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Here's where I plan on posting my analysis of test questions that troubled me.

Feel free to critique my analysis and to offer new explanations.

This thread is designed to accompany the OCTOBER 2012 Study Calendar -- http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=185841

This thread might not be overly useful to those not on this schedule.

PT 8 -- Section 4 -- LR

I missed three questions: 12, 13, and 17.

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Right now I'll just discuss 13 and then later hopefully come back and fill in the others.

The passage is about the qualifications of the dean of computing, primarily that he must have a doctorate, must be proficient with computers, and must be a current staff member of the university. The question stem asks which of the assumptions does the argument depend upon.

The wrong answer I put down is B. Kaplan gives an explanation which I didn't find helpful so here is my own: Saying that "all of this university's professors have obtained doctoral degrees" is not an assumption the passage even suggested. At most the passage assumed that all the professors from the computer science department have doctorates, which is what led me to pick B. However, "all of this university's" should have made it clear that this was incorrect.

The right answer is E because the dean "must be a professor from the university's staff" but not necessarily from the computer science department. I simply didn't consider E (at least seriously) because I had already sided with B.

Takeaway lesson: Pay more attention next time to totality modifiers like the word "all."

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For question 12 I incorrectly put down C.

First off, let's notice two things: a) the structure b) the argument in the passage is 100% logical.

Both C and D perfectly fit point 'a' -- the structure. This question was the one question on the test that got me completely flustered because of exactly this issue.

Yet, I didn't hone in to point 'b' -- the fact that the passage is 100% logical as a means of discriminating against choice C. A "reputation for getting assignments in on time" does not forcefully necessitate the conclusion of choice C.

Takeaway lesson: If the prompt is 100% logically compelling then the parallel argument must be 100% logically compelling.

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I could have avoided answering E to question 17 had I only read the choices more carefully. I didn't feel E fit the bill perfectly but at that point I had already thrown out the other choices. Choice A was a bit of a mind-twist but once I realized that choice E wasn't perfect I should have gone back.

Takeaway lesson: If a choice seems imperfect, take it as a cue to examine the answer choices or the question prompt more carefully.

PT 8 -- Section 3 -- RC

If anyone cares to help, I missed questions 10, 16, 18, and 20.

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Question 10 was a silly mistake. I thought I was looking for the difference between the theory of universality and exhaustion. This gave me a big headache because those two are extremely similar. Had I read the prompt again I would have noticed it is between territoriality and exhaustion.

Takeaway lesson: When you can't figure out the answer because none of the choices fit, make sure to reread the prompt (and question choices) again carefully.

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Would anyone care to explain clearly why the answer for question #16 is A or B? The author doesn't seem skeptical to me. He seems to be opposed. Second, saying that A should be eliminated because of the broader term "literary analysis" is not a good reason. Look at lines 10 through 12.

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Also, for question #18, do current tests test vocabulary like this one does? Had I known what "ostensible" means then perhaps I would have gotten this one. Context wasn't enough for me here. Just wondering if I have to focus on brushing up advanced vocabulary for the modern day test.

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Also, for question #20, why B or D? I actually picked B and then crossed it out and wrote D. I guess the reason not to pick D is due to the word "illustrates." The passage is not using Blassingame's argument to simply illustrate a traditional approach but rather to attack it. So the word "mistaken" is the key here -- i.e. choice B.

I have asked these elsewhere and I'll post it here if I hear back from another post.

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Edit~
Check out this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1#p5563171 for Dave's perspective. Keep scrolling down on that thread because there's some further discussion on these issues.

Though I could just email you, we might as well keep things lively here.

How did 8 PT LR section one go for you?

It was very humbling for me.

VariableChange wrote:Though I could just email you, we might as well keep things lively here.

How did 8 PT LR section one go for you?

It was very humbling for me.

Ha. I'm embarrassed over that one. Humbled also.

PT 9 -- Section 2 -- LR

Same -3.
I.e. 11, 15, and 25.

The problem with these is that I thought I nailed it. Perhaps someone knows why I'm wrong.

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Question 11
I wrote D which was incorrect. I acknowledge that D has its subtle issues but so does E.

How can you call a dinosaur a "phenomenon"? Or a reptile or bird for that matter? This is a serious concern.

This definition thing bugs me.

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Question 15:
A "presupposition" means according to Merriam Webster --
1 : to suppose beforehand
2 : to require as an antecedent in logic or fact
Lucien challenges a conclusion..! This is why I rejected this answer. I don't know why I am wrong.

On the other hand, D seems to work. D is quite confusing because of the pronoun "he" being used twice, and ambiguously at that. This is how I read D: "demonstrating that the evidence Maria offers (i.e. the scientific study) supports a conclusion other than the conclusion Lucien draws from it (i.e. Lucien's argument).

