Should I be notating premise and conclusion during timed PTs?

LAWYERED

Hi everyone,

Whenever I take practice tests I don't actively parse out the stimulus like JY shows us in the CC. I might make a quick line or circle to note the conclusion indicator and then proceed to scan the answer choices. Is that the proper approach?

Thanks in advance!

10000019

I don't think it's common to notate the argument structure for every question in a timed test. If you watch the videos where JY takes the test timed, he doesn't do that.

Your approach is fine. But you may want to observe whether notating those words is helping you.

LAWYERED

@10000019 said:
I don't think it's common to notate the argument structure for every question in a timed test. If you watch the videos where JY takes the test timed, he doesn't do that.

Your approach is fine. But you may want to observe whether notating those words is helping you.

Thanks! That's what I thought.

lsat4life

You don't need to write anything, but you should absolutely be identifying the conclusion and the premises.

Jennifer 2021-1-1

I think is better if you are just starting to study for LSAT to identify the conclusion that way it will help you to weaken or strength the argument. Different questions will ask you for a different approach, so I think it helps.

keets993

It depends on where you are on your prep. If you feel like you're understanding the structure (correctly identifying the context, premise, conclusion, possible flaws) timed and your BR corroborates that then you definetly don't need to. If you feel like you are struggling to understand something then marking it up might help you, as long as you have the time. Whether you have the time depends on your short term goals for the section and how long it will take. An extra 10 or 15 seconds to get a question right is worth it.

paulmv.benthem

For myself, to what extent I annotate really depends on the question type and the particular question. For types such as Argument Part, Sufficient(& Pseudo) Assumption, and other types that rely heavily on being able to parse out the elements of the argument, my strategy is to annotate the stimulus as I work through it the first time. But, of course, this also depends on the particular question and how it is laid out. If the the question seems highly formulaic, then I will tend towards annotating. But, if the type of reasoning that's being employed isn't akin to being diagrammed logically, then I will usually pass on annotating.

But, in almost all cases I will at least make some sort of annotation to be sure that I've clearly identified the conclusion. If I'm not confident I know what the conclusion is, then I shouldn't be moving onto the answer choices yet; making a habit of marking the conclusion helps to prevent skipping this step when the pressure begins creeping.

stepharizona

I always did a bracket around the conclusion. It just became habit so it was like a security blanket on test day.

But I notate a lot... absolutely not needed.

Just find what your comfort level is.