Translating Review Into Progress

Make Every Mistake Count

Every missed LSAT question is an opportunity to learn. But reviewing a question isn't primarily about finding out which answer you should have picked.

In the video above, Josh and Nathan explain to a student that your review process is what counts. Are you learning from your mistakes, and can you apply what you learn the next time you encounter a similar problem?

Understanding the Answer Is Just the Beginning

Suppose you miss a Logical Reasoning question. You check the correct answer, read the explanation, and realize why your choice was wrong.

Great. You've learned something about that question. But have you figured out what caused you to miss it?

Maybe you misunderstood a sentence in the passage. Maybe you overlooked a word in the correct answer. Or maybe you chose an answer that sounded reasonable without checking whether it actually answered the question.

Unless you identify what you did wrong, you risk making the same mistake again.

Every Wrong Answer Involves Two Mistakes

When you miss a question, you reject the correct answer and you select an incorrect one.

That means you have two mistakes to investigate.

Start with the correct answer. Why is it right? How does it answer the question? What did you misunderstand or overlook that prevented you from choosing it?

Then examine the answer you selected. Why is it wrong? What made it attractive? Did you misread it, misunderstand the question, or overlook something that conclusively eliminates it?

On the LSAT, the correct answer is right for a reason, and every wrong answer is wrong for a reason. Your job is to understand both. Don’t move on until you can explain to another person why the right answer perfectly answers the question, and why the wrong answer you chose doesn’t.

Review Your Reasoning, Not Just the Answer Choices

Before revealing the correct answer to a missed question, try solving it again without the pressure of the clock. This process is called blind review. See if you can identify where your original reasoning went wrong.

Then check the answer and work through the explanations until you fully understand the question.

Ask yourself what you could have done differently.

Could you have made a better prediction before reading the answers? Was there a sentence in the passage you didn't fully understand? Did you overlook a word that changed an answer's meaning?

The point isn't to memorize the answer to a question you've already seen. It's to recognize a mistake in your process so you can avoid it when the LSAT tests the same reasoning again.

If you're still confused after working through the explanations, use the Demon's Ask Button to get help with the specific part you don't understand.

Bring What You've Learned Into Timed Practice

Thorough review won't help much if you don’t use what you learn when the clock starts.

That's the problem Josh and Nathan identified in this student's approach. During review, the student could understand the questions. But during timed sections, they were distracted by the clock and weren't focusing only on the question in front of them.

If you understand that a certain answer choice is wrong because it doesn't address the conclusion, apply that same scrutiny the next time you see a similar answer. Don't rush past the distinction because you're worried about finishing the section.

Focus on solving the question in front of you. As you get better at understanding passages, recognizing flaws, and eliminating wrong answers, you'll spend less time second-guessing yourself.

Clear Your Review Inbox Before Moving On

The LSAT tests the same reasoning patterns again and again. Every mistake gives you another opportunity to learn or reinforce one of those patterns.

After a timed section or practice test, open your Review Inbox. Every question you miss is there. Work through the questions one at a time. Reattempt questions before revealing the answers, investigate your mistakes, and use the explanations or Ask Button.

Mark a question done when you fully understand it. Review every question in your Review Inbox before attempting more.

You don't need another practice test to make progress. You need to learn from the questions you've already attempted.

Put It Into Practice

Try this LSAT question. If you miss it, work through the review process above. If you get it right, keep going until you miss one. Figure out why you rejected the correct answer and why you chose the wrong one.

 

Questions? ​ daily@lsatdemon.com

Start studying: https://lsatdemon.com

Scholarship Estimator: https://lsatdemon.com/scholarships

More LSAT Demon resources: https://linktr.ee/lsatdemon