Prephrasing Answers

Prephrasing is the LSAT version of the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.”
All high-scoring test takers are active and aggressive. Passive test takers tend to be
less involved in the exam and therefore more prone to make errors.
Most students tend to simply read the question stem and then move on to the
answer choices without further thought. This is disadvantageous because these
students run a greater risk of being tempted by the expertly constructed
incorrect answer choices. One of the most effective techniques for quickly
finding correct answer choices and avoiding incorrect answer choices is
prephrasing. Prephrasing an answer involves quickly speculating on what you
expect the correct answer will be based on the information in the stimulus.
Although every answer you prephrase may not be correct, there is great value
in considering for a moment what elements could appear in the correct answer
choice. Students who regularly prephrase find that they are more readily able
to eliminate incorrect answer choices, and of course, many times their
prephrased answer is correct. And, as we will see in later chapters, there are
certain stimulus and question stem combinations on the LSAT that yield
predictable answers, making prephrasing even more valuable. In part,
prephrasing puts you in an attacking mindset: if you look ahead and
considering a possible answer choice, you are forced to involve yourself in the
problem. This process helps keep you alert and in touch with the elements of
the problem.
Primary Objective #6: Prephrase: after reading the question
stem, take a moment to mentally formulate your answer to the
question stem.
Keep in mind that prephrasing is directly related to attacking the stimulus;
typically, students who closely analyze the stimulus well can more easily
prephrase an answer.