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PT33.S1.Q16 - notice to subscribers: the daily gazette
LSATcantwin
Alum Member Sage ⭐
So this question was an oddball for me. I know it's something we've seen before where we are given a principle/rules/whatever and we have to apply it to given situations. I normally do a fairly decent job of keeping track of all the "rules" in my head but this one really played with me. It's an "except" question as well which threw in an extra degree of uncertainty when working through it.
I found three major problems that hit me during the timed section because of this problem;
1.) It was an "easy" question objectively, but turned into a time sink for me.
2.) I had a hard time keeping track of the different rules. For example;
Credit can be given only if the missed copy is reported to us within 24 hours and only if a replacement copy is unavailable.
Request for temp nondelivery must be made at least three days prior to the first day on which delivery is to stop.
These are very confusing to read and I think they got jumbled in my head, which caused the question to seem more difficult than it was.
3.) For the next 2-3 problems in the section I felt "shaken" by this and didn't feel as confident as I had before.
In hindsight this question should have been marked as an easy "skip and come back" question. I still managed to finish the section 5 min early and was able to address some errors in the section but I think I spent almost 3min on this question alone. I didn't really identify how much it threw me off until it was too late.
So my questions are;
1.) How do I not let a question throw me off if I encounter something like this?
2.) How could I have identified this sooner as a time sink question?
3.) Is there a better way to "map" this out to keep track of the rules? Would drawing the conditionals here have helped?
4.) How do you guys remind yourself that it is an "except" question when you are knee deep into the AC and start to feel the confusion?
Comments
@LSATcantwin
If its the first round, its okay to slow down and take time as long as you maintain a grip on the stimulus. Some questions are half page with each answer choice being another argument, so it can take a bit longer than other questions. But if you start to lose your hold of the statements like you said you did, its time to circle it and move on. Also, if you stick to the strategy of moving on from questions you lose a grip on you will find that you will be more confident that you will have time at the end so you won't be as shaken up. One thing JY always says is there should at least be one question on each LR section that you skip completely, if you did not you are not following a good section strategy.
I think the best way to understand if a question is worth it is to see it in comparison to everything else you have left on that section. If you have 10 minutes left on the section and 3 questions circled and this is the last question you attempt, then that 3 minute is worth it. If you have 5 minutes left and 3 questions circled and the other two were easier than this, then those 5 minutes should be spent on other questions and this question is not worth it.
So its really about using information from the first round to determine if a question is worth the time or not. Also, it's possible to initially think a question is worth it but if you find yourself taking too long and losing grip on the question its time to move on, or if its second round to decide that this question is a double circle and it will be the last question you will attempt on this section.
For keeping track of three separate conditional statements without drawing them out I like to box my sufficient indicators and underline my necessary. This saves me the time it would have taken to write things out and the argument also does not loose its complexity which writing out can do so. So if the answer choice talks about one of my sufficient indicators, I can quickly look at my stimulus and the box highlights immediately where it is and I then see what the necessary condition is and then read the necessary condition in my answer choice to make sure it matches.
For except question, I usually put a huge line next to answer choices and on the left hand-side of the line I draw a cross to remind myself I am looking for the wrong answer. Since I have implemented that procedure, I have never once forgotten when I am supposed to be doing an except question.
This is all really solid advice! Thank you so much. I really like what you do for "except" questions. I'm going to steal that from you for sure. I think that will help me a ton. As for skipping I think I just need to get better at it haha I'm still super stubborn and don't want to give up on the question until I feel confident in my answer (which sometimes never happens)
Hope your rebound and studying is going well. I took my first PT today and was pleasantly surprised. It may have been an old PT (33) but I'll take a good score however I can get it lol
I am glad to see that you are getting in to LSAT and are doing well. Retakes are great learning tool so I am happy you like your score.
Yeah, I have a hard time skipping sometimes too. Especially, after that September test I have so much trouble skipping because the confidence is mostly gone. But, it was nice to be able to watch my video of a fresh take and realize the questions I missed were more of a procedural issue. By not being okay with missing 1 or 2 questions, I ended up missing 5.
Studying is going okay. LSAT has become now such an emotional journey. How are you doing?
It is very emotional I agree. I think part of the process is separating emotion from the LSAT which it seems we both still need work on. I was feeling the same lack of confidence as you were today, but I pushed threw the test trying to keep myself as calm as possible. I was able to walk away with a great score which helped boost me back up a bit.
Not being nervous really allowed me to attack the test in the ways I've practiced. I was able to employ all the methods I've used up until this point and it shows. There were still about 3-4 LR problems that gave me issues, but because I stayed calm I was able to eliminate the wrong answer choices more efficiently and settle on a right answer.
Reading Comp felt different today as well. I went in thinking about the questions up front. I kept asking myself as I read "what's the point?" "who's opinions are here?" "what is the author trying to do?" "how is it laid out?" which really allowed me to feel much more confident in eliminating wrong answers.
We can do this. I know we can.
Me too. I am finally beginning to feel hope again so lets see. I am glad we are both doing better.