Bubbling in answers

[Salvi627]

Hi,

I was just wondering if there are any recommended strategies for bubbling in answers? I only did one practice test using a scantron..Would you recommend bubbling in after each page, or each answer? On normal tests I get very scared and paranoid that I didn't bubble in the right answer, so normally I keep going back to check if I did but I know i won't have that time on the LSATS.

THanks

Sophie

[Adam Tyson]

First, you should take several more practice tests using the scantron - one isn't nearly enough in my opinion. I can't think of any reason to take a test and NOT use it. Use the scantron, wood pencils, a manual sharpener, a legal timekeeping device, all and only what you will be allowed to use on test day. The goal is to get as familiar and confortable as you can with every aspect of taking the test - not just the strategies and concepts we teach, but the feeling of sitting for that long, using that pencil and watch, etc.

As to bubbling in, you have to figure out what's right for you. For myself, I am the type that tends to bubble in every answer as I go, but some folks find it more time-saving to bubble in a page at a time, or two facing pages before turning the page, or doing them in fives so as to be sure you are always where you are supposed to be. A rare few will do the entire test without bubbling in, then bubble in at the very end - a dangerous choice in my opinion, as time may run out on you before you realize it, and then all the right answers in the world do you no good if they aren't on the answer sheet.

Try a few approaches and see what works best for you. Do NOT waste a lot of time constantly double-checking your answer sheet to make sure you transcribed correctly. Be careful as you go, but then trust yourself once you have moved on. If you have time at the end of the section, then go back and double-check once to make sure what you circled in the test booklet matches your answer sheet.

As with anything, practice makes all the difference, including getting over the anxiety of worrying about whether or not you bubbled in correctly. So practice, practice, practice!