Can Reading Fiction Improve LSAT Score?
by Dana Stepleton & Dave Goldstein
(Editor’s note: Dave and Dana are both aspiring novelists, in addition to being amazing tutors and incredible LSAT explanation-writers. So now that they’re blushing, I’d recommend reading whichever novels they tell you to read. -- CB.)
Developing a daily reading habit to improve your LSAT reading comprehension ability isn’t a novel concept, but many students don’t know exactly what to read to maximize their LSAT scores.
Most of the time, LSAT test-takers automatically reach for the nonfiction shelf -- after all, you’re not going to see a short story on the LSAT, right? It makes sense to practice by reading informational articles on topics that you’re likely to encounter on test day.
While this is entirely logical, there are a few reasons to dust the cobwebs off of your fiction collection, too. First, regardless of whether you’re tackling fiction or nonfiction, reading tough material for at least 15-35 minutes a day can improve your reading comprehension skills (see our previous article for more information). In addition, fiction provides unique benefits for improving your LSAT RC prowess.
See below for an explanation of the benefits of reading fiction to improve your LSAT verbal score, as well as a recommended reading list.
Reading fiction changes your “LSAT brain” in interesting ways
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and the University of British Columbia determined that reading absurdist fiction improves students’ abilities to detect patterns in subsequent tests. They attribute this effect to something called “meaning threat”: when students got twisted around in a story that defied their expectations, they were more active in searching for cohesive meaning in the follow-up test. Sounds pretty useful for Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning on the LSAT!
In addition, reading fiction improves connectivity in certain regions of the brain. In particular, the language and movement centers of the brain were positively impacted by reading novels. Researchers believe that these effects occur because stories “transport” the reader into the shoes of the protagonist. Because being engaged while reading through a tough LSAT RC passage is such a critical skill, it is absolutely worthwhile to strengthen those engagement muscles by reading a novel or two.
Fiction is just more fun
Okay, this one is more an opinion than a fact. But speaking as two tutors with 99th percentile verbal scores on several standardized tests, we can say that we owe at least part of our verbal chops to a longstanding love of reading, writing, and language in general. This love has its roots in reading stories.
As discussed in our article on reading nonfiction to help your LSAT RC score, the positive effects of reading accumulate over time -- which means that you have to stick with it for a while before you’ll reap any benefits from the work you put in. In this way, picking up a reading habit is just like going to the gym, or changing your diet, or getting started with meditation. It’s going to take patience and perseverance and all sorts of other things that are sometimes in short supply.
So if it can be challenging to maintain a reading habit, why not make it enjoyable for yourself? Why not get lost in an awesome story that also happens to have tough vocabulary and a brain-stimulating structure? If you’re ready to take the plunge, see below for a suggested reading list.
Fiction is fun, but read with 100% intensity to improve your LSAT results
We bang this particular drum whenever we write about the LSAT, but remember that the test is ludicrously time-pressured, and you can’t waste a moment if you want to get through ~25 LSAT Reading Comprehension questions in 35 minutes. More than any of the standardized exams that we teach, the LSAT pushes the limits of your ability to concentrate intensely as you read – and if you take your foot off the proverbial gas pedal for even a few minutes, your score will suffer.
So if you’re doing “leisure reading” to improve your LSAT skills, keep your intensity level ratcheted up as high as it can go. As you read, imagine that you’re racing against the clock to understand every bit of that novel.
Think of this as the opposite of relaxed, poolside reading: if you’re striving to become a better fundamental reader as you prepare for the LSAT, treat your fiction-reading like a good, hard workout.
Our favorite fiction books for LSAT test-takers
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: A massive brain-warping novel whose inventive language and formal ingenuity will challenge the savviest of LSAT readers. This thing is LONG – just like your law school textbooks.
The Oresteia by Aeschylus: If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of our legal system, this one’s for you. These three plays detail the mythical Greek story that led to the introduction of the jury system.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: There are at least two stories interwoven within this book, but the multiple subplots and intrigues require the kind of close reading and attention that will help enormously on LSAT RC passages.
The Trial by Franz Kafka: In a study conducted at the University of British Columbia, participants who read Kafka performed significantly better on a subsequent logic test than a control group that read a more conventional linear narrative. We’ll interpret that as evidence of the brain-enhancing effects of reading truly inventive fiction.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin: A depiction of an anarchic society, stuffed with good words to stretch your LSAT vocabulary.
There, There by Tommy Orange: A powerful, kaleidoscopic novel about the consequences of prejudice and cultural dislocation in 21st century America. Because there are so many perspectives and so many disparate narrative threads, this book will require the kind of sustained attention and focus that only the most challenging LSAT RC passages would demand of you.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith: This novel captures the chaotic, hilarious, and unexpected ways in which cultures clash in late 20th-century London. A tough but entertaining read!
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: In the running for the funniest book of the 20th century, Catch-22 is also riddled with the kinds of knotty logical paradoxes that will hone your LSAT LR skills as you laugh at the grotesquerie of human folly. (Did that last sentence sound like it came from an LSAT question? Oh good.)