Inconsistent LR Scoring

OVERIT08

I took the most recent pt and scored 22 correct on one LR section and only 9 correct on the other section.

Throughout my LSAT studies, my score for LR varies significantly per section. Either 18-22 correct on one section and 9-15 correct on the other.

What does this mean? Any tips or strategies to consistently get my LR score between the 18-22 correct range for both sections?

blanklaw

Yes-- it sounds like you don't have a consistent process. That is super important for consistency in LR. This section is really testing you on the reasoning aspect of arguments, so make sure that you understand the various different methods of reasoning/relationships in arguments. This section is really NOT content based-- if you understand the method of reasoning well, you'll be fine.

OVERIT08

Thanks so much for your reply and help! Is it best to drill each question type and move from there to get a consistent process?

blanklaw

No-- as backwards as this sounds, the question type is pretty much irrelevant (except to get the right answer, of course). What you need is a proper analysis of the reasoning for arguments and see how they work (i.e. conditional, correlation causation, argument by analogy, etc.). With an inherent understanding of the relationships/weaknesses of those different methods of reasoning, it'll be so much easier to answer any question because you'll already know what to look for. (i.e.-- correlation causation reasoning, you'll be looking for alternative explanations/corroborating evidence for a strengthen/weaken, whereas you'll look for an AC that describes the inherent flaw of this type of reasoning as presented in the argument for a flaw question.)

I like to think of it as the "game board set up in logic games"-- the question type is basically irrelevant to your understanding of how the game works-- you need to draw out the gameboard regardless if you have an acceptable situation question or a MBT question.

Hope this helps!

OVERIT08

Yes –– I'm going to re-visit the core curriculum to get a better understanding. Thanks for your help!

puffinbd

i think another good question to ask yourself is if test fatigue may be a factor by the time you get to a second LR section. This was a huge factor in my own range for LR; I'd have my first LR section be -2 and then my second -9. For me, it was building up my endurance of switching to the next section and being prepared for another LR section because that can very well be what your test is like. LR is also a section that feels the most mentally draining/have to concentrate the hardest for each question vs. RC passages or LG games. What helped me is doing 2 LR sections back to back and trying to have the same level of concentration with my answering/timing strategies because if you get two LR back to back on the day of the test, you'll at least get a 10min break between section 2/3 and if both sections are the 3rd/4th sections, you're done after!

OVERIT08

Fatigue may be a factor, as I get pretty drained during the test. I'll start practicing the two back-to-back and consider adding a 5th section of LR to build up stamina. Thanks for the suggestion!