Are You Making These Mistake Log Mistakes?

If you have been following the Impetus LSAT blog for a while now, you would understand how important review is. For this reason, a mistake log can be an invaluable tool for LSAT prep. But reviewing means nothing if you are not learning from your mistakes. Avoid these mistakes to help you make the most of your mistake log.

1. Only Reviewing Wrong Answers

   It can be tempting to only review questions you got wrong. While incorrect answers should be a priority, it is also helpful to review questions you correctly answered but did not feel 100% confident with. Under timed conditions, it can be difficult to think deeply about your reasoning, so use the mistake log to iron out your thought process with questions that tripped you up.

2. Not Having Specific, Concrete Reasoning

   Eliminating an answer choice because "it's not what we are looking for" will not help you identify patterns in the ways the LSAT will try to trick you. After all, all incorrect answers are wrong because they aren't what we are looking for. Instead, focus on the language–what specific word or phrase made the answer incorrect, and what false inference or assumption was the LSAT trying to trick you with? Additionally, avoid using gut feeling or intuition. The reason we get questions wrong is because we felt that the incorrect answer was correct. Rather than relying on feelings, have concrete reasons. For example, maybe the answer was irrelevant or too strong or too weak to complete the task at hand.

3. Not Verifying Reasoning

   Just because you think you understand why an answer is right or wrong upon review does not mean it was the correct reasoning. Sometimes, you can get to the right answer for the wrong reasons. Always check the explanations from a credible source to ensure you had the correct thought process. If your reasoning was different, review the question as if you got it wrong, even if you selected the correct answer. For example, suppose you thought an answer was the opposite of what we wanted when actually it was irrelevant. Technically, there was a little bit of luck involved in getting to the correct answer, so we should review it.

4. Not Finding Ways to Avoid Mistakes

   This is the most crucial step that many students overlook. Mistake logs are not simply journals to write out your thoughts. They are intended to help you find mistakes in your reasoning and learn from them. Rather than just writing out why each answer is right or wrong, be conscious of what made the incorrect answer tempting and think of tangible processes you can apply to avoid the same mistake in the future. It can be as simple as memorizing terms or being mindful of certain types of nuances in the passage. For example, if you missed a word like "some", maybe you should be more mindful of the strength of statements going forward.

5. Not Looking for Patterns

   If you hit a plateau, there are likely patterns in the mistakes you have made. A mistake log is a great way to identify these patterns so that you can determine what you should prioritize. Rather than looking at what types of questions you are missing repeatedly, look at what types of mistakes you are making repeatedly.