, every question is weighted exactly the same, and there is no deduction for a wrong answer. A question left blank in a scored section can only lose credit.
The raw score converts to the 120 to 180 scale, and each score carries a percentile rank showing the share of test takers who scored lower over the previous three testing years. Test-day timing comes from the section length, 35 minutes, with the 10-minute intermission before the third section.
What LSAC says the Reading Comprehension section contains
LSAC says the Reading Comprehension section has four sets of questions, each set made of a reading selection followed by five to eight questions. A selection is either a single passage or two related shorter passages, called comparative reading, and a section holds either three or four single passages and either one or no comparative pair. The selections come from the humanities, the social sciences, the biological and physical sciences, and areas related to the law.
The questions may ask about the main idea or primary purpose, information that is explicitly stated, inferences, the meaning of a word or phrase in context, organization or structure, applying the selection to a new context, principles that function in it, analogies to its claims, the author's attitude as shown by tone, and the impact of new information on its claims. Comparative questions concern how the two passages relate, such as generalization and instance, principle and application, or point and counterpoint.
Common questions
How many Reading Comprehension sections are scored?+
One. LSAC says the multiple-choice portion has one scored Reading Comprehension section, two scored Logical Reasoning sections and one unscored section.
How long is the Reading Comprehension section?+
35 minutes, like the other three sections of the LSAT.
Could I see two Reading Comprehension sections?+
Yes. The unscored section can be either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension, so a second Reading Comprehension section may not count.
What share of the scored testing time is Reading Comprehension?+
One of the three scored 35-minute sections, about one-third of scored testing time, by simple arithmetic from LSAC's section counts.
Should I answer every Reading Comprehension question?+
Yes. There is no deduction for wrong answers, so a blank answer can only cost you.
Are Reading Comprehension questions weighted differently?+
No. LSAC says all test questions are weighted exactly the same.
Does the unscored section reveal itself?+
No. LSAC does not identify it during the test, and it uses it to validate new questions for future use.
How does LSAC report the result?+
As a scaled score from 120 to 180 with a percentile rank based on the previous three testing years.
How many passages are in the LSAT Reading Comprehension section?+
Four sets: LSAC says a section holds three or four single passages plus one comparative pair or none, and each set has five to eight questions.
What is comparative reading on the LSAT?+
Two related shorter passages read together. LSAC says the questions concern their relationship, such as generalization and instance, principle and application, or point and counterpoint.
What to do next
- 1
Practice identifying a passage's main point in one sentence before reading the questions.
- 2
Separate detail questions (go back to the text) from attitude and inference questions (reason from the whole passage).
- 3
Drill comparative-reading passages specifically — the relationship questions are a distinct skill.
- 4
Track your per-passage time, not only your per-question time.