When to worry that I am too slow when taking the quizes

arcirocco

I am in the "Introduction to Logic" section - that is, I am not too far into the course. I am understanding the material fairly well and seem to do ok when I answer the questions at my pace. I have no illusions that I am a 170+ kind of smart, but I am shooting for a score of 155-160 for the test in June. I feel fairly comfortable that I can achieve a score in that range with one problem - speed. At this point I am not able to power through the questions when I am on the clock. It seems to take me too long. I am taking 25-30 minutes for quizzes where you recommend 15 minutes.

I thought that perhaps the best approach would be go fast as I can, but don't try to beat the clock. I am not sure if I should be concerned about being slow at this point, since I assume my speed would naturally improve as I take practice exams. This approach would be similar to training for a 10K. Run a little farther each day and my time will improve as I get in shape.

Do you agree with this approach or do you have a better approach you would recommend for me? That is, when it time to panic that I am too slow?

Thanks!

brna0714

Well, I see it this way... No one can will themselves to answer questions faster than they are capable of answering them so let's imagine that someone were to tell you, "yes, you should be going faster" and you took their advice to heart. What would you do? My point in all this is that whether or not you should be concerned about your speed at this particular point in time, the course of action moving forward remains the same. Stay the course, continue to strengthen your understand of the fundamentals and improvements in speed are inevitable. Good luck!

Nilesh S

If you are not too far into the course, you should not in my opinion be worried about speed at all... you should concentrate on getting the fundamentals down no matter how long it takes... when I started, it took me 30 - 35 minutes to do one of JY's homework drills during the first 2 - 3 weeks... those were the 10 Q LR drills of the simplest kind which prescribed 15 minutes as the time limit... and I used to get 2 -3 wrong in every set... in my actual LSAT close to 2 years later, I finished my LR sections with 5 minutes to spare and got 4 wrong in LR over all... focus on getting awesome and not fast... the speed will come naturally if you're good...
Also, I think that unless there are personal circumstances that necessitate your taking the LSAT in June, shift your date up because if you are getting through the prelim curriculum at this stage, then you won't nearly have enough time to do enough practice tests by the time June comes around. Remember... treat the LSAT as a tool to help you get into the best school that you can and not as an alarm clock (i.e. June rolls around and you decide that you have to take the test because... well because its time - if you are shooting for the upcoming admission cycle then June, October and even December will serve you well and a 165 in December is better than a 155 in June). Use this test to help you... help you get into the best school that you can... in my view everyone owes it to themselves... remember that Law school is a HUGE investment... and the kind of LSAT score that you get will decide either the kind of law school that you go to or the aid that you get or both... and these factors will determine in large part the kind of life that you will lead for at least the next ten odd years and will likely continue to determine its course well beyond that... shoot for the best that YOU can do... the highest score that you can get... be it a 155 or a 170... you owe it to yourself... (*this is of course premised on the fact that you don't have special circumstances.) All the best!

VegMeg55

@"Nilesh S" I think that should be the ultimate quote for LSAT prep: "Focus on getting awesome not fast." Totally agree wit everything he said (duh, he's the 7Sage Discussion Yoda *bows down to his LSAT wisdom*). Focusing on speed rather than comprehension will only hurt you in the future. Speed is a sign of comprehension and will gradually build over time. If you sit down and think "What the hell are they saying?" then you'll definitely be slow unless you quickly just circle a letter. But if you sit down and think "BAM, sufficient necessary confusion, you can't run from me you little fucker" (just an example of something they do a lot) then eventually you'll start anticipating the answer choices more quickly. There are only so many tricks they can play on you, and once you've seen them all 50-100 times, speed will just come naturally. So don't stress time, stress comprehension! Otherwise you're wasting time AND getting the question wrong which is just a lose/lose.

Nilesh S

Haha good to know you liked the quote! @VegMeg55 offers sage advice with what she says... if you stress time and not comprehension, you're in a losing situation.

nicole.hopkins

@"Nilesh S" said:
focus on getting awesome and not fast... the speed will come naturally if you're good...

Word to this.

@arcirocco if you're only on the beginning logic lessons with ~7 weeks to go until the June test ... don't take it in June. There's a strong likelihood that you'll waste money and time doing so. That's just not long enough to maximize your potential, let alone actually absorb the material, even if you don't work and only LSAT all day long. I'd say October at the earliest—and more likely December.

emli1000

Instead of the 15 mins give yourself 20-25 mins. It'll help build your confidence eventually you will see that the more progress you make in the course the more likely it'll be for you to finish each problem set in about 15 mins. You'll get better on time with practice.

nicole.hopkins

Best to develop good habits slowly rather than shoddy habits at a fast clip

arcirocco

thanks to all