First diagnostic Forum

ocastro · Post by **ocastro** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:03 pm

When doing your first diagnostic, did you guess on the last questions in a section if you ran out of time or leave those unanswered to more accurately see what you know?

MtnGinger · Post by **MtnGinger** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:08 pm

You should never leave anything blank if you have time. Even in the real test if you are in the last few minutes of a section I would choose and answer and fill in that way you at least have a shot of getting more points.

Louis1127 · Post by **Louis1127** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:18 pm

Doesn't matter. Point of a diag is to see what you know at the very beginning of your prep, not your actual score.

ocastro · Post by **ocastro** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:26 pm

Right, I'll definitely bubble everything I can when I take it, but do you still guess when practicing timed tests at home? It just seems like that would inaccurately inflate your score if you guessed right.

WaltGrace83 · Post by **WaltGrace83** » Thu May 01, 2014 8:30 am

The way I see it, you may get some lucky points on the real deal but you may also miss some points unluckily (you didn't see the word EXCEPT in the stim, mis-diagrammed a rule, etc.). I think it all balances out. Real testing conditions also means just that - you wouldn't just leave stuff blank on a real test would you?

It may inflate your score a bit, but on the real thing your score may be inflated a bit too. I always just thought that doing this was an element of realism.

CincinnatusND · Post by **CincinnatusND** » Thu May 01, 2014 8:59 am

I don't like guessing on anything in preptests. Guessing means pointlessly wasting prep material. Often some of the harder questions are at the end of the section, why waste them?

ETA: If you are really so worried about getting an accurate score on your prep-tests, then take all the ones you left blank and give yourself credit for 1/5th of them. Or just assume you'll miss them all. Getting an "accurate reading" on your prep-tests isn't important, preparing yourself to do the best is, and hopefully you won't be guessing on any come test day.

Nonconsecutive · Post by **Nonconsecutive** » Thu May 01, 2014 10:49 am

ocastro wrote:When doing your first diagnostic, did you guess on the last questions in a section if you ran out of time or leave those unanswered to more accurately see what you know?

As mentioned the score itself on a diag isn't what is important. Just guess, or leave them blank, doesn't really matter. The key is to go back and review those questions even if you got them right (via guessing).

mornincounselor · Post by **mornincounselor** » Thu May 01, 2014 3:20 pm

Post removed.

CincinnatusND · Post by **CincinnatusND** » Thu May 01, 2014 3:40 pm

mornincounselor wrote:
CincinnatusND wrote:I don't like guessing on anything in preptests. Guessing means pointlessly wasting prep material. Often some of the harder questions are at the end of the section, why waste them?

Your argument assumes that one will simply do the test and then grade themselves. It fails to take into account the possibility that the person can tag questions they are unsure about and blind review them. Guessing is not a sufficient determinate of wasting material.

Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. When I say guessing here, I'm talking about the kind of guessing that is mentioned in the OP and is being talked about in this entire thread, blind guessing because you did not have time to get to the question at all.

I suppose you could guess even that way without wasting test material, if you graded blindly and didn't remember which selection you chose or had someone else grade it for you.

But that just seems like a complete waste of effort to me.

Also, how fucking obnoxious are law students/0L's? Am I right? Gee, I can't wait to meet a whole bunch of them!

Ded Precedent · Post by **Ded Precedent** » Thu May 01, 2014 3:45 pm

CincinnatusND wrote:
mornincounselor wrote:
CincinnatusND wrote:I don't like guessing on anything in preptests. Guessing means pointlessly wasting prep material. Often some of the harder questions are at the end of the section, why waste them?

Your argument assumes that one will simply do the test and then grade themselves. It fails to take into account the possibility that the person can tag questions they are unsure about and blind review them. Guessing is not a sufficient determinate of wasting material.
Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. When I say guessing here, I'm talking about the kind of guessing that is mentioned in the OP and is being talked about in this entire thread, blind guessing because you did not have time to get to the question at all.

I suppose you could guess even that way without wasting test material, if you graded blindly and didn't remember which selection you chose or had someone else grade it for you.

But that just seems like a complete waste of effort to me.

Also, how fucking obnoxious are law students/0L's? Am I right? Gee, I can't wait to meet a whole bunch of them!

You're still not "wasting" that material if you just go back and review it and in a real testing situation, you may have to guess on a few anyway.

CincinnatusND · Post by **CincinnatusND** » Thu May 01, 2014 4:08 pm

Ded Precedent wrote:
You're still not "wasting" that material if you just go back and review it and in a real testing situation, you may have to guess on a few anyway.

I suppose. I still don't feel like I'm getting much at all out of reviewing a question I didn't think through on my own in the first place. Why not just mark where you got to in 35 minutes (if scoring your diagnostic really means that much to you) and then save the rest of the questions as un-touched material. Or just work them through after 35 minutes has passed.

I really hope you wouldn't have to guess on anything blindly come test day. I wouldn't take the LSAT until I was confident I could finish every section. Either way, I don't see how it's relevant. Unless you feel like you really need the practice bubbling in answers you are completely guessing on.

mornincounselor · Post by **mornincounselor** » Thu May 01, 2014 4:28 pm

Post removed.

CincinnatusND · Post by **CincinnatusND** » Thu May 01, 2014 4:48 pm

mornincounselor wrote:
CincinnatusND wrote:
Ded Precedent wrote:
You're still not "wasting" that material if you just go back and review it and in a real testing situation, you may have to guess on a few anyway.
I suppose. I still don't feel like I'm getting much at all out of reviewing a question I didn't think through on my own in the first place. Why not just mark where you got to in 35 minutes (if scoring your diagnostic really means that much to you) and then save the rest of the questions as un-touched material. Or just work them through after 35 minutes has passed.

I really hope you wouldn't have to guess on anything blindly come test day. I wouldn't take the LSAT until I was confident I could finish every section. Either way, I don't see how it's relevant. Unless you feel like you really need the practice bubbling in answers you are completely guessing on.
On at least some Logic games one can improve their speed by selectively choosing which choices should be tested first. Guessing on questions tests these same muscles. Additionally, being able to eliminate 3 choices and guessing between the two remaining ones allows one a much better than 1/5 chance of choosing the correct choice.

We clearly have a different understanding of what it means to run out of time, but this is so credited.

Flex those mind muscles, perfect your guessing-strat, and go big or go home!