Timing/strategy/Suggestions

[saranash1]

Hello! My name is Sara.

I am having a considerable amount of trouble finishing the test. The last practice test I took was the June 2008 LSAT supplied to me by Powerscore, I scored a 143. I am taking the October 2013 LSAT this Saturday. I have a undergrad GPA of 3.75. I want to go to UT Knoxville for law school but can't seem to get my LSAT score up due mainly to time restraints. I have ADHD, and as a result read at a slower pace than the average individual. As a result I have always received time & a half on all tests beginning in 2nd grade all the way through college, as well as on the ACT. Of course, the LSAC denied my application for accommodations. So, accommodations on my test taking strategy must be made in order to increase my score. I need your help!

June 2008 LSAT Score Results
On section 1, I was only able to complete 5 questions and received a total of 7 correct (all the questions I answered were correct).
On section 2, I completed 14 & received a total of 14 correct (I missed 4 out of the questions I completed).
On section 3, I completed 8 and received a total of 12 correct (i missed 2 out questions I completed).
On section 4, I completed 16 and received 14 correct (I missed 3 out the questions I completed).

Considering the amount I missed/completed on the sections & the amount of time left until the October 2013 LSAT what techniques would you advise in order to increase my score?

i.e.
1 enter my answers into the score analyzer provided by Powerscore?
(if so should go back and finish the questions I wasn't able to complete before entering in my answers to determine the kind of questions I am missing the most)?
If so what source would you recommend obtaining the additional information to review on those types of questions. I already took the online class, & did all of the homework. I also made notecards for all of the question types, indicator words, & guidelines to follow.
2. increase speed somehow??!?!
3. learn a guessing strategy other than what letters to pick if you don't finish that I could employ on questions in the last five minutes of the test? Such a quick way to with some degree of probability, eliminate some of the answers due to certain words used in the answers.
4. I have only taken the june 2008 (got a 144/taken today) and the June 2007 (got a 141/taken in June) tests that were supplied by LSAC. I also went back and finished the questions that I wasn't able to finish within the time allotted. I looked up explanations for the questions I missed & noted any questions that I could possibly learn from for future tests.
I took the February 1996 test from the LSAT Superprep book on June 9th & received a score of 140. I also went back and finished the questions that I wasn't able to finish within the time allotted. I looked up explanations for the questions I missed & noted any questions that I could possibly learn from for future tests.
Additionally, I took the LSAT in June of this year and scored a 134 on it. I took it again timed this week and received a 142. I also went back and finished the questions that I wasn't able to finish within the time allotted. I looked up explanations for the questions I missed & noted any questions that I could possibly learn from for future tests.
5. I plan on taking a practice today, tomorrow, & friday. I have the most up to date LSATs that have been released.

Additional suggestions are welcome!

Moreover, I read the article titled "The importance of using a timer" and it quotes, "As you prepare for the test, use the timer as often as possible to determine what speed best maximizes your performance; practicing under timed conditions allows you to not only push yourself to move faster, but also to establish and maintain your own optimal pace"

I am doing my best to move as fast as possible. Not sure how to move any faster than I currently am. I commonly have to go back and reread the questions more than once to really take in the information, which slows me down considerably. Also, I commonly contemplate between a few answers before deciding which one I think is best, also slowing me down.

Additionally, how do you establish and maintain your own optimal pace?

I am sorry to talk you ear off. I just have a lot of questions and am hopeful that I will be able to increase my score over the next couple of days. Advice would be tremendously appreciated.

Thanks!
Have a blessed day!

Sincerely,

Sara

[Adam Tyson]

That was a mouthful, Sara! I'll do my best to help out, and I hope that some of my colleagues here will also chime in.

First, sorry to hear about the request for accommodations being denied. I don't know if there is any kind of appeal process, but if there is then I would say you should look into it. That said, you can certainly include information about your situation in an addendum to your applications. That might give you a little cushion to soften the blow if your score isn't where your school wants it to be. I'm not sure it would do any good, but if you had a professor or professional colleague proctor a privately administered test for you, with some additional time allotted, and had them submit a letter along with your unofficial score, maybe that would be helpful? It would certainly make your application stand out from the crowd, which is usually a good thing!

