How to avoid careless mistakes?

ccj0321

Dear 7sagers,

After months of prep, I still have a recurring problem: making careless errors - mostly in the form of misreading LR stimulus and answer choices.

I noticed that I miss a lot of questions from Q20-25. In most instances, I have 8 to 10 minutes left when I get to Q20, so I don't think timing is the major issue. When I blind review them, I don't find them particularly harder than the Q1-15 group (I find Q15-20 the greatest difficulty).

One thing that I noticed time and time again in doing LR sections on actual prep tests is that whenever I check my watch after I hit Q20, I tend to speed up on the last 5 questions. Subconsciously what I'm doing is that I'm trying to finish the section on time, and that causes me rush.

The rushing leads me to read the stimulus too fast without figuring what exactly is going on (i.e. the argument core) before heading to the answer choices. And we all know that this is a recipe for disaster.

So my question is: How do I avoid making these errors? How do I keep my mind absolutely tranquil under the time pressure? Are there specific exercises that I can do to master the art of meticulousless?

Making dumb mistakes is not only a problem for me on the LSAT, it has also been my Achilles Heel ever since grade school. I don't think I'm naturally attuned to details, as I'm more inclined to look at the bigger picture, which I must work on if I want to be a qualified lawyer.

orajstrickland

Wow. What a relief to know there is someone else with a similar challenge. Thank you for sharing. I also tend to speed up and miss more carelessly and for the same reason of checking the time and getting anxious. I was thinking that more practice tests would help but you have been preparing for months.

I did have the thought recently that I should skip a Q or two of the types I find hardest and then come back to answer them... or, register my guess if there is no time left.

I know JY advises to skip Q's, and I have not been doing it so that may be the missing tactic needed to improve. I think skipping 1 or 2 Q's with the worst case result of getting them wrong is worth the sacrifice if all the rest can be answered correctly.

Would love to hear from others as well.

Great question. Thanks again for sharing!

kraft.phillip

Hey, I answered this question on the thank you thread, but you gave a bit more info here. Have you been taking 5 section tests? I ask because a cause could be exhaustion. Since this is happening at the end of a section, perhaps your brain is tired by that time. Doing longer Pts, like 6 or 7 section, could help.

Also, you should try shorter sections, like 32 minutes. That will push you to go faster, and finishing on time really means you are finishing 3 minutes early. Mixing some of these in should give you the confidence to know that are going to finish a 35 minute section on time, so maybe you won't worry about the timing element that seems to be throwing you off.

Lastly, redoing an LR section you struggled with will help you set a faster rhythm. So I'd recommend doing that as well. Good luck!

turnercm

marking your conclusions can visually help you orient the passages at the end of the section. it helps to have something concrete/mechanical to do when you're pressed for time

leelisee

Careless mistakes have always been my bane, especially on the LR, so I did the following and am improving slowly but surely:

1) Make a list of your most common careless mistakes. Add to the list as you come across new ones/remember others
2) Read the list several times before you begin your studying for the day and intermittently throughout the day

It seems obvious and trivial but it has actually been pretty effective for me. Good luck!