Those who got official 17x, how do you manage looking back-and-forth between paper and computer?

lsat2016

For LG: you need to diagram on paper and then create additional description for choices on paper for each question. On paper-based test, part of the printed problem and choices could be easily re-used, but not on computer-test.

For RC: if you take paper notes, look up and down every time for each questions' answer choices

For LR: The computer-program only shows 4 ACs not all 5, so have to scroll up and down all the time, not getting the comprehensive view.

These may seem trivial things for those who don't have issue with timing, but they all add up a lot during the test mainly for LG/RC. how do you handle each one of these issues?

danielbrowning208

It's really not that bad. If you are comparing digital to paper, you are trading glancing at a screen for having to bubble in answer choices, which is a trade I would make any day.

For LG, I don't see why you would ever need an "additional description for choices" on your scratch paper. And having the ability to set up your diagram on scratch paper the exact same way every time is very nice. I wouldn't recommend re-using aspects of the "printed" problem anyway.

For RC, I usually try to answer the questions without looking back at my notes or the passage.

For LR, scrolling, when applicable, has never been an issue for me.

mynameislilz

LG: Practice! Your diagram should have everything you need to answer every question, so you really should only have to be looking back and forth to verify answers. I started out my study just on printed tests and then switched to the online format. There was a slight period of getting used to it, but now it feels natural.

RC: N/A, I don't take notes

LR: You should be able to collapse longer answers. Under the X to the right of the answer choice, you may see a ^ too. I use that to collapse answer choices I have eliminated so I can see all my options at once. You could also make your font size smaller, but that could be an issue if you can't read it.

taschasp

Keep in mind, all of this is countervailed by the fact that you also save time not having to bubble in answer choices. I think LG is the only section where the back-and-forth is more than trivial, but for that, all you can really do is practice and get comfortable with it.

lsat2016

anyone know which PT numbers are available in khan's free course?

Kiva_180

LG: This didn't really add up to much for me, but I never wrote anything or labeled problem boards. Setup was back and forth to do the board and add each rule, then another back and forth to check each rule. The first question I usually just did from the rules on-screen directly. For the rest of the problems, I'd just copy the condition, work on it on paper, and go back once to pick the answer.

RC: I never took notes. I feel like you can't afford to if you want to get into the mid 170s, you have to just remember enough of the passage to know where to look when needed. I did highlight a bit, but that was maybe five words per passage.

LR: This wasn't an issue for me. You only look at one choice at a time, so it doesn't matter much that you're scrolling.

IMO, to get into the 170s, the biggest thing you need is a high level of confidence. There's no time to second guess yourself or get stuck on a question, you either pick an answer or move on and that's that. In RC that meant going with my gut, for LG that meant doing easy problems in my head and trusting the answer to be right, and for LR that meant trusting that I saw the right issue the first time. I didn't get every problem right, of course, but I finished every section on the real thing with time to spare.

lsat2016

@Kiva_180 said:
LG: This didn't really add up to much for me, but I never wrote anything or labeled problem boards. Setup was back and forth to do the board and add each rule, then another back and forth to check each rule. The first question I usually just did from the rules on-screen directly. For the rest of the problems, I'd just copy the condition, work on it on paper, and go back once to pick the answer.

RC: I never took notes. I feel like you can't afford to if you want to get into the mid 170s, you have to just remember enough of the passage to know where to look when needed. I did highlight a bit, but that was maybe five words per passage.

LR: This wasn't an issue for me. You only look at one choice at a time, so it doesn't matter much that you're scrolling.

IMO, to get into the 170s, the biggest thing you need is a high level of confidence. There's no time to second guess yourself or get stuck on a question, you either pick an answer or move on and that's that. In RC that meant going with my gut, for LG that meant doing easy problems in my head and trusting the answer to be right, and for LR that meant trusting that I saw the right issue the first time. I didn't get every problem right, of course, but I finished every section on the real thing with time to spare.

how were your score and individual section scores on official? already have an official 171 from the paper-test.

i was trying to do LG on computer for the first time recently and i also try to do as much w/o writing down as possible, but LG you kinda have to. just copying answer choices on paper and recreating schematic on paper for most questions and choices felt very inefficient. earlier with very little eye movement one could 1) reuse the original game board for game in some cases 2) reuse choices on paper, and 3) have hypos for each choice in space right next to them for easier tracking.

again, the difference is very individual-specific but i thought for LG specially and for RC for those who take notes, it adds additional hardness.

Kiva_180

@lsat2016 Sorry, just saw this.

I was averaging around 175 (depends how you count) and got a 174 in the end. Pre-test jitters are a real thing, even if you don't feel them, and I went from a 176 to a 169 the week before the test.

Why do you need to copy LG answer choices on paper? I've found that being too organized isn't worth it. I went through ACs one at a time and never bothered labeling my diagrams since I didn't reuse 95% of them. The last few I did reuse was to check a problem, and redoing it from scratch to fix diagramming issues was the better way to do that for me.

If you take notes for RC, that's definitely the hardest adjustment to make. I think it forces you to avoid that though, which gives you more time and exercises your memory, both of which help you on the real test.

Climb_to_170

@lsat2016 said:
anyone know which PT numbers are available in khan's free course?

Hi lsat2016,

Here's the list of tests Khan uses with their corresponding test number:

Test 1: PT 66 (Exp PT 53 RC)

Test 2: PT 68 (Exp PT 53, LR S1)

Test 3: PT 70 (Exp PT 53, LR S3)

Test 4: PT 69 (Exp PT 53 LG)

Test 5: PT 54 (Exp PT 55 LG)

Test 6: PT 76 (Exp PT 55 RC)

Test 7: PT 79 (Exp PT 55, LR S1)

Test 8: PT 81 (Exp PT 55, LR S3)

Test 9: PT 64 (Exp PT 63 LG)

Test 10: PT 67 (Exp PT 63 RC)