Balancing fundamentals with efficient test-taking strategies

NotMyName

It feels great to eliminate all incorrect AC and pick out the correct AC, not only out of POE but because I've uncovered the reasoning for its correctness. But that kind of time is a luxury of prep and not available on test day. I know that I will need to bank time in order to finish the sections. The banked time will come from things like picking out an assumption and prephrasing the answer or guessing between two possibilities and unemotionally moving on to the next question.

But at what point in the prep should we include those sort of strategies?

BenjaminSF

Much like any new skill needed for the LSAT, as you practice predicting answer choices, it becomes much more intuitive. This will decrease the time you need to apply those strategies while taking the test.

This is a skill that takes a lot of work initially, but practice will make it second nature. I now practice this strategy on every single question. Another 7Sager (can't remember who) said that by the end of the question passage, you should have at least some idea where the right AC will lie. If I finish a passage, and no AC pops out at me, there will probably be another that falls close to the ACs I would expect. When nothing pops out at me, I usually will skip it and come back, because I probably missed something in the question.

My personal strategy for improving time involved confidence drills. Try sitting down with one section and practice predicting possible answers from inferences. Don't limit yourself to just one assumption, but try to think of a few general points where the AC could fit, unless there is a blatantly obvious place where the AC would HAVE to fit. (Obviously the amount of precision you can use does vary between different question types.) When you see the answer you predicted, or the one that feels right, move on. Don't go through the other answer choices, and trust your intuition. Remember, this is just one practice section, and the goal is to see how quickly you can work without reducing your accuracy. After doing this a few times, you can probably start to find a good zone where you know you can work quickly and effectively without making erroneous mistakes. It will also help you to gain insight into when you may be sinking time into re-reading questions.

apublicdisplay

The practice of picking apart every answer choice enables you to gain that intuition where you know the correct answer choice before you even read it. It's not so much a strategy as it is a practice you've consistently applied to the point of mastery.

With regards to test taking strategies, you can start practicing skipping questions you're having difficulty with to come back and address them at a later point. You can also try to clear easier questions in a shorter amount of time to focus on the harder ones. But, again, all of this comes from an understanding of the material gained through consistent practice more so than it does from applying fell swoop strategies.

I'd recommend the following webinars to better address your question:

https://7sage.com/webinar/jimmy-anticipating/

https://7sage.com/webinar/skip-it/

https://7sage.com/webinar/timing-and-levels-of-certainty/

Cant Get Right

Great question @jkatz1488 . You should start incorporating these strategies when you're consistently BRing above your target score. Until you have that, you can execute your understanding of the fundamentals with 100% efficiency and it still won't be enough. Once you cross that threshold though, it's time to start learning how to take the LSAT in a way that will maximize the return on your knowledge.

I have a webinar that addresses this question very specifically and in great detail. I am doing it again next week, so keep an eye out for it and I hope you can make it!

NotMyName

@publicbenjamin @apublicdisplay Thanks for your answers! Very helpful stuff!

NotMyName

@"Cant Get Right" said:
Great question @jkatz1488 . You should start incorporating these strategies when you're consistently BRing above your target score. Until you have that, you can execute your understanding of the fundamentals with 100% efficiency and it still won't be enough. Once you cross that threshold though, it's time to start learning how to take the LSAT in a way that will maximize the return on your knowledge.

I have a webinar that addresses this question very specifically and in great detail. I am doing it again next week, so keep an eye out for it and I hope you can make it!

That makes a lot of sense. I'm not even taking PTs yet so I'll remain focused on fundamentals for now and I look for forward to hearing your webinar.

BenjaminSF

@"Cant Get Right" Points out the part that I totally neglected to mention (I also missed the webinar ). I really benefitted from working the curriculum methodically until I had the info down blindfolded. Those sections that I got impatient with are still the areas where I have more weakness.

Take your time, and you will reap the benefits under real test conditions later!