Improving LR accuracy Forum

[connordalto]

Hi all,

I am taking the Dec lsat and am currently working my way through the ps bibles and the lsat trainer. I am aiming for -2/3 on my lr sections, but I am consistently missing around -5/6 a section at the moment, whether I am doing a timed section or not. I am especially bad with assumption/str/wkn questions (I know, trainer should have taught me better lol). Any advice on how you beat these question types and got more time efficient? Any advice appreciated! Thanks

[Rupert Pupkin]

Getting a question wrong comes down to your understand of the structure of the question and the logic you use to go from A to B. I would recommend carefully reviewing the sections of those question types in the trainer and/or Bibles and then drilling them like crazy. over time you will slowly get more comfortable and confident with them and I'd imagine you would get your number to your goal. It takes relentless focus and drilling effort to do. I wouldn't say there is a magical method that works for everyone. You are using great prep tools so it comes down to practice at this point.

[Blueprint Mithun]

Hi all,

I am taking the Dec lsat and am currently working my way through the ps bibles and the lsat trainer. I am aiming for -2/3 on my lr sections, but I am consistently missing around -5/6 a section at the moment, whether I am doing a timed section or not. I am especially bad with assumption/str/wkn questions (I know, trainer should have taught me better lol). Any advice on how you beat these question types and got more time efficient? Any advice appreciated! Thanks

Assumption and Str/Weaken questions have a bunch of similarities, actually, so it makes sense that they're giving you trouble. They're all about finding the "gap" in the argument's logic. If you can get good at anticipating this gap, based on the question stem and the stimulus, then you'll have an easier time with these.

In assumption questions, that gap is usually the answer itself - the key statement that bridges the premises and conclusion (sufficient assumption), or provides a base that the argument requires (necessary assumption). With Str/Wkn questions, you're looking to either help repair or exploit a certain aspect of the argument. Those arguments are never 100% valid, nor are they completely invalid - instead, they tend to rest on at least one claim that is contentious. If you can anticipate what that claim is, then you may be able to predict the answer, or at least have an idea of what the answer will be related to.

The best way to do this is to separate the premises from the conclusion(s), and think about how they're connected. Ask yourself: is there anything shaky about the jump between the two? This approach also works well for Flaw questions, but for these q.types, you have to go a step further.

Hope that helps! If you get better at anticipating, you'll spend less time sifting through answer choices, and your timing will improve.

[connordalto]

Getting a question wrong comes down to your understand of the structure of the question and the logic you use to go from A to B. I would recommend carefully reviewing the sections of those question types in the trainer and/or Bibles and then drilling them like crazy. over time you will slowly get more comfortable and confident with them and I'd imagine you would get your number to your goal. It takes relentless focus and drilling effort to do. I wouldn't say there is a magical method that works for everyone. You are using great prep tools so it comes down to practice at this point.

Sounds good, what would you recommend for drilling? I have several books of pts, would you just recommend going through and doing those questions in an lr sec to review?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Getting a question wrong comes down to your understand of the structure of the question and the logic you use to go from A to B. I would recommend carefully reviewing the sections of those question types in the trainer and/or Bibles and then drilling them like crazy. over time you will slowly get more comfortable and confident with them and I'd imagine you would get your number to your goal. It takes relentless focus and drilling effort to do. I wouldn't say there is a magical method that works for everyone. You are using great prep tools so it comes down to practice at this point.

Sounds good, what would you recommend for drilling? I have several books of pts, would you just recommend going through and doing those questions in an lr sec to review?

For drilling by question type, I use the Powerscore by Type books since Cambridge is no longer available. They organize questions from PT 1-20 and version II is 21-40 by the type category. This is especially an effective method of practice because you are focusing on one question that uses a similar approach over and over. That is the only way to engrain it in your mind and for it to become a subconscious effort.

[speedwagon]

Hi all,

I am taking the Dec lsat and am currently working my way through the ps bibles and the lsat trainer. I am aiming for -2/3 on my lr sections, but I am consistently missing around -5/6 a section at the moment, whether I am doing a timed section or not. I am especially bad with assumption/str/wkn questions (I know, trainer should have taught me better lol). Any advice on how you beat these question types and got more time efficient? Any advice appreciated! Thanks

ME TOO. Posting with much sympathy and understanding. I keep getting sucker punched by assumption questions and weakening questions, especially when they're going after one of the premises in one answer but there's something else that is even more important but less obvious (ie, the "Amy didn't get fit going to yoga" RA answer for "Amy is in great shape. She must be going to the gym.")

My plan right now is to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-review this in the PS LR bible + do the LSAT trainer problem sets for these this regard - the question numbers for the problem sets are free via the study guides. I also found these that seem pretty good if you don't have 7sage or something like that to work question by question: https://lsathacks.com/explanations/ - they still have you do a lot of the work and I'm not sure how helpful it'll be but they give you a reason why things are wrong.

[connordalto]

Hi all,

I am taking the Dec lsat and am currently working my way through the ps bibles and the lsat trainer. I am aiming for -2/3 on my lr sections, but I am consistently missing around -5/6 a section at the moment, whether I am doing a timed section or not. I am especially bad with assumption/str/wkn questions (I know, trainer should have taught me better lol). Any advice on how you beat these question types and got more time efficient? Any advice appreciated! Thanks

ME TOO. Posting with much sympathy and understanding. I keep getting sucker punched by assumption questions and weakening questions, especially when they're going after one of the premises in one answer but there's something else that is even more important but less obvious (ie, the "Amy didn't get fit going to yoga" RA answer for "Amy is in great shape. She must be going to the gym.")

My plan right now is to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-review this in the PS LR bible + do the LSAT trainer problem sets for these this regard - the question numbers for the problem sets are free via the study guides. I also found these that seem pretty good if you don't have 7sage or something like that to work question by question: https://lsathacks.com/explanations/ - they still have you do a lot of the work and I'm not sure how helpful it'll be but they give you a reason why things are wrong.

Yep, thats what im going to do also. Recently, Ive been writing out the concl/premises and also my prephrases and I have found that this helps a lot. If I dont go into those types of questions with a clear idea, I just get caught up or tricked by a wrong part of the argument. Still having trouble with out of scope answers and determining this incorrectly, but I think focusing on the concl-premises and the flaws in that will help with this as well. My goal is to get conditionality and causality down 100% by the end of sept and then drill and work on timing. Pts in november. Hopefully it will come around by december!

I am considering buying a powerscore lr drilling book, will keep you updated if this works for me!