WAY better in the first half of LR

[LSATrookie]

This is a consistent theme of mine during PTs. For example, on my last practice test, on section 1 I got 10 out of the first 12 correct, only to get 3 of the last 13 correct. On section 2 it was similar (not quite as bad) as I got the first 11 right and then 7 out of the last 14 correct. I do usually come a 2 or 3 questions short of completely finishing, but it can't explain the reason I'm missing so many between 15 and 20. The last half of LR is more difficult, but again, that can't be the only reason for my downfall. Maybe I feel too much pressure from time in the last half? Any general advice on how to improve my score on the second half would be appreciated.

[Adam Tyson]

Hey rookie, it would help us if you could provide a little more information. First, tell us about your timing - how quickly are you getting through the first half of a given LR section? Do you feel that you are rushing to make up time towards the end?

Next, talk about your pre-test rituals. Are you getting a good breakfast? Drinking a cup of coffee or an energy drink first? What I am getting at is that you might be experiencing some sort of crash as whatever you've done earlier starts to wear off. If so, it may have nothing to do with your abilities or the difficulty of the questions.

Finally, tell us more about your process. As the test progresses, are you continuing to apply the techniques you've learned, such as prephrasing, diagramming, the negation technique on assumption questions, etc.? It may be that as you move along and get into the groove, you allow yourself to get a little too comfortable and start slacking on your approach. Staying disciplined throughout, especially because the questions do get a little harder towards the end, is very important.

So, tell us about that process and the timing, and let's see what we can figure out.

Adam M. Tyson
PowerScore LSAT Instructor

[LSATrookie]

Thanks for the reply Adam. My timing thru the first half seems to be around 18-20 minutes on average, so that may be a little on the slow side. Yes, I do feel much more rushed/pressured on the second half, which is why I may not be applying the techniques/reading as well.

Pre-test rituals usually include an apple and cup of coffee, but I probably should eat a bigger/more complete breakfast to get more energy, maybe even try to get in a quick workout. I do take my PTs in the morning usually, as I like to do that and then practice the concepts later. Plus it does emulate test day to more of a degree. Overall, I feel like my focus/endurance is ok, but maybe it's not or could be better if I prepare myself better before tests.

For my process, I try to always apply the techniques, as I know how important they are. I ALWAYS find the conclusion (if there is one) and bracket that part of the text before moving on to the answer choices. However, I probably do rush too much and get sloppy after that. My prephrasing is getting better with practice, but I find myself not doing it enough and rushing to the answer choices. I am ok with causal and conditional questions but mess them up way more than I should, although my assumptions (including the negation technique) have been pretty good.

Maybe the good news for me is my weaknesses have just been covered or still need to covered in my course, as I tend to struggle with parallel and flaw reasoning. Once I practice those techniques I should be more comfortable with them. Sunday I'm planning on doing all the flaw HW questions and reading the explanations as I go thru them. Parallel we're covering on class Monday.

Also FYI, in RC and LG my second half isn't as great either, but it's not nearly as bad as LR. I don't feel as much time pressure on those sections.

[Adam Tyson]

I think you've hit on several points that will help you. You're only partway through the course, with many question types and concepts yet to be covered. As you move through the rest of the course your speed and accuracy will improve, especially with more practice. You should consider eating a more complete meal before the test - get in some protein to fuel you for the longer haul, something that will provide lasting energy rather than a quick burst and then fade. A workout in the form of a brisk walk or short run is a great way to help boost brain activity, too.

Remember not to worry too much about completing the section. There is no prize for finishing, only for getting more questions right, so it's better to do 18 questions well than to do 25 but do half of them in a rush and without sufficient application of the concepts. As you improve, you'll be able to do more and faster, but for now it sounds like slowing down will actually improve your performance.

Take some extra practice tests, in addition to the four that we provide in the course, and get back to us to let us know more about your progress. Good luck!

Adam

[parisielvirac]

Hi, adding to this discussion, I have a set of questions.

1. I was wondering if the second half of LR is easier than the first half?
I believe that is what the instructor said on the DEMAND course online.
I cannot find it in my notes, can somebody please verify?
2. And if there is a pattern of easier questions in RC and LG?
3. Which LG should be done first (If it is up to prefence, which do students usually prefer?)

[Adam Tyson]

In general, parisielvirac, on any given section of LR you will typically find that the first 10 questions are mostly of lower difficulty. That's a relative term, of course, as there's little about the LSAT that is actually easy! But compared to later questions, the earlier ones in the section tend to be among the easiest. Difficulty increases through the rest of the section, but not at a steady rate. That is, questions 14 and 16 might be moderate difficulty while question 15 could be the hardest question on the section, or perhaps questions 19, 20, and 21 are all very challenging, but 22 feels very easy to you. It's a general upward trend in difficulty, but it can zig and zag a bit.

In games, I generally find that the first game is the easiest game of the section, but there are many exceptions to that. I also generally find that the third game is the hardest, but sometimes it's the last game. Within games the difficulty can be all over the place, although most games start with a relatively low difficulty "list" question, and many games will end with a painfully difficult "Rule Substitution" question. There's no easy advice on which game you should do first, so try approaching them in order and be prepared to skip a question, or a whole game, if you find it especially challenging. Just be sure not to leave any questions unanswered - if you are going to skip something, enter a guess and flag that question to return to later if time allows.

Reading Comp is much like games in that difficulty can be all over the place. Sometimes the first passage is a very challenging read, but the questions might be of lower difficulty. Another passage might seem very simple when you read it, but then the questions are killers that require you to make a lot of inferences. And difficulty in the section is very subjective - what you find easy might be something that another student has great trouble with. Maybe you love the science passages but can't stand the ones on humanities, while the person next to you feels the exact opposite, while a third person doesn't care what the passage type is but loves comparative reading more than the longer passages. To sum that up, passage difficulty is highly variable, and within any one passage there can be questions that are incredibly hard and others that are relatively straightforward.

I wish we had a clearer and more predictable path for you! The more you practice, though, the more you will recognize the patterns and be able to adjust your pacing and other strategies to deal with all that variability. Good luck!