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4 Likes
Reflection on December14 LSAT
jennifer.lan
Member
Hi all lovely 7 sagers, just want to write down some reflections I feel for this just finished LSAT and see if anyone, particularly if the 7 Sage instructors can have some feedback and suggestions to improve. I am definitely going to take the Feb test and I guess even it is a late test for the 2015 admission cycle, it won't hurt my application if it's a higher score. Well, anyway, here is what I feel did not do well during the real exam and want to find some solutions:
For LR: I am not really a fast reader, so when I am doing the PT test, I can just finish all the questions on time and no time to go back to questions and such. And I guess I need to improve my speed for Feb test. Yet from this Dec test, I got a feeling that, when I attempted to do it fast, I lost track of my certainty for my answers, for example I take a quick scan of the answer choices and see one seems to fit and move on, without the elimination process....or at least double check that I get a right answer. Meanwhile, I feel that during a real exam situation, there is certain psycho that I need to do it fast, and in this way when I am feeling not so certain between two answers, I tend to choose either one, and get the "WHATEVER" feeling and move on. I think JY talked about this scenario in Blind Review session. But it would be really helpful if there is any suggestions to practice how to develop a right "first intuition" towards the answer and know for sure that we choose a right one?!
For LG: I am in general good at it, but I think I didn't do very well on this one. I get a little stocked during game 3 so rushed through game 4 and guessed lots of answers
A general feeling is that, for LG, it's like solving high sch math, you get it and you get it; you don't get it, then very unlikely, you can figure the problem out quickly during a panic testing period.
Also, I learned from my PT practice experience that, for LG it is so easy to make some "careless" mistake.
So anyone have good suggestions for 1, avoid "stocking" scenario for LG; 2, never give "careless" a chance to induce you make mistakes in games (haha:)
* I know the answer is constant practice and know very clearly of the foundational diagrams, but just want to know every body's experience and if one has suggestions.
For RC: I feel the RC section of PT74 (^_^) is somewhat OK; I am not very good at pure science article and so thankful that the science article here is not really science, but somehow law-related. I am generally not very good at RC, but improve during the last few weeks by strictly following JY's practice method to hone short term memory. So for any PT RC section, when I am doing the blind review, I read it again, do the summaries for each paragraph, then do a quick scan of the passage (re-read, but with much better idea of the structure and argument), think about MP, then re-do all questions (as quickly as I can); then I watch video explanation from JY. Then analyze each questions myself, esp for the wrong choices, I study throughly and know why I choose a wrong one. This is time consuming but helpful. Would be happy to know if anyone else have better RC study strategy to share.
All right, good luck to all potential class of 2018 law students
Thank you if you have suggestions!
For LR: I am not really a fast reader, so when I am doing the PT test, I can just finish all the questions on time and no time to go back to questions and such. And I guess I need to improve my speed for Feb test. Yet from this Dec test, I got a feeling that, when I attempted to do it fast, I lost track of my certainty for my answers, for example I take a quick scan of the answer choices and see one seems to fit and move on, without the elimination process....or at least double check that I get a right answer. Meanwhile, I feel that during a real exam situation, there is certain psycho that I need to do it fast, and in this way when I am feeling not so certain between two answers, I tend to choose either one, and get the "WHATEVER" feeling and move on. I think JY talked about this scenario in Blind Review session. But it would be really helpful if there is any suggestions to practice how to develop a right "first intuition" towards the answer and know for sure that we choose a right one?!
For LG: I am in general good at it, but I think I didn't do very well on this one. I get a little stocked during game 3 so rushed through game 4 and guessed lots of answers
A general feeling is that, for LG, it's like solving high sch math, you get it and you get it; you don't get it, then very unlikely, you can figure the problem out quickly during a panic testing period.
Also, I learned from my PT practice experience that, for LG it is so easy to make some "careless" mistake.
So anyone have good suggestions for 1, avoid "stocking" scenario for LG; 2, never give "careless" a chance to induce you make mistakes in games (haha:)
* I know the answer is constant practice and know very clearly of the foundational diagrams, but just want to know every body's experience and if one has suggestions.
For RC: I feel the RC section of PT74 (^_^) is somewhat OK; I am not very good at pure science article and so thankful that the science article here is not really science, but somehow law-related. I am generally not very good at RC, but improve during the last few weeks by strictly following JY's practice method to hone short term memory. So for any PT RC section, when I am doing the blind review, I read it again, do the summaries for each paragraph, then do a quick scan of the passage (re-read, but with much better idea of the structure and argument), think about MP, then re-do all questions (as quickly as I can); then I watch video explanation from JY. Then analyze each questions myself, esp for the wrong choices, I study throughly and know why I choose a wrong one. This is time consuming but helpful. Would be happy to know if anyone else have better RC study strategy to share.
All right, good luck to all potential class of 2018 law students
Thank you if you have suggestions! 
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I randomly ended up at the front of the room. I got to hear the two proctors whispering back and forth. One of them decided to turn a fan on mid way through section 1 and it made an obnoxious clicking sound so they had to turn it off. Then, during the written section, I could hear them discussing "issues" with tests they had collected and I heard my name. Evidently I forgot to write my birth date above where I bubbled it in. After I heard my name I was panicked thinking I had made a huge mistake or was bring accused of some wrongdoing. Extremely distracting!
