RE: Lesson Recap Videos and Add'l Reading

[DannyB]

Hello,

I'm doing the On Demand LSAT course. I've noticed that the Concept Recap videos are practically as long as the Lessons themselves. For example, Lesson 2 is 3hrs10m and the Recap is 2hrs30m.

There's also the "optional" add'l reading which goes into a little more depth and covers some additional details. The instructor in the Lesson recommends treating the Optional reading as a required component, which I did for the Lesson 1 HW.

What are most people doing?

It seems like the add'l reading is a better use of one's time, especially if one just viewed/attended the lesson the prior day.

[Adam Tyson]

In my view, Danny, the Lesson Recaps are great for three things:

1) Students who have a tutoring package and want to get that material in a class format, so as to maximize the value of time spent with their tutor. These students can get the basics from the videos, and then just use their tutoring time to delve deeper and focus on key areas.

2) Students looking for a second perspective on the course material, since not every instructor explains things in the same way. It's nice to hear it from a different source, even if it is the same core material.

3) Students who just want to target a specific element of the lesson and don't want to take the time to hunt through the entire 3+ hour class recording to find it.

And I am one of those instructors who thinks the "optional" Additional Reading is really essential material. It introduces concepts and strategies that we don't have time to cover in class and that in many cases go deeper into the things that we do cover. I like the additional practice materials, and especially the explanations. I encourage my students to dig into that additional reading.

If I had to pick just one or the other, I would generally pick the additional reading. But you don't have to pick just one! If you have the time, you can find value in all of the online homework resources!

[DannyB]

Andrew, thanks so much for that really thorough answer.

Yes, I've been doing the add'l reading as the first the thing that I do the next day after the lecture.

However, I was just doing the 28 Q drill Sufficient and Necessary Drill from the add'll reading supplement to LESSON 2, and I did not do anywhere as well as I thought that I would based on how comfortable I felt during the lesson.

I think my mistake was that I didn't read through the text of the main lecture first (btw, is there a benefit to reading the lectures before watching the video lesson?). And yeah, I noticed that Concept Reviews are usually broken down into 2 sections, so maybe it makes sense to utilize them as well.

I'm taking the February exam. I'm into the HW of lesson 2 and I have 10 weeks (and change) to prepare. I do have 3-4 hrs that I can devote each day and I'm trying to figure out the optimal way to maximize my score in the time that I have. If I can, I'd like to leave no stone unturned.

If you have a few suggestions regarding how you think a sample week of prep should go, I'd be extremely grateful!

Once again, thank you for taking the time to respond and for being so generous with your knowledge.

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Danny,

We generally don't recommend reading the lesson before watching the video lesson/class. The lesson is designed to be done with an instructor guiding you through it and explaining the concepts and highlighting certain ideas. Some students who try reading the lessons before the class actually get confused about certain points.

However, after you've watched the class lesson, relatively soon while the concepts are still fresh in your memory (ideally the next day), I'd recommend reading the entire lesson itself because we don't cover every detail in the lesson itself during the 3 hour class. Be sure to also do any LR questions, RC passages, and LG that weren't covered during the class. Do this before beginning the homework.

I agree with Adam that I'd generally prioritize the additional reading over the concept videos as the additional reading often covers other important concepts that aren't covered in the lessons. The recap videos are a helpful review of the ideas, but you may want to save those for review later (for example, a week or two later to brush up on the concepts.) A lot depends on how well you're understanding the ideas and implementing them into the practice problems.

A good way to know how well you're understanding the concepts is how you are doing on the practice questions, games, etc.. If you're getting most of them right (and for the right reasons), then you're getting it. If not, then you'll need to really slow down and take your time, review the concepts multiple times.

Most importantly, when you are doing the homework problems, really take your time when reading/reviewing the explanations, even for questions that you got correct. For example, each logic game should take at least 1/2 hour in order to do the game and to thoroughly review the setup and how to answer the questions. It is also advisable to revisit games more than once (maybe a week or two later), especially ones that gave you trouble.

As far as your schedule, since you're able to dedicate 3-4 hours a day, I'd recommend aiming to complete 2 lessons a week. This will give you sufficient time after finishing the lessons to work on problem areas, timing, practice tests, etc..

That would basically be 3 days per lesson.

Day 1 is just watching the lesson/class video.
Day 2 and 3 are reviewing the lesson itself and doing the related homework.

(By the way, don't feel like you have to finish all of the homework for one lesson before proceeding to the next lesson. It's fine to leave some to come back to later to review those concepts as long as you've covered a significant amount and are understanding the concepts.)

Take a day off if you'd like (you don't want to get burned out) and then repeat for the next lesson.

The specific order that you do the homework in is up to you, but feel free to mix it up to keep it interesting. For example, doing a dozen RC passages in the homework at one time is not really ideal.

[DannyB]

A good way to know how well you're understanding the concepts is how you are doing on the practice questions, games, etc.. If you're getting most of them right (and for the right reasons), then you're getting it. If not, then you'll need to really slow down and take your time, review the concepts multiple times.

Wow! Jeff, I'm so grateful for your detailed response. This really helps.

Regarding how well I'm doing on the questions: I assume that you mean if I'm answering the questions within the suggested timeframe. Obviously, I'll get more of them right if I slow down, but the true test of mastery of the concept is being able to get the correct answer in the necessary time frame. Yes? If I get a LR question correct, but it took me 2 1/2 minutes, that's a good indicator that I'm not attacking the question properly and I should revisit that material. Would you agree?

In the HW for Lesson 1, I was happy that I was answering most of the questions correctly, but I was a bit concerned that they took me more time to answer than required (especially the Logic Games).

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Danny,

I'm glad that you asked the question about timing so that I can clarify my answer.

Actually, I wasn't referring to timing, I was just referring to accuracy (did you get the question correct) and understanding (do you know why that answer is correct and the others are incorrect).

As I always mention in lesson 1 when discussing timing, speed is the last thing that happens. While we mention the average time for LR questions, LG, and RC passages, you are not expected to have that locked down while you are just learning the material. In fact, in challenges during the lesson, we usually give students extra time for that very reason.

First, you need to focus on accuracy and understanding and speed will naturally come with practice. Many students make the mistake of trying to run before they know how to walk. This is especially true in conditional reasoning in lesson 2. Learning to diagram takes practice. Eventually, it should become second nature and require very little time at all, but it does take time at first while you're learning.

At the very bottom of the lesson 1 Homework page is a "Critical Homework List." If you click on that, there is a good discussion about using timing during your homework.

When you take practice Test 2 after 4-6 lessons, I'd much rather see your accuracy improve on the questions that you do attempt even if you don't get to as many questions as you did in Test 1. That is progress in the right direction.

Lastly, that 1 minute and 25 seconds per LR question is just an average. That does not mean that you do every LR question in that amount of time. Easier question may take 1 minute, harder questions may take 2 minutes, etc.. The same is true with logic games, the amount of time may vary by several minutes based on the difficulty of the game.

[DannyB]

More gems from Jeff! Thanks!