Great LSAT Articles on TLS Forum

[Tangerine Gleam]

Hey LSAT-preppin' TLS users,

So much great information is shared in this forum on a daily basis, but many are unaware of the fantastic LSAT articles which are up on the static side of Top-Law-Schools.com. The LSAT section is currently under construction, but here are some highlights amongst the recently-published LSAT articles by high-scoring (175+) TLS users:

A Lesson in Conditional Reasoning
A 180-scoring TLS user (on his way to Yale Law School in the fall) explores conditional reasoning and its importance in LSAT success.

How I Scored a 180 - Article #1
How I Scored a 180 - Article #2
How I Scored a 180 - Article #3
How I Scored a 180 - Article #4

These four articles document the methods and study habits of four different TLS users who aced the LSAT.

Objection's LSAT Tips - "Main Point" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "Role" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "In/Out" Games
Objection's LSAT Tips - Multiple Group Games
"Objection", a TLS Forum user, wrote these articles describing his successful approaches to various Logical Reasoning and Logic Games question types.

How to Balance Your LSAT Prep with Work and School
LSAT Blog discusses how to balance LSAT prep with other obligations.

Princeton Review LSAT Promo Codes -- $250 discount
And finally, those of you interested in enrolling in the Princeton Review LSAT course can utilize these promo codes to receive a significant ($250) discount.

Good luck on the LSAT, everyone!

[doublefocus4]

Thanks

[thegrayman]

good stuff, thanks

[confusedlawyer]

Read the conditional article, I thought I was ready in every aspect, turns out I was wrong lol this really helped me I think the games section will be much better for me now

[Justiceinbrothel]

Hey LSAT-preppin' TLS users,

So much great information is shared in this forum on a daily basis, but many are unaware of the fantastic LSAT articles which are up on the static side of Top-Law-Schools.com. The LSAT section is currently under construction, but here are some highlights amongst the recently-published LSAT articles by high-scoring (175+) TLS users:

A Lesson in Conditional Reasoning
A 180-scoring TLS user (on his way to Yale Law School in the fall) explores conditional reasoning and its importance in LSAT success.

How I Scored a 180 - Article #1
How I Scored a 180 - Article #2
How I Scored a 180 - Article #3
These three articles document the methods and study habits of three different TLS users who aced the LSAT.

Objection's LSAT Tips - "Main Point" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "Role" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "In/Out" Games
Objection's LSAT Tips - Multiple Group Games
"Objection", a TLS Forum user, wrote these articles describing his successful approaches to various Logical Reasoning and Logic Games question types.

Princeton Review LSAT Promo Codes -- $250 discount
And finally, those of you interested in enrolling in the Princeton Review LSAT course can utilize these promo codes to receive a significant ($250) discount.

Good luck on the LSAT, everyone!

Those all articles are bullshit. You should trust yourself and look for realistic scores. Never google those stupid questions like "How to score 180 in LSAT" or something like that.

[rbhesser]

I disagree. I don't think the point of the articles at all is to guarantee 180s. Instead, they are lessons and advice for studying. A lot of people don't know how to study and reading articles like these help figure out what's best for them. Not everything is going to work for everybody, but knowing what is out there can help you make an educated decision. Just because it doesn't help you, doesn't mean it won't help someone else. Thanks for the articles TLS.

[downing]

Hey LSAT-preppin' TLS users,

So much great information is shared in this forum on a daily basis, but many are unaware of the fantastic LSAT articles which are up on the static side of Top-Law-Schools.com. The LSAT section is currently under construction, but here are some highlights amongst the recently-published LSAT articles by high-scoring (175+) TLS users:

A Lesson in Conditional Reasoning
A 180-scoring TLS user (on his way to Yale Law School in the fall) explores conditional reasoning and its importance in LSAT success.

How I Scored a 180 - Article #1
How I Scored a 180 - Article #2
How I Scored a 180 - Article #3
These three articles document the methods and study habits of three different TLS users who aced the LSAT.

Objection's LSAT Tips - "Main Point" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "Role" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "In/Out" Games
Objection's LSAT Tips - Multiple Group Games
"Objection", a TLS Forum user, wrote these articles describing his successful approaches to various Logical Reasoning and Logic Games question types.

