Logical Reasoning Difficulty/How to Attack Questions

[TOgren2424]

Power Score Staff,

Have you all noticed or heard from your students an increase in the difficulty of Logical Reasoning Questions? This increase would be from the PT20-40 range (easier) to the PT 50-later range. I could consistently get -1/-2 wrong on a Logical Reasoning section earlier and now I am seeing -3/-5 on later tests. I just took PT 58 and got -8 total on Logical Reasoning which is not where I need to be at this stage in the game. With that being said, when I went back and reviewed the answers that I got wrong, I noticed that four of them were small mistakes either by misreading some detail or seeing an attractive answer choice and not reading the remaining or skimming them without real thought to their content. I think I may try and slow down my reading speed giving each answer choice its due. Do you guys ever use any little other techniques, maybe like underlining the conclusion in each question or ones you are having more difficulty with?

[AthenaDalton]

Thanks for your question!

Although individual tests, sections, and questions vary slightly in difficulty level, the scaled score (120-180) is adjusted each test to reflect a standardized take on how students nationwide have performed on the test. For example, the LSAT given in December may be more difficult than the LSAT given in October, but the testmakers make the December LSAT scale "looser" than the October scale, so that scoring a 170 on each test would reflect the same level of performance.

For example, the October 2012 LSAT allows students to miss up to 10 questions and still get a 170, while the December 1996 test would allow a student to miss 13 questions and still score a 170. Since the December 1996 test is harder, students can miss more questions and still get a top score.

In your case, it sounds like many of your missed questions are just the result of reading too quickly.

This is actually good news, as this problem can easily be fixed! Try to slow down a bit in reading the prompt. Read actively by placing brackets around conclusions or underlining and circling key words. Mark up the answer choices as you go by crossing out clearly incorrect answers and circling or starring answer choices that you think are contenders. For tougher questions, such as parallel reasoning or numbers questions, try sketching out a short diagram in the margin. Many students find that putting pen to paper helps them stay focused on what they're reading under time pressure. I hope this works for you as well.

Good luck!

[TOgren2424]

Thanks Athena!