Quick Tip: Break Before Blind Review!
One common trend I notice with my students is that they view taking a PrepTest and doing Blind Review as one continuous exercise; upon finishing a PrepTest, they go right into Blind Review without any breaks. A PrepTest takes around 3 hours to complete, while Blind Review can take anywhere from 1 hour to 3. Back-to-back…that’s a lot of time spent staring at a test!
Don’t do this! Instead, I tell my students to adopt the “snack rule”: go out and have a snack before coming back for Blind Review. At minimum, take 15 to 20 minutes to give your brain a chance to rest. If anything, this means that you’ll have a fresh look at the questions and perhaps bring a different perspective.
Discussion: Common PrepTest Mistakes
I’m often asked about best practices for PrepTests, which students take in order to check in about their study progress. PrepTests serve a diagnostic function, telling the student what their score should be if they were to sit for the real LSAT that day. However, equally important (and often underexamined) are “worst practices,” or things that students do that unfortunately cause them to learn less from PrepTests than they otherwise would. There are 3 big mistakes that I see. I’ll label them as 3 “don’ts”:
First, don’t take too many PrepTests! Some students have this notion that the more, the better, as if it’s a badge of honor to claim to have taken a test every single day. But this relies on a fundamental misunderstanding of what the purpose of tests is. PrepTests are not for improving; doing targeted drills or timed sections is a better way to improve your score. Instead, PrepTests show you how you'll perform on test day, and thus let you identify ways you can improve. Just as you wouldn’t use a thermometer every 5 minutes to assess a cold, you shouldn’t overdo tests as a diagnostic tool. It also wastes precious material and valuable time, while you could be doing something more productive.
Instead, for the vast majority of my students, I suggest 1 PrepTest a week, and perhaps 2 if they’re late in their studies or studying nearly full-time. This helps serve the diagnostic purpose without overdoing it.
Second, don’t take a test as a way to cope with a bad result! What I mean is this: sometimes, we have a bad PrepTest result. There’s a natural impulse to channel this frustration into taking another PrepTest, on the theory that it’ll feel better to reverse this negative result. This is completely understandable! But it’s ultimately counterproductive, because you’re going in with a bad headspace; there’s an even higher chance of a bad result, which then triggers a vicious cycle where you want to take another test to reverse that, and it repeats, culminating in wasted material.
Stick to your schedule. If you’re going to take 1 test a week, do that. Don’t impulsively ramp up the number of tests you take in response to a bad result, no matter how tempting that is. Just remind yourself that a single PrepTest result doesn’t mean anything, and just try your best to shake it off. In fact, a bad PrepTest can be good—it clues you in to what you need to work on.
Third, don’t skimp on reviewing the test! The most enjoyable part is taking the test and getting the dopamine rush of seeing your score—I know. But the most valuable part of the test is actually what comes after, which is the process of reviewing mistakes and ensuring they don’t get made again. Whether this is BR, foolproofing, watching videos, or anything else, you need to ensure this has the adequate amount of time. Otherwise, the time spent taking the test is largely wasted.
PrepTests are obviously an integral part of any study routine, and it’s vitally important to ensure the time is maximized. Avoid these 3 mistakes, and you’ll be well on your way to using PrepTests more effectively.