June 2015 Re-Takers Study Thread Forum

santoki · Post by **santoki** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:21 pm

Post removed.

biggestlawman · Post by **biggestlawman** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:43 pm

santoki wrote:OP, we the people were wondering whether it would be possible to have a FUN poll happen ITT. we have been deprived of a "fun" poll for so long and can nary remember what it is like.

please and thank you.

-TLS nation

OP was last seen here on Sunday at 7:15 pm (HER time). OP has been absent today!!

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:55 pm

biggestlawman wrote:
santoki wrote:OP, we the people were wondering whether it would be possible to have a FUN poll happen ITT. we have been deprived of a "fun" poll for so long and can nary remember what it is like.
please and thank you.
-TLS nation
OP was last seen here on Sunday at 7:15 pm (HER time). OP has been absent today!!

Uhh..she posted ITT a few hours ago.

ilikebaseball · Post by **ilikebaseball** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:35 am

Rigo wrote:
ilikebaseball wrote:sup fam
Howdy. The chips falling into place for you?

I think so. Little debt is always nice

PeanutsNJam · Post by **PeanutsNJam** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 6:09 am

brusselsprouts wrote:shak v good job with this thread i love it

all she did was click new topic what are you talking about

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:00 am

Shakawkaw · Post by **Shakawkaw** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:40 am

Hi bbs, sorry I haven't been as active ITT. I'm in the process of moving out, so I promise to be more responsive, and hopefully helpful, soon!

Happy studying! Follow your dreams!

nlee10 · Post by **nlee10** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:24 pm

Just did my first timed section since the Feb test and went -0 on PT 39 LG!
For some odd reason I thought I only had 25 minutes per section and nearly freaked out when I was approach ~22 minutes. Then realized I had nearly 13 more minutes but I was already a third way into the last game at that point.

Blueprint Ben · Post by **Blueprint Ben** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:33 pm

zacboro wrote:Yeah, to be honest I never drilled. But before Feb I was going -0 in games, -2/3 in LR, and -5/6 in RC. I don't know how exactly to do RC, nor do I have the resources, and for LR the questions I get wrong are not always the same, so I don't think drilling will help there. I know my RC is bad, but I'm hoping it will just improve with the sections in the PTs. And yeah, burnout was what got me last time, I won't let it happen again, thanks for reminding me.

If you aren't drilling by type, you aren't studying for the LSAT. Seriously, it's massively important. More important than anything else you can possibly do to prepare for this test.

If you're having trouble with RC, drill RC like a madman. Drill every passage ever released, and then drill them all over again. -0 in RC isn't some mythical promised land. It's a reflection of how much you drill. The same is true for the other sections too. As a general rule, you get better at the LSAT through pattern recognition (slow drilling by question type at high volumes) and mental endurance training (drilling for long periods of time without stopping, taking full length or longer timed PTs).

For LR, it doesn't matter that the questions you miss are "not always the same." In fact, it's expected. The primary purpose of drilling isn't to learn tricks to help you with a select few question types. The point is to make your problem solving process consistent and automatic, across the board. So even if you always seem to get flaw questions right in PTs, you should still be drilling flaw questions. The goal is to be so automatic that you don't even have to think about them. If you're always doing mixed review under timed conditions, it will be much harder (if not impossible) to get to that point where you feel completely comfortable in your process. Switching back and forth between question types and trying to race the clock are terrible conditions to practice efficient process. You're more likely to cut corners and less likely to internalize patterns.

That's why I like to say that taking PTs and timed sections is not actual prep time. Your real prep time is the time you spend on drilling and review. That's when you're actually developing your skills and making progress.

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 3:35 pm

Blueprint Ben · Post by **Blueprint Ben** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 3:46 pm

zacboro wrote:Well BP Ben I hadn't thought of it that way. When I go back to my desk/schedule I'll make some adjustments to go with the advice. Much appreciated.

Happy to help! Let me know if you have any issues or questions along the way. The retake struggle is real; I know from experience. But keep on grinding and making adjustments, and you'll hit your target.

biggestlawman · Post by **biggestlawman** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:32 pm

BP Ben wrote:
zacboro wrote:Yeah, to be honest I never drilled. But before Feb I was going -0 in games, -2/3 in LR, and -5/6 in RC. I don't know how exactly to do RC, nor do I have the resources, and for LR the questions I get wrong are not always the same, so I don't think drilling will help there. I know my RC is bad, but I'm hoping it will just improve with the sections in the PTs. And yeah, burnout was what got me last time, I won't let it happen again, thanks for reminding me.
If you aren't drilling by type, you aren't studying for the LSAT. Seriously, it's massively important. More important than anything else you can possibly do to prepare for this test.

