Bubbling In questions and technique

[ritkaa]

I'm so scared that I wont have time to finish bubbling in a few answers.

what is your guys' technique for each section. I think the best way to go about the games is to bubble in after each game, but I have no set technique for the other sections.

Also....say the proctor calls time and u missed bubbling in 2 or 3 answers but you remember them by heart, or write them down somewhere. Can you sorta slide your hand over to that sections bubbling area and sorta fill it in as you are doing a different section, or will my score be cancelled forever?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[KaplanLSATInstructor]

The general recommendation is to bubble in after each game, each passage, or each set of two LR pages. Circle and write your answer clearly in your test booklet, then transfer an entire set of answers all at once. It's especially helpful to do this if you skip questions or bounce around a little within a game or passage. Less chance for confusion or mis-bubbling.

Don't be scared. When the proctor announces five minutes, take a second to consider what you have left to fill in. If you're wearing a watch, you can estimate when you have a minute or two left and fill in any unfilled bubbles at that time. Then, you don't have to worry about leaving any questions blank. Don't let this become a major concern.

As for trying to fill in another section, I can't emphasize enough why that's not a good idea. I've heard of people who have had their tests taken away for filling in bubbles after time is called or filling in the wrong section. Some people will say, "as long as they're not looking carefully, you should be fine." The question is, do you really want to take that chance? If they catch you, your test is taken away and it will be noted that you tried to cheat on the exam. You don't want that... at all. Especially not for such a mundane reason.

- Chris

[ritkaa]

Yes very very true, I definitely don't want to bubble in anything I'm not supposed to if thats how strict they are.

I will wear a watch and hope that I can pace myself. The skipping around thing is definitely something I do a lot so I will try your technique today. Thanks! =)

[rolen27]

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but if you're low on time you can just bubble the best you can a little white space in the circle will not get you marked off for the question

[rush the rushdie]

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but if you're low on time you can just bubble the best you can a little white space in the circle will not get you marked off for the question

i've heard that too.  but only if ur really low on time.  and make sure the (pencil) markings are dark, so the scanner picks up on them.

[bubblematic2000]

I picked up at least a few minutes per section when I started bubbling a passage, game or page at a time.  The few seconds it takes to bubble after every single question really adds up.

It would take, conservatively, 3 seconds to bubble after each question.  You mean to tell me that 1.5 min matters?

It's not even that much--- IMO it's maybe 1 second to bubble and 1 second to "reset" back to the page, but lets run with 3 seconds.

On a 25 question section that's 75 seconds out of 2100-- put another way it's ~3.6% of your time for the section which does sound like a lot.

But you have to remember that "group bubbling" isn't free either--- figure .25 seconds to write down you answer the first time (I'm assuming that you have to write the answer down on the test as a placeholder. I used to do SAT bubbles 4 or 5 in my head and transfer them all at once, but I feel like that's much more difficult with the LSAT, which IMO demands a higher level of mental engagement), and figure .75 seconds per answer to move them over as a group-- and these numbers are again extremely conservative towards single bubbling / generous towards group bubbling, I think.

That leaves you with 25 seconds for a 25 question passage. Which means that the difference between the two methods is by this estimate 50 seconds, or ~2.4% of your total time for the passage. Again, the percentage sounds like a lot to my ears.... but 50 seconds, not so much-- and that's at the *high* end (I'm assuming that you have the answer sheet and the question book side by side like for the SAT--- if the answer sheet is fixed to the back of the booklet or something scratch everything I've said and group bubble).

Personally I know that I had misbubbling mishaps a few times on the PSATs when I was using the group method-- though I always caught 'em (but that came at the sacrifice of time of course). I've done in total maybe 10 practice tests in the last 8 months, all using the group bubble method. I've misbubbled, to my memory, one question in that entire time, and I'm sort of a space cadet. (I don't skip questions ever except rarely on games, which does help a lot. Though skipped questions probably make both methods more error prone).

The accuracy advantage of the single bubble method is huge, IMO, and the consequences of a misbubble are largely mitigated.

Sure, if you're confident and you feel that a few seconds can make the difference for you, there're some reasons to groupbubble.

But singlebubbling is pretty frigging quick, and for me at least I've found it to by ~99.9% accurate. That's where I'd put my money.

JMO though, and in way more detail than was necessary, I'm sure.

[bubblematic2000]

The general recommendation is to bubble in after each game, each passage, or each set of two LR pages. Circle and write your answer clearly in your test booklet, then transfer an entire set of answers all at once. It's especially helpful to do this if you skip questions or bounce around a little within a game or passage. Less chance for confusion or mis-bubbling.

Don't be scared. When the proctor announces five minutes, take a second to consider what you have left to fill in. If you're wearing a watch, you can estimate when you have a minute or two left and fill in any unfilled bubbles at that time. Then, you don't have to worry about leaving any questions blank. Don't let this become a major concern.

As for trying to fill in another section, I can't emphasize enough why that's not a good idea. I've heard of people who have had their tests taken away for filling in bubbles after time is called or filling in the wrong section. Some people will say, "as long as they're not looking carefully, you should be fine." The question is, do you really want to take that chance? If they catch you, your test is taken away and it will be noted that you tried to cheat on the exam. You don't want that... at all. Especially not for such a mundane reason.

- Chris

Thnx Chris Kraplan guy.

Saying not to be scared and to look at a watch to keep time and not to cheat is like the fountain of wisdom.  Maybe I can score 10 points higher now with that info.  Thnx again Chris.

[EarlCat]

Saying not to be scared and to look at a watch to keep time and not to cheat is like the fountain of wisdom.  Maybe I can score 10 points higher now with that info.  Thnx again Chris.

Yes, knowing how many seconds it takes to bubble is far more useful.  Thanks!

[!закон и право!]

I usually single bubble.

[rush the rushdie]

Thnx Chris Kraplan guy.

Saying not to be scared and to look at a watch to keep time and not to cheat is like the fountain of wisdom.  Maybe I can score 10 points higher now with that info.  Thnx again Chris.

okay.. u spent way too much time out of your precious life to calculate various bubbling techniques, etc.  and the kaplan dude is just trying to help us out.