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Definitely! A month is a lot of time, and if you can get your RC misses in half, you'll have a great score!nids333 wrote:Just took practice test 43 ( -9 RC, -5 LR, -0 LG 87/167)
I'm pretty disappointed about my reading comprehension score, my performance on this section is inconsistent.
We still have a month left, so hopefully I can improve significantly in that section.
Knockglock wrote:Study Log
My Practice Tests:
Pt#____Date__________Individual Sections____Raw /Scaled Score_______________Notes___________________
36 -- 02/27/10 ------ -6 LR -3 RC -7 LR -3 LG ------82/165 --- Free Kaplan Test, finished LG bible by exam, 5 sections
19 -- 03/24/10 ---- -2 LG -4 LR -4 RC -2 LR ------- 89/170 ---- most of LR Bible done, rusty on games, 4 sections
20 -- 03/25/10 ----- -4 LR -1 RC -4 LG -2 LR ------- 90/171 ---- missed last 3 on 4th LG due to extremely hard game
21 -- 03/30/10 ----- -4 LG -6 LR -2 LR -3 RC ------ 86/169 ----- 4 sections, felt off, disappointing, first PT to drop
22 -- 03/31/10 ----- -2 RC -4 LR -0 LG -4 LR ------ 91/172 ----- 4 sections, nearly bombed LG, LR dragging me down
23 -- 04/01/10 ----- -6 LG -4 LR -4 LR -4 RC ------ 82/168 ----- ran out of time on LG (2 q's), took at 9pm (noise + tired)
24 -- 04/03/10 ----- -2 RC -3 LR -2 LR -6 LG ------ 88/171 ---- 4 sections, bombed last LG (missed 5/6)
25 -- 04/05/10 ----- -0 RC -2 LR -9 LG -2 LR ------ 88/169 ---- 4 sections, bombed 2nd lg (0/7), hardest LG ever
26 -- 04/07/10 ----- -2 LG -5 LR -5 LR -2 RC ------ 87/170 ---- 4 sections, LR holding me back this time
27 -- 04/08/10 ----- -2 LR -1 LG -4 RC -4 LR ------ 90/174 ---- 4 sections, 5 extra minutes on LG! Artificially high score
28 -- 04/09/10 ----- -3 LR -2 LG -2 LR -0 RC ------ 94/175 ---- untimed on 1st LR section, all else timed, 4 sections
SpA- 04/12/10 ----- -0 LR -2 RC -1 LG -1 LR ------ 97/177 ---- SuperPrep A, untimed LG, 4 sections
SpB- 04/13/10 ----- -5 LR -3 LG -3 RC -0 LR ------ 90/173 ---- SuperPrep B, untimed LG, 4 sections
SpC- 04/14/10 ----- -5 LG -2 LR -1 LR -1 RC ------ 92/174 ---- SuperPrep C, untimed LG, 4 sections
40 -- 04/15/10 ----- -2 LR -1 LG -1 LR -2 RC ------ 95/174 ---- 4 sections, fully timed
43 -- 04/17/10 ----- -1 RC -2 LR -2 LR -0 LG ------ 96/177 ---- 4 sections, fully timed
44 -- 04/19/10 ----- -2 RC -3 LR -1 LG -1 LR ------ 93/173 ---- 4 sections, fully timed
45 -- 04/20/10 ----- -1 LR -0 RC -0 LG -3 LR ------ 95/178 ---- 4 sections, fully timed (did a 5th afterwards from PT41.1)
46 -- 04/21/10 ----- -1 RC -1 LR -0 LR -0 LG ------ 97/179 ---- 5 sections (exp. PT41.2 as 3rd section)
39 -- 04/22/10 ----- -3 LG -3 LR -1 RC -3 LR ------ 91/172 ---- 5 sections (exp. PT41.3 as 3rd section)
42 -- 04/23/10 ----- -2 LG -2 LR -2 RC -1 LR ------ 94/174 ---- 5 sections (exp. PT41.4 as 2nd section)
41 -- 04/20-4/10 --- -3 LR -1 LG -0 LR -4 RC ------ 93/174 ---- used as experimental section for PT's
47 -- 04/27/10 ----- -3 LR -2 RC -1 LR -0 LG ------ 94/174 ----- 5 sections (exp. PT18.1 as 1st section)
48 -- 04/28/10 ----- -1 LR -0 LG -0 RC -1 LR ------ 99/178 ----- 5 sections (exp. PT18.2 as 3rd section) untimed LG
30 -- 04/29/10 ----- -0 LG -1 LR -2 RC -0 LR ------ 98/180 ----- 5 sections, 18.3 as 3rd experimental, re-used q's, e/x RC
Knockglock wrote:Definitely! A month is a lot of time, and if you can get your RC misses in half, you'll have a great score!nids333 wrote:Just took practice test 43 ( -9 RC, -5 LR, -0 LG 87/167)
I'm pretty disappointed about my reading comprehension score, my performance on this section is inconsistent.