Looking back, I do see that my reasoning might actually be a bit flawed.

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Question 25:
Why is A the answer? I really don't get this one either. It seems irrelevant to me.

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On one hand it's good that I am not making silly mistakes. But, not understanding how I went wrong is a huge problem.

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Edit~
Check out this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1#p5563171 for Dave's perspective.

PT 9 -- Section 3 -- LG

-0

Did a little jiggle hahah.

Hey guys,

I just added the calendar and was wondering a couple of things. Do you all time these sections or complete them for accuracy in however long it takes? Also, do you do the sections in the order in which they're in the tests and skip the experimental or some other way?

This seems like an awesome plan. What are yalls goals for the test? I'd like to improve another 10 points from where I'm at so hopefully this does the trick!

helpplease wrote:Hey guys,

I just added the calendar and was wondering a couple of things. Do you all time these sections or complete them for accuracy in however long it takes? Also, do you do the sections in the order in which they're in the tests and skip the experimental or some other way?

This seems like an awesome plan. What are yalls goals for the test? I'd like to improve another 10 points from where I'm at so hopefully this does the trick!

Great question. I'm doing them untimed until I get 180 a couple times. This allows me to focus on my real weaknesses in answering these questions. A slower pace shows me where my thinking doesn't match the LSAT. If I took them timed I would attribute my mistakes in part to the time factor. At the same time, doing them untimed builds confidence and increases my speed. I already feel much more confident, am making less mistakes, and know that my timed tests will have improved once I am ready to go back to them. My approach is similar to Dave Hall's approach. http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 6&t=161914.

To note, I have taken about two timed PTs. My diagnostic, and test #7, and the first section of 8. My diagnostic I did quite well, but on test 7 I got flustered for certain sections and it was a flop.

My goal for the test is a 180. It gives me a straight shot at the schools I want to attend. The past two sections have been -0 and -1 so I am getting there. I think if you invest the effort you will be able to improve significantly -- others have done it, so can each one of us.

There is no experimental section for now. When I do them timed eventually the plan will be to add a fifth and sixth section. I have the first 6 tests to pull 'experimentals' from.

Lastly, I do skip around a little bit. For example, I am still waiting to hear back some explanations for questions that troubled me for RC PT#8, so I am holding off RC PT#9. I don't want to just repeat mistakes. I want to learn from my mistakes first.

PT 9 -- Section 4 -- LR

-1
I.e. question 19.

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Question 19
I wrote E. I don't think I properly considered A, but in hindsight A makes perfect sense. That said, E makes sense too. Anita does indeed make assumption E, just look at the true answer for question 18 to see that this is true. That is, Anita is pointing out to Marcus that there is a specific occurrence where Marcus' assertion is not adequate. To be properly countering Marcus, Anita would have to be assuming E; i.e. it must provide guidence in every case, and here's a case where it doesn't.

Not clear why E is wrong. Once I figure this out, I will post back.

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As an interesting tidbit as to why one should understand their mistakes before proceeding, it is worthwhile to point out that the one question in LR of section 2 that I couldn't figure out why I was wrong was an 'assumption' question (question 25). Question 19 in this section is also an assumption question.

In the LSAT world phenomenon just means "thing." That troubled me for a while too.

rglifberg wrote:In the LSAT world phenomenon just means "thing." That troubled me for a while too.

Yeah, in the regular world, too. Most common usage has become "an amazing thing", but the original meaning of the word was meant to refer to literally anything that can be perceived by the senses. Contrast with "noumenon", things not perceptible to the senses.

Long story short, if you think LSAT is using a word incorrectly, look it up. They're not.

suspicious android wrote:

rglifberg wrote:In the LSAT world phenomenon just means "thing." That troubled me for a while too.

Yeah, in the regular world, too. Most common usage has become "an amazing thing", but the original meaning of the word was meant to refer to literally anything that can be perceived by the senses. Contrast with "noumenon", things not perceptible to the senses.

Long story short, if you think LSAT is using a word incorrectly, look it up. They're not.

"Phenomenon" refers to abstract, non-material things. Such as a situation or fact.

For example, consider the COED:
<--- Concise Oxford English Dictionary --->
phenomenon
■ noun (plural phenomena)
a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause is in question.
Philosophy the object of a person's perception.
a remarkable person or thing.
C16: via late L. from Gk phainomenon 'thing appearing to view', based on phainein 'to show'.

That said, a dinosaur or bird or reptile is not an abstract thing, idea, fact, or situation.

PT 9 -- Section 1 -- RC

Just wanted to say that I decided not to wait any longer for answers to RC for PT 8 before finishing test 9.

I got -2 on RC. This puts the test at a 178.

