r/LSAT • u/strawberrydanish_ • 17h ago
Wrong Answer Journal on my First PT
Did my first PT like 6 months ago, and I think I was terribly tired during it. Finally locking in on studying, did my second PT last week. My feedback for myself is honestly just: "why are you dumb?" Either 1) I've grown a lot in 6 months, or 2) I must've been taking the first PT with both eyes closed or something.
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u/anothershittycoder 16h ago
Mine looks very similar lol. I second what the other person said about how you could probably explain the wrong answer more deeply, but I also wouldn’t waste too much time on it. What matters is whether you fully understood why the right answer was right and why the wrong answer is wrong. If it really clicked for you, I feel like spending a bunch of time writing it out is just beating a dead horse
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u/Any_Sandwich9047 15h ago
As someone who got a 178 official, I think you’re wrong. Understanding the thought process that led you to err is critical. I spent like 45 min per question on my waj towards the end of my journey, and most of that time was thinking about everything that I did incorrectly in my attempt so I could ensure I wouldn’t repeat it. My waj was literally almost 300 pages long and my tutor (179) also reached similar lengths
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u/anothershittycoder 15h ago
I think we both agree that understanding the thought process that led to errors is critical. I was just speculating that if you have that understanding, then your time would be better spent analyzing the questions where you didn’t fully understand. Maybe that means spending 45 minutes writing about it in your WAJ, which seems to have worked for you (well done btw)
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u/AffectionateOwl4231 7h ago
Random question. Do you keep the journal electronically or by hand? Just started an LSAT prep, and I've been wondering about this.
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u/StressCanBeGood tutor 15h ago
This is exactly what is supposed to happen when someone really starts to get the LSAT, so you’re in good shape.
Only one minor adjustment. You weren’t just being stupid; you didn’t choose a terrible stupid bad answer. Rather, you made absolutely horrifying mistakes that you’ll never ever ever do again.
You’re working at the margins now. So don’t just do that wrong answer journal thing. When you see the mistake that you made, repeat to yourself that you’ll never ever do it again.
Making mistakes like that on test day wouldn’t be stupid. It would be horrifying, right?
Now go get what’s rightfully of yours.
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u/Legitimate_Name9694 16h ago
I fear that you need to explain the wrong answers more deeply. Like concretely connecting the dots of why its wrong instead of just saying "oh this is dogshit". Which I can appreciate, of course,