Struggling With LR Not Sure Where To Go Next Forum

[Dave1931]

So I started prepping back in December with the intention on taking the June test and applying for the upcoming cycle....I got a 147 on the cold diagnostic (timed, but I really BS'd the last section because I was tired). LR was my weak spot, I got -10 and -12 so I figured that's where I should start. I purchased Manhattan Preps LR guide and that has helped me some. When I first started doing untimed LR sections I would get -7 or -8 wrong but after a few sections (about 3 or 4) I improved to -2 or -3. However, I can't seem to get that to translate into timed sections. it takes me around 55 mins to get that -2 .... I recently tried to go down to a 50 minute limit and got -7. I'm just wondering what I should do from here, I don't want to burn through the material if I'm not learning but I drastically need to improve (goal score is 170) if I could get -3 per section I realistically believe I can get a 170. Any suggestions?

It's also worth noting that I haven't been consistently prepping since December. I prepped for about 2 weeks and then picked it back up again around mid March, so I've been in about a month since coming back.

[Blueprint Mithun]

So I started prepping back in December with the intention on taking the June test and applying for the upcoming cycle....I got a 147 on the cold diagnostic (timed, but I really BS'd the last section because I was tired). LR was my weak spot, I got -10 and -12 so I figured that's where I should start. I purchased Manhattan Preps LR guide and that has helped me some. When I first started doing untimed LR sections I would get -7 or -8 wrong but after a few sections (about 3 or 4) I improved to -2 or -3. However, I can't seem to get that to translate into timed sections. it takes me around 55 mins to get that -2 .... I recently tried to go down to a 50 minute limit and got -7. I'm just wondering what I should do from here, I don't want to burn through the material if I'm not learning but I drastically need to improve (goal score is 170) if I could get -3 per section I realistically believe I can get a 170. Any suggestions?

It's also worth noting that I haven't been consistently prepping since December. I prepped for about 2 weeks and then picked it back up again around mid March, so I've been in about a month since coming back.

Hey, I wrote an article about getting faster at LR a while back, so I went and picked out some parts of it that I figured would be useful to you.

Pacing is the name of the game here. Unlike LG and RC, which are split up into four chunks (games or passages) which have 5-8 questions associated with them, every single LR question is independent. No previous LR questions are connected. As a result, you shouldn't feel hesitant about skipping questions that give you trouble. If a question completely stumps you, or you read a stimulus and the sentences just don't seem to be registering in your brain, it's smarter to SKIP and come back to that question if you have time than to slog through it in a state of semi-panic. O rly, you ask? Let me explain why.

For one, the LSAT is a marathon, and it's important to keep your confidence and energy level as high as possible throughout the whole test. Skipping a tough question will save you stress, and probably time as well. Second, every question on LR is worth exactly the same amount of points, no matter how long or short, difficult or easy it is. That Parallel Reasoning question that takes up half a page is worth the same as the simple flaw question you answered in 30 seconds. Since hard questions aren't worth any more than easy ones, you should always ideally be doing as many of the easy/medium questions as possible.

However, if you're aiming for a high LSAT score, you have no choice but to work on answering the hard questions as well. Hard questions typically take more time to solve. LR sections are also laid out such that the questions generally get hard later in the section. The first 10 questions tend to be fairly easy, but from question 16 on, the majority of them will be difficult.

Since we want to leave more time for answering the later, harder questions, the best strategy is to work through the early questions quickly, without sacrificing accuracy. Do just the first 10 questions of an LR section while timing yourself. If you completed them all in under 10 minutes, you're in excellent shape. If not, 10 within 10 is a great benchmark to aim for. If that seems impossible, 7 or 8 questions is still solid. However, you shouldn't be moving so fast that you're getting any of these questions wrong. That would defeat the point, as these 10 questions are worth just as much as the hard questions you're trying to get to. Accuracy is more important than speed.

Once you've practiced under these benchmarks for long enough, it will become natural for you to work at that pace. Your sense of when you've worked too long on a question will also improve.

Most students usually have a couple of question types that they struggle with. Spend extra time reviewing and practicing these question types. Review your strategies for solving them and see if there's a step in the strategy that you're skipping or doing incorrectly. If Parallel questions take you a ton of time, it might be a good idea to skip them as soon as you see that prompt come up. Once they're far along in the prep cycle, I always tell my Blueprint students to figure out what their weaknesses are, then keep doing those types of questions until they aren't weaknesses anymore.