We still have a month left, so hopefully I can improve significantly in that section.
Think a lot of it was I was just tired, took it at 11pm after a long day and as the 4th section. Still...I think it was good for me to get humbled like this, and never let me forget just what the LSAT can do when you don't focus 100%.No problem, happy to answer any questions people have.fascinating and great detail
couple of questions.:
1. how many hours a week do you / have you studied?
2. Do you work full-time?
3. When did you begin studying?
.knockglock wrote: Plenty of time. When I first started about 3 months ago (nearly exactly to the day) I couldn't do any of the logic games (not an exaggeration). Now i'm averaging about 175 on timed 5 section practice tests, topping out at a 179 (and two 178). If you're interested in seeing my progression, check out my profile and go to the link in my signature. Short story, I'm guessing I would probably have scored in the 150's when I first start (didn't take my diagnostic until I had finished the LG Bible), after taking a month to go through the LG Bible and the first couple chapters of the LR Bible scored a diagnostic score of 165. After 2 months, and finishing the majority of the LR bible, I was averaging probably around 170. Now after month three my last 10 timed PT's or so are at a 175 average (although only half of those are 5 sections). I also took nearly 2 weeks off for finals week and the first few days of spring break without doing much studying for the LSAT, if any at all.
So yes, 4 months is enough time if you work hard, spend enough time, and do lots of PT's. If I were to start again knowing what I now know, I wouldn't worry at all about the various classifications given in the LG Bible, and go through it much quicker. I only did about an hour a day or maybe a little bit more. It also took me about a month to work through the LR Bible, and I probably spent an hour to two hours working on it a day. I would go through the Bibles much faster, then start putting questions, sections, and tests under my belt.
No problem. We are in the same boat. I only know a person or two who is interested in grad school, mostly for my major but a couple for law school, and most of them aren't very serious about it. The people I know who are doing law school are shooting for a relatively low LSAT score, and aren't taking until October (the June LSAT is during my schools final week). This community has provided me a lot of information, support, and motivation, and I definitely want to be a contributor to those positive aspects of this site. ThanksThanks! I appreciate your support. I don't know anyone else taking the June LSAT, so this website/thread is motivating me. You're scores are great as well, and it seems like you have been putting forth a tremendous amount of effort.
I have the mind set right now that I might not be the smartest person taking the LSAT, but no one is going to out work me or study smarter than me! (I can be competitive at times so this helps me haha ). But still, we are all in this together, and we can do it! I have the mind set right now that I might not be the smartest person taking the LSAT, but no one is going to out work me or study smarter than me! (I can be competitive at times so this helps me haha ). But still, we are all in this together, and we can do it![/quote]
No problem! I can empathize, I feel the exact same way about LR as well. It feels like I take 2 steps forward, 1 step back, and I can't get consistent.LawLucy wrote:great tips. great words of advice. I don't know about anyone else, but it is refreshing to have someone be positive (not negative like some can be on this board) with encouragement. I have taken the GMAT and I can attest...the LSAT takes this to a whole new level. I am taking the LSAT in June and study 20-30 hours per week (with a full-time job)...not hitting where I want to be in LR and it is pissing me off.
I have stabilized at 171 for 7 tests now, with few spikes to 174, which is 4 points lower than your current trend and the reading comprehension is clearly the causal section (my LG is 0, LR is around -3). The scary part is I don't have any problem reading the passage, each passage takes me from 3.5 to 4 minutes. It's highly possible that I have problem retaining the information or retaining the information in a coherent fashion. I don't really have any good solutions figured out, but I decided to instead of just reviewing, I need to really take it down to pieces. Any other suggestions from you will be greatly appreciated, or any feeling during the RC, do you feel confident? how many questions that you feel the urge to circle it and come back later if you have more time?First, I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say that it is unlikely that people will score >3 points lower once you get to a certain level. Scores fluctuate big time, especially on the real thing.ocean wrote:hey, buddy, fantastic trend and I am certain you will get a great score in that range. One thing I realize after 2.5 months of preparation is that the test is remarkably designed, once you have reached a certain level, it's very unlikely you will score unreasonably (>3 points) lower.