If you're having trouble with RC, drill RC like a madman. Drill every passage ever released, and then drill them all over again. -0 in RC isn't some mythical promised land. It's a reflection of how much you drill. The same is true for the other sections too. As a general rule, you get better at the LSAT through pattern recognition (slow drilling by question type at high volumes) and mental endurance training (drilling for long periods of time without stopping, taking full length or longer timed PTs).

For LR, it doesn't matter that the questions you miss are "not always the same." In fact, it's expected. The primary purpose of drilling isn't to learn tricks to help you with a select few question types. The point is to make your problem solving process consistent and automatic, across the board. So even if you always seem to get flaw questions right in PTs, you should still be drilling flaw questions. The goal is to be so automatic that you don't even have to think about them. If you're always doing mixed review under timed conditions, it will be much harder (if not impossible) to get to that point where you feel completely comfortable in your process. Switching back and forth between question types and trying to race the clock are terrible conditions to practice efficient process. You're more likely to cut corners and less likely to internalize patterns.

That's why I like to say that taking PTs and timed sections is not actual prep time. Your real prep time is the time you spend on drilling and review. That's when you're actually developing your skills and making progress.

I got 164 in June with the same prep, or lack thereof, as Zac's. BP Ben, Thanks so much for providing such a comprehensive context for drilling.

cheesy145 · Post by **cheesy145** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:46 pm

nlee10 wrote:Just did my first timed section since the Feb test and went -0 on PT 39 LG!
For some odd reason I thought I only had 25 minutes per section and nearly freaked out when I was approach ~22 minutes. Then realized I had nearly 13 more minutes but I was already a third way into the last game at that point.

Thats awesome congrats!

doctorofoz · Post by **doctorofoz** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:16 pm

Post removed.

biggestlawman · Post by **biggestlawman** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:18 pm

doctorofoz wrote:Checking in!

Feb 2015 was my first test, and I am hoping to get a couple more points this time around. But, I haven't looked at any LSAT materials since...

Please be more specific. ~~Do you think that we are a bunch of jokesters??~~

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:18 pm

doctorofoz wrote:Checking in!
Feb 2015 was my first test, and I am hoping to get a couple more points this time around. But, I haven't looked at any LSAT materials since...

Welcome! Definitely don't hesitate any longer. It gets harder and harder go pick it back up with each passing day.

Shakawkaw · Post by **Shakawkaw** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:01 pm

Happy April Fool's Day, friends! I hope you were all pranking your LG packets instead of the other way around!!

cheesy145 · Post by **cheesy145** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:46 pm

Just did my first blind review today. Did not do when I was studying for my first LSAT but I'm trying to incorporate it into my study routine now. I think my least favorite part is just waiting and being anxious to know what I got but the blind review helped because I corrected three wrong answers I had and didn't change any right ones!

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:47 pm

grantb134 wrote:Just did my first blind review today. Did not do when I was studying for my first LSAT but I'm trying to incorporate it into my study routine now. I think my least favorite part is just waiting and being anxious to know what I got but the blind review helped because I corrected three wrong answers I had and didn't change any right ones!

I need to do this too. I never have. Was always too tired and anxious to know my score.

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:48 pm

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 7:53 am

The Abyss · Post by **The Abyss** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:56 am

zacboro wrote:This post is mainly for BP Ben, but anyone can feel free to answer. How do I drill RC passages?

Yesterday was my first go at drilling RC, but I just went through them untimed and then reviewed after every 4 passages. Review included breaking down the passage's structure and going over the questions again with that breakdown in hand. You start to notice patterns after a little bit, and I've only scratched the surface of RC drilling.

cheesy145 · Post by **cheesy145** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:07 am

Rigo wrote:
grantb134 wrote:Just did my first blind review today. Did not do when I was studying for my first LSAT but I'm trying to incorporate it into my study routine now. I think my least favorite part is just waiting and being anxious to know what I got but the blind review helped because I corrected three wrong answers I had and didn't change any right ones!
I need to do this too. I never have. Was always too tired and anxious to know my score.

Yea I took the test one day and BRed the next as to not burn out. It didn't help with anxiousness though

JackelJ · Post by **JackelJ** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:11 am

The Abyss wrote:
zacboro wrote:This post is mainly for BP Ben, but anyone can feel free to answer. How do I drill RC passages?
Yesterday was my first go at drilling RC, but I just went through them untimed and then reviewed after every 4 passages. Review included breaking down the passage's structure and going over the questions again with that breakdown in hand. You start to notice patterns after a little bit, and I've only scratch the surface of RC drilling.

This is what I do. I'm a slow reader and have always had trouble with timing so I'm going to find one lucky person to time me as I drill a few passages and note how long I spend reading the passage and answering questions (im going to bake them cake in return). Hopefully that'll give me an idea of where should get faster.

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:12 am