Princeton Review LSAT Promo Codes -- $250 discount
And finally, those of you interested in enrolling in the Princeton Review LSAT course can utilize these promo codes to receive a significant ($250) discount.

Good luck on the LSAT, everyone!

Those all articles are bullshit. You should trust yourself and look for realistic scores. Never google those stupid questions like "How to score 180 in LSAT" or something like that.

It would definitely be a mistake to rely entirely on another person's habits without taking into account your own traits, tendencies, and whatever else it is that you are; but the above articles are useful as suggestions to complement your own study regimen.

[darkatillam2]

I'm pretty sure the article on the tips for Main Point questions is problematic.

The 3rd example problem is really fishy. His claim that answer choice A is incorrect because the stimulus makes no mentions of "dirt" is bogus.

It clearly states (twice in fact), that air purifiers trap allergens AND dirt. Anyone else notice this or am I crazy?

Here is the copy and paste part of the stimulus: "demonstrate that air purifiers remove some allergens and dirt from the air".


Whilst his reasoning for A being incorrect: "A – Incorrect. This is a trap answer. The test done shows that air purifiers eliminated allergens. It makes no mention of dirt. Regardless, this is not the point this argument is trying to show.

[D. H2Oman]

I'm pretty sure the article on the tips for Main Point questions is problematic.

The 3rd example problem is really fishy. His claim that answer choice A is incorrect because the stimulus makes no mentions of "dirt" is bogus.

It clearly states (twice in fact), that air purifiers trap allergens AND dirt. Anyone else notice this or am I crazy?

Here is the copy and paste part of the stimulus: "demonstrate that air purifiers remove some allergens and dirt from the air".


Whilst his reasoning for A being incorrect: "A – Incorrect. This is a trap answer. The test done shows that air purifiers eliminated allergens. It makes no mention of dirt. Regardless, this is not the point this argument is trying to show.

Yeah his explanation sucks.

[crumpetsandtea]

Excellent, thank you!

[preprobono]

.

[woodzcommaelle]

Thanks!

[09042014]

Taking tips from 180 scorers is a bad idea. I got a 176, and I couldn't teach anyone how to do it.

[Minesweeper]

Thank you for posting. Good advice!

[england07]

Thanks

[cany]

tag

[SarahKerrigan]

Taking tips from 180 scorers is a bad idea. I got a 176, and I couldn't teach anyone how to do it.

Well you are good at giving flaw examples ^_^

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

Hey LSAT-preppin' TLS users,

So much great information is shared in this forum on a daily basis, but many are unaware of the fantastic LSAT articles which are up on the static side of Top-Law-Schools.com. The LSAT section is currently under construction, but here are some highlights amongst the recently-published LSAT articles by high-scoring (175+) TLS users:

A Lesson in Conditional Reasoning
A 180-scoring TLS user (on his way to Yale Law School in the fall) explores conditional reasoning and its importance in LSAT success.

How I Scored a 180 - Article #1
How I Scored a 180 - Article #2
How I Scored a 180 - Article #3
These three articles document the methods and study habits of three different TLS users who aced the LSAT.

Objection's LSAT Tips - "Main Point" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "Role" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "In/Out" Games
Objection's LSAT Tips - Multiple Group Games
"Objection", a TLS Forum user, wrote these articles describing his successful approaches to various Logical Reasoning and Logic Games question types.

Princeton Review LSAT Promo Codes -- $250 discount
And finally, those of you interested in enrolling in the Princeton Review LSAT course can utilize these promo codes to receive a significant ($250) discount.

Good luck on the LSAT, everyone!

Those all articles are bullshit. You should trust yourself and look for realistic scores. Never google those stupid questions like "How to score 180 in LSAT" or something like that.

The critics reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it

A. takes for granted that because there is no proven causal relationship between one phenomenon and another, that the relationship doesn't exist.
B. relies on a lofty presumption in order to draw its conclusion.
C. ignores a premise in the arguments it attacks but then uses that premises to draw it's own conclusion.
D. presumes, without warrant, that because relying on articles to get a 180 will not help everyone, it will help no one.
E. does answer choices A-D.

