Strategy for Improving LR time

[ifstudythenkill]

I've just gone through the LRB and I'm doing practice questions from QTT. Everything makes sense and I thought I was doing great...UNTIL I started timing myself. Each question is taking way too long (too embarassing to report average time).

Every question is easy without time pressure. Almost every question is impossible with time pressure. I'm finding that if I rush even a little, I choke.

What is the best strategy to decrease time per question? I dont want to be teaching myself bad conditioned responses (going too slow, or the opposite, inducing panic).

Honestly, I feel like throwing in the towel. Unless I can cut my time way down, I won't even register for October!

[Adam Tyson]

Hey there ifstudy (interesting username!),

What I always tell my students is that they should not concern themselves with time, but rather focus on the concepts and applying them consistently and accurately. As you improve your understanding of each question type, strengthen your all-important prephrasing skills, and use the diagramming and other techniques taught in our courses, time will take care of itself. Speed is a byproduct of accuracy and confidence, and cannot be improved in a vacuum.

You have plenty of time to get faster, and the best way to do that is to get better. You should not rush - you shouldn't even consider rushing. It's better to answer 15 questions perfectly and then guess on the rest, picking up 2 or 3 more correct answers that way, than it is to rush through the section, finish everything and get only 12 or so right.

Slow down, relax, work through the course materials, take practice tests and practice sections, and keep building on what you learn. You're preparing for a marathon - don't expect to just go out there and run it right away!

Good luck, and happy studies.