[This is an excerpt from our full course. Previous Lesson - Blind Review Part 2]
Reviewing your thought process
At the end of the previous step, you should have a bunch of circled questions, a bunch of not circled questions, and maybe a couple that you didn't get to answer. Now, let's figure out just what to do with each of these types of questions.
First, do not look at the answer key. Then, ignore the questions you didn't circle.
Second, focus on just the ones that you didn’t have time to get to. They are blank. Now, take as much time as you need to answer those questions. Make sure that you are at 100% certainty for these questions. This is important for the analysis later.
Third, focus on just the ones you circled. Now, take as much time as you need - typically 5-10 minutes per question - to review those questions.
What does "review” mean? It means to carefully go over your reasoning, since it’s still fresh in your mind. Make sure you talk out the rationale that makes that answer right and the rationale that makes each of the other four answers wrong. You want to make sure you are practicing and getting better at travelling down both paths to the correct answer choice.
Articulate your reasoning to someone - other students, your instructor. Anyone! Just force yourself to speak it out. If you’re two months into your LSAT prep, that means you can teach someone just starting everything you know. Do it! It’ll reinforce your own understanding. If you're studying alone, remember talking to yourself doesn't make you crazy. If you’re insecure about your sanity, seek professional medical help.
Often, you don’t know what your reasoning is until you say it out loud. You just have a vague idea in your head. Sometimes, when you say it out loud, you’ll realize that your idea is actually nonsense. So talk to someone about why you choose that answer choice and why you eliminated the rest.
Action: As you review, you must either:
1. Stand by your original answer or
2. Pick a new answer.
If you pick a new answer, keep track of the change and the original. This is important later on for analysis.
This step of the Blind Review does two things:
1. It takes the timing out of the equation. We want to know whether our errors are attributable to time or to lack of understanding. This way, since you get unlimited time, you get to see the difference. Can you get the question right without the time constraint?
2. It forces you to engage with each answer choice. It forces you to crystallize, to solidify, to really having a concrete reason for each answer choice. When you're doing this you are no longer just wishy-washy half guessing flying by the spark of intuition. Now you have the time to articulate a reason for your choices. That's a sharp distinction between what most LSAT students do, which is just placing bets.
Yes, this method takes a lot of time. It’s supposed to. Learning is a slow process. But, at the end of it, is a better LSAT score.