Question re: Primary Objective #9 in Logical Reasoning

[kylaearle]

Hello,

Why is it advised to return to the stimulus and re-evaluate the argument rather than marking this question as difficult, moving on, and hoping to return to it? Is it due to the time investment already put in? I imagine myself in this situation getting stressed, walls closing in, panic creeping, flight response activating and the return to the stimulus might sink me. Is there a clear advantage to returning to the stimulus vs. moving on?

Thanks,

Kyla

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Kyla,

Thanks for the question—it is a good one! There are two reasons why you see that there. The first reason is that at that point in the text, we're focused on solving problems, and not on overall section strategy. Depending on various factors, it might be best to complete the problem and in other cases it might be best to mark it and move on. However, in the early lessons, we want to focus on solving problems and there's also the expectation that as you get more knowledgeable about LR, your ability to solve difficult problems will increase. So, at this point, we are focused on figuring out how to answer the problems. Later on, though, we will definitely talk about strategic decisions you can make to optimize your score, including the marking of problems as difficult and moving on!

Second, if possible, the preferred strategy is to solve the problem then. Why? Because as you rightly note, you've just invested time in reading the problem and answers, and your familiarity with the material is high. If you do not complete the problem and then have to return to it later, you will lose time while re-familiarizing yourself with the ideas. While that works for one or two problems, if you end up marking a lot of problems this way, it can be difficult to complete all of them.

One thing that might help: that panic feeling you refer to is natural, but as you learn more and more about solving LR questions, you will become more confident, and you will find that feeling appears less and less. With practice and confidence, you'll find yourself going back to the stimulus gives you a better and more reliable way of solving the problem and that eliminates that panicky feeling

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[kylaearle]

Dear Dave,

Thank you for your response. I appreciate this program and the supports that you and your team provide.

Kyla