Skipping answer choices?

Cant Get Right

I'm curious to know what people think about skipping over answer choices if a really attractive answer presents itself early. So, say it's a Strengthen question, you immediately see the gap and prephrase, and then answer choice A is exactly what you were looking for. I see two ways to handle this. The first is to select A, move on, and pocket the extra 20-30 seconds it would have taken to eliminate B-E. The second is to do your due diligence and eliminate the other answers anyway in order to avoid what seems like a really easy trap. I'm never quite sure what to do when I run into this. Is there an official 7Sage orthodoxy addressing this? What do y'all do?

stepharizona

I have been burned way too many times to not at least read through all of the answer choices, even when it matches a prephrase I have. It seems trap or attractive answer choices are often at the top so I think its best to take the extra 10-20 seconds to eliminate the other choices. Curious to see how other people handle it.

The 180 Bro_OVO

I think a large part of it depends on your comfort level with the test.
In my experience with the test and speaking with others, the LSAT is largely a skills based test. It's one full of patterns.
With that as a backdrop, if you encounter a problem in which you recognize the pattern/trick and are able to prephrase and find your answer choice, I say go for it.

I figure if you are unsure, circle it and make your way back to it.

But this is a good question, would love more input from others.
@Micaela_OVO @megsvyas_OVO @"Accounts Playable"

shizuokatwin379

I agree with bro, you get pretty good at knowing when you have the right choice with no need to read the others v. When you have the 'right' choice, but still want to at least skim the other four. Once you get comfortable with that then it's it's easy to know which is which.

Edit: I'd also say, though, if you practice by skipping answer choices on ones you know, make sure to still do that on the actual test. I got burned by that on dec. test, figured since it was the real test I had to check every answer choice and think about them on every question and really messed up my timing.

Cant Get Right

@"The 180 Bro_OVO"
I kind of expected what you said to emerge as the consensus. I imagine the difficulty there is in self gauging one's own comfort/skill level. I think it's probably a good strategy to at least try out in PT, and then BR will probably expose if it was a good idea or not.

Also, reading back, 20-30 seconds is probably way too much time to take to eliminate wrong answers. So I dunno, maybe that's more like 10-20? but still a lot of time once you start stacking up 6-7+ of these.

allison.gill.sanford

I definitely lean on the side of always, always getting my eyes on each AC. If you're already fairly confident that you found the correct AC, skimming and eliminating the others should take less than 10 seconds IMO. What you're looking out for is another truly plausible choice; if you find one, then you have to take the time to reconsider both of the potential right ones (in which case, it's a good thing you took the time to look at all of them). That situation might warrant more than 10 seconds.

Cant Get Right

@allison.gill.sanford
That's definitely where I was before. I'm uneasy skipping over anything. Then I came across a question on which I was just so utterly confident on that I just knew. I went ahead and read everything and confirmed that my answer was right, but I just saw everything on that question with such clarity, it got me thinking. I feel like I'm really starting to coalesce all of the curriculum into a truly effective, holistic offensive, and that's so new and exciting I just want to adapt it as far as I can.

allison.gill.sanford

@"Can’t Get Right" that is fantastic! I think if you are building enough true confidence (not overconfidence errors) to feel comfortable moving on before seeing all ACs, then go for it. As long as it's working for you, and you have done your own due diligence, I don't see any reason to not take the path that works for you - even if it deviates a bit from what others prefer.

Cant Get Right

I think I'll very cautiously try it out on some PTs, maybe only on the first 15 and even then only in the case of overwhelming certainty. I'm aiming for 15 in 15 minutes on LR, so maybe that will help put me over the top. Although, I haven't taken a PT since starting 7Sage, and I'm beginning to think it's not going to be an issue anyway. Even without PT numbers to show it, I can feel enormous gains being made. I'm really eager to PT again now that I've got 7Sage, but I'm forcing myself to hold out until I've mastered the core.

MrSamIam

My decision to skip once I see an attractive and likely correct AC is based on timing. If I am 15 minutes in and only on question 11, I'll pick it, place a mark on my scantron, and move on. If I'm 15 minutes in and on number 15, I'll quickly skim the other ACs.

Micaela_OVO

My strategy is somewhat like @MrSamIam 's. If I am behind on timing and come across a cookie cutter question such as sufficient/necessary confusion or a causation conclusion from mere correlation data, I go on hunt mode and circle the answer I prephrased. This, as others have noted, depends on your comfort level with the test.

To qualify that, I will add that I have been burned once or twice using that method. During review, I found the correct answer to be an answer that I would have definitely picked had I read it during the timed PT. To avoid this, I always circle any question that I went on "hunt mode" for and come back to it at the end to eliminate the other answers. Hope you find a method that works for you!

runiggyrun

Maybe I'm a chicken, but I don't think I've ever been comfortable enough to move on without reading all the ACs. I've done it a couple of times when running out of time and it worked out OK, so it can definitely work, but I'd be afraid to do it on purpose and on a regular basis. I don't read all the choices super carefully if I found the right answer early on, but I do skim over to make sure I didn't just fall into a super sexy trap answer.
I generally finish LR with 5ish minutes to spare, so for me personally I don't feel that the few seconds saved would be worth the risk. That balance would be different for different people, and if I were consistently rushing through the last few questions I might consider this strategy for the first few.

Cant Get Right

@runiggyrun said:
I generally finish LR with 5ish minutes to spare, so for me personally I don't feel that the few seconds saved would be worth the risk.

I think that’s a really good point. I think I’m going to be close to a consistent 30 minute LR section, and for anyone at that level, I guess it doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Returning to it at the end will ultimately take more time since you’d then have to reacquaint yourself with the question.

@"Micaela_OVO" said:
I always circle any question that I went on "hunt mode" for and come back to it at the end to eliminate the other answers.

I think you and @MrSamIam are probably right that unless time is becoming a factor it’s probably not a great approach. When time is slipping away though, this seems like probably the smartest way to go about doing this. I can definitely see how if I’m falling behind, it could be something to consider in order to make up for a little lost time. And then, if successful in catching up, it’ll be marked and easy to return to. If time runs out, at least there’s still a really strong, confident answer down, and maybe it saved a little extra time to be able to finish the section or at least get a question or two further.

Thank y’all for responding, I think this has been a really constructive thread, for me anyway. I think my major takeaway is really to just get to where I’m finishing in 30 minutes and don’t worry about it. But if ever I’m losing control of the section, maybe think about it, but proceed with caution, and at own risk.