A word to the wise! Forum

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

This is going random, and I honestly can't see anyone taking this to heart, BUT...

I missed 2 questions that I could visibly tell I had went back and changed from the right answer to the wrong answer! Additionally, I changed no other answers. All I want to tell you is go with your gut and don't second guess yourself, (unless you notice something that you missed the first time you read it). Its doubtful that anyone will find it legitimate to extrapolate my experience to such a broad generalization, but the same thing often happened in practice tests. Troll all you want, idc, hope this helps someone.

[kaiser]

Might be a humblebrag, but the dude is right. Trust your gut unless you clearly see that you screwed up.

[d0nk]

This post is funny in that it acknowledges the obvious potential criticism.

Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" would certainly support your line of reasoning but what I don't understand is that wasn't your "gut" what caused you to change your answer?

[kaiser]

This post is funny in that it acknowledges the obvious potential criticism.

Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" would certainly support your line of reasoning but what I don't understand is that wasn't your "gut" what caused you to change your answer?

He is saying to go with your gut reaction as to which answer choice you pick first. What caused him to change it was likely him overthinking and re-visiting it. But one normally doesn't call that a "gut reaction", which would connote your more immediate response (or at least thats what I mean when I say "gut reaction", sort of like playing word association, though I guess there really isn't a temporal dimension to the term if you wanna get technical).

[justonemoregame]

Gladwell wouldn't support his reasoning at all. What is he bragging about btw?

[d0nk]

Your "gut" is your stomach. Your brain (hopefully) caused you to select your initial answer and then change that answer. I am mainly musing here, as I do understand his experience, but I'm not sure what distinguishes the physiology of your brain making one decision and then (with the benefit of added time, thought, and knowledge) making a different decision.

Clearly, just sticking to the first thought that comes to mind is a dangerous standard.

[American_in_China]

I changed 5 answers on the test, and got all five right.

Don't go with your gut kids. Go with your brain.

[FryBreadPower]

Also, doesn't the LSAT craft questions that immediately "sound correct" on the surface? I actually find that when I change my answers it's because I went with gut reactions based on lsat tricks that had tripped me up on the first read.

[senorhosh]

OP is right. After doing studying all summer, I learned an important thing is to go with your gut; your first choice will most likely be correct. I remember changing my answers for 2 questions but changing them back because I knew my first choice would be correct. I got both of those right.

This applies to questions where you aren't sure at all what the answers are. Obviously, if you made a blatant mistake or had a epiphany that makes your first choice wrong, change it. But if you're at 50/50, go with your first choice.


To the poster above: overthinking is one of the problems people have when taking the LSAT. There's a book called Blink written by Malcolm Gladwell which delves into the topic of our subconscious knowing immediately what our conscious does not really know. When we are constantly exposed to LSAT questions, part of subconscious may "know" what the right answer is immediately after reading the question. Well something like that. It's been a while since I read it but I thought it was interesting and applied to this situation.

[FryBreadPower]

OP is right. After doing studying all summer, I learned an important thing is to go with your gut; your first choice will most likely be correct. I remember changing my answers for 2 questions but changing them back because I knew my first choice would be correct. I got both of those right.

This applies to questions where you aren't sure at all what the answers are. Obviously, if you made a blatant mistake or had a epiphany that makes your first choice wrong, change it. But if you're at 50/50, go with your first choice.


To the poster above: overthinking is one of the problems people have when taking the LSAT. There's a book called Blink written by Malcolm Gladwell which delves into the topic of our subconscious knowing immediately what our conscious does not really know. When we are constantly exposed to LSAT questions, part of subconscious may "know" what the right answer is immediately after reading the question. Well something like that. It's been a while since I read it but I thought it was interesting and applied to this situation.

I've actually read Blink and I see what you are getting at. But I think Malcolm Gladwell was referring to instances in which your subconscious has immense amounts of information i.e. judging situations as dangerous or making judgments about people's characters. Most of us have only studied for this test for a few months and I don't think that immediately arms your subconscious with enough information to accurately make "gut" calls. What I am saying is that the LSAT explicitly crafts answers that seem to trigger your gut response. It's not like Blink was advocating for gut reactions to every decision in life.

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

What you guys are doing to my use of the word "gut" is the opposite of going with your "gut."

lol no, you guys are right, its pretty ambiguous. To clarify, as an LSAT testtaker, much of my strategy revolves around eliminating the obviously wrong answers at the start. Then, instead of looking for the right answer, I look for the other wrong answer. It's easier to justify why something's wrong than why it's right I think (for more on this strategy, find my old post about "tripping balls"). Point is, I usually don't neglect small details that could throw off my first answer, which would be my gut. When I go back to the question later, its unlikely that I'll be able/willing to put as much thought into as I did the first time, and any desire to change it is probably just nerves. I guess what you can draw from this is that the answer of whether you should go back and correct your answers is that it depends on your test taking style. If you often overlook key details or fall for the LSAT tricks, then you definitely should go over your old answers. Otherwise, I'd consider what me and a lot of the folks on here have been saying.

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

OP is right. After doing studying all summer, I learned an important thing is to go with your gut; your first choice will most likely be correct. I remember changing my answers for 2 questions but changing them back because I knew my first choice would be correct. I got both of those right.

This applies to questions where you aren't sure at all what the answers are. Obviously, if you made a blatant mistake or had a epiphany that makes your first choice wrong, change it. But if you're at 50/50, go with your first choice.


To the poster above: overthinking is one of the problems people have when taking the LSAT. There's a book called Blink written by Malcolm Gladwell which delves into the topic of our subconscious knowing immediately what our conscious does not really know. When we are constantly exposed to LSAT questions, part of subconscious may "know" what the right answer is immediately after reading the question. Well something like that. It's been a while since I read it but I thought it was interesting and applied to this situation.

I've actually read Blink and I see what you are getting at. But I think Malcolm Gladwell was referring to instances in which your subconscious has immense amounts of information i.e. judging situations as dangerous or making judgments about people's characters. Most of us have only studied for this test for a few months and I don't think that immediately arms your subconscious with enough information to accurately make "gut" calls. What I am saying is that the LSAT explicitly crafts answers that seem to trigger your gut response. It's not like Blink was advocating for gut reactions to every decision in life.

I haven't read Blink or anything, but your post actually brings up an interesting point. When I was studying hardcore for the LSAT, I would dream about LR questions, and wake up feeling stressed about not having answered a question or something. I probably sound obsessive but I think it was my brain trying to cement all the techniques I was practicing during my prep into my subconscious. It comes off as pretty Freudian (and in turn, ridiculous), but I've heard one theory of dreams is that it one of their purposes is basically to give us "life experiences" while we sleep; we have nightmares about our fears because, by virtually experiencing them during sleep, we are all the more prepared to handle these situations should they actually happen. It seems to fit in the theory of natural selection; those who are more prepared to handle life threatening situations will be more apt to continue contributing to the human gene pool. And while I'm sure no one is literally "afraid" of the LSAT, I'm sure that the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is what signifies "fear." Whose heart wasn't pounding, their eyes wide, their hands sweating on the day of the LSAT? I'm not trying to contend what you said, I actually just kinda went off an a tangent, but perhaps it does arm your subconscious, even within those few months of prep?

[tedler]

.

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

This may or may not be a shameless bump, but did i freak everyone out with that pseudo-theory?