Best approach to LR improvement? Forum

[GoBroncos22!]

It seems that, as opposed to LG, just sheer repetition will not ensure improvement with LR. With me, it seems as if endless repetition makes me worse and inevtiably ends with me tending towards second guessing myself. I range anywhere from -3 to -9 on LR and to be honest the more I slow down and pick apart each statement, the WORSE I do-I have yet to find that perfect medium for speed. My goal is to be consistently around -4. I cant afford anymore -9. I have done the LRB twice and still use it for reference but to be honest, I dont find it that beneficial. I have made massive improvements with LG, going from missing 75% to -2, RC is making improvements, but LR is just plain unpredictable.

So, my question is thus...... Does anyone have any timeless wisdom and advice for not sucking so massively at LR?

[Knock]

It seems that, as opposed to LG, just sheer repetition will not ensure improvement with LR. With me, it seems as if endless repetition makes me worse and inevtiably ends with me tending towards second guessing myself. I range anywhere from -3 to -9 on LR and to be honest the more I slow down and pick apart each statement, the WORSE I do-I have yet to find that perfect medium for speed. My goal is to be consistently around -4. I cant afford anymore -9. I have done the LRB twice and still use it for reference but to be honest, I dont find it that beneficial. I have made massive improvements with LG, going from missing 75% to -2, RC is making improvements, but LR is just plain unpredictable.

So, my question is thus...... Does anyone have any timeless wisdom and advice for not sucking so massively at LR?

I'm kind of in the same boat. I would definitely agree, LR is somewhat difficult to improve after the working through the LR Bible. I was at about -6/-7 per each LR section before the bible, down to -4 or so, but that's still quite a bit.

To try and improve my scores, i've decided to improve my review. It's been kind of weak in the past, but I'm going to work on further breaking down the question into premises (diagramming if necessary), sub-conclusion (if applicable), conclusion, why my answer choice was wrong, and the reasoning why the correct answer choice was indeed correct. Hopefully I can see a gradual improvement using this review strategy.

I also think i'm going to try and do the first 15 questions in 10 minutes or so, leaving me roughly 15 minutes for the hardest 10 questions. I think this may make a good improvement in my score, as long as I don't start making sloppy mistakes from rushing the first 15 LR questions.

Good luck to you, hopefully we can both bring down our LR mistakes.

[tomwatts]

There are a lot of things to learn about LR. You have to learn how the question types work (the usual patterns associated with each Q type), how the patterns of flawed reasoning work, how the answer choices work, and how each of these things influences the others. This can be quite involved. Don't skimp on any portion, and review the general strategies frequently.

[Sandro]

LR is like deciphering a code. Eventually once you learn the specific techniques for each type of question, you get better and better at recognizing the right answer. I think the best advice one could give is to track which type of questions you are missing most and then study those. After realizing I was missing too many assumption questions I put some work into them and now rarely miss them.

The LRB is a big book. You cant expect to read it once and then retain all the info well enough to perform when the pressure is on. Do it once, figure out what you need to review, and do it. I am currently averaging -3 an LR section with 20 or so PTs left to do and once you get some PTs in you, it starts to flow much easier. Now my mistakes are coming down to silly mistakes or pure fatigue.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Two important things to do:

1) Make absolutely sure you are reviewing every single question you skipped or were just unsure about (when taking a section make a mark to questions you are not 100% sure about so you can review later). You need to make sure you understand why the 4 other answers are incorrect and why the correct answer is correct. Don't cut corners with this. If you can't explain a question to another person so he understands it, then you need to review that question more.

2) Break down missed questions by type. Flaw Q's are very different from assumption questions. Str/Wkn are different than MBT. If you are missing a particular type of question, you need to find a list of where you can find that Q-type (or use another resource, Kaplan's Mastery book is great for this).

[BigTabacco]

~ I would suggest identifying the conclusion as you read.

~ Since 80%+ of the stimuli are bad arguments, read for "why is this a bad argument?" If you're an ace with the common LSAT logical fallacies, you'll be able to feel the question coming. Mastery of fallacies and flaws is critical. Identifying them means you will only miss main point questions.

A fairly decent list to get you started. Proper LSAT facets will have a more refined list.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/



~ Be strict about eliminating answer choices, and never look back once one is out. You got rid of it for a good reason, right?

~ If time is a constraint and you're a slow reader, skip the late parallel reasoning question between 20 and 27, come back for it later. Whether it was easy or not, it's the longest question to read.

Edit: Gramma-slamma

[Gemini]

Sometimes it's hard to tell where you're good with LR and where you're bad...

For example I got -3 on one LR and -6 on another. And I thought the section with -6 felt easier...

LR is so weird that way and that is why I'm tagging this thread. Interested to see what else you guys say!

[GoBroncos22!]

Last night I tried a new approach and I think it helped. Instead of just looking for the right answer, I consciously ruled out all the other options and told myself why they are wrong. This way definitely forced me to pay more attention and not skim over answers and I managed two -5(s)-Not my best but I felt consistent compared to the normal -3 and -9 or two -9(s). Anyone elose tried this way? Its a little more time consuming I think- but if it helps, maybe the process could be sped up...thoughts?