Running Out of Time on Diagnostic Tests Forum

[lsatbeard]

I have been studying on my own (fruitlessly), and was told that working untimed through sections for practice is a good thing. The general consensus on this board seems to support this method.

I've recently enrolled in a PowerScore class, and took the first diagnostic test last night. (I've also taken the free diagnostic test Kaplan offers, but didn't enroll.) In both cases, I've run out of time before completing the section. Should I be striving to answer the questions quickly (thereby missing questions that I might have answered correctly if I had taken my time), or should I do my best to answer fewer questions with greater accuracy (and not finishing the section)?

I am not a good test-taker. I often lose focus, get lost in the stimulus, have to re-read things, and run out of time. I did well in school because I was able to memorize and apply content after re-reading things at my own pace. I think of myself as "smart, but slow," even though that's probably what everyone who scores a 153 and ends up at a TTT law school thinks of themselves. Does anyone with similar experiences have any advice on this matter?

[Knock]

I have been studying on my own (fruitlessly), and was told that working untimed through sections for practice is a good thing. The general consensus on this board seems to support this method.

I've recently enrolled in a PowerScore class, and took the first diagnostic test last night. (I've also taken the free diagnostic test Kaplan offers, but didn't enroll.) In both cases, I've run out of time before completing the section. Should I be striving to answer the questions quickly (thereby missing questions that I might have answered correctly if I had taken my time), or should I do my best to answer fewer questions with greater accuracy (and not finishing the section)?

I am not a good test-taker. I often lose focus, get lost in the stimulus, have to re-read things, and run out of time. I did well in school because I was able to memorize and apply content after re-reading things at my own pace. I think of myself as "smart, but slow," even though that's probably what everyone who scores a 153 and ends up at a TTT law school thinks of themselves. Does anyone with similar experiences have any advice on this matter?

Slow and accurate DEFINITELY. Speed will come with practice, experience, and understanding the questions/concepts well so you can answer questions faster.

Do each section timed, and then when time is out make note of how many and which questions you left blank. Then go back and answer them taking your time. Then move on and repeat with the next section. That way you can see what your score would be with running out of time, but don't waste questions and opportunities to learn the question types.

Any variation on the above strategy/technique is okay as well.