Time Management: Why it leads to a better score

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Discussion

Time Management: Why it leads to a better score

During my career as a tutor, I’ve noticed a majority of my students are missing a fundamental area of practice whilst studying for the LSAT—time management.

In high school and college exams, learning the content was usually enough to get you a good score, so time management strategies weren’t something students needed to think about. However, the LSAT is a different story. Many students find themselves not having enough time to finish a timed section, so developing skills to manage your time efficiently is crucial to obtaining a high LSAT score.

While practicing time management strategies, the question you want to constantly ask yourself is, “What is the best use of my time right now?” Figuring out that question takes practicing awareness and honesty under timed situations, and the answer can ultimately change based on a number of considerations.

For example, let’s say I’m taking a practice test and I come across question 15 on the LR section. I read the stimulus and identify that I’m dealing with a Weakening question. After I read the stimulus, I notice that I understand the premises and conclusion fairly well, and I also understand why the premises don’t necessarily prove the conclusion. What is the best use of my time in this situation? I’d say the correct answer would be to probably go into the answer choices. 

However, that answer can change very quickly in a different situation. Let’s say we’re now on question 16. I read the question and identify that I’m dealing with a Main Conclusion question. I start to read the stimulus, and after I’m done, I notice I’m unable to identify whether the first sentence is the conclusion or the last sentence is the conclusion. This situation is slightly different from question 15 (where I was able to pinpoint the conclusion). So what’s the best use of my time? The answer is not to go into the answer choices at this given moment. If you don’t know what the main conclusion is, how can you find what most accurately represents it in the answer choices? But time and time again, I will see students choose to go into the answer choices when faced with a situation similar to this one and waste precious minutes doing things that are not worth their time—time that can be spent on more valuable investments and choices that lead to a better score. In this situation, I’d most likely recommend that a student skip the question and move to the next question, since that’s what would be the best use of their time.  

When you’re reviewing your test, make sure to consistently ask yourself what the best use of your time is. This will help you identify places where you can better manage your time, which will lead you to understanding what the most efficient actions to take are. That way, you’ll be able to maximize the value of your time on the LSAT, which will consistently allow you to obtain a high your score.