How to bridge BR and actual score for LR?

lsat2021-1

Hi,

I've recently started doing the newer pts between 70-80 and seen a significant drop in my LR score which I can probably fix through pt exposure but a more consistent issue with LR has been that I am only able to get questions right after a lot of review but under timed conditions this is really tough for me. Partially because I take time to warm up but also because I have no strategy on how to attack answer choices. I know there are no shortcuts to getting better at LR but I would still appreciate if someone can advise me on how to attempt the section? Do people read all answer choices from beginning to end?
My current strategy is to highlight conclusions if I can find one and make a predication (which doesn't come naturally to me so I often find myself moving to the answer choices without a prediction under timed conditions). My average LR score is -9 which can go down to a -3 after BR.

Arete_Southbay

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bensasounian

What was your LR score from older PTs?

SweetyC137

You should supplement 7sage with The Loophole by Ellen Cassidy. That book changed my entire perspective on LR and it helps you develop the fundamentals you need to attack that section. Highly highly highly recommend, especially if this is the beginning of your studies.

mnkim

The biggest gap between BR and the actual score happens due to time management. Set up a clear time strategy that works for you. I usually aim for first 12 under 10 min but first 14 under 15 min is my worst case scenario as it leaves just enough time.

For most questions, I read the stem and the prompt, and I know what answer choice I'm looking for so a quick skim is good enough. If time is very tight, I don't eliminate other answer choices once I find the answer I'm looking for and flag the question.

socksnsandals

This is a good question and I think it's a very common issue that comes down to getting comfortable with your timing, which is certainly something I struggled with.

In addition to what others are saying, I want to chime in with some more advice:

1. See if you can increase your speed and confidence on questions roughly 1-10, the "low hanging fruit" that you are more likely to get right. When I finally saw my LR score improve, it wasn't that I suddenly looked at question 19 and knew the answer in 30 seconds, but that I had banked several extra minutes by breezing through the 1-10 section, and could now afford to breathe, diagram, and really think through the trickier questions. With enough exposure, you should become confident quickly moving through at least the first handful. To start, ask yourself, how long do you currently spend on q's 1-10? Could you shave off one minute or two minutes to use elsewhere? If not, try to get more exposure and practice so that you can raise your confidence and move quickly on the easier questions, banking time for the tough ones. To answer your question about reading all the answer choices, I do try to glance at every choice before I move on. I've been burned before. Try not to ruminate though, better to trust yourself, flag, and return than to waste time up front.

2. Develop a flagging strategy. Some people, for whatever reason, do a lot better on a question the second time they look at it, so figure out when it's time to move on. I am definitely one of those people, and have gotten confident just flagging and moving on if I find myself reading and re-reading the stimulus or struggling to understand. You can return to the difficult ones when you're 100% on the easier questions, but on the first go you can give up the fight for -0. With enough exposure and practice you'll be able to trust your timing, knowing that you'll have leftover time to come back.

3. Once you are able to bank some time, have a strategy for returning questions. Here's what works for me: when returning to questions, you will be more likely to figure out the easier questions than the hard ones, so let's say you have flagged 4, 16, and 21, I suggest first returning to question 4. It can be tempting to go for the harder ones, but it might only take you 30 seconds to be 100% sure about question 4, and they all count the same towards your score regardless of question difficulty. On the other hand, you might sink 3 more minutes into question 16 and still be unsure of your answer, so that one I would save for last.

Also, it looks like your blind review is closing quite a big gap, so you're clearly very capable and on the path to improvement. Don't forget to take a long view - the things you're studying and exposing yourself to might not show up in your score for another month, but be consistent with your practice and you'll do great!