English is not my first language (Chinese is). I am having trouble with reading comprehension, very unstable, I usually miss around 4, but occasionally I miss 7
Do you think the LR is actually getting easier? People keep saying both LR and RC are getting harder, but the only thing getting more difficult in my opinion is how the questions are asked in RC, the passages are not notably harder. The wording style in recent LR is different from earlier tests, the composition is more cleaner, if you know what I mean.
Anyways, one more month, best luck to you and everybody who are really chasing the dream.
Yes, there is uncertainty, but you have to treat it like it actually counts. It is definitely necessary to add an experimental so that you can build stamina. On test day you might be exhausted, because you've only taken four section tests..redsox wrote:Do you think adding a experimental section to practice tests is helpful, even when you obviously know which one it is? I feel like my only real issue with having one on the real thing will be the uncertainty.
Idk. I get better as I go on practice tests. I usually get the majority of my wrong answers on the first two sections. Not too worried about stamina.honestabe84 wrote:Yes, there is uncertainty, but you have to treat it like it actually counts. It is definitely necessary to add an experimental so that you can build stamina. On test day you might be exhausted, because you've only taken four section tests..
redsox wrote:Idk. I get better as I go on practice tests. I usually get the majority of my wrong answers on the first two sections. Not too worried about stamina.honestabe84 wrote:Yes, there is uncertainty, but you have to treat it like it actually counts. It is definitely necessary to add an experimental so that you can build stamina. On test day you might be exhausted, because you've only taken four section tests..
In my opinion, the 5th section doesn't really seem to affect my scores. But there are still a few reason why I've been doing 5 sections. Rhythm/focus is pretty important in the LSAT, and it's good to throw in a section from a different PT to mess and disrupt your rhythm. Especially if your experimental section is decently older than the PT you're taking. It also gets you comfortable with weird set ups, such as 3 LR sections in a row (which happened today), with taking 5 section tests in general, and with the 3 section, 15 min break, 2 section set up of the test. You also to see more material in your studies too. To a small extent too, I think the stamina benefits come into play as well. Overall, I would say it's probably worth it, but it's definitely not going to make or break your score.redsox wrote:Do you think adding a experimental section to practice tests is helpful, even when you obviously know which one it is? I feel like my only real issue with having one on the real thing will be the uncertainty.
Thank you for the kind wordshey, buddy, fantastic trend and I am certain you will get a great score in that range. One thing I realize after 2.5 months of preparation is that the test is remarkably designed, once you have reached a certain level, it's very unlikely you will score unreasonably (>3 points) lower.
English is not my first language (Chinese is). I am having trouble with reading comprehension, very unstable, I usually miss around 4, but occasionally I miss 7
Do you think the LR is actually getting easier? People keep saying both LR and RC are getting harder, but the only thing getting more difficult in my opinion is how the questions are asked in RC, the passages are not notably harder. The wording style in recent LR is different from earlier tests, the composition is more cleaner, if you know what I mean.
Anyways, one more month, best luck to you and everybody who are really chasing the dream.
With a month left, you can definitely make significant improvements and tackle the RC beast.Haha...well I'm a man on a missionjr1886 wrote:Knockglock, I been following your post lately and I admire you dedication to the LSAT. I thought i was too obsessed with preparing for this test, seeing how hard you been working i don't feel too bad.
I'm taking in October and i already finished both LR & LG bible. I'm now doing section by section practice of LR. In PT 25, I found the second LR to be considerably harder than the first one.Yet, Looking at your PT 25 results, it seems you had a good and balance performance on both sections. Can you tell me what question numbers did you miss if you don't mind in PT25. In PT 25 LR1 today, I missed questions 5,10,13,21 and in LR2 i missed 8,12,14,16,18,22,23,26.
And, how you go about it when you have a bad section like I did today?
. And I don't think you can be too obsessed with something this important.Hope this helps...I'd be glad to answer any more questions to the best of my ability. We're all in this together...we got to help and support each other!PT #25 Review
Section 1: -0 RC
Section 2: -2 LR
#10: Correct answer was E, I chose D. I circled this question as uncertain when I answered it.
Stimulus: Insects can see ultraviolet light and are known to identify important food sources and mating sites by sensing the characteristic patterns of ultraviolet light that these things reflect. Insects are also attracted to Glomosus spiderwebs, which reflect ultraviolet light. Thus, insects are probably attracted to these webs because of the specific patterns of ultraviolet light that these webs reflect.
Question Stem: Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument?
Incorrect answer:
D: When Drosophila fruit flies were placed before a Glomosus web and a synthetic web of similar pattern that also reflected ultraviolet light and both webs were illuminated with white light containing an ultraviolet component, many of the fruit flies flew to the Glomosus web. This answer is incorrect because, if true, this answer choice tells us that the fruit flies are attracted to the Glomosus web for reasons other than the ultraviolet light. Because both webs reflect ultraviolet light, that variable is held constant, and thus can not be responsible for why the fruit flies are attracted to the Glomosus web.
