LR strategies? Forum

[Killingly]

Yup, I'm bad at LR. I consistently get -4 to -7 on each section. I've tracked which question types I was getting wrong, and there isn't really a pattern to it. I just seem to be missing random ones. I've been through the LR Bible and am considering getting the Cambridge LR bundle, but would this even really help me?

Anyone else out there have trouble with LR? I'm completely solid with RC and LG - too bad LR takes up half the test...

[clouds101]

Bump, since I'd like to hear some tips from others who have successfully conquered LR or find this section to be easy for them.

[Kurst]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4#p3377198

[Killingly]

Thanks, Kurst, but I already searched the site and found that mass of links. Most of them only seem to recommend figuring out which question types give you the most trouble or just picking apart the question until you understand it. I don't have a type that gives me trouble and I've gone over every wrong LR answer numerous times. I almost always have it narrowed down to two answers, neither of which I'm completely confident in. Maybe I'm not going over the answers effectively enough, or something.

[glucose101]

Get the MSLAT LR book and the Orange Kaplan Mastery book, and drill every question type; explanations are provided in the back of the Orange book.

Careful review of each question and its wording is a given.

[sarahlawg]

sounds like you may need to start paying extremely close attention to each question. I would make a mental note/physical mark next to questions that gave me pause and go back to them whether or not I got them wrong. I even started doing them untimed again to figure out where I was going wrong (I was getting around the same number wrong as you). Through this method I really started understanding wording instead of just a basic 'how to do this question' type strategy. Are you at the point where you pick two answers and then end up picking the wrong one? If so, that's where I was and maybe my strategy could help you too. I ended up going -1 on LR on the real thing. Good luck!

[tigerlaw7]

I kind of did the same thing as you - I was just getting a variety wrong and would go over them as people advised, with not much long-term permanent improvement. I decided to make a word document with each question type and the questions I got wrong for that type: for example, I made a document for all of the "justify principles" that I had gotten wrong - and I noticed patterns that way and had immediate "aha" moments that didn't come before. Also, I didn't use the LR bibles or a prep class, so I don't know what they offer, but studying on my own in the first month I made the mistake of grouping question types under headings that were too broad. As I got smarter with my studying I focused on the nuances of each and broke them down further. Even if it says "assumption" or "principle" in the question stem, there are several different types of those questions that want you to do subtely different things but can make the answer choice very different. LR turned into my favorite section.

[Killingly]

Thanks for the advice! Yes, on the ones I get wrong I narrow the answers to two contenders and pick the wrong one. I mark the questions as I come across them while taking the test. When I review, the correct answer is almost always the other contender that I didn't choose.

Sarahlaw, I think I do need to focus more on wording. -1 is great, congrats!

Tigerlaw, I'm going to try your strategy. I've made documents where I type out why my answer was wrong and the correct one is right, but categorizing them in that way sounds like a good idea.

Thanks again!

[Luthecis]

I have the same issue- I always narrow the answer choices down to two of them, and I usually pick the wrong one.

I figured that I need to read more in depth to the answer choices and pick the best one out of the two- that's been working out pretty well for me!

[Tiago Splitter]

Always keep in mind that there are four right answers and one wrong one. I had the same problem as you for a while (narrowing it down to two and too often picking the wrong one). But you have to remember that one isn't "kind of right" while the other is "a bit more right." Really try to analyze those two answer choices. -4 to -7 is not that bad if you have until October to study. Over time you should pick up your speed on the easier ones so you have time to re-check the ones you were unsure of.

[bruss]

I know you say that there is not a pattern, but have you checked which type of wrong answer you constantly choose? In the LRB they have a list of wrong answer TYPES. I would have it down to two contenders noticed that the wrong answers I pick almost all the time is the "Shell game answer"; where the test makers switch around one word that makes the answer wrong. This might not be your problem but hopefully it is because it is easily fixable. I also made a word doc to find my pattern of what type of wrong answer i pick.