Self-study
Hi!
This is the first post that I am writing.
I took my first PT yesterday and scored a 140. I have been studying for the LSAT for the past 4 months and I was very much disappointed to see such score. While blind reviewing, I realized that most of the LR questions that I got wrong were towards the end of the test since I guessed all of them due to lack of time.
For RC, it was the same issue; I poured so much time into the first two passages that I did not have time to even read through the other two passages. Also, by section 4, my brain started to shut down that the words would not come into my brain and I could not process what the reading was even about.
So I was wondering if you all would have some tips on the following:
How to manage time during LR section as well as increase accuracy?
How can I stay concentrated in RC and be engaged with the text? Some people say that I should have a constant conversation with the reading in my brain but that is not easy for me.
Some tips for time management in both LR and RC section that has helped people to score high.
Thank you in advance!
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3 comments
I'm also not a super high scorer (highest PT 169), but I can give you some tips! I would not be too concerned with your first PT score, once you unlock the questions towards the end of each section, you will definitely have a small jump.
Depending on the difficulty of the passage and how many questions there are, I try to allot 7-8 minutes for each passage set. If I manage to get through the first set within 5-6 minutes (usually the easier sections for me), I know I'm making good time. If a set is difficult/wordy and has only a few questions, I'll also give myself 6-7 minutes for those. But I give the most amount of time for longer passages with more questions.
I had a tutor who told me to spend more time with the passage and less time with the questions, and I think it definitely helps me. If I spent one more minute reading carefully, I could answer the questions within a couple seconds without having to read line by line again. I definitely have to go back to the passage for some questions, but I saved times in other areas for those.
I've heard of some people starting with passage 3 and 4 first, and doing passage 1 and 2 last! Could be an interesting technique to try, but I haven't tried it before so I am not sure if it will really help with timing. As for staying engaged, I think I really had to cut back on short-form content and social media, and started reading more outside of studying. It also helps to read faster if you familiarize yourself with some vocabulary of niche topics, like astronomy or abstract art. Even if you don't know what they mean necessarily, I find myself panicking less and stressing over their meaning when I've seen the words before.
I echo LSATStudier's tips on LR! It will pick up pace eventually. I will also say that once I started getting better at LR, I got much better at RC. RC is essentially a longer form of LR, so the skills are applicable. I don't keep a WAJ for RC questions because usually my errors come from misreading/running out of time, but I do try to understand why I was tempted by other answer choices.
I am also a chronic over-highlighter because I have ADHD, but it works really well for me (I don't have accomodations). It's essentially like putting your finger up to each word and reading line by line. If that sounds like something that can help, I would give it a try! If there is something important that needs to be highlighted differently, I just pick one of the other colors.
Wishing you luck!
Hey! I'm not a super high scorer (highest PT 174), but I can give advice based on my own experience. For LR, I really think you will get faster with more practice. I know 4 months feels like a long time studying, but LR is kind of pattern recognition, especially the easier questions in the first half of the section. So my advice for LR is to just keep practicing. Always WAJ and really analyze why you get questions wrong - it'll help you get them right next time. A good "drill" is trying to get the first 10 questions of any given section in 10 minutes or less. That would kind of set you up for success for the rest of the questions. Something that I personally do is skip the question type that takes me the longest. For me, it takes a really long time to answer parallel method of reasoning questions, especially when it's a really long stimulus, so I'll just skip it the second I see it and save it until the end. I'd recommend reading this, it's super helpful and a great analogy: https://7sage.com/lessons/next-steps/resources-for-taking-simulated-lsats/why-you-must-skip-questions-on-the-lsat
I won't give RC timing advice, I struggle with that immensely myself. Best of luck!