[bruss]

Hey LSAT-preppin' TLS users,

So much great information is shared in this forum on a daily basis, but many are unaware of the fantastic LSAT articles which are up on the static side of Top-Law-Schools.com. The LSAT section is currently under construction, but here are some highlights amongst the recently-published LSAT articles by high-scoring (175+) TLS users:

A Lesson in Conditional Reasoning
A 180-scoring TLS user (on his way to Yale Law School in the fall) explores conditional reasoning and its importance in LSAT success.

How I Scored a 180 - Article #1
How I Scored a 180 - Article #2
How I Scored a 180 - Article #3
These three articles document the methods and study habits of three different TLS users who aced the LSAT.

Objection's LSAT Tips - "Main Point" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "Role" Questions (LR)
Objection's LSAT Tips - "In/Out" Games
Objection's LSAT Tips - Multiple Group Games
"Objection", a TLS Forum user, wrote these articles describing his successful approaches to various Logical Reasoning and Logic Games question types.

Princeton Review LSAT Promo Codes -- $250 discount
And finally, those of you interested in enrolling in the Princeton Review LSAT course can utilize these promo codes to receive a significant ($250) discount.

Good luck on the LSAT, everyone!

Those all articles are bullshit. You should trust yourself and look for realistic scores. Never google those stupid questions like "How to score 180 in LSAT" or something like that.

The critics reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it

A. takes for granted that because there is no proven causal relationship between one phenomenon and another, that the relationship doesn't exist.
B. relies on a lofty presumption in order to draw its conclusion.
C. ignores a premise in the arguments it attacks but then uses that premises to draw it's own conclusion.
D. presumes, without warrant, that because relying on articles to get a 180 will not help everyone, it will help no one.
E. does answer choices A-D.

LMFAO

[PreLawMentor.com]

Desert Fox raises a good point that many top scorers cannot teach others how to repeat their success; nonetheless, some 99th percentile scorers can. Downing and rbhesser's posts do provide important limits to following others' advice: you have to figure out what works for you specifically.

I have taught the LSATs for over half a decade at multiple companies which taught me that the fundamentals of solving LSAT problems are the same for everyone (e.g. the basic picture you draw for a logic game, the sequence in Logical Reasoning of reading the question before the stimulus, and the idea that you should take notes while you digest a Reading Comprehension passage). But the best ways to teach these fundamentals and the best ways for students to practice the same, varies with each student. In my book, SPAM REMOVED BY MODS I describe all the options for LSAT courses available today and explain what makes each LSAT company unique. Everyone is different and so your choice of LSAT company should factor in your study habits and challenges.

If you insist on studying on your own, I'll repeat what another poster said: analyzing your mistakes is the most important part. Students often make the mistake of taking practice tests one after the other, assuming more tests means higher scores. There are two huge problems with this: you tend to get sloppy if you do too many full tests in a row (and those sloppy habits stick around) and you don't give yourself enough time to review every mistake. The LSAT is the most predictable standardized test. I can tell you where the hardest questions will be placed, and the relative number of Strengthen the Argument questions versus Parallel Reasoning questions on any test. Thus, mistakes on practice tests are virtually guaranteed to be repeated on test day if you do not correct the problem. You should definitely learn strategies before barreling through questions, but beyond that I believe analyzing your mistakes is the most important part of LSAT prep (again, because the test is so predictable). Closer to test day, this is even more important because mistakes at the end of your study period are not the result of confusion of basic strategy. Presumably, you've learned that over your weeks or months of studying.

TIP: Teachers will tell you to analyze every single question and its explanation. The advice goes: you should understand why you got something right so you can repeat it, in addition to studying why you got others wrong. But all students are busy so most just analyze questions they got wrong. This strategy will miss huge opportunities to improve your score. Instead, try this: analyze all questions you get wrong thoroughly. In addition, create a symbol you'll write next to a question to signal that you were not 100% sure. Even better, use a "?" if you had no idea and just guessed and use a "*" to say you think you got right answer but weren't 100%. This way, you can analyze questions you got wrong PLUS all questions where you weren't sure. If you only review questions you got wrong, you're forgetting that you basically guessed on some; remember, the LSAT is repetitive so you'll probably have to guess on test day.

