Getting through LR

[mes08]

When I first started studying, I used to get through the LR sections with 3-5 minutes extra at the end to go over my mistakes. I'm not sure why, but for the last month I've been reading much more slowly and have barely been able to finish a section. Usually, I don't have time to read all the answers for the last one or two questions before running out of time and sometimes have to guess. Do you have advice on how to increase speed without giving up accuracy? Thanks in advance

[KelseyWoods]

Hi mes08,

Thanks for your question! I suspect that as you have been studying for the test, you have learned more about all the things you need to look for and pay attention to on the LSAT and that is slowing you down.

It would help to know how exactly you have been studying for the LSAT and approaching the questions. Have you taken a course or studied with any books that train you in strategies for attacking the questions?

If not, I would say that learning efficient strategies is key for making sure you can get through the sections in a timely manner while also getting correct answers.

If you have learned some strategies, then I recommend that you keep practicing--the more you practice your strategies, the more they'll become second-nature to you and you'll naturally speed up.

If finishing the section remains difficult, I would encourage you to try skipping a question or two in the middle of the section to make sure you see the questions at the end. Sometimes the questions at the end of the section are actually easier than a few of the questions that appear in the middle of the section. So instead of wasting your time on a super challenging/time-consuming question in the middle that you're unlikely to get correct anyway, skip that question so that you can get to the questions you might be more likely to get correct toward the end of the section. You can always come back to the questions you skipped if you have extra time or you can just guess on them.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey