Blind Review score higher than actual score

Comments

• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 edited May 2015 844 karma

  I feel RC and LG are slightly harder with prep test goes on.
• 1 Like

  brna0714 Alum Inactive ⭐

  May 2015 1489 karma

  So, being stuck between two answer choices and choosing the wrong one is definitely common. I'd recommend returning to the stimulus/passage to quickly confirm one answer choice or the other. Comparing the answer choices against each other is only going to get you more confused (for the most part, there are some instances where this isn't the case-off hand, I'm thinking of questions where answer choices are the same except for a few key indicators).
  
  Also, I wouldn't say it's the case anymore that the first passage is always easiest. It may be or may not be. In LR, I do feel that generally the questions at the beginning are still easier relative to the end of the section (with a few more curveballs thrown in lately early on). Maybe instead of thinking it should be easy, you should focus on asking yourself if you have sufficient reason to either eliminate 4 wrong answer choices or 100% confirm the correct one.
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  Thank you so much @brna0714 It happened to me a lot in weakening questions and streghtening questions. When my paraphrase does not fit either answer choice, I would vacillate among two or three answer choices. I will definitely try to pick up the best choice I think and moved on, otherwise I will never have enough time. When it comes to last 5 minutes, I feel like sometimes I read too fast or I can't read argument clearly, which definitely would not happen to me during BR. I guess I still need to learn how to handle pressure in the last 5 minutes.
• brna0714 Alum Inactive ⭐

  May 2015 edited May 2015 1489 karma

  @jyang72 No problem. One other thing to think about is that it is more helpful to pre-phrase on certain question types. For instance, flaw, main point, sufficient assumption, etc. you definitely need to pre-phrase because the answer choices are designed to confuse the situation.
  
  *However*, for other types of questions where there are SO many possibilities for the correct answer, having a hard and fast pre-phrase can actually be detrimental and lead you to eliminate answers too hastily. Some examples of these types of questions would be strengthen/weaken, NA (sometimes), etc.
  
  If there are a lot of possibilities for the correct answer and you try to pre-phrase, you're almost closing yourself off to finding the correct one because the chances of finding a match are slim to none.
  
  What I recommend instead is trying to think a *way* in which the argument could be weakened but trying to stay away from specifics which is, by the way, the same thing as identifying assumptions which is pretty much the same thing as understanding the argument to begin with.
  
  Hope that helps.
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @brna0714 , this helps a ton!!! Thank you so much!!
• NYC12345 Alum Inactive Sage

  May 2015 1654 karma

  @jyang72 BR is an integral component of improving your PT score. If your BR score is in the 170s, that means that you have the ability to drastically improve your score once you work on timing and accuracy; however, you should not be deciding between three answer choices EVER. Remember, there is only one correct answer choice, and there is usually a trap answer choice included to trip up those who did not properly identify the conclusion and the support. If you find yourself deciding between three answer choices, you should definitely review LR material and watch the videos again.
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @alexandergreene93 , thank you so much. This is a wonderful suggestion. I usually spend at least 7 to 8 hours to BR everything. I hope my effort will eventually pay off in the end of summer.
• NYC12345 Alum Inactive Sage

  May 2015 edited May 2015 1654 karma

  @jyang72 The hardest part of the BR process is not making the same mistakes over and over again. For example, I'm currently scoring around the mid 160s, but when I BR, I immediately see my mistakes (after just a quick glance at the question), which are due to time constraints and rushing. I'm going to start writing down a list of things to do and not to do before my next PT. Also, fellow 7sagers have suggested writing out why each answer choice is correct or incorrect, and I'm obliged to give that a try as well. The LSAT is learnable. Learn the fundamentals, complete PTs, BR, and ace the exam. You can do it! Best of luck!
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @alexandergreene93 This is a wonderful suggestion, I am totally down for that. Are you aiming for the October?
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  May 2015 7965 karma

  @alexandergreene93 said:
  If your BR score is in the 170s, that means that you have the ability to drastically improve your score once you work on timing and accuracy
  

  What Alex said.

  @alexandergreene93 said:
  however, you should not be deciding between three answer choices EVER. Remember, there is only one correct answer choice, and there is usually a trap answer choice included to trip up those who did not properly identify the conclusion and the support.
  

  The test of whether an AC is right or not is not ultimately by comparing AC's to one another (as Alex said): it's in comparing it to the stimulus according to the task presented in the stem.
  
  When you're stuck between two choices, compare each to the stimulus and remind yourself of the question stem. If there are subtle or "small word" differences between AC's (some vs most, modifiers, etc.) where the stimulus either has or lacks those subtleties/small words, well, the one that matches the stimulus will be the right choice (unless it's an except question, of course).
• 1 Like

  jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @nicole.hopkins , it sounds right to me. Comparing two answer choices only makes me more confused sometimes and sucked lots of time away from me. What about RC? Do I compare answer choices to the passage related to question stem as well? Thank you.
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @alexandergreene93 , Hi Alex, this might be off the topic. How do you usually review for RC? I just went back to passage and found where answers come from. Is this a right way to BR RC? Thank you.
• 1 Like

  NYC12345 Alum Inactive Sage

  May 2015 1654 karma

  @jyang72
  On BR I read the passage again and write down the author's assertions and argument on a separate piece of paper. I always make sure to write down his reaction towards the critics, such as how strongly he/she agrees or disagrees with them (or if he/she is neutral). It's always best to look at the bigger picture in a passage (why is this stated, what purpose does this assertion serve, etc.).
• jyang72 Alum Member

  May 2015 844 karma

  @alexandergreene93, I see. I've always been thinking I am missing sth when BRing RC. Now I think find the missing piece. Thank you a lot!!!
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  June 2015 7965 karma

  @jyang72 any time the step says "according to the passage," you should be able to locate the referenced text in the passage. For more tips on that, the LSAT Trainer has a breakdown of question stems including when to make sure to reference the passage.
• 1 Like

  jyang72 Alum Member

  June 2015 844 karma

  @nicole.hopkins , this is great, I am glad I have the trainer already.