Are Wrong Answer Journals Worthwhile in LSAT Studying?
One of the most contentious topics in how to properly study for the LSAT regards the use of wrong answer journals. Some people swear by them, while others consider them a waste of time. Personally, I do not have a strong opinion one way or the other. There are contexts in which they are helpful and contexts in which they are a waste of time. However, what is most important is that you properly review each question you get wrong.
Proper review can and should take various forms depending on the reason you got a question wrong. If you simply misread a word or phrase and are able to pick up on that mistake relatively quickly, the review of that question can take very little time. However, if you fundamentally misunderstand a sentence or concept, it is imperative that you take as much time as you need to fully understand both the mistake you made and how to correctly solve the question in the future. A good question to ask is: “Could I confidently explain this question to a fellow LSAT student?” If the answer is yes, you are ready to move on.
Critically, this process of review should happen entirely in your head. Only after the question clicks in your mind and you understand exactly why the right answer is right can a wrong answer journal be helpful. If at this point you want to organize and record your thought process from review, then it can be beneficial to jot down the errors you made in your initial attempt of the question and the process you undertook to eventually reach complete understanding. Writing this down can crystallize your thought process and make you less likely to make similar mistakes in the future.
Unfortunately, this is often not how wrong answer journals are used. By far the most common use is that a student will get a question wrong, find a written or video explanation, mindlessly transcribe the key points from this explanation, and then move on to the next question. The critical missing piece from this process is the click in your head that arises from a genuine understanding of the question. Simply copying down the reason one answer choice is right is not equivalent to comprehension. It is for this reason that wrong answer journals should, if used at all, only be employed after going through the proper review process in your head.
How to Properly Use a Wrong Answer Journal
If you are going to use a wrong answer journal, you should not write down more than three or four sentences per question. When you get a question wrong, jot down the prep test it was from, the section, and the question number. Then, go through the proper review process in your head. Afterwards, make note of why you originally chose the wrong answer, what went wrong in your reasoning, why you failed to choose the right answer, and why the right answer is right. You should find that when you actually understand a question following a thorough review process, it is fairly easy to be concise in your summary of these four points.
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