Being overwhelmed with MBT

TexAgAaron

I am finding as I work on MBT questions that I seem to get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information sometimes (they can be quite long) and keep it all lined up in my head while under time. I know scribbling down some of the logic can help but it isn't the most time efficient thing to do, though I'm willing to do it if need be. Any tips, advice or strategies that helped you not feel overwhelmed with all the info to remember? Thanks!

MissChanandler

MBT is one of the very few LR question types that I like to notate. If you're having trouble, I would definitely write out the logic. Spending two minutes getting the question right is more valuable than spending one and getting it wrong.

As a testing strategy, have you tried skipping the really long/confusing MBT questions and doing them last?

BlindReviewer

I can rip through a lot of LR questions, and I know that JY likes to call MBTs "freebies," but for the longer, more complicated ones, I just write it out while I'm reading. It's just not worth keeping it all in my head, and it's more accurate and faster to just write it out and see what I'm dealing with. I also draw out circles and overlapping groups of items to see "most" and "some" relationships if the question is difficult. I think if it's anything beyond like 3 relationships, it's just worth writing out! And also, as @MissChanandler says above, this might mess with your momentum, so definitely skip on round one if that's the case and come back to it later (but prioritize it because it's going to be a pretty straightforward question to get unless you diagrammed wrong).

Lolo1996

I like the MBT questions since the ansr is there, you just gotta read for it

Personally, I do not diagram them, I just go back and reread for the correct AC

If it is really hard, save it for the end

But youll see if you go back and reread for each MBT, you will find the ansr. After all, based on the stim, the AC MUST be true, so it HAS to be there.

TexAgAaron

@MissChanandler @BlindReviewer @Lolo1996 Thanks for the responses! I had been wondering if it was a good habit to write it out, especially now with the electronic version. I think I will try to give that a go. I am much more of a visual person so this may help a lot! I still struggle with getting a second pass at this point. I'm a slow reader and I'm working on my skipping strategy and allocating my time properly. But I will try to write it out! Thanks y'all!!!

kaikdame

I used to skip them but then felt like it was wrong to avoid a question type (that's just my own guilt). I went through all my old tests and used the Digital problem sets to drill MBT, MSS, MBF, etc. I focused on understanding the stimulus untimed. I felt like these were the hardest to predict and I often times over complicated the information by writing it out. For the logic heavy ones, I will still notate but generally not writing down things actually forced me to understand what was being said. Keep track of the ones that "get you" and use video explanations and various forums to see how other people analyzed the info. Keep drilling I promise they get easier!