How to improve LR section

Comments

• extramedium Alum Member

  December 2016 419 karma

  I can't speak to the effectiveness of the packets themselves, but they're just the questions from the PTs arranged by type. You can just separate them out on your own if you get all of the PTs. I've found that drilling by type can be effective in sorting out a consistent approach and also gaining familiarity with the way the questions are presented and arranged in various ways. Some people swear by drilling every question type all the time, but it's definitely not the biggest part of studying. Applying the skills you've learned to timed conditions is the hugest part, at least for me.
• 3 Likes

  SherryS1 Member

  December 2016 477 karma

  @a.ruqaiia I'd recommend going to the blind review sessions. They've been an enormous help for me and my score jumped up after I started going to them. I highly recommend them.
  
  Something else that was helpful for me was going through all the questions in a section and identifying the question type, conclusion/premises (if applicable) and jotting down why 4 of the 5 answers were wrong, alongside why 1answer was right. It increased my literacy with the test significantly and helped me see patterns in language and logic.
  
  I haven't tried the drilling packets so I can't speak to those
• 1 Like

  JustDoIt Alum Member ⭐

  December 2016 3112 karma

  I agree with the above two posters.
  
  I have the packets and what I can say is that I use them sparingly. In my opinion, I like to take timed full sections, assess my weaknesses through BR, then drill or review the cc if necessary. I find this to be super effective because you can slow down and really understand what you are doing wrong without wasting a newer PT. I still drill necessary assumption a strengthen questions regularly and probably will do so until I achieve mastery.
  
  Hope this helps!
• 2 Likes

  bjphillips5 Alum Member

  December 2016 1137 karma

  Very much agree with what's above, I also think drilling and Bring some of the earliest PT LR section is useful. It kinda gives you a window into the LSAT writers first intention with LR and helped me see a bird's eye view of the section.
• 1 Like

  Sami Live Member Sage ⭐ 7Sage Tutor

  December 2016 edited December 2016 10789 karma

  @a.ruqaiia said:
  Has anyone improved using them?
  

  So I don't think packets are necessary, but they can sometimes help if you want to work on a specific weakness or a question type. But if you want to improve overall in speed and accuracy, then I would do it by sections. It really depends on what you need to work on.
• 5 Likes

  a.ruqaiia Alum Member

  December 2016 114 karma

  @"Aaron Frank" @SherryS1 @JustDoIt @bjphillips5 @Sami thanks all for your input. It looks like BR and writing down reasons for correct and incorrect answers could help. I keep reading in the comments sections amazing reviews on BR groups, so I will join in a check them out.
• 2 Likes

  alex.e92 Alum Member

  December 2016 edited December 2016 239 karma

  So LR is my favorite section, but I went from going anywhere between -5 and -9 per section to consistently going between -0 and -2 with kind of intense BR.
  
  I usually take a a timed section or two on Monday before work and circle any that I am unsure of during the timed test or feel that I spent too much time on. After work on the same day, I start with the normal BR process (which I do lightly and only on questions that I think I struggled with or spent too much time on - I don't BR whole sections, but that's just me).
  
  At this point, I grade my section and note the ones I either missed OR was still unsure about during BR. By "unsure" I mean any uncertainty. For example: I know exactly why answer choices "A", "B", and "C" are wrong, I know that "D" is correct, but i'm not 100% certain why "E" is incorrect. Then I open up my favorite note taking app and type out the entire question and answer choices for all of the questions that I either missed, or was unsure of after BR. Additionally, I type out explanations in my own words for why each answer choice is either wrong or correct. Then I go to sleep because this takes all night.
  
  In the morning, before work, I re-read each question and remind myself why I missed or was unsure of each question and I boil that down to a short few sentences of advice for my future self and summarize what I was bad at during that section and I keep all of those short summaries on a different document. The next time I take a timed PT, I read through all of the summaries from past failures and remind myself how I can avoid those traps this time.
  
  Also, because i'm lazy, there is an element of self-punishment that works really well to motivate me (which I understand is not fun or effective for everyone). For example, when I find myself struggling to focus in a timed LR section and I come across a parallel reasoning question, instead of thinking "ahhh so much to read" and feeling overwhelmed, I end up focusing in on it and thinking "there is no fucking way i'm getting this wrong and having to type it all out later". So that's a plus.
  
  I know that this might not work for everyone, but i've found it helpful in getting to -0 every now and then on LR sections.
  
  Also, exactly what @SherryS1 said. The BR calls are great and i'm sure everyone there would be able to offer even more/much better advice
  
  Happy Studying!
• 1 Like

  a.ruqaiia Alum Member

  December 2016 114 karma

  @AlexandriaD Wow thanks for the detailed post! great points on summarizing mistakes and reviewing them the next day. I'll be sure to try out this method!
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  December 2016 23929 karma

  I've been finding timed sections with a mix of targeted drilling to be helpful. Also, just re-watching the CC lessons for question types I miss have proved to be one of the best uses of my time!