skipping answer choices?

[JorieB701]

When might it be advisable to skip the rest of the answer choices when you're pretty sure you already found the right answer? And I'm actually curious about every section. Time (shocker!) is a huge issue for me. I'm getting so close to finishing sections but it seems like I might have hit a limit of how much I can accomplish in 35 minutes with my current strategies. I legit don't skip answer choices, I at least try to do a quick skim through the rest which never seems to lead to me choosing another option.

In LR, even if I began skipping them when I'm 100% sure, I would pretty much never do so on a necessary/weaken/strengthen because I'm not that good and I feel like anything passed # 17 or so, I'm not skipping either.. But in some of the early flaw/sufficient/ID questions, I'm starting to feel like it's a waste of time.

Same with RC, although me feeling 100% sure about an answer choice is far more rare, there have been times recently where even a quick skim of the rest of the answer choices feels like a waste of precious time.

And as far as logic games go, I obviously choose and move on in the more complex question where proving each would take forever, but in the first couple of questions (the ones that you kind of answer by comparing it against the rules), I still skim the rest even if I've already found the right answer. My rationale was always that it's early in the game so skimming the rest will be a good way of making sure there's not two right answers here because if there are I've clearly done something wrong and I better go back.

I get that the general advise is try it out and see what happens but I'm curious what the experts would say regarding which is more important; Do I continue the way I have been because it's safe and I'm less likely to make mistakes, or is it time to start trusting myself and give myself a better shot at finishing sections?

[ohthatpatrick]

You've already heard most of my take on this in a separate thread, so I'll add very little here.

GAMES:
more likely to just pick it and move on if it's later in the game (I've already verified my confidence that "I get this game") and if testing the remaining answer choices would take more than 10 seconds.

If the question lent itself to writing out the 1 or 2 possible scenarios the question allows, then it's easy to check remaining answers (you're just seeing whether they match your diagram for that question).

If, on the other hand, checking each answer essentially means writing a new scenario, then I'm more likely to pick the first answer that works.

LR:
more likely to just pick in on earlier questions and on questions for which the task is absolute, not relative.

i.e. Absolute tasks (there is only one right answer, so to speak)
Sufficient Assumption
ID the Conclusion
Determine the Function
ID the Disagreement

I'm unlikely to just pick it on relative tasks like Strengthen, Weaken, Explain/Resolve.

Flaw and Necessary Assumption would only be a "just pick it" if I had a really strong, specific prephrase and found what I was looking for.

Matching questions could be a good time to "just pick it", because testing the remaining answers could be time consuming.

It's usually pretty crazy to trust a "just pick it" feeling when you're doing nasty problems in the Q15-21 range.

READING COMP
If the question stem allowed us to go find the answer in the passage, then I'm fine "just picking" the answer that matches.


Broad themes:
- easier questions
- strong, specific prephrases