The Passage-First Strategy

The passage-first strategy is the opposite of questions-first: you read the entire passage before looking at any questions. This is the approach most naturally suited to complex, densely argued passages where understanding the overall argument is essential for answering correctly.

---

What the Passage-First Strategy Involves

1. Read the passage from beginning to end without looking at the questions
2. As you read, identify the key components: main conclusion, premises, counter-arguments, and tone
3. Form a mental summary of the argument in one or two sentences
4. Turn to the questions and answer them, referring back to specific parts of the passage as needed

The Logic Behind It

Complex arguments cannot be understood piecemeal. If you read only the parts that seem relevant to individual questions, you risk misunderstanding the relationships between different parts of the argument — and those relationships are precisely what the hardest LNAT questions test.

Analogy: You cannot understand a film by watching only the scenes that someone describes to you. The meaning emerges from the sequence, the connections, and the overall arc.

---

Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: First Reading (3–4 minutes)