Time Time Time! Tick tock goes the clock!

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• 1 Like

  [Deleted User] Free Trial

  August 2014 edited August 2014 310 karma

  [removed by moderators]
• 7 Likes

  Jonathan Wang Yearly Sage ⭐

  August 2014 6874 karma

  Apologies for the novel you're about to read (or not read).
  
  If I was able to discover a way to teach the LSAT such that I could just talk through each question the "quick" way and my students would be trained properly, then all of my kids would score 180 and I'd probably be a billionaire from people throwing money at me for my services.
  
  The explanations you hear are exactly what you are asking for - my thought process as I move through the question. That is literally the way that I approached these videos when I was recording them - read it, evaluate it on the fly, and otherwise treat it exactly like I would on the test. The only reason it takes me so long to explain things in my videos is because I actually have to formulate coherent thoughts that a third party will be able to understand. If I didn't have to do that, the videos would probably be 45 seconds to a minute long. Unfortunately, they would also consist of just "uh huh...ok, nope, nope, yep, uhh...nope, nope, ok next." Not incredibly helpful.
  
  Over the course of doing thousands upon thousands of LSAT questions, I have trained my brain to pick up on the right things, to organize the information quickly and efficiently, and to apply logic flawlessly. I can't teach you how to do the same if I just do things at my level. You're not at that level yet, so you won't understand what I'm doing, and bad habits and incorrect conclusions will inevitably result. Believe me, it would be incredibly more convenient for me to just do what you are asking for, but it just doesn't work. In fact, this is the hallmark of an awful teacher - to just do things as they normally would, and then wonder why nobody else is able to replicate his results. Things need to be broken down and pointed out, elaborated upon and explained. It's the tutor's job to do these things; it's the student's job to put it all together. Unfortunately, even the best tutor on the planet cannot burn the material into your brain for you.
  
  I promise you I'm not trying to be mean, but this is just the flat out truth.There's no timing secret that's being kept from you - your understanding just isn't as good as you think it is. Just as I once had to read someone else's explanations for things I struggled with and come to my own understanding, so must you (with better explanations to work with, thankfully). You are asking for a magic bullet that does not exist.
• 1 Like

  alwaysusan Alum Member

  August 2014 113 karma

  Just sharing my thoughts. I seek the key that opens the door. I will find it. You are not mean. The fact that you responded to my posting means that the discussion has merit. I am very aware that my understanding is lacking. I once was training in a French kitchen. I had to make a special dessert that had a simple crucial technique that made the pastry puff. I had 4 people 'show' me how to do it, but I could not replicate the end result on my own. A lot of product went in the trash as I tried to figure it out. Then one day, one of the cooks came over and just showed me the trick. It had to do with how the eggs were absorbed into the flour and water. "Et voila!' From there on, no one made Pate a Choix as beautiful as mine. They rose high, fluffy, and delicate. I am learning. That is what it is all about. It would be great to hear from folks who have crossed that thresh hold. Looking forward to my studies this afternoon!
• 2 Likes

  Jonathan Wang Yearly Sage ⭐

  August 2014 6874 karma

  This is EXACTLY like your pastry example! Those 4 people who 'showed' you how to do it were just telling you to copy what they did; they thought they were teaching you, but they weren't. It took a real teacher to come in and explain to you why it was done a certain way and show you how to do it. And once that clicked for you...as you said, et voila! Mmm...makes me want to go to culinary school, haha.
  
  You can do it!
• 2 Likes

  clay7760308 Alum Member

  August 2014 23 karma

  One of the secrets to timing is being able to skip questions. That is all there is to it. Most of those who are able to go through the test flawlessly don't have to do this, but most of those who take the test aren't going through the test flawlessly. I think this is most applicable to the RC section. This appears to be the most variable section because the passages can be confusing and obscure in both structure and material. Some are excellent readers for this section and can break down, structurally, the material very easily. Some get obfuscated by the passages. Either way, we're talking about reading a bunch of dense material and being able to parse four passages of it in a short amount of time. Some will just never be able to accomplish this, some will make strides, and some will reach perfection. But you have to realize and understand your limitations of your reading/comprehending (while still working on them) and adjust to the questions accordingly. This means skipping questions that are bogging you down in the text for a long time. If you can't immedieately discern an answer of the "global" type and if you can't quickly discern an answer that requires you to analyze some part of the passage, you need to give it your best guess, circle it, and move on. I waste countless seconds trying to look for any extra clue I can in the text when I'm lost on these kinds of questions because I feel like "I KNOW I CAN FIND IT, I KNOW IT'S IN THERE", but I just end up rereading the whole passage or something. Point is: be strategic. Be smart, and allow yourself to get questions wrong without letting it bother you, because you're going to get questions wrong either way.
• sarahfatima28 Alum Member

  January 2016 edited January 2016 320 karma

  Spot on advice by @"Jonathan Wang"
  
  Would benefit many people to keep this in mind.