Correct answer:
E: When Drosophila fruit flies were placed before two Glomosus webs, one illuminated with white light containing an ultraviolet component and one illuminated with a white light without an ultraviolet component, the majority flew to the ultraviolet reflecting web. This is the correct answer because the argument concludes that the insects are probably attracted to these webs because of the ultraviolet light that these webs reflect. Since the webs were the same type, and only the variable of whether ultraviolet light was reflecting off the web, we know that that the ultraviolet light was the reason for why the fruit flies chose one web over another.
#25: Correct answer was D, I chose C.
Stimulus: Jack's aunt gave him her will, asking him to make it public when she died; he promised to do so. After her death, Jack looked at the will; it stipulated that all her money go to her friend George. Jack knew that if he made the will public, George would squander the money, benefiting neither George nor anyone else. Jack also knew that if he did not make the will public, the money would go to his own mother, who would use it to benefit herself and others, harming no one. After reflection, he decided not to make the will public.
Question stem: Which one of the following principles, if valid, would require Jack to act as he did in the situation described?
Incorrect answer:
C: One must choose an alternative that benefits some and harms no one over an alternative that harms some and benefits no one. This answer choice is incorrect because if Jack made the will public, there is no indication that it will harm some, it would just simply not benefit anyone else.
Correct answer:
D: When faced with alternatives it is obligatory to choose whichever one will benefit the greatest number of people. This answer choice is correct, because this principle, if valid, would require Jack to act as he did in this situation.
Section 3: -9 LG
Missed a key inference on game two, causing me to go 0/7, which was the numerical distribution. It either had to be 1-1-2-2 or 1-1-3-1.
#6: Correct answer is C. Because of numerical distribution, K and M can't both speak Russian.
#7: Correct answer was A. Numerical distribution again.
#8: Correct answer was B. Numerical distribution again.
#9: Correct answer was E. This answer comes as a byproduct of knowing about the numerical distribution.
#10: Correct answer was B. ND.
#11: Correct answer was E. Answer comes from the rule that is Klaus is assigned to Xerxes, then Michael speaks French.
#12: Correct answer was E, comes from the above rule.
Section 4: -2 LR
#11: Correct answer was D, I chose E. I also circled this one as uncertain during the test.
Stimulus: Taken together, some 2,000 stocks recommended on a popular television show over the course of the past 12 years by the show's guests, most of whom are successful consultants for multibillion-dollar stock portfolios, performed less successfully than the market as a whole for this 12-year period. So clearly, no one should ever follow any recommendations by these so-called experts.
Question stem: Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT:
Incorrect Answer:
E: The stock portfolios for which the guests were consultants performed better for the past 12-year period than the market as a whole. This answer is incorrect because this does indeed weaken the argument that no one should ever follow any recommendations by these so-called experts, by demonstrating that they are capable of choosing stocks that can perform better than the market as a whole. The correct answer needs to be neutral or strengthen the idea that no one should ever follow any recommendations by these so-called experts.
Correct Answer:
D: Performance of the stocks recommended on a television show was measured independently by a number of analysts, and the results of all the measurements concurred. This answer is correct because it is neutral to the argument that no one should follow any recommendations by these so-called experts.
#23: Correct answer was B, I chose D. I also circled this question as uncertain.
Stimulus: Only computer scientists understand the architecture of personal computers, and only those who understand the architecture of personal computers appreciate the advances in technology made in the last decade. It follows that only those who appreciate these advances are computer scientists.
Question stem: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning of the argument?
Premise 1: Only computer scientists understand the architecture of personal computers
(UAPC → CS)
Premise 2: Only those who understand the architecture of personal computers appreciate the advances in technology made in the last decade.
(AAT → UAPC → CS) Here is the flaw, just because they understand the architecture of personal computers (UAPC), and therefore are computer scientists (CS) doesn't mean they appreciate the advances in technology made in the last decade (AAT).
Conclusion: It follows that those who appreciate these advances are computer scientists.
(AAT → CS) FLAWED
Incorrect answer:
D: The premises of the argument are stated in such a way that they exclude the possibility of drawing any logical conclusion. This answer is incorrect, because you it is possible to draw at least 1 logical conclusion from the premises, such as SOME people who AAT are CS.
Correct answer:
B: The argument ignores the fact that some computer scientists may not appreciate the advances in technology made in the last decade. For reasons stated above.