The Official June 2014 Study Group Forum

[Straw_Mandible]

Does anybody know the earliest date that LSAC will allow us to register for June? I'd really like to have my choice of testing centers.

[famousblueraincoat]

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[birdlaw624]

Lurker since taking the Oct LSAT but I figured I'd check in.

I ended up with a 161 but I want to get in the 170s so that some T14s would be in reach (3.12 gpa). My breakdown was LG -4 (i was averaging around -1 to -3 on PTs) LR -13 (was averaging around -5 per section) and RC -9 (averaging around -6). I think some of my poor performance was due to the normal test day anxiety and bad circumstances (fire alarm went off in the middle of RC and a girl fainted in the middle of LR2) but mostly due to bad preparation. I studied for 2 months leading up to the test by going through MLSAT LR, PS LG and RC bibles and preptests 29-38 and 52-54. It was pretty disheartening when I started to explore the tls forums and saw all the resources and study plans available and how much time and effort other takers put into the lsat.

I bought the campbridge bundles and I'm going through MLSAT LR and drilling the corresponding section in the bundles throughout the week and then do the same thing for LG and RC. I'm zlso going to buy all preptests 40-70 and use them to PT on the weekends

I decided against retaking in dec because I wouldn't be able to put in enough prep to really be prepared so I'm going to try to do 3-4 hours of studying a day mon-fri and 4-5 hours sat and sun. I think I am going to try to prep as if I'm going to take the february lsat (I've come to terms with applying next cycle) and if I feel ready then I'll go ahead and take it then but if not then I can just take the june lsat. If you've got any additional advice/critiques then I'd love to hear them.

[10052014]

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[Hemenway]

About to drill Cambridge LR again using MLSAT and the LSAT Trainer...
Hopefully this will help me break out of my current plateau...

[10052014]

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[polyglotgenius]

All the emails from TTT schools have me so motivated. Somehow I got a fee waiver from Duke. Less surprisingly, Harvard invited me to apply (so they could take my money and laugh at my 160 LSAT -_-).

[vicpin5190]

I'm dumb.

[Straw_Mandible]

So with under 3 weeks to go, I think that my test endurance is decently high. I'm going to space out my last 3 PTs (68,69,70) over the course of the next 2 weeks. The focus this week will be one PT (on Friday) and the rest of the week either doing some drilling or doing timed sections of LR and RC.

Worst nightmare! Just thought I had somehow hibernated through all of winter and spring and only had three weeks to cram for June.

Haha good luck in December vicpin!

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 6&t=214336

[famousblueraincoat]

So I'm officially going to begin prepping for the June 2014 LSAT tomorrow. Should I bother taking a diagnostic? I took a semi-timed exam quite a while ago and scored 155. Is it necessary to know your strengths before beginning to prep or should I just dive right in to my bibles/drilling?

[Straw_Mandible]

So I'm officially going to begin prepping for the June 2014 LSAT tomorrow. Should I bother taking a diagnostic? I took a semi-timed exam quite a while ago and scored 155. Is it necessary to know your strengths before beginning to prep or should I just dive right in to my bibles/drilling?

It really couldn't hurt to take another diagnostic under timed conditions, but it will most likely tell you what you already know: that you are weaker than you would like to be in all requisite skill areas, and that you should begin studying. More than likely, your weaknesses are not isolated to just a few areas or question types yet, which means that a diagnostic will not be extremely valuable in guiding you through the initial phase of your study process. With that said, you should probably take one anyway. It will be a nice reminder of the (seemingly insurmountably steep) cliff that we are all so determined to climb.

[Hemenway]

So I'm officially going to begin prepping for the June 2014 LSAT tomorrow. Should I bother taking a diagnostic? I took a semi-timed exam quite a while ago and scored 155. Is it necessary to know your strengths before beginning to prep or should I just dive right in to my bibles/drilling?

