Quick Tip: Try Taking Your Sections Backward!
Whenever we take a practice test, we tend to be very careful on the first game, passage, or set of questions. Over time we move faster as we become more comfortable with the test itself. This tendency leads many test takers to spend more time than necessary in the beginning portions of their sections. If you feel caution leads you to lose time, attempt the section backward! Using your energy on the more difficult questions could help you in using your time where it is needed the most.
The Power of the Prephrase
Predictions are a source of power on the LSAT. But if not properly structured, our predictions could throw us off track in a few different ways. Most commonly, a test taker will go into the answer choices with a prephrase that is too strong and specific. Other times, a student will read the stimulus and continue into the answer choices only with a weak understanding of what the right answer should do. Both tendencies prevent us from getting the most out of our predictions.
To fix these tendencies, we need to train ourselves to craft the prephrase in a specific manner. Your prephrase should have an idea of the general concepts that will appear in the correct answer. However, you should not identify what the exact answer will sound like. Our paraphrase should be powerful enough to narrow down contenders without leading us to eliminate contenders that don’t obviously match our predictions.
If you find yourself eliminating the correct answer prematurely, your predictions may be too narrow. If you find yourself coming down to three or more contenders, you should challenge yourself to predict before looking at the options. Ultimately, the prephrase is a useful tool. But it can also be used to distract us. Analyze when you are eliminating correct answers to identify if your prephrase is helping or hurting you. Of course, predictions are not possible for every single question. But in every question where we have an argument, we should aim to define the gap between premise and conclusion.
For more guidance on how to approach the prephrase, check out the webinar below!