[jrass]

When the road before you seems daunting seems daunting, seek out Christ and you'll find the correct answer.

[Dave1931]

So I started prepping back in December with the intention on taking the June test and applying for the upcoming cycle....I got a 147 on the cold diagnostic (timed, but I really BS'd the last section because I was tired). LR was my weak spot, I got -10 and -12 so I figured that's where I should start. I purchased Manhattan Preps LR guide and that has helped me some. When I first started doing untimed LR sections I would get -7 or -8 wrong but after a few sections (about 3 or 4) I improved to -2 or -3. However, I can't seem to get that to translate into timed sections. it takes me around 55 mins to get that -2 .... I recently tried to go down to a 50 minute limit and got -7. I'm just wondering what I should do from here, I don't want to burn through the material if I'm not learning but I drastically need to improve (goal score is 170) if I could get -3 per section I realistically believe I can get a 170. Any suggestions?

It's also worth noting that I haven't been consistently prepping since December. I prepped for about 2 weeks and then picked it back up again around mid March, so I've been in about a month since coming back.

Hey, I wrote an article about getting faster at LR a while back, so I went and picked out some parts of it that I figured would be useful to you.

Pacing is the name of the game here. Unlike LG and RC, which are split up into four chunks (games or passages) which have 5-8 questions associated with them, every single LR question is independent. No previous LR questions are connected. As a result, you shouldn't feel hesitant about skipping questions that give you trouble. If a question completely stumps you, or you read a stimulus and the sentences just don't seem to be registering in your brain, it's smarter to SKIP and come back to that question if you have time than to slog through it in a state of semi-panic. O rly, you ask? Let me explain why.

For one, the LSAT is a marathon, and it's important to keep your confidence and energy level as high as possible throughout the whole test. Skipping a tough question will save you stress, and probably time as well. Second, every question on LR is worth exactly the same amount of points, no matter how long or short, difficult or easy it is. That Parallel Reasoning question that takes up half a page is worth the same as the simple flaw question you answered in 30 seconds. Since hard questions aren't worth any more than easy ones, you should always ideally be doing as many of the easy/medium questions as possible.

However, if you're aiming for a high LSAT score, you have no choice but to work on answering the hard questions as well. Hard questions typically take more time to solve. LR sections are also laid out such that the questions generally get hard later in the section. The first 10 questions tend to be fairly easy, but from question 16 on, the majority of them will be difficult.

Since we want to leave more time for answering the later, harder questions, the best strategy is to work through the early questions quickly, without sacrificing accuracy. Do just the first 10 questions of an LR section while timing yourself. If you completed them all in under 10 minutes, you're in excellent shape. If not, 10 within 10 is a great benchmark to aim for. If that seems impossible, 7 or 8 questions is still solid. However, you shouldn't be moving so fast that you're getting any of these questions wrong. That would defeat the point, as these 10 questions are worth just as much as the hard questions you're trying to get to. Accuracy is more important than speed.

Once you've practiced under these benchmarks for long enough, it will become natural for you to work at that pace. Your sense of when you've worked too long on a question will also improve.

Most students usually have a couple of question types that they struggle with. Spend extra time reviewing and practicing these question types. Review your strategies for solving them and see if there's a step in the strategy that you're skipping or doing incorrectly. If Parallel questions take you a ton of time, it might be a good idea to skip them as soon as you see that prompt come up. Once they're far along in the prep cycle, I always tell my Blueprint students to figure out what their weaknesses are, then keep doing those types of questions until they aren't weaknesses anymore.

So, are you suggesting that just focus on answering questions 1-10 in packets for now? If so should I just save the rest of the section until I start to improve? I'm kind of worried about running out of material before the test. I anticipate that I will be taking it in September because I doubt I'll be ready for June.

[Blueprint Mithun]

No, you should be doing the full LR sections, but try and get those first 10 done within a certain time limit. If you go way over 10 minutes, that's a sign that you need to work faster. The point is to get a natural sense of how long you should be spending on each question.

Since LR sections slowly progress in difficulty, you'll need as much time as possible to work through the later questions. Getting the easier ones done quickly will put you in a better position later on.

I wouldn't worry too much about running out of material. You'll be surprised at how much you'll forget and can re-use, if it comes to that point. I would save a handful of newer tests for the last weeks leading up to the LSAT, though.