LSAT: prep books, logic games Forum

[runnergirl]

I have a few LSAT questions and would appreciate any responses Thanks!!

1) PREP BOOKS: Does anyone have recommendations for good LSAT prep books (other than Kaplan Premier, PR Cracking the LSAT, and Powerscore LG Bible, which I've already used?) I'm considering the Kaplan 180 book; I wasn't particularly impressed with the content of the 2007 Kaplan Premier book, but Kaplan 180 is supposed to have tough practice questions so it might be worth it.

2) LG BIBLE: I have the Powerscore LG Bible and LOVE it! Is it worth it also to use Powerscore's LG Setup Bible? I'm not sure how similar/different the two are.

3) LG PRACTICE: I need more logic games practice. Much more! I'm going to do the LG sections on real tests repeatedly, and am also wondering - Are there other books/sources that have lots of good games to practice on?

Many thanks!!

[DelDad]

Other than the Powerscore books (LG Bible, and LR Bible - didn't get the Setup Bible), I didn't find the others I tried particularly useful: Kaplan LSAT 180 was good for confidence once I got better at making deductions, but it didn't particularly help my performance on the LG section as a whole or teach me much that I ended up relying on the day of the real thing. It's fine if you just want some practice, but the methods it presented were inferior to PS's, in my opinion.

Other than the PS books and LSAT 180, I mostly did Preptests, but I found that the Logic games sections in the Princeton Review main LSAT book were pretty good, and there were six LG sections in their simulated prep tests and more practice in the LG section.

Ian

[Joe M]

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[dwharris2]

runnergirl,
You might also want to consider the Big Fat Genius Guide to Logic Games (by Brian Talbot). If you're simply unable to make deductions, in time or at all, he gives you a way to proceed (in fact, he argues strongly against making deductions). It involves making hypotheticals for many answer choices; and, of course, getting fast at them. Also, he ranks the question types in order of difficulty, pointing out that the majority of questions are "simpler ones" like "can be true" and "must be true." Interestingly, he deemphasizes the importance of a "perfect" set-up, saying a serviceable one will do. I'm finding as I continue to prepare that a blending of the Powerscore method (do all the deductions) and the Big Fat Genius method (do none) works best for me (though I have a ways to go before I get really comfortable with the games).
dwharris2

[james5150]

I thought the Powerscore Bible that everyone raves about was, if not completely useless for me, a very confusing book. Basically, it discusses a lot of theory envolving a complex classification system. I found this entirely pointless. It's better to attack the questions with hypos. The diagram is not important as answering the questions. I found certain games don't even need diagram.
But having said that ,you have to come up with your own system through trial and error. No book has a magic formula. The test is designed against to prevent a purely mechical application of rules.

[dwharris2]

Another source to consult is this LSAT blog: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/. The author goes a step further than the Genius guide, saying that sometimes, if not always, any hypothetical will do to test a question. If nothing else, this is a great way to prevent you from pondering a difficult question and keep you moving. The only catch here is that you have to get very fast at constructing hypotheticals. That means you have to be extremely comfortable with the rules (as you must, of course, when you do deductions).

[MagicMurdock]

Personally I found the Princeton Review to be well written and good. I would steer you away from Barron's however, it had errors inside of its book.

[alex]

The tutor I worked with online gave me a free summary of general prep tips, including a proposed exam practice schedule. You can request it through the following site: http://www.PerfectLSAT.com

[earnestbicyclist]

I agree with about 95% of TLS in saying that the LG Bible is amazing in giving you skills for games. I think the Powerscore Setups Guide is very useful too, because it shows you how to go about answering games in real tests. I suggest keeping it on hand to learn from practice test after you take them.
I was wondering what people here thought about books with fake/modeled tests like Examkrackers. Do you think it's worth going through their material for extra practice? (Considering that I've taken all of the administered tests).

[Pankun]

Maybe someone mentioned this earlier, but I thought the GetPrepped Ace the LSAT Logic Games book was excellent. I still have some unused books around if you live in San Diego ...