Learning to Finish Sections Within the Time Limit Forum

[EbisuMae]

I apologize if this post comes across as ignorant. I'm having a lot of difficulty finishing sections within the allotted time limit.

I realize this is a common issue with test takers. My question is how to bridge this gap? Is it a lack of mastery over the material? Something else? And if so, what can I do to resolve it?


Drill, drill, drill?

I can usually BR close to 180 most of the time (as a lot of people given unlimited time can), but fall to pieces under the constraints.

It baffles me people can finish with a few minutes left on a section as if it were nothing.

Is this a question of ability or practice? Any ideas on how to move faster?

Thanks so much

[Barack O'Drama]

I think the answer is both. Granted, probably more so one than the other.

The reason I say that is that with mastery over the material comes speed. I am a few weeks into my studying, and already I can feel the speed at which I answer questions increase. I attribute it to having the skills I lacked before I started studying. On my first untimed diagnostic, the LR section took me almost an hour! Now I can comfortably finish in about 35-40 minutes. So skill is definitely a LARGE part of timing.

Another problem may be strategies. It is better to skip a question that is difficult and come back to it with a different perspective. Once you fall into a certain mindset of not understanding the question, or which is wrong, spending more time on it is not usually going to help. Coming back to it will give you a fresh(er) perspective. But more importantly, it will give you time to do easier questions and allow you to get more done. I skip about 3-4 per LR section and come back. It has been helping me with time.

Another strategy is pace. For example, I try to make it a goal to do the first 10 LR questions in 10 minutes. Or the first LG game in 6. This will give me more time for the harder questions.

It also depends on some other variables, too: Reading speed; which is hard to improve on in short periods of time, however, reading will only help. diagramming abilities; (especially for LG sections). Developing an internal clock. From timing all my practice sections, I feel myself starting to kind of pace myself automatically. When I began I would get through the first half of a section and then have like 10 minutes left and rush.

I guess the best thing to do is isolate what is taking up your time in certain sections and work on addressing them. If you can blind review to a near 180 then skills probably aren't a big problem, but mastering them so they are more like second nature will only help speed you up.

Lastly, how many practice tests have you done that were timed? It would be that perhaps you just need more practice with being under strictly-timed conditions.

[maybeman]

Certain question types are likely more significant time-sucks than others. Figuring out exactly where your biggest issues are is a good place to start. Then repeatedly drill these types of questions under time pressure and closely review your question-solving process. Try to maximize efficiency by avoiding unnecessary steps. Maybe go back to whatever curriculum you're using and review how each type is dealt with (of course, adjust to your own needs). I'm only a few weeks into my own study process, but this has helped me speed up LR

[Mikey]

I think it depends on both honestly. If you have the ability and know how to complete a question type, then with practice you can get faster at doing it. After a while it just begins to be repetitive with how the argument is structured, as well as with what flaws, etc. the argument contains. Certainly timing can be an issue for people in different ways. For me, if I get conditional logic or parallel flaw/reasoning questions early on in the section, I will have timing issues if I do them at that moment as opposed to coming back to them. You can BR almost to 180 which is a great thing because you understand the test. There's debate on whether you should believe in doing the first 10 questions of an LR section in 10 minutes, but do you do that? If not, try it and see how it goes with timing and just skip any question types you feel iffy on and go back to them later.

[HiLine]

Try to anticipate the answer as much as you can for LR and RC so you save yourself from reading and analyzing what you don't need to.