Today's proctors were also considering key FOBs to be prohibited electronic devices! Do they not realise people can't get back into their buildings without them?
This is my second writing. First write, person beside me had an anxiety issue and kept tapping. I asked to move seats during the break and was told it is against the rules. The same person also "gave up" last section and sat there looking like she wanted to die. Pretty distracting! Lol
I guess no testing centre is perfect. Maybe we should start a thread on this? There are bound to be some funny/awful experiences out there worth sharing.
Then during section 4 she taps on my back from behind my sit that my shirt's hoody is too high and even though I'm not wearing it, it's coveting my ears!!! How do we make a complaint on the testing center????
For LG, reread the rules after you diagram your game board, rules, and pieces, before you answer questions or figure out inferences. Check to be sure you didn't miss anything in your setup. Check for floaters. Then spend time with the diagrams and re-written/simplified rules.
See that you understand where game pieces can go, and attempt to make diagrams. At some point you have to make yourself answer questions. Keep an eye in time.
Before I tackle any question, I quickly look through the games to see which ones look the most difficult. Then I get through the easier looking ones first. Easier games should only take 5-7 minutes, you'll need the extra time for the more difficult ones. Easier ones include the simple sequencing/ordering games. When I figure out which games seem easy or difficult, I'll write the time I'd like to be done in the bottom right hand corner. I did this this year and, at the least, got through all of the games as best as I could. I didn't have a real chance to go over answers, but I did get to every game with setup and rules and answer them.
For RC, I always look to see which passages are the longest/most difficult and have the most questions, and do those first. Again, I mark the time I need to be finished at the bottom right hand corner of each passage (just the minutes, like if it's 12:00, I'll write :07, :15, etc.) You cannot correctly guess answers for a passage you did not read! So you have to have enough time to read every passage or you'll blind guess the last one that you do. I save the fewest questions/easiest passage for last.
This RC, I felt much more "relaxed" in that I felt like I had a good strategy for managing time. I read every passage and answered the questions and had time to check my circled questions.
For LR, you've got to focus on the questions! Getting it done fast is important, but it means nothing if you aren't sill mentally "taking" the exams and paying attention to the questions. My goal is to read for understanding, then answer questions. Make sure your read the question stem first. Remembering that for some questions, like MBT, that we aren't looking for a flaw and we want to accept the argument as true, really helped me during the exam. It's something I didn't "get" until the day of the actual LSAT: accepting the stimulus as true based on the question stem (which we read first) keeps you from wasting mental energy trying to locate the flaw. I don't know how this works, I just know that it helped me tremendously.
Additionally, the best advice I think JY has ever given is to SKIP questions you don't know. There was one LR question that took up half of a page. I read it and almost laughed out loud, thinking this is obviously a giant time sink. I can't remember the subject matter, but it was so convoluted! Like a parallel principle application flaw question. Read it the best you can, make an educated guess, and move on. I didn't even go back to that question, because you can spend your time trying to get an easier skipped question correct.
But you have to skip questions. I wouldn't read the LR stimulus more than twice generally, and during the exam, I told myself, if you have to read it more than three times, make an educated guess, circle it, and move on. I feel like I should also note: when skipping questions on the real thing, fill in SOMETHING. Don't skip without circling an answer choice! You may not have time to come back to it. Don't throw away any chance of guessing that point correctly because you didn't mark an answer and didn't get back to it!
Also for LR, because I need all the time I can get, I started putting slash marks next to each answer choice I felt was totally wrong. I stopped marking out the actual letter because I moved my hand too much hahaha so I just write it next to the line.
If you start to lose focus on LR, just mentally start checking for the conclusion and premises as you read the stimulus. It's a mechanical way to force your brain to get back in gear. Having something concrete to look forward to helps me regain mental ground.
Lastly, for LR, I also mark the time I want I be done at the bottom of the page. After 10 questions, I put down the time 7 minutes from when I started, and roughly 10 minutes for every two pages, with the time I want to be done over all on the last page. I also try to leave five minutes of breathing room at the end for checking skipped questions.
General tips:
Buy a Casio watch with rotating bezel, like the one JY suggested. Mine is white with different colored numbers. This was absolutely crucial to my performance - our room didn't even have a clock! There are a lot of little tick marks, so visually, it was a change from my old watch (honestly it took me some getting used to), but, this will help you to know precisely when to be done with what. I made a mark at the 35 min. designation on the bezel.
Whenever the proctor says "five minutes remaining", I check the clock and mentally make a note for when five minutes is up, in case their watch is faster/slower than mine. Know that you'll need to bubble in answers before time is called, and the five minute mark is a good time to do this.
I bubble after every LG game, every RC passage, and every two pages for LR.
Don't socialize at the exam. During the break I saw someone I knew, said hello, and immediately left to look for a quiet, secluded place to sit and eat snack hahahaha. This helped me stay focused!
I felt pretty good about it too @Curtis90. I was nervous but overall it went smoothly, and I didn't panic.
This turned into a novel but I wanted to help make up for us not answering your original topic question!
EDIT: I edited a lot of stuff :P just a note
http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/1396/important-note-about-the-dec-2014-lsat