Prep Test Help...

Robert McAdams

I find it is difficult to do the entire prep test in time. I have trouble circling questions I'm not sure on. I also find myself not reading LR Q stem first before stimulus (wasting time). HELP!!! How do I go about blind reviewing the test with not many circled questions? I know the process via videos, but should I redo the whole test under non-timed conditions? Also, I skipped a whole RC section and about 1/2 a LG section. So I don't even know what I don't know on that stuff. I want to improve LG and RC more than they currently are AND I HAVE TO focus on skipping high difficulty LR questions QUICKLY. Any advice on how I can use my time more effectively 1) to study & 2) to get through sections quicker... I would like to spend my last 5 minutes in LR marking answers and trying the 3-4 problems I skipped corrected and "FEELING GOOD" versus racing through the last 4 problems and marking answers like a SAW victim with time running out...

Robert McAdams

P.S. So an Timex Ironman won't work at test day? Using a watch-watch is KILLING ME...

Robert McAdams

P.P.S. Is blind review only for LR sections? I have inputted 3 PT's and % are dumb/smart.
Parallel & Resolve is around 80%
Except & Parallel Flaw is 60%
HORRIBLE on the easier stuff--Strengthen is in 30's, Main point is TEENS... WTF?

*FYI 151 initial, 151 1/3 way through 155 2/3 way through, 153 yesterday (strict proctored on vid w scantron in classroom, w/time issues).

J.Y. Ping

Hey Robert, don't worry man. Everyone feels that way about the test in the beginning.

Are you aiming to take it in June?

Robert McAdams

Yessir, cramming...

J.Y. Ping

Why not October? The LSAT is a test that takes a very long time to get good at.

YZ

Hi JY, i actually still debating if i should take June or Oct, right now, i am around 165, my goal is 170+, do you think Oct is better for me?

J.Y. Ping

@YZ, do you still have a lot of clean prep tests to last you through October?

YZ

prob not, finished pt36-60, so only 8 left until june 10th..

Daniela

Robert: If you feel that you reallyyyyyyy need to use a watch there are some LSAT watches they sell online that are allowed in the actual test. I have seen the "180 watch" in person and it is great. They also have other versions of it that are more economical for a 1 times use watch. It looks like an analog watch but it only has 35 minutes on it. It counts down and then you simply press a button to restart. And it doesn't make any noise.

CJ Shin

Hey Robert, first of all, I feel you bro.
I was at the stage too in the beginning.
But let me just state this to start off: you are just not used to it yet, and you will get better at it. Just keep cracking at it, but do it wisely.

To answer your question on blind reviewing, I think this process has a heavy initial cost in terms of time.
This is because when you start PTing under strict timed condition, you are just inundated with so many information and the shock will probably blind you from what is actually going on (your ability to be even aware of how difficult a questions is).
So the best bet is to blind review the entire PT without time constraint (just go through the questions one-by-one and solve them again).
You will notice that there are tons of questions that you would have gotten right in the first place.

When you repeat the process, you will start to see that most of the questions that you attempted are correct, and also will gain a sense of whether or not your answer seems fishy.
If you reach that stage, your blind review will take less time because you now know that your answer might be wrong.
This is a huge leap because you are now able to spot your weaknesses!
There will be types of questions that you will feel "uncomfortable" about, which indicates your weakness and also point to you where you will need to pay special attention to.

For example, after a couple of weeks of PTing and blind reviewing, I noticed that my greatest weaknesses were Necessary Assumptions and Flaw.
This awareness was significant to me because I now know where to invest my time to dissect and recognize the patterns that LSAC throws at us.
From this process, I have gotten a whole lot better at NA, and need more work on Flaw questions.
After 13 PTs, I have broken through the mid 160s and still see a lot more room to improve on.

Just bear in mind that only about 3% of the people who take the LSAT are natural.
For the remaining 97%, it requires a serious degree of commitment, but like JY said, it is not an unbeatable test.
You just gotta be dedicated and be wise about your approach.

P.S. do not waste your PT. Make sure to squeeze everything out of it before moving on to the next one.

J.Y. Ping

For the PreProBono Fellows, we're currently using this watch.

@YZ, whatever happens, save 2 form the 60's just in case. If by 1.5 weeks out and you're not breaking 170, you should push it back to October. Worst case, you do just as well as you would in June. Best case, you get 170+. I think it's worth it. For the 3 months in between, you can thoroughly review PTs from the 40's and 50's. You can even teach (for free) others what you already know. There's no better way to solidify a concept than teaching it to someone who doesn't understand it.

@CJ, could not agree more emphatically with what you're saying! Just in case you didn't already know, our LSAT grader will help you analyze your LR mistakes by type.

Robert McAdams

Good news. I have gone up to a 159 on last PT. My logic games are substantially better. LR and RC are still hit and miss at times. Goal was 160-165+ starting out, 147 in college back in 2001...