Adding a 5th section to practice tests Forum
- redsox
- Posts: 612
- Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:40 pm
Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Is there any value to doing this beyond gaining stamina? Obviously (unless you have someone make tests for you by chopping up real tests and removing the section numbers) you'll know which section you added, so there won't be the uncertainty that there is on the actual test about which section is the experimental.
- Mr. Smith
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:51 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Useful.
Not so much for stamina but for replicating your test-day experience in advance, IMHO.
Not so much for stamina but for replicating your test-day experience in advance, IMHO.
- scribelaw
- Posts: 760
- Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:27 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
This.Mr. Smith wrote:Useful.
Not so much for stamina but for replicating your test-day experience in advance, IMHO.
Try to replicate test conditions -- take 30 seconds or a 1 minute between sections, with a 15-minute break after the third, add the fifth section, use the same kind of pencil you'll use on test day, use the same watch (analog, not digital). The more stuff is different on test day, the more it will feel different as opposed to just the next PT in a line of PTs.
- Helmholtz
- Posts: 4128
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:48 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Thought adding a fifth section was useless, never did it.
-
- Posts: 1564
- Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:41 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
For me it was just stamina.
I saw a drop in scores while prepping when I added a 5th section because I was tired/had trouble concentrating/was bored.
A 6th section is completely unnecessary and overkill in my opinion though.
I also never practiced with the writing sample section.
I saw a drop in scores while prepping when I added a 5th section because I was tired/had trouble concentrating/was bored.
A 6th section is completely unnecessary and overkill in my opinion though.
I also never practiced with the writing sample section.
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- Posts: 269
- Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:04 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
For stamina, just take the 4 sections straight, without the 15-minute break. No need to ruin tests by sacrificing some of them for the "fifth section".
- jpSartre
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:05 am
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
5 sections aren't bad if you throw in a section from PTs 1-10. Taking 1-10 themselves is hardly worth it IMO.Shrimps wrote:For stamina, just take the 4 sections straight, without the 15-minute break. No need to ruin tests by sacrificing some of them for the "fifth section".
As long as you force yourself to concentrate and behave like it's a real section, you can really throw whatever you want in there. It's all about tiring yourself out for 35 minutes knowing there are 2 or 3 scored sections to go.
- KibblesAndVick
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:29 am
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
I agree that it's critical for replicating test-day experience. I think it's useful for stamina as well. Lots and lots of people score a couple of points lower on the real thing than they do on their PTs. I think the most logical explanations for this are (1) being nervous or tired from not getting a good nights sleep and (2) the real LSAT being different (it's a room full of people, it has 5 sections, they call time right at 35 minutes, if you misbubble something you can't correct it after the fact, and every other small difference).Mr. Smith wrote:Useful.
Not so much for stamina but for replicating your test-day experience in advance, IMHO.
Adding a 5th section helps with (2) directly by replicating the real test and (1) indirectly by making you more comfortable as the test mirrors your practice.
- LAWLAW09
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:09 am
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Stolen from another thread:
Pick the next preptest you plan to do. Make each section an experimental section for the next four preptest that you will do. Score and review it after all the "experimental" sections have been completed. I personally rotate when the experimental section appears (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st...) and I go with whatever section (lg, lr, rc) just so happens to be up. This last point, hopefully, will keep me from having a negative reaction if my least favorite section ( rc) is the experimental section on test day.
All in all, every section will "count" and should have some impact on how one does on the other sections.
Good luck.
Pick the next preptest you plan to do. Make each section an experimental section for the next four preptest that you will do. Score and review it after all the "experimental" sections have been completed. I personally rotate when the experimental section appears (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st...) and I go with whatever section (lg, lr, rc) just so happens to be up. This last point, hopefully, will keep me from having a negative reaction if my least favorite section ( rc) is the experimental section on test day.
All in all, every section will "count" and should have some impact on how one does on the other sections.
Good luck.
- jpSartre
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:05 am
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
I like this idea. If only I had enough material left to do itLAWLAW09 wrote:Stolen from another thread:
Pick the next preptest you plan to do. Make each section an experimental section for the next four preptest that you will do. Score and review it after all the "experimental" sections have been completed. I personally rotate when the experimental section appears (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st...) and I go with whatever section (lg, lr, rc) just so happens to be up. This last point, hopefully, will keep me from having a negative reaction if my least favorite section ( rc) is the experimental section on test day.
All in all, every section will "count" and should have some impact on how one does on the other sections.
Good luck.
- Bert
- Posts: 458
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:37 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Wish I had thought of this.LAWLAW09 wrote:Stolen from another thread:
Pick the next preptest you plan to do. Make each section an experimental section for the next four preptest that you will do. Score and review it after all the "experimental" sections have been completed. I personally rotate when the experimental section appears (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st...) and I go with whatever section (lg, lr, rc) just so happens to be up. This last point, hopefully, will keep me from having a negative reaction if my least favorite section ( rc) is the experimental section on test day.
All in all, every section will "count" and should have some impact on how one does on the other sections.
Good luck.
- redsox
- Posts: 612
- Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:40 pm
Re: Adding a 5th section to practice tests
Thanks for all the responses.
My study plan consists of taking practice tests, and not much else. To resolve the stamina issue, I think I'm just going to start doing them back to back in May.
My study plan consists of taking practice tests, and not much else. To resolve the stamina issue, I think I'm just going to start doing them back to back in May.
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