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When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:50 pm
by ComatoseClown
Upon opening test booklet, are you allowed to quickly scan the entire test to figure out which section is the Experimental section? (For example, you open the test and see that section 1 is RC and then as you're quickly flipping the pages forward and see that section 3 is also RC. This would allow you for some slight mental relief/ease in doing the other sections, knowing that those count but only one RC would count.
Is the above allowed?
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:51 pm
by arism87
No
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:54 pm
by 09042014
Don't waste time and effort determining the experimental section. Just go balls out on them all.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:59 pm
by plenipotentiary
That would ruin the experiment, wouldn't it?
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:03 pm
by homestyle28
I'm sure you can find posts here after every LSAT that say "OMG I thought section 2 was experimental so I just took a break, but it really counted." It's not worth your mental energy trying to figure out which one is experimental, it doesn't stick out.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:11 pm
by calilaw
homestyle28 wrote:I'm sure you can find posts here after every LSAT that say "OMG I thought section 2 was experimental so I just took a break, but it really counted." It's not worth your mental energy trying to figure out which one is experimental, it doesn't stick out.
I don't understand those people. How could you possibly take such an important test, and literally take a break on an entire section based on an unproven guess? Even if I knew for sure which one was the experimental, I could never bring myself to just skip it, out of pure paranoia.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:24 pm
by ComatoseClown
You know what you're exactly right. I realize now how skilled the LSAT psychometricians are at writing the test -- so skilled that it would be very hard to decipher of the two similar section types which section is experimental and which is not. It's therefore advised to give it your all for EVERY single section.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:25 pm
by 2014
It is possible and it will probably ease your stress by a negligible amount though in your example you wouldn't know which of the two sections was experimental.
That being said it is illegal and if you are caught doing it your legal career is over, so probably not worth it.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:26 pm
by 09042014
ComatoseClown wrote:You know what you're exactly right. I realize now how skilled the LSAT psychometricians are at writing the test -- so skilled that it would be very hard to decipher of the two similar section types which section is experimental and which is not. It's therefore advised to give it your all for EVERY single section.
Many of the experimental sections will be used as real LSAT sections in a year or so. Some introduce new gametypes and might be distinguishable if you've take several LSATs in a row and have done every PT. But for the most part they are identical because that real section was someones experimental two or three tests ago.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:50 pm
by northwood
you can do it, but if you are caught, then you will not be going to law school.
just do the entire test as if every section counted. The experimental is usually within the first 3 sections. Section 4 and 5 are always counted. However, its very hard to determine which one is the experimental, and wasting the mental energy and time on the test day to do so is a bad idea.
Once the test is done, then you will know what experimental type you had. Dont bother worrying about which exact setion you thought was experimental, as you will probably be wrong, and end up making yourself paraniod for the entire waiting period.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:11 pm
by runningzigzag
Don't waste your time on trying to figure this out and just focus on each section as it comes to you.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:15 pm
by Raver
I think this is the recommended method in both bibles.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:53 pm
by Fender2210
Sometimes you can see through the thin pages of the test booklet...
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:55 pm
by mst
Fender2210 wrote:Sometimes you can see through the thin pages of the test booklet...
This is about it. Honestly, anything like flipping through the book runs a risk of being noted as cheating. And this is NOT a test you want to be caught cheating on. Seriously, is finding out what is Exp worth any risk of losing law school for many years to come?
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:03 am
by Fender2210
mst wrote:Fender2210 wrote:Sometimes you can see through the thin pages of the test booklet...
This is about it. Honestly, anything like flipping through the book runs a risk of being noted as cheating. And this is NOT a test you want to be caught cheating on. Seriously, is finding out what is Exp worth any risk of losing law school for many years to come?
Agreed. The law profession, whether you want to believe it or not, is all about ethics. Imagine having to disclose this kind of "cheating" when you apply for admission to the bar.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:08 pm
by ams
Practice with 5-section tests. Forget there even is an experimental section.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:17 pm
by homestyle28
ams wrote:Forget there even is an experimental section.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:52 pm
by 3|ink
homestyle28 wrote:ams wrote:Forget there even is an experimental section.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:28 am
by JazzOne
Raver wrote:I think this is the recommended method in both bibles.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:37 am
by runningzigzag
+1
ams wrote:Practice with 5-section tests. Forget there even is an experimental section.
Re: When u open test booklet, can u scan entire test?
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:12 am
by vanwinkle
I have heard of two exceptions.
1) Apparently during one February test many years ago at some test centers, there was a section with audio questions. The proctor had a stereo, and played a 35-minute long recording featuring 35 questions. A question was read aloud, the rest of the minute was given to answer, and then the next minute started with the next question being read. It was pretty damn easy to guess in that situation which section was experimental.
2) I've also heard of a couple instances where they clearly used the wrong number of passages/games in a section. For instance, a logic games section with six games in it. If this happens it's probably the experimental section (but do you really want to risk it?).
Otherwise it's just too hard to tell, and you're fucking yourself over by not treating every section as real. When I took I tried to guess which one was the experimental, and I got it wrong. It's not easy to tell during most tests, especially not when you're in the middle of the time pressure and focused on not screwing up.