It really couldn't hurt to take another diagnostic under timed conditions, but it will most likely tell you what you already know: that you are weaker than you would like to be in all requisite skill areas, and that you should begin studying. More than likely, your weaknesses are not isolated to just a few areas or question types yet, which means that a diagnostic will not be extremely valuable in guiding you through the initial phase of your study process. With that said, you should probably take one anyway. It will be a nice reminder of the (seemingly insurmountably steep) cliff that we are all so determined to climb.

+1

I would personally take another test after drilling Cambridge LR questions (at least Difficulty 1-3) and Cambridge LG (at least twice).

Doing all of that will probably get you to the 160+ range

[vicpin5190]

So with under 3 weeks to go, I think that my test endurance is decently high. I'm going to space out my last 3 PTs (68,69,70) over the course of the next 2 weeks. The focus this week will be one PT (on Friday) and the rest of the week either doing some drilling or doing timed sections of LR and RC.

Worst nightmare! Just thought I had somehow hibernated through all of winter and spring and only had three weeks to cram for June.

Haha good luck in December vicpin!

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 6&t=214336

Lol oops

[famousblueraincoat]

So I'm officially going to begin prepping for the June 2014 LSAT tomorrow. Should I bother taking a diagnostic? I took a semi-timed exam quite a while ago and scored 155. Is it necessary to know your strengths before beginning to prep or should I just dive right in to my bibles/drilling?

It really couldn't hurt to take another diagnostic under timed conditions, but it will most likely tell you what you already know: that you are weaker than you would like to be in all requisite skill areas, and that you should begin studying. More than likely, your weaknesses are not isolated to just a few areas or question types yet, which means that a diagnostic will not be extremely valuable in guiding you through the initial phase of your study process. With that said, you should probably take one anyway. It will be a nice reminder of the (seemingly insurmountably steep) cliff that we are all so determined to climb.

+1

I would personally take another test after drilling Cambridge LR questions (at least Difficulty 1-3) and Cambridge LG (at least twice).

Doing all of that will probably get you to the 160+ range

I'm going to hold you to that :p! Is buying that huge Cambridge packet worth it if I already have a few of the 10 more LSAT books and a few of the ones that were sold individually? I guess the draw with Cambridge is that they sort everything by type?

At work, can't seem to find it on their website. Also: looked in to the LSAT Trainer per a previous posts's recommendation, will be ordering it this evening

[Hemenway]

So I'm officially going to begin prepping for the June 2014 LSAT tomorrow. Should I bother taking a diagnostic? I took a semi-timed exam quite a while ago and scored 155. Is it necessary to know your strengths before beginning to prep or should I just dive right in to my bibles/drilling?

It really couldn't hurt to take another diagnostic under timed conditions, but it will most likely tell you what you already know: that you are weaker than you would like to be in all requisite skill areas, and that you should begin studying. More than likely, your weaknesses are not isolated to just a few areas or question types yet, which means that a diagnostic will not be extremely valuable in guiding you through the initial phase of your study process. With that said, you should probably take one anyway. It will be a nice reminder of the (seemingly insurmountably steep) cliff that we are all so determined to climb.

+1

I would personally take another test after drilling Cambridge LR questions (at least Difficulty 1-3) and Cambridge LG (at least twice).

Doing all of that will probably get you to the 160+ range

I'm going to hold you to that :p! Is buying that huge Cambridge packet worth it if I already have a few of the 10 more LSAT books and a few of the ones that were sold individually? I guess the draw with Cambridge is that they sort everything by type?

At work, can't seem to find it on their website. Also: looked in to the LSAT Trainer per a previous posts's recommendation, will be ordering it this evening

Cambridge drilling packets are mostly for convenience... they just sort out all of the LR problems from PTs 1-38 for you according to type and difficulty (which is nice).

If you already have PTs 1-38 then I suppose Cambridge isn't strictly necessary... but I personally think the convenience is well worth the $80.

Here's the link for Cambridge LR: http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... g-by-type/

(I think it's around $30 cheaper if you buy all of the packets together in a bundle.)

Also, the LSAT Trainer is phenomenal, especially the LR. Well worth the purchase!