Follow this advice because it's much better than only reviewing wrong answers and it's faster than trying to review every single question. My partner (who was Yale's law career counselor for two years) and I co-authored SPAM REMOVED BY MODS.

Good Luck!

SPAM REMOVED BY MODS

[calvinlovehobbes]

Desert Fox raises a good point that many top scorers cannot teach others how to repeat their success; nonetheless, some 99th percentile scorers can. Downing and rbhesser's posts do provide important limits to following others' advice: you have to figure out what works for you specifically.

I have taught the LSATs for over half a decade at multiple companies which taught me that the fundamentals of solving LSAT problems are the same for everyone (e.g. the basic picture you draw for a logic game, the sequence in Logical Reasoning of reading the question before the stimulus, and the idea that you should take notes while you digest a Reading Comprehension passage). But the best ways to teach these fundamentals and the best ways for students to practice the same, varies with each student. In my book, SPAM REMOVED BY MODS I describe all the options for LSAT courses available today and explain what makes each LSAT company unique. Everyone is different and so your choice of LSAT company should factor in your study habits and challenges.

If you insist on studying on your own, I'll repeat what another poster said: analyzing your mistakes is the most important part. Students often make the mistake of taking practice tests one after the other, assuming more tests means higher scores. There are two huge problems with this: you tend to get sloppy if you do too many full tests in a row (and those sloppy habits stick around) and you don't give yourself enough time to review every mistake. The LSAT is the most predictable standardized test. I can tell you where the hardest questions will be placed, and the relative number of Strengthen the Argument questions versus Parallel Reasoning questions on any test. Thus, mistakes on practice tests are virtually guaranteed to be repeated on test day if you do not correct the problem. You should definitely learn strategies before barreling through questions, but beyond that I believe analyzing your mistakes is the most important part of LSAT prep (again, because the test is so predictable). Closer to test day, this is even more important because mistakes at the end of your study period are not the result of confusion of basic strategy. Presumably, you've learned that over your weeks or months of studying.

TIP: Teachers will tell you to analyze every single question and its explanation. The advice goes: you should understand why you got something right so you can repeat it, in addition to studying why you got others wrong. But all students are busy so most just analyze questions they got wrong. This strategy will miss huge opportunities to improve your score. Instead, try this: analyze all questions you get wrong thoroughly. In addition, create a symbol you'll write next to a question to signal that you were not 100% sure. Even better, use a "?" if you had no idea and just guessed and use a "*" to say you think you got right answer but weren't 100%. This way, you can analyze questions you got wrong PLUS all questions where you weren't sure. If you only review questions you got wrong, you're forgetting that you basically guessed on some; remember, the LSAT is repetitive so you'll probably have to guess on test day.

Follow this advice because it's much better than only reviewing wrong answers and it's faster than trying to review every single question. My partner (who was Yale's Law Career Counselor for two years) and I co-authored SPAM REMOVED BY MODS.

Good Luck!

SPAM REMOVED BY MODS

what happens during review/analysis when you can't figure out why you did something wrong or why the correct answer is...correct?

[PreLawMentor.com]

Desert Fox raises a good point that many top scorers cannot teach others how to repeat their success; nonetheless, some 99th percentile scorers can. Downing and rbhesser's posts do provide important limits to following others' advice: you have to figure out what works for you specifically.

I have taught the LSATs for over half a decade at multiple companies which taught me that the fundamentals of solving LSAT problems are the same for everyone (e.g. the basic picture you draw for a logic game, the sequence in Logical Reasoning of reading the question before the stimulus, and the idea that you should take notes while you digest a Reading Comprehension passage). But the best ways to teach these fundamentals and the best ways for students to practice the same, varies with each student. In my book, SPAM REMOVED BY MODS I describe all the options for LSAT courses available today and explain what makes each LSAT company unique. Everyone is different and so your choice of LSAT company should factor in your study habits and challenges.

