I just started PT and I'm not able to complete the LR sections. That's not surprising to me at all. I figured that my speed would pick up as I take more PT. I generally only get to about question 15-16 before running out of time and guessing on the rest. Because I'm not finishing the sections my scores are shot. My BR for LR is roughly 19 and up. My BR score leads me to believe that there's still room for improvement with fundamentals. Of the questions that I do complete before time runs out, I only miss maybe 2-3 for both sections. So, my question for you guys, does it seem like I have an issue with just timing, or both timing and fundamentals? I know I'm spending too much time on questions, but I'm getting them right! LOL The questions at the beginning of the sections are typically easier questions though, so Idk if getting them right means too much (I mean every correct answer matters, but how does this mean is terms of fundamentals?). I've noticed certain question types that I need to review. Should I be spending less time on certain question types than others? Meaning I need more fundamental training? Ahhhh! I'm everywhere with this stuff! If you guys can sift through my mumbo jumbo and figure out what I'm trying to ask, any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Comments
You need some work on fundamentals, and that should help your timing a little bit. But you also need to develop better timing strategies because right now you're just reinforcing to yourself that it's okay to take this long on questions even when you know that's not really true. I would review a lot of the basics as well as start drilling LR sections. It sounds like you have too many issues with all questions so I would not focus on drilling particular types unless you have a lot of time. Drilling full LR sections would likely help the most in my opinion.
Finally, remember that the only thing that gives an accurate representation of your skill level is taking the actual test. You can develop a false sense of security going through the curriculum but in the end you need to listen to what the PTs are telling you. It can be very humbling but if you don't listen then it is difficult to improve.
@DumbHollywoodActor Please correct me if I have this strategy wrong.
Hang in there @tanes256 !! as will I ...
Don't worry about timing. First and foremost should be mastery of the fundamentals; once you get this, better timing will be an inevitable and welcome byproduct.
I wrote a general piece about your knowledge not transferring to timed scenarios: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2584/why-knowledge-is-not-enough.
I may write a more specific one about what 'timing issues' really mean, but for now everything in the above piece applies.
I would also argue that honing in your internal clock is a habit that is passively developed by doing timed practiced sections; if your goal is to finish the section (which isn't the goal for everyone), then you will eventually realize just by doing timed practice where your "sweet spot" is in terms of the maximum time you can allot per question and still finish.
This thread is inspiring me. Mastery is always the goal, in every phase of prep! This sounds like a great idea! You guys are awesome! Love this—training your internal clock. I think it's important to develop this temporal sense, but with mastery, methinks this becomes unnecessary. Is that, by definition, a crutch? Well, I think it is still useful to gauge your level of mastery against a temporal standard. After all, if your ankle is broken, you NEED a crutch! But once it's better, you stop using the crutch. Etc.
Yeah, this is true too. Early on (before I was doing full PT's) I would use a stopwatch to see how long I was really taking per question. But that's quite different from timed sections, per se. Y'all just blew my mind. I hope that word shows up as a "term usage" Q in the Oct LSAT, somehow!