Hi! I'm about halfway through the LR curriculum, and I recently started taking one PT every two weeks. My current PT score is 149.
One thing I've noticed is that I put a lot of effort into the first 15 questions of each LR section. By the second half, I start feeling the time pressure, which causes me to rush. There are even some questions I don't get a chance to look at. During my latest PT, I tried prioritizing quality over quantity, focusing on answering fewer questions more accurately rather than rushing through all of them.
Overall, I feel much more confident and composed during the first half of each section, but the second half is a different story. I can recognize question types fairly quickly now, but I still struggle to remember the best strategy for each one. I'm thinking about making flashcards to reinforce those approaches.
For those of you who have been through this stage, I'd really appreciate your advice.
How did you improve your timing overall? What strategies worked best for you?
Could you share any tips and habits that made a noticeable difference during your timed PTs?
For context, I study about three hours a day.
Thank you!
5 comments
When I do LR, I try to do the first 15 in 15 minutes. This can sometimes leave me a little bit uncertain on if the answer choices I picked are correct, but this makes it far more likely that I have time at the end of the section to go back and check.
Beyond that, two things that have indirectly helped me improve my LR timing are:
Intensive BR after sections noting how I thought about a question vs. what the correct way to think through it. This is especially important for easier questions, since it is far clearer.
Working on solving difficult questions and really focusing on learning to identify gaps/best practices for tackling question types from them. Once you have gotten the hang (ish) of the 4 and 5-star questions, it is much easier to see the flaws in the easier questions.
when i do a LR section, the first 10 questions HAVE TO be done under 10 mins, that’s helped with timing
If you are still on your curriculum, I suggest not doing the PT at all - and focus on getting your understanding on each question types. You'll have more than enough time to improve your time, and once you get more prepared for the test, your PT time will naturally improve.
@Urbi_et_Orbi, I'm a bit short on time and I want to get more accustomed to working under timed conditions. My plan is to take the September LSAT. Would that change your recommendation? I know September might be a bit early, but I'm really motivated and want to give it my best shot. Even if I end up retaking it in October or November, I think taking the September test will be valuable experience. So I would love some tips and strategies that worked best for you :)
it sounds paradoxical, but my timing improved a lot once I started doing untimed drills. without the pressure of the clock, I was able to better identify my gaps in understanding. if you're at a 149, I'd definitely recommend slowing down and incorporating untimed drills and untimed sections in order to really work through each question.