I got questions 6 and 18 wrong but from Kaplan's explanations I understand the mistakes. However, I'm not completely comfortable with 18.

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Question 18:
I toyed with B and C for I'd say too much time, only to find out that D was the answer. Part of the reason I spent so much time is that B and C are remarkably similar. They only differ in strength. This perhaps should have lead me to take a step back and understand the correct implications of "mythology."

My incorrect understanding of mythology was that only important aspects of the culture would be mythologized. From that perspective, D did not seem like a valid answer.

Takeaway lesson: When two answers only differ in strength, and it is not clear from the passage that there is any difference in attitude, and the concept is also a bit foreign, reconsider if you understand the concept the way it is meant to be understood.

However, a case where I also struggled between two remarkably similar choices was question 16. Choices A and C are so similar. Bottom line, I don't have a great strategy (yet) for tackling extremely similar choices.

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Edit~
The posts at the bottom half of this page -- http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... &start=975 -- are highly relevant to great strategies for tackling similar answer choices.

deepblue wrote: "Phenomenon" refers to abstract, non-material things. Such as a situation or fact.

For example, consider the COED:
<--- Concise Oxford English Dictionary --->
phenomenon
■ noun (plural phenomena)
a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause is in question.
Philosophy the object of a person's perception.
a remarkable person or thing.
C16: via late L. from Gk phainomenon 'thing appearing to view', based on phainein 'to show'.

That said, a dinosaur or bird or reptile is not an abstract thing, idea, fact, or situation.

Uhm... You own citation contradicts your interpretation. The object of a person's perception is a thing perceived. Google or check Wikipedia, the explanation is pretty straightforward.

suspicious android wrote:

deepblue wrote: "Phenomenon" refers to abstract, non-material things. Such as a situation or fact.

For example, consider the COED:
<--- Concise Oxford English Dictionary --->
phenomenon
■ noun (plural phenomena)
a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause is in question.
Philosophy the object of a person's perception.
a remarkable person or thing.
C16: via late L. from Gk phainomenon 'thing appearing to view', based on phainein 'to show'.

That said, a dinosaur or bird or reptile is not an abstract thing, idea, fact, or situation.

Uhm... You own citation contradicts your interpretation. The object of a person's perception is a thing perceived. Google or check Wikipedia, the explanation is pretty straightforward.

Okay, I agree with you that "phenomenon" has that sense as well. Thanks for pointing this out.

PT10, Section 1, Logical Reasoning

-2 on this section, both flaw questions.

#13) I narrowed this one down to B & E and ended up picking E. I was a little suspicious of E because it says "any plan" but I felt like it attacked the reasoning more accurately. I guess I was looking for something to tie back to the "narrow partisan interests." Can yall help me out with this one?

#21) Narrowed this one down to A & B and picked A. "Little respect" to me seemed to coincide with subjective feelings. But is B correct because the conclusion is about foreign traditions as a whole rather than just poems?

helpplease wrote:PT10, Section 1, Logical Reasoning

-2 on this section, both flaw questions.

#13) I narrowed this one down to B & E and ended up picking E. I was a little suspicious of E because it says "any plan" but I felt like it attacked the reasoning more accurately. I guess I was looking for something to tie back to the "narrow partisan interests." Can yall help me out with this one?

#21) Narrowed this one down to A & B and picked A. "Little respect" to me seemed to coincide with subjective feelings. But is B correct because the conclusion is about foreign traditions as a whole rather than just poems?

Wish I could help you. I was planning on skipping 10 unfortunately. I know, it sucks. I'm in New Hampshire at my cousin's graduation so studying for this weekend has been basically shot.

That said, check this out -- http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... &start=975 -- and scroll nearly to the bottom where under 'part 8' Dave talks about 'flaw questions.'

Thanks for including that link! Quick question for you guys...how are yall doing on reading comp? It is by far the section I need the most improvement on. I just did PT 10 RC Section 3 and I missed 4 questions in total (3 coming from the science passage) which isn't horrible, but during timed tests I can't even get to the 4th passage. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

helpplease wrote:Thanks for including that link! Quick question for you guys...how are yall doing on reading comp? It is by far the section I need the most improvement on. I just did PT 10 RC Section 3 and I missed 4 questions in total (3 coming from the science passage) which isn't horrible, but during timed tests I can't even get to the 4th passage. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Missing 4 is okay. On test #8 I missed 4. Then test #9 I missed 2. I skipped test #10. But, for test #11 I'm hoping that I've improved further. I think you will too.

