The proper place of techniques

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• 4 Likes

  Jonathan Wang Yearly Sage ⭐

  May 2016 edited May 2016 6869 karma

  Your mechanical skills are the foundation upon which your overall competence is built. To use your voice lesson example (I am a violinist, so I can semi-relate): you may get scolded for thinking too much of technique while trying to sing, but somehow I doubt that your teacher would ever tell you that those techniques are unnecessary to learn in the first place. Complete mastery of basic skills is the thing that allows you to stop thinking about it so much in the first place. You can't "just do it" if you have no clue what to do at all.
  
  To the extent that you 'technique your way' through a test, you're doing it wrong - not because you're using the techniques, but rather because you're still having to think about them consciously instead of having them be second nature. The big issue is not to learn when to let it go (horrible idea), but rather to learn how to just execute that way to begin with. I spent ages learning bow technique, finger placement, proper posture, and so on, and I don't have to think about it when I pick up a violin - not because it's not important, but because if I do think about it that means I've already screwed up.
• Alejandro Member Inactive ⭐

  May 2016 2424 karma

  Yup! The whole point of learning those techniques is to practice them until they become second nature. Taking shortcuts will do you no good.
• 3 Likes

  hlsat180 Free Trial Member

  May 2016 edited May 2016 362 karma

  @gaoshunqi said:
  Does anyone ever feel like focusing too much on techniques actually backfires?
  

  Depends on your situation:
  
  1. If relying on techniques in forfeit of actual understanding, then yes - absolutely.
  
  2. If relying on techniques to discipline your thought process so as to "focus on the right things at the right time" (to paraphrase Mike Kim), then you are simply at the beginning of a learning curve - of unlearning previous habits and learning new ones relevant to the LSAT.
  
  In either situation, the need to master techniques is unavoidable - for the reasons Jonathan outlined above. Work through the pain until it yields to your will.
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  May 2016 27900 karma

  @hlsat180 said:
  Work through the pain until it yields to your will.
  

  I want to put this on a motivational poster made out of iron and blood and fire.
• Nicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  May 2016 4344 karma

  @"Jonathan Wang" said:
  To the extent that you 'technique your way' through a test, you're doing it wrong - not because you're using the techniques, but rather because you're still having to think about them consciously instead of having them be second nature.
  

  @"Jonathan Wang", this is one of your greatest-hits posts.
  
  In my process, early on it was a lot of "WTH is this" style learning. Then when I got into the PT's, I found that I still kinda sucked. So I looked all around for a technique to save me. There is no such technique. So I practiced a lot. And then at the end, it was a few techniques that helped me refine my process and take on my final form.
• 2 Likes

  galantwhiteandblue Free Trial Member

  May 2016 32 karma

  LSAT is deep shit.