As to specific strategies, the first thing I would suggest is that you look for a few shortcuts. For example, if you are looking at a flaw in the reasoning question and it has conditional reasoning in it, look for the answer that talks about sufficient and necessary conditions. No need to deeply analyze - there's almost always just one, and it's almost always going to be the right answer. For parallel reasoning, start by doubling the conclusion and the premises - again, no deep analysis required, just cut to the chase. One big mistake a lot of students make is spending lots of time hemming and hawing between two answers, something you just don't have time to do. Once you narrow it down to two contenders, sometimes you have to just pick one and move on. Make an educated guess based on what you know about the stim, the stem, and the strategies you've learned.

As to increasing speed, there is no simple strategy to do that - speed is always a byproduct of your level of understanding of the concepts and strategies and of your confidence in applying them to the question at hand. The more you understand, and the more confident you are in that understanding, the faster you will go. That said, my answer is usually not to worry about speed, but in fact to slow down some. There is no prize for completing a section - the prize is for maximizing the number of correct answers. If that means taking the time to do one game only, but doing it perfectly, and then just answering "C" or "D" on all the rest, so be it. How much better might your score have been if you got every answer correct out of the ones you did, instead of trying to hurry on to the next question?

There are many posts here and elsewhere about guessing strategy, and I won't try to improve on them. My strategy suggestion has always been to just pick one letter and stick with it.

My last thought, for now, is to suggest that you re-think your plan to take a practice test on Friday. That sounds like a road to burn-out. Take Friday off to take good care of yourself. Eat well, get moderate exercise, get plenty of sleep, lay out your things to take with you to the test center, and relax. Read a trashy novel, take a bubble bath, watch a mindless movie. As for the other practice tests, I would suggest that at least one of them should be untimed (or, use the timer just to get a sense of your pace, but don't limit yourself to 35 minutes per section - take as long as it takes). The point is to increase your familiarity, understanding and accuracy. Those are the keys to improving your score. You're past the point of taking tests just to see what score you get.

Good luck! You can do it!

[saranash1]

Thanks for you help. What kind of burn out are you referring to?

[Adam Tyson]

By burn-out I mean wearing yourself out, over-working, which can be physical but I believe is mostly mental. Your body and brain need a rest and to recharge. Friday is the day to do that. Relax, take a nap, take a bath, go for a walk. Further studying will have minimal positive impact - you're at the point of diminishing returns by then. Instead, take the day to work on the all important positive mental attitude.

[saranash1]

Overnight isn't enough time for my brain to recharge? I ALWAYS studied the day before the test/normally all night, all the way through college and graduated with a 3.75 GPA.

[Jon Denning]

Hey Sara - I'd say if you're comfortable doing a bit of work tomorrow then go right ahead and study some. But by "some" I mean take it easy! No full tests or anything (or 3+ hours), as, realize it or not, that much will fatigue you a bit into the next day.

[saranash1]

OK thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

I will add one more thought to this - there is a big difference between cramming and pulling an all-nighter before a test that is based on your knowledge about the subject, which would be what you were doing in school up to this point, and doing so for a long, exhausting test that is primarily about your ability to reason logically, requiring no actual knowledge. This test isn't about memorizing facts and dates and names - it's about your ability to use your brain to sort through complex information and make logical connections, inferences, follow rules, etc. That kind of test - THIS kind of test - requires that you be familiar with concepts and strategies, but it also is best taken with a brain that is well rested and fresh. At this point, any studying you do to improve your understanding of the concepts and strategies will probably be counter-productive, gaining you little and wearing you out.

Take a break. Take a nap. Eat a salad and some lean protein. Rest. Then, tomorrow, when you are feeling like a million bucks, you will crush the test and then go party the way you deserve.