As far as not being able to finish the fourth passage under timed conditions...
This is my thinking which I think is more logic than conjecture:
a) If I am missing 4 untimed, what is the chance that I will score better than that timed?
b) If I can miss 0 untimed -- meaning that I am confident with my answer choices and am always on target -- won't that shave off plenty of time deliberating between answers on timed tests?
c) I am certain that you can read a passage carefully in under 4 minutes. Hell, some people can read them in 2. I think the majority of minutes get shaved away on those tough questions which you are unsure about. Become less unsure -> your test speed will increase.

Therefore, first focus on eliminating any uncertainty and deliberation which generally waste time on timed tests. Then you will not only increase your chances of getting more correct but you will have more time on the test to read those passages.

deepblue wrote:

helpplease wrote:Thanks for including that link! Quick question for you guys...how are yall doing on reading comp? It is by far the section I need the most improvement on. I just did PT 10 RC Section 3 and I missed 4 questions in total (3 coming from the science passage) which isn't horrible, but during timed tests I can't even get to the 4th passage. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Missing 4 is okay. On test #8 I missed 4. Then test #9 I missed 2. I skipped test #10. But, for test #11 I'm hoping that I've improved further. I think you will too.

As far as not being able to finish the fourth passage under timed conditions...
This is my thinking which I think is more logic than conjecture:
a) If I am missing 4 untimed, what is the chance that I will score better than that timed?
b) If I can miss 0 untimed -- meaning that I am confident with my answer choices and am always on target -- won't that shave off plenty of time deliberating between answers on timed tests?
c) I am certain that you can read a passage carefully in under 4 minutes. Hell, some people can read them in 2. I think the majority of minutes get shaved away on those tough questions which you are unsure about. Become less unsure -> your test speed will increase.

Therefore, first focus on eliminating any uncertainty and deliberation which generally waste time on timed tests. Then you will not only increase your chances of getting more correct but you will have more time on the test to read those passages.

Awesome, thanks for the encouragement! Just did PT 11 Section 1; all correct. Some of these games were a bit different. I enjoyed the last one.

helpplease wrote:

deepblue wrote:

helpplease wrote:Thanks for including that link! Quick question for you guys...how are yall doing on reading comp? It is by far the section I need the most improvement on. I just did PT 10 RC Section 3 and I missed 4 questions in total (3 coming from the science passage) which isn't horrible, but during timed tests I can't even get to the 4th passage. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Missing 4 is okay. On test #8 I missed 4. Then test #9 I missed 2. I skipped test #10. But, for test #11 I'm hoping that I've improved further. I think you will too.

As far as not being able to finish the fourth passage under timed conditions...
This is my thinking which I think is more logic than conjecture:
a) If I am missing 4 untimed, what is the chance that I will score better than that timed?
b) If I can miss 0 untimed -- meaning that I am confident with my answer choices and am always on target -- won't that shave off plenty of time deliberating between answers on timed tests?
c) I am certain that you can read a passage carefully in under 4 minutes. Hell, some people can read them in 2. I think the majority of minutes get shaved away on those tough questions which you are unsure about. Become less unsure -> your test speed will increase.

Therefore, first focus on eliminating any uncertainty and deliberation which generally waste time on timed tests. Then you will not only increase your chances of getting more correct but you will have more time on the test to read those passages.

Awesome, thanks for the encouragement! Just did PT 11 Section 1; all correct. Some of these games were a bit different. I enjoyed the last one.

Awesome job!

PT11, Section 1, Logic Games

I got number 18 wrong. It was a stupid mistake, kinda careless, I swapped the tenant group for the homeowner group. When I saw "homeowner" I thought that we were talking about the tenants. Fatal.

My takeaway lesson: Be extra careful reading/understanding the question stem.

PT 12, Section 1, Logical Reasoning (-4)
PT 12, Section 2, Logic Games (-0)

LR score is disappointing considering it's untimed. Although on each question I missed (10, 18, 22, 24) I narrowed them down to two answers (one of them ultimately being correct) and selected the wrong one. Have yall had trouble with this? I think i'm going to call it a night for practicing problems and read Dave Hall's approach on how to select when you're down to 2. How are things going with you guys?

helpplease wrote:PT 12, Section 1, Logical Reasoning (-4)
PT 12, Section 2, Logic Games (-0)

LR score is disappointing considering it's untimed. Although on each question I missed (10, 18, 22, 24) I narrowed them down to two answers (one of them ultimately being correct) and selected the wrong one. Have yall had trouble with this? I think i'm going to call it a night for practicing problems and read Dave Hall's approach on how to select when you're down to 2. How are things going with you guys?

Unfortunately, I am not gonna be studying much until July 7th. I am currently taking 2 summer classes and how it's going now, I'm gonna have to cut back on LSAT. After the 7th I am going to be gunning all the way to the end. Sorry for bailing, but hopefully I've helped a bit. Please keep me posted.

Deepblue where are you