If you insist on studying on your own, I'll repeat what another poster said: analyzing your mistakes is the most important part. Students often make the mistake of taking practice tests one after the other, assuming more tests means higher scores. There are two huge problems with this: you tend to get sloppy if you do too many full tests in a row (and those sloppy habits stick around) and you don't give yourself enough time to review every mistake. The LSAT is the most predictable standardized test. I can tell you where the hardest questions will be placed, and the relative number of Strengthen the Argument questions versus Parallel Reasoning questions on any test. Thus, mistakes on practice tests are virtually guaranteed to be repeated on test day if you do not correct the problem. You should definitely learn strategies before barreling through questions, but beyond that I believe analyzing your mistakes is the most important part of LSAT prep (again, because the test is so predictable). Closer to test day, this is even more important because mistakes at the end of your study period are not the result of confusion of basic strategy. Presumably, you've learned that over your weeks or months of studying.

TIP: Teachers will tell you to analyze every single question and its explanation. The advice goes: you should understand why you got something right so you can repeat it, in addition to studying why you got others wrong. But all students are busy so most just analyze questions they got wrong. This strategy will miss huge opportunities to improve your score. Instead, try this: analyze all questions you get wrong thoroughly. In addition, create a symbol you'll write next to a question to signal that you were not 100% sure. Even better, use a "?" if you had no idea and just guessed and use a "*" to say you think you got right answer but weren't 100%. This way, you can analyze questions you got wrong PLUS all questions where you weren't sure. If you only review questions you got wrong, you're forgetting that you basically guessed on some; remember, the LSAT is repetitive so you'll probably have to guess on test day.

Follow this advice because it's much better than only reviewing wrong answers and it's faster than trying to review every single question. My partner (who was Yale's Law Career Counselor for two years) and I co-authored SPAM REMOVED BY MODS.

Good Luck!

SPAM REMOVED BY MODS

what happens during review/analysis when you can't figure out why you did something wrong or why the correct answer is...correct?

Well, if you have a teacher/tutor, use that resource. If not, you're in a tough spot. Unfortunately, some explanations in even the best books are not that helpful. Moreover, some good explanations just don't help certain students even though they work for 80% of the class. There are a million reasons an explanation may work for 80% of the class but not for you. What can you do? Here are a few suggestions:

(1) Try to find out why all wrong answers are wrong. One some questions, especially toughest ones, it's very difficult to understand why the right answer is right, but it's not so difficult to find the problems with wrong answer, at least once you know which ones are wrong from looking at solutions. Using process of elimination is big on the LSAT and is sometimes the easiest method to get to the right answer. Note that the toughest questions are usually placed in the middle and late-middle of a Logical Reasoning section (tough questions can appear anywhere in Logic Games and Reading Comp.).

(2) Post the question and answer (preferably all the answers) on a blog and hope to get a better explanation. You might post the book's explanation too b/c someone can provide more useful advice if they see what you've already considered. There may actually be an error in the explanation which someone can point out.

(3) Leave the problem alone for at least a day and come back to it. Research proves there are huge benefits to giving a problem some space before returning (the same goes for writing). Basically, if you keep trying, without a break, your brain is stuck in a certain pattern of thinking. You must take a break from something for your brain to think outside your current pattern. Sometimes the answer will become clear with nothing more than a break of a day or two.

(4) Walk through the problem step-by-step and then try to predict the answer, without looking at the answer choices. (I realize you've already done the questions so it's a bit artificial to pretend you don't know the answers, but try.) Then, figure out how your predicted answer differs from the correct choice.

I hope this is helpful!

SPAM REMOVED BY MODS

[tracy77]

is this wrong?

"50. Assuming That If Each Member of a Group Could Possess a Certain Characteristic, Then It Is Possible That All of the Group’s Members Could Possess That Characteristic" (From Article 4 - A SLS Student's List of Possible Flaws).

[MikeTZ]

spam

[AndrewDean]

I disagree. I don't think the point of the articles at all is to guarantee 180s. Instead, they are lessons and advice for studying. A lot of people don't know how to study and reading articles like these help figure out what's best for them. Not everything is going to work for everybody, but knowing what is out there can help you make an educated decision. Just because it doesn't help you, doesn't mean it won't help someone else. Thanks for the articles TLS.

Agreed 100%. Let's face it - learning to be objective and that there are many levels to that "educated" decision is a part of the process.