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Is timing an issue? (Are you having to guess on the last couple of questions per section?) If yes, then you need to speed up on the beginning questions. A good general rule is to try to do the first 10 questions you answer* in 10 minutes. If you start doing this and noticing that you are making sloppy mistakes on easier questions though, you will have to slow back down.

Are you just consistently missing the harder questions? Take some sections untimed. Or better yet, cut up a few sections into the first ten and last ~15. Use the first 10 questions for timing work, and do the last 15 untimed and try to get every single one correct, no matter how long it takes you.

*I say answer, because you should be skipping harder questions or questions that just don't click for you, and do them later. There's two ways you can do the skipped Q's: either after finishing both sides of the page or after you've answered all the other questions in the section. If you are not saving the hardest questions for last, you are making a big mistake, especially since you are missing 5-6 questions per section. When I would do LR, I would normally miss between 0-2 questions per section and I would still probably skip about 3-5 questions on average to go back to after I finished all the other questions. The hardest questions take time to get right. No need in burning 5 minutes on the hardest formal logic Q in a section when it is question 22 and there's 3 other questions you should have finished first.

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Shawh wrote:No, timing is not an issue. I usually finish the sections in ~30 minutes. I get the first 10 right for the most part. And then I usually miss more after that. I don't know if it's an anomaly, but I seem to find the last couple questions to be easy as well.

Okay, I'll try that strategy.

I will also skip the harder ones that don't click and come back to them at the end. That sounds like a good strategy.

There is usually an easy question thrown in on around the last three questions. Questions usually start getting more difficult in the late teens. The hardest questions will typically be a formal logic question and a parallel reasoning/flaw question. If you are finishing in around 30 minutes, you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. Stop guessing on questions you don't know, and put in the effort to make sure you are answering the medium to hard questions correctly. Make sure you're reviewing every question you missed AND the questions you weren't really sure about (come up with a symbol to put next to them while taking the section so you can identify them on review--just b/c you got lucky with a guess doesn't mean you don't need to review the question and figure out why the other answer choices were wrong). When reviewing Q's, make sure you understand why all the other answer choices were incorrect.

Are you reading all the answer choices? If not, you need to start doing it. You can sometimes get away with not doing this with the easier questions, but it will come back to bite you on the medium to hard questions.

Finally--if you're up to it, start doing some LR marathons: do 3 timed LR sections in a row w/o a break. Then take a break and come back to review all your missed/unsure answers.

dont look for the right answer. eliminate the wrong answers and see what your left with.
it sounds obvious or too simple but it really helps as people usually look for the right answer and dont look at the other choices.

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Shawh wrote:How will the LR marathons help?

3 main benefits are: 1) Helps build endurance (and gives you good practice on working a full 35 minutes per section, even if that means double checking questions), 2) helps give you a large sample size to work with to identify patterns in the missed questions and help you spot consistent types of errors you are making, and 3) it helps build an LR "groove."

A possible benefit- Gives you good preparation for what is many people's worst nightmare come actual test day: 3 LR sections before the break (doesn't really happen that often though).

Shawh wrote:Would you suggest going through the LR Bible again?

Starting from page 1 might be overkill. If you are identifying problems with certain question types though, it would be good to review those chapters.

You finish LR sections in about 30 minutes and you get 5-6 wrong? Have you thought about going slower?

Shawh wrote:No, timing is not an issue. I usually finish the sections in ~30 minutes. I get the first 10 right for the most part. And then I usually miss more after that. I don't know if it's an anomaly, but I seem to find the last couple questions to be easy as well.

Okay, I'll try that strategy.

I will also skip the harder ones that don't click and come back to them at the end. That sounds like a good strategy.

This may seem like an over simplified answer and perhaps a little bit superstitious. But it certaintly helped me so I'll share.
I was hitting -5/-6 per section consistently until I undertook a different strategy. Instead answering each question consecutively, I now answer the first 15 questions or so and then stop. I then turn the page to around the 21st-22nd question (usually whatever question begins the page) and work until the end from there. I then go back and complete questions from 16-20/21. I now average roughly -2 each section. The only reasoning I have is that those questions in the late teens are the hardest. So, if I give myself the illusion of finishing the section (i.e. completing the highest numbered question), I feel more at ease/confident finishing those hardest questions.

This may or may not work for you

chrisnyoder wrote:

Shawh wrote:No, timing is not an issue. I usually finish the sections in ~30 minutes. I get the first 10 right for the most part. And then I usually miss more after that. I don't know if it's an anomaly, but I seem to find the last couple questions to be easy as well.

Okay, I'll try that strategy.

I will also skip the harder ones that don't click and come back to them at the end. That sounds like a good strategy.

This may seem like an over simplified answer and perhaps a little bit superstitious. But it certaintly helped me so I'll share.
I was hitting -5/-6 per section consistently until I undertook a different strategy. Instead answering each question consecutively, I now answer the first 15 questions or so and then stop. I then turn the page to around the 21st-22nd question (usually whatever question begins the page) and work until the end from there. I then go back and complete questions from 16-20/21. I now average roughly -2 each section. The only reasoning I have is that those questions in the late teens are the hardest.
So, if I give myself the illusion of finishing the section (i.e. completing the highest numbered question), I feel more at ease/confident finishing those hardest questions.

This may or may not work for you

I have tried this strategy a few times and I usually get -3/-4. Not as good as I would like but better then the -7 I was constantly getting because I couldn't answer the last 4 questions plus usually getting a few wrong (the upper teens require extra reading in my case and usually get them wrong).
Try it

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I'm scoring -5/-6 almost every single section, and even with lots of review and analysis with the LRB I just can't improve. Would you suggest a tutor? I'm generally -2/-1 on both rc and LG so I only really need big work in LR.

coldshoulder wrote:I'm scoring -5/-6 almost every single section, and even with lots of review and analysis with the LRB I just can't improve. Would you suggest a tutor? I'm generally -2/-1 on both rc and LG so I only really need big work in LR.

Identify why you are getting particular problems wrong. My wrong answers on LR come when my mind wanders from the stimulus and I have to re-read it a billion times. If someone were to ask you why you are consistently going -5/section you need to have an answer. Then create a solution to it. Sounds pretty common sense, but analyze your mistakes till you find the problem.

Also, I highly recommend going 1-15/16 then 21/end and hitting 16/17-20. Does wonders.