[VMeyer4]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some feedback on my study plan for the June 2014 LSAT:

-MLSAT course (I like to have concepts explained to me verbally)
- I've been taking this course during my co-op, so I can usually get a decent portion of the hw done, haven't had much review time though
-After course until Winter break(November 26-December 13): Review old HW PTs (I've only done 2 including my diagnostic at this point), drill, do any unfinished HW
-Winter break (December 14-January 5): review completed hw(10 Real LSATs book(material from PT 41-50)), finish any hw from the course, drill games, missed LR, RC passages, take 1-2 PT per week and review PT(s)
-During semester(January 6-May 2): continue to review and drill old games, missed LR, RC passages (2 or 3 of each per week), 1-2 PT per week(1spread out over the week and/or 1 under actual conditions) and review PT(s)
-After semester(May 3-June 3):2 PT per week with review
-Week before test(June 4-June 7): 1 or 2 PT with review

Keep in mind I am trying to spread it out so I do not burn myself out too quickly.

[10052014]

.

[Hemenway]

Hey Hemenway (and others who have drilled LR before),

is it normal for me to struggle alot in LR? I keep getting some drill questions wrong in the LRB. (I have never looked at a lr question before)

After, I plan on reading mlsat lr and drilling, but compared to lg and rc (on which i have drilled and score quiet well) , these lr questions seem very different, and particularly difficult.-- Question: is this normal?

-thanks

I think it's normal for a lot of people to struggle a lot in LR.

I started my prep with -21 on LR combined.. after drilling Cambridge LR Levels 1-3, I was still at -10 on LR combined, unlike LG or even RC.

I honestly think that much of LR is getting used to recognizing patterns that come up in arguments and wrong answer choices (similar to LG), except that it takes a lot longer to do so compared to LG.

I also think there are a LOT more subtle differences between answer choices in LR (although new-ish RC has these as well).

I don't know how helpful drilling Cambridge LR twice will be, but I'll report back on this thread after I have done so.

[Hemenway]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some feedback on my study plan for the June 2014 LSAT:

-MLSAT course (I like to have concepts explained to me verbally)
- I've been taking this course during my co-op, so I can usually get a decent portion of the hw done, haven't had much review time though
-After course until Winter break(November 26-December 13): Review old HW PTs (I've only done 2 including my diagnostic at this point), drill, do any unfinished HW
-Winter break (December 14-January 5): review completed hw(10 Real LSATs book(material from PT 41-50)), finish any hw from the course, drill games, missed LR, RC passages, take 1-2 PT per week and review PT(s)
-During semester(January 6-May 2): continue to review and drill old games, missed LR, RC passages (2 or 3 of each per week), 1-2 PT per week(1spread out over the week and/or 1 under actual conditions) and review PT(s)
-After semester(May 3-June 3):2 PT per week with review
-Week before test(June 4-June 7): 1 or 2 PT with review

Keep in mind I am trying to spread it out so I do not burn myself out too quickly.

I haven't taken the Manhattan LSAT course so I don't know what the homework for that course is like.

Having said that, I recommend taking a good amount of time to drill Cambridge LR, LG, and RC (these are packets that arrange the questions in PTs 1-38 by type and difficulty) before you start taking practice tests.

I think building a strong foundation (160+) early on is absolutely crucial before you start taking full PTs (or even timed sections for that matter). Drilling Cambridge will help you build this foundation.

[10052014]

.

[VMeyer4]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some feedback on my study plan for the June 2014 LSAT:

-MLSAT course (I like to have concepts explained to me verbally)
- I've been taking this course during my co-op, so I can usually get a decent portion of the hw done, haven't had much review time though
-After course until Winter break(November 26-December 13): Review old HW PTs (I've only done 2 including my diagnostic at this point), drill, do any unfinished HW
-Winter break (December 14-January 5): review completed hw(10 Real LSATs book(material from PT 41-50)), finish any hw from the course, drill games, missed LR, RC passages, take 1-2 PT per week and review PT(s)
-During semester(January 6-May 2): continue to review and drill old games, missed LR, RC passages (2 or 3 of each per week), 1-2 PT per week(1spread out over the week and/or 1 under actual conditions) and review PT(s)
-After semester(May 3-June 3):2 PT per week with review
-Week before test(June 4-June 7): 1 or 2 PT with review

Keep in mind I am trying to spread it out so I do not burn myself out too quickly.

