The secrets of bubbling? Forum

[BigA]

So I've just started to actually have a seperate sheet for bubbling when I do a PT. Probably should have doing this the whole time. I'm wondering what people's opinions are as to what the best method of bubbling is: After each question, after each page, after each section?

I also think it might be a good idea to have two pencils by me: one that is sharp for drawing and one that is really blunt for bubbling. I haven't tested this out yet, but I'm thinking a blunt pencil may be able to bubble faster than a sharp one. Thoughts?

[D. H2Oman]

You have OCD.

[bk1]

This seems absurd. The time lost in transferring between pencils (including the awareness required to remember which pencil is for which) does not seem to be made up with something like this.

[eandy]

I kept one sharp pencil on reserve for logical games and then just kept a dull pencil in my hand as well to bubble.

But seriously, bro, this is not something worth discussing.

[Mr. Pablo]

I bet that you could probably work this out on your own.

[Nom Sawyer]

Fastest way to bubble, I used it during my test and save 27.325 seconds:

--ImageRemoved--

[sumus romani]

There is no secret of bubbling. Here is what I did: I used to bubble-in after each question for the LR, to clear my head after each question. Then I would bubble-in only after each passage + set of questions for the RC and games, to clear my head only after the material was no longer necessary. Just pick one method and get used to it.

[Knock]

I prefer to bubble after every question, it reduces chances of me making a bubbling mistake.

[BigA]

Yeah, I think it's worth it to have a system of bubbling down. Even Powerscore talks about it briefly. So if you think it's not worth discussing why even click?

You have OCD.

maybe

This seems absurd. The time lost in transferring between pencils (including the awareness required to remember which pencil is for which) does not seem to be made up with something like this.

Yeah, I'd just stick with one pencil on the games. I still think a dull pencil might save seconds on the other sections. It's not a disaster if they get crossed up.

There is no secret of bubbling. Here is what I did: I used to bubble-in after each question for the LR, to clear my head after each question. Then I would bubble-in only after each passage + set of questions for the RC and games, to clear my head only after the material was no longer necessary. Just pick one method and get used to it.

Thread title was just meant to be amusing but I can see that was an epic fail. I never thought of bubbling in as a way to clear my head between questions. That's interesting.

I prefer to bubble after every question, it reduces chances of me making a bubbling mistake.

If you're prone to doing that, then that's the way to go. Also if you jump around questions a lot I'd think that's the only way to go.

[Bert]

In case you were serious about this, this is what I did and I think it helped.

For pencils, I had several (and by that I mean about 10-12) that were sharpened and ready to be used. It was whatever was in the box that I bought at Staples and I really didn't care because I planned to walk out of the test without any pencils. As the pencils got dull, I just grabbed a sharp one out of the pile on the desk and put the dull one in a different pile. I never needed to worry about sharpening pencils or loosing time doing so. Generally speaking, I made it through the RC section with maybe two, each LR with two, and the games with four. For games, I got a new pencil after each game, because I wanted a sharp pencil to keep my sketches small. At the break, sharpen all pencils and repeat while the admin lady is handing out the tests after I cleared my head during the break. I did not use any break time to sharpen pencils.

As for bubbling, I learned that you take a lot of time transferring answers to the bubble sheet if you do it after each question becuase you lose visual focus, so I did the following: RC (after each passage and all associated questions), LG (after each [strike]passage[/strike]game and all associated questions), LR (after each pair of facing pages). It was always about 6-8 questions at a time, and each time I transferred answers, I would talk to myself, like (1 A, then B, then B, then C, etc) -- the number being the first question I was answering so I could avoid misbubbling. If I skipped one, it would have been like 7 C, D, D, skip, E.

EDIT: LG is game not passage.

[fiftyonefifty]

did all my pt's using the transferring after each passage/game and after two pages of LR. On the real deal, i somehow felt better doing it question by question. Don't think it hurt me since I scored what I was pt'ing.

[legalized]

So I've just started to actually have a seperate sheet for bubbling when I do a PT. Probably should have doing this the whole time. I'm wondering what people's opinions are as to what the best method of bubbling is: After each question, after each page, after each section?

I also think it might be a good idea to have two pencils by me: one that is sharp for drawing and one that is really blunt for bubbling. I haven't tested this out yet, but I'm thinking a blunt pencil may be able to bubble faster than a sharp one. Thoughts?

