NEED TIMING ADVICE

[Matt_JB]

Hey guys, I have been studying for the LSATS for a few months now and I have a question concerning my timing in the logical reasoning section.

I noticed that I had become content with my timing and was ok with finishing up the section at exactly the 35 minute mark. However I continuously got around 5 wrong in each section. I realized that maybe I should push myself to move quicker to help Make sure I don’t spend too much time on problems I definitely won’t get and give myself more time for questions I could get.

I gave it a shot and still -5 per section. However, the new speed is something that I need to get used to and so I understand that it’s possible this will improve with more practice. My practice tests are averaging in the 160’s and I’m trying to push into the 170’s.

I know the montra is you will get faster as you get better, but I do think there is something to be realized in pushing yourself in terms of speed. If you don’t, you may become complacent and just assume that is the speed in which you should go.

What this gets down to is, for anyone who did extremely well in logical reasoning, what was your timing like? Through 1-10, then 11-19, and finally 20-25(26).

If anyone could give me some insight it would be greatly appreciated!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Matt,

It always comes back to timing. For me, I found flexibility and awareness was key to my timing strategy. I began at the start of a section, always with the first question, and kept moving until I hit a block. That allowed me to answer everything I could without worrying too much about timing. I'd aim for answering each question in about 1.5 minutes, but it was a loose goal, and I wouldn't check in very frequently. I'd usually glance at the time at the end of each page to see if I was about on point.

I can typically get through the first 7-10 or so without slowing at all. By the mid teens, at some point, I'll hit a point in the section where the questions start to become more difficult. My strategy is to make whatever progress I can, but keep moving when I stop making progress. That might mean that I read a stimulus, get completely mixed up, and decide to hold the question for the end. That might mean that I get through to the point that I've narrowed it down to two answer choices, but I can't decide between them. I'd guess at that point, and mark it to go back at the end. This strategy leaves me sufficient time to see all the questions in the section, and I'm spending the time only where I'm making progress.

Hope that helps!
Rachael

[Jay Donnell]

Hi Matt!

I just wanted to chime in on top of Rachel's great advice and throw out a loose timing plan that has helped a ton of my students make that tough jump from the 160s up into the 170s (aka the promised land )

It's well known that the first ten questions are going to be easier than the final ten. But, since every point counts the same, it's never worth rushing so much in the early portion that you end up making mistakes on questions you wouldn't have otherwise missed.

Here is my suggested schedule:

Questions 1-15: 20 minutes.

Questions 15-25: 15 minutes.


This offers you more time per question for the later questions that likely deserve more, and allows for a reasonable guideline for the students whose reading speed and comprehension levels allow them the chance to answer just about every question in 35 minutes, without losing high accuracy.

To help keep things under tighter control, that timing plan can be broken down further so that you should be around 8 questions in around that 10 minute mark. That allows you to have a few checkpoints throughout the section to help keep you on track.

On a semi-related point, but one that can really help with the fine tuning of the timing, let's talk about watches. As you likely know by now, you won't be allowed any sort of digital timer or watch during the exam, so it's back to the analog hands.

Keeping track of both the current time and time remaining can be a pain, and you never want to have to waste any valuable time or mental resources. It's definitely a pain for me when I'm proctoring exams for my in-person classes, when I'm forced to think about when exactly is 35 minutes from 8:53.

So, let's talk shortcuts. During the exam, you really don't care what time it is; all that matters is how much time is remaining in each section. So, my idea is this: start every section with the analog watch wound to either the top of the hour or twenty five minutes after the hour, whichever is easiest for you to track the passage of 35 minutes.

Some students like to play cinderella and set every section to 11:25 so that the section always ends at midnight. Me personally, I start every timed section at 4:25 so that I'm counting down the minutes until the section ends right at 5pm, aka happy hour Everyone needs their motivations, right??

Hope that helps, good luck!