Pithypike's Complete LSAT Study Guide Forum

[jepoy]

does anybody have experience with thisstudy guide and if so has it worked for you... thanks in advance

Definitely worked for me. I gained 8 points, but I think I will retake the LSAT to see if I can push through to the high 160s or low 170s.

[iheartkennypowers]

hey pithypike, thanks for the write up,

i just have a really quick question here regarding the constituents of the games practice. I looked at T14's game classification and in his intro he said that you include games from PT 7-45 in your guide, and i am just wondering if that includes tests 8 and 17?

i'm just wondering because i can't seem to find those two

thanks

[summit1218]

Is a year in advance too early to start working on achieving a killer lsat score?

jw

(taking it spring 2011 and want to start now.)

p.s. are there enough practice tests out there that I can be sure I won't run out of them?

[seaghost527]

I'm new here, so please don't bash me for not understanding.

I'm beginning LSAT prep and was a little confused about what the study plan for month 1 means:

Month 1:
LG: (# of game type through PT 44-Powerscore Classification)
Basic Linear - Balanced (23)
Basic Linear - Overloaded (5)
Basic Linear - Underfunded (5)
Advanced Linear - Balanced (25)
Advanced Linear - Overloaded (4)
Advanced Linear - Underfunded (7)
Write down the exact time and your score at the top of each LG. Push yourself to finish faster the next 2 times you complete that LG. DO NOT sacrifice speed for accuracy though.

LR:
Follow the guide set out above for these question types

Assumption
Strengthen/Weaken
Flaw

RC:
Complete all 10 RC sections from the first '10 LSAT' book (untimed)
Three-Day Cycle:
1) RC Section
2) Review
3) Review

Remember, you have to be focusing on developing your own method for identifying relevant sections of the passage. When reviewing wrong answers, focus on what referents or symbols would have helped you find the correct answer within the passage. When reviewing correct answers, look for what helped you pick that choice out and find out what strategies are effective. This is just as important as reviewing wrong answers.

At this end of this month take PrepTest 'A' from the SuperPrep series - timed. Review the test heavily and read the explanation for every single question, not just the ones you got wrong. Hearing it straight from the horse's mouth can often be very useful and helps you get in the test maker's head.

For example, for the LG aspect of the study plan, would it work like this:
Day 1 - complete three games of basic linear-balanced (should I time myself?). Then should I review them that same day?
Day 2 - complete the next three games of basic linear-balanced. review these?
etc. until the end of the month, completing all of the LG in the study guide (69 of them, I believe)

Then, for LR, how does it work? Where do I find the questions for this part? And how many do I do per day? And then do I review the questions immediately after I've completed them, or do I save that for another day? Do I work on LR and LG sections the same day, or devote different days to them?

And then for RC, what does it mean by completing one of the ten sections, then reviewing the next two days? Shouldn't you review a section immediately after completing it, so it's still fresh in your memory? When it says review, review, does that mean reviewing the same section that you completed 1 and 2 days prior? Does it really take 2 days to review the same section?

Sorry for the confusion! I'd really appreciate any help! What would a detailed example be of a study plan on a daily or weekly basis? And about how many hours should I devote per day? Should I do any full tests on the weekends? Thanks!

[wonderer]

Is a year in advance too early to start working on achieving a killer lsat score?

jw

(taking it spring 2011 and want to start now.)

p.s. are there enough practice tests out there that I can be sure I won't run out of them?

I plan to as well. I was told by my advisor and several others here it's not too early...

And there are enough, i.e. more than 50. You can find them on Amazon or the LSAC's website...

[Mallory7058]

I'm new here, so please don't bash me for not understanding.

I'm beginning LSAT prep and was a little confused about what the study plan