Yes a blunt pencil draws a wider "path" for lack of a better word, and since the bubbles are small fills it faster than a fine point.

I personally have been shading them in as I go along, except for LG which I do as many as I can before about 3 to 2 minutes are left, then bubble them all in at the same time and do a straight choice for the ones I will run out of time for.

I am a little disappointed I can't speed up my LG completion. I am giving away plenty of points there.

[tomwatts]

If your testing center has small desks or awkward writing spaces that just fit the test booklet but nothing else, it takes a small but noticeable about of time to bring up the scantron and bubble after you've decided on an answer in the book, so it's slightly faster to bubble in blocks rather than one-by-one. Also, if you skip around a little (as is common), bubbling in blocks makes you less likely to forget to skip lines on the answer sheet, because you're focused entirely on bubbling as you go. I bubble a game at a time, a passage at a time, and 2 pages of LR (so I can see it all in front of me at once) at a time.

Of course, as time runs down, you want to have all your answers on the answer sheet, so with only a few minutes left, you want to start bubbling one-by-one.

[Always Credited]

I bubble the entire section of the scantron first, and then change my answers as I go. In case you run out of time at least you haz answerz down!

[rayiner]

For pencils, I had several (and by that I mean about 10-12) that were sharpened and ready to be used. It was whatever was in the box that I bought at Staples and I really didn't care because I planned to walk out of the test without any pencils. As the pencils got dull, I just grabbed a sharp one out of the pile on the desk and put the dull one in a different pile. I never needed to worry about sharpening pencils or loosing time doing so. Generally speaking, I made it through the RC section with maybe two, each LR with two, and the games with four. For games, I got a new pencil after each game, because I wanted a sharp pencil to keep my sketches small. At the break, sharpen all pencils and repeat while the admin lady is handing out the tests after I cleared my head during the break. I did not use any break time to sharpen pencils.

I brought 3 pencils and used 1. It never occurred to me to bring a pencil sharpener.

[hellojd]

I was bubbling in after a few pages at a time, but was noticing that I would occasionally make a bubbling error.

I've started bubbling after each question, the risk of even one bubbling error is not worth a saved 30 seconds or something to me.

I use a sharp pencil for LG, since it helps for the diagrams, and a somewhat blunt pencil for other sections so bubbling is quicker.

[Fenris]

Can you use mechanical pencils?

[You Gotta Have Faith]

Can you use mechanical pencils?

http://www.lsac.org/LSAT/day-of-test.asp

I'd suggest reading their rules on everything in general. But indeed, mechanical pencils are prohibited. That's why I took a whole box of 12 with me.

[Bert]

I brought 3 pencils and used 1. It never occurred to me to bring a pencil sharpener.

I know, I got neurotic about it, but somebody freaked me out about the whole pencil thing, so as part of my PTing I kept trying to figure out what I needed and then bring more than I needed to be safe. I also write somewhat hard with pencils so I tend to wear them down abnormally quickly.

Can you use mechanical pencils?

No. You can only bring non-mechanical pencils to the test site, so you shouldn't get used to using mechanical pencils when you PT at home.

[rbgrocio]

So I've just started to actually have a seperate sheet for bubbling when I do a PT. Probably should have doing this the whole time. I'm wondering what people's opinions are as to what the best method of bubbling is: After each question, after each page, after each section?

I also think it might be a good idea to have two pencils by me: one that is sharp for drawing and one that is really blunt for bubbling. I haven't tested this out yet, but I'm thinking a blunt pencil may be able to bubble faster than a sharp one. Thoughts?

The LSAT is important but you are taking it wayyyy too serious...

[yeff]

What, you haven't learned by now to diagram logic games with one hand while bubbling with the other yet?

Good luck breaking 170 on the LSATTT with one hand, bub.

[AngryAvocado]

Somebody link the pencil analysis thread. Bubbling is srs bsns.

[MoS]

I did each page on LR, and each section on Reading and Games. As opposed to just filling out as I go. I think it saved time and prevented miss-bubbling.

[motiontodismiss]

At the end of each game/passage/set/page.

I've been burned too many times by not having enough time.

[jayn3]

srsly? you haven't figured out a bubbling system that works for you after 13 years of pre-college standardized tests??