I haven't taken the Manhattan LSAT course so I don't know what the homework for that course is like.

Having said that, I recommend taking a good amount of time to drill Cambridge LR, LG, and RC (these are packets that arrange the questions in PTs 1-38 by type and difficulty) before you start taking practice tests.

I think building a strong foundation (160+) early on is absolutely crucial before you start taking full PTs (or even timed sections for that matter). Drilling Cambridge will help you build this foundation.

How about the MLSAT 10 Real LSATs Grouped by Question Type (PT 41-50)? I can see value in the LR packets, but is the RC packet helpful? LR and RC are 2 spots where I really need to improve (games I can do, I just need to work on timing). The MLSAT book I just mentioned doesn't group RC questions by type, it gives you a full-length section and you just do it, based on what you learned in class/the MLSAT RC Strategy Guide. My problem with RC is I've found a method that I understand, I just need to improve my speed with that method. Also, I just realized that our hw is drilling. I haven't ever been able to determine the true definition of drilling for some reason, but the way I see it, I will drill(unfortunately I have been trying to time myself while I drill so I have missed on average 25% of questions in LR, but as I go back over them slowly, I am seeing my mistakes), review, then try those problems again after a week or 2 off from those problems. Does that qualify as drilling? I do the same thing with games and RC. Seriously considering the LR packets though, kind of as a way to see if my drill, review, drill strategy is working. Thoughts, anyone? I'll take whatever feedback you guys can give me.

[Straw_Mandible]

Thanks,

also, do you actively look for causal, conditional, and formal logic while reading the stimulus?

Depends on the stimulus. If it contains conditionals or causal claims, you should obviously not ignore those reasoning relationships. Regarding the use of "formal logic"--which typically consists in breaking an argument down into symbolic sentences and stripping it of all content and context--this can occasionally be very useful (e.g., in parallel flaw questions), but most of the time it is unnecessarily time consuming and potentially misleading. Short answer: only diagram when you absolutely need to.

JL, if you're having any trouble at all with LR, then The LSAT Trainer would be a spectacularly good investment of your time and money.

[VMeyer4]

Here is a revised schedule, I may or may not get the Cambridge Packets as I have access to every PT (1-69) through MLSAT.
Let me know what you think everyone! Thank you!
Test Prep Schedule
After course:

11/26-12/13: Finish all incomplete HW from course, begin review of completed HW, including diagnostics
12/14-1/5: Retry already reviewed HW, finish review of old HW and PTs, retry HW, and begin taking 1 or 2 PT per week w/ review
1/6-5/2 (In class, 15 credits, Major: Bioengineering): Drill Cambridge Packets (LG from PT 21-40, LR from PT 1-40, RC from PT 21-40) and review, 1 or 2 PT per week w/review, with extra time review old MLSAT HW
5/3-6/3: 3 to 5 PT per week with review
6/3-6/7: 1 or 2 PT with review
6/8: Relax
6/9: Test Day

[Hemenway]

Hey Hemenway (and others who have drilled LR before),

is it normal for me to struggle alot in LR? I keep getting some drill questions wrong in the LRB. (I have never looked at a lr question before)

After, I plan on reading mlsat lr and drilling, but compared to lg and rc (on which i have drilled and score quiet well) , these lr questions seem very different, and particularly difficult.-- Question: is this normal?

-thanks

I think it's normal for a lot of people to struggle a lot in LR.

I started my prep with -21 on LR combined.. after drilling Cambridge LR Levels 1-3, I was still at -10 on LR combined, unlike LG or even RC.

I honestly think that much of LR is getting used to recognizing patterns that come up in arguments and wrong answer choices (similar to LG), except that it takes a lot longer to do so compared to LG.

I also think there are a LOT more subtle differences between answer choices in LR (although new-ish RC has these as well).

I don't know how helpful drilling Cambridge LR twice will be, but I'll report back on this thread after I have done so.

Thanks,

also, do you actively look for causal, conditional, and formal logic while reading the stimulus?

When I first started studying LR, I did.

After a while, I think you naturally begin to notice whether a question is causal/conditional, etc. without actively thinking about it because the same types of reasoning appear over and over again (kind of like learning to recognize what is important to highlight in RC passages).

[Hemenway]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some feedback on my study plan for the June 2014 LSAT:

-MLSAT course (I like to have concepts explained to me verbally)
- I've been taking this course during my co-op, so I can usually get a decent portion of the hw done, haven't had much review time though
-After course until Winter break(November 26-December 13): Review old HW PTs (I've only done 2 including my diagnostic at this point), drill, do any unfinished HW
-Winter break (December 14-January 5): review completed hw(10 Real LSATs book(material from PT 41-50)), finish any hw from the course, drill games, missed LR, RC passages, take 1-2 PT per week and review PT(s)
-During semester(January 6-May 2): continue to review and drill old games, missed LR, RC passages (2 or 3 of each per week), 1-2 PT per week(1spread out over the week and/or 1 under actual conditions) and review PT(s)
-After semester(May 3-June 3):2 PT per week with review
-Week before test(June 4-June 7): 1 or 2 PT with review

Keep in mind I am trying to spread it out so I do not burn myself out too quickly.

I haven't taken the Manhattan LSAT course so I don't know what the homework for that course is like.

Having said that, I recommend taking a good amount of time to drill Cambridge LR, LG, and RC (these are packets that arrange the questions in PTs 1-38 by type and difficulty) before you start taking practice tests.

I think building a strong foundation (160+) early on is absolutely crucial before you start taking full PTs (or even timed sections for that matter). Drilling Cambridge will help you build this foundation.

How about the MLSAT 10 Real LSATs Grouped by Question Type (PT 41-50)? I can see value in the LR packets, but is the RC packet helpful? LR and RC are 2 spots where I really need to improve (games I can do, I just need to work on timing). The MLSAT book I just mentioned doesn't group RC questions by type, it gives you a full-length section and you just do it, based on what you learned in class/the MLSAT RC Strategy Guide. My problem with RC is I've found a method that I understand, I just need to improve my speed with that method. Also, I just realized that our hw is drilling. I haven't ever been able to determine the true definition of drilling for some reason, but the way I see it, I will drill(unfortunately I have been trying to time myself while I drill so I have missed on average 25% of questions in LR, but as I go back over them slowly, I am seeing my mistakes), review, then try those problems again after a week or 2 off from those problems. Does that qualify as drilling? I do the same thing with games and RC. Seriously considering the LR packets though, kind of as a way to see if my drill, review, drill strategy is working. Thoughts, anyone? I'll take whatever feedback you guys can give me.

I would personally save PTs 41-50 to use as full-length tests first, as they are still fairly recent (maybe you can drill those PTs by question type after you take them as PTs?).

Also, Cambridge RC doesn't group questions by type; it groups individual passages (+ the questions that follow) by topic (natural science, humanities, social science, and law).

It sounds to me like what you are doing w/ LR qualifies as drilling (I assume that you are solving problems assorted by type). Just make sure that during your review, you can articulate why each particular answer choice is wrong or right, even for questions that you got correct.

Drilling RC was really helpful for me because a) it helped me recognize the different patterns of RC questions/become familiar with the four main types of RC passages; b) it helped me to build up stamina and focus; c) it helped me improve my timing a LOT.

I think timing was the main benefit that I received (on my diagnostic I didn't even have time to read the fourth passage; now I routinely have around 2-3 minutes left over after all 4 passages), though drilling also helped my accuracy.