Breakdown around question 17

[ncolicci11]

Hey Powerscore!

In doing timed LR sections, I find myself hitting a streak of incorrect answers (normally 4-5) when I get toward the end of the section. I am doing fairly well up until this point (still learning and mastering the easier questions) but then hit a wall. It has been a trend throughout my LR practice. What should I do to overcome this back end hump?

Thanks!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi ncolicci11!

To best assess your situation, it would be helpful to know a bit more:
1.) How do you do with the timing and pacing of the sections? Do you run out of time at the end? Do you start to rush through those last few?
2.) Do you do each question in the section in order, or do you ever skip questions and come back to them?
3.) When you go back and review these questions, why do you think you're getting them incorrect? When you look at them later without time constraints and without having just been working through a full section, are you able to see the answer more clearly? Or are the questions still difficult? When you assess why you missed the question, do you find it's because you misinterpreted the question stem? Or misidentified the conclusion? Neglected to prephrase? Etc.

There are likely a couple of things at work here. First, often the questions toward the end are more difficult. The first 10 questions in an LR section tend to be easier on average than the later questions. In the teens, you may have a few very difficult questions as well as some above average difficulty questions. And in the 20s, you may have several above average difficulty questions. If you tend to just miss the more difficult questions, you need to make sure your foundational skills are strong--it's sometimes easy to neglect those foundational skills when you're dealing with easier questions but it can become very important when dealing with more difficult questions. So make sure you are consistently working on your ability to analyze arguments (identify conclusions, identify how premises support the conclusion, identify why premises don't fully support conclusions, etc.), your prephrasing skills, your ability to identify question stems, etc.

If you can get these questions correct when you're not under time constraints or burned out from a full section, it may be more about stamina. The best way to build mental stamina is similar to the best way to build muscle stamina--you've got to keep exercising those brain muscles by continuing to take practice sections and full tests. A big part of being fully prepared for this test is just practicing your ability to focus on tough concepts for several hours.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[ncolicci11]

Hi Kelsey!

I find that I do not run out of time but instead rushing through the questions. I try not to skip around unless I am absolutely stuck. Without time, I tend to be just fine answering them. I think the nerves of the time and the knowledge that I am approaching those more difficult questions are what get to me. It is just a weird pattern where I do very well in the beginning and slow down at the back end.

[Paul Marsh]

Hi ncolicci11! Kelsey's right that the back end of the section features more difficult questions, so you're not alone in having trouble there. The combination of the increased difficulty in questions plus the increased time pressure as the clock winds down make the last ~10 questions more difficult for nearly everybody.

Kelsey's point about practicing stamina is a nice tip. Like practicing for a race, it can be better to practice for longer than the test time. For example, you could play a "How many Logical Reasoning questions can I answer correctly in an hour" game. On a related note, I think have a positive mindset is also extremely helpful. As in, try not to think too much about running out of time, or how boring these questions are, or how difficult the final questions can be. Instead, approach each question as a fun, nerdy puzzle to solve. "Ok, I see this is an Assumption question. I wonder what the gap between the premises and the conclusion is? Let's find out!" Remember that you're not just answering questions for the sake of a score, you are also developing critical skills that will help you immensely during law school. Having that mindset isn't always easy, but I strongly suggest training your brain to view LSAT questions as interesting puzzles that prepare you for law school.

The most helpful thing of course is just to continue improving at more difficult questions. Take note of the question types that consistently give you trouble. Many people have trouble with all of Strengthen, Weaken, Assumption, and Justify questions - these question types can all be approached very similarly. Other people have trouble with how time consuming Parallel Flaw questions are. All of these question types appear more on the back end of the test. Review every question that gives you trouble and ask yourself, "how can I be solving these more quickly and more accurately?" Feel free to ask questions on here (or reach out to PowerScore to schedule individual lessons) to ask more about specific Logical Reasoning question types and how to improve upon them. Hope that helps!