Fixing your mistakes in the last 10 min in LR, is 30 min section PT not an efficient strategy?

jaylenosgarage

Hi,

I've seen many posts about skipping and pacing strategy, especially those where ppl say they skip and fix their mistakes in the last 10 min in any LR section. But I've also heard some ppl only give themselves 30 min per section to mimic the test day anxiety.
But should I rather give myself full 35 min, instead of 30min, if I am trying to practice the skipping and fixing strategy?
What do you guys think?

Alex

@jaylenosgarage said:
Hi,

I've seen many posts about skipping and pacing strategy, especially those where ppl say they skip and fix their mistakes in the last 10 min in any LR section. But I've also heard some ppl only give themselves 30 min per section to mimic the test day anxiety.
But should I rather give myself full 35 min, instead of 30min, if I am trying to practice the skipping and fixing strategy?
What do you guys think?

If I were you, I'd practice getting really good with 35 minutes and then perhaps experiment with 30 minutes per section. Personally, I've found that if you become skilled enough at LR and skip correctly, you will have extra time and won't need to give yourself 30 minutes. I now finish with 8-10 minutes left and that allows me to go back and usually get the 4-5 questions I've skipped or circled due to uncertainty.

I haven't tried the whole 30 minutes per section thing so I don't know how useful it is. Sounds like a decent idea in theory.

LSATcantwin

I second what @"Alex Divine" said. Stick to getting really good at the 35min. I was able to get my LR fast enough that I would have anywhere between 5-8min per section left. This usually allowed me to go back to 3-4 of the questions and take a second look. It’s amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can do.

If you find yourself getting really good at 35, and find yourself stuck again, then maybe give the 30 a shot.

I think skipping is more about knowing when to skip/move on and less about exactly how much time you have left. Even 5-8 min is a big chunk of time, but I got there by learning the section really well and being able to spot my trouble questions fast!

LivePumpkin

@LSATcantwin what were some strategies you used for skipping? Personally, I am finishing right on time for LR sections or just rushing around question 23ish.

LSATcantwin

@LivePumpkin said:
@LSATcantwin what were some strategies you used for skipping? Personally, I am finishing right on time for LR sections or just rushing around question 23ish.

I'm really stubborn. So skipping was really hard for me to do. I did not want to move on until I felt comfortable with a question. What I did was sort of a modified version of @"Cant Get Right" method.

I would answer every single question from 1- 25/26. The "skipping" came in when I found myself stuck between 2-3 answer choices. I would pick one, tell myself that it was right and move on. I would circle the questions that I did this for. Eventually I saw myself speeding up because instead of wasting time jumping back and forth, I was forcing myself too choose and move. When I first started doing this I was circling anywhere from 4-8 questions per section.

The next step for me was to trim down on confidence errors. I would find myself not trusting the way I was thinking, especially in the early questions, and would waste time re-reading and double checking my answers. Again @"Cant Get Right" came to the rescue. He suggested I do something called a confidence drill.
Essentially what you do is; take an entire LR section and shoot to be done in about 25min or so. The first answer you believe to be right, pick it and move on. Don't linger, don't second guess.

After doing this, I saw that my gut instinct, especially on the beginning of the test, was usually right. This allowed me to gain confidence and I stopped re-reading questions. This also gave me some time.

Then it all come down to practicing these methods over and over and over again until I got faster and faster.

Now; don't do this until you have a solid understanding of the question types and test. You need that first, otherwise you will never speed up. You need to read the stem, recognize what type of question it is, and be ready to use the tool you need to get to the correct answer!

Hope this helps a bit!

Seeking Perfection

I've never been a fan of skipping and therefore never skipped, but concur with @"Alex Divine" that there is no need to try to finish in a shorter time than 35 minutes. It often happens naturally when you get better at the section after already being able to complete it in 35 minutes though. I did average about 30 minutes on the section by the end, but it was not me rushing and while I checked during extra time if I had it, I didn't rely on checking.

Test day anxiety makes some people go faster naturally too, so I'm not sure you want to rush yourself and compound that effect. You could make unnessesary errors. It is best to replicate test day as closely as possible most of the time.

Cant Get Right

@LSATcantwin said it really well, and I just want to highlight one specific component from his response. I think a lot of people mistake skipping as something that is much more binary than it is: You either skip a question or you come away with an answer. Rather, you want to make as much progress as you can and move on when you can't make any more meaningful progress without committing too much time. Sometimes, this means you're completely lost from the beginning. This is where you just straight up skip. Most of the time though, you'll be able to make a lot of progress, but just not enough to answer confidently. When you hit the wall, move on. If you've eliminated three answers, that's great. No need to agonize over the two remaining contenders if it's just not happening. A lot of times you're just overlooking/misunderstanding a key detail that clicks into place when you look at the question with a fresh look. I answer most of my skipped questions very quickly and with very high confidence because of this type of situation.

All that said, the effectiveness of any strategy will always be anchored to your fundamentals. Your strategy should be the one that maximizes your returns, but it will only take you as far as your raw potential will allow.

@"Seeking Perfection" also makes a vital point about rushing. Rushing is when you try to confront the time constraint by moving really fast, and it doesn't work. Take your time. Read carefully, even slowly, and make sure you understand. The speed will come from using that understanding to answer quickly and confidently. If you race the clock, the clock will win. By slowing down and allowing yourself to act on a higher level of understanding, you'll be able to manage the clock and turn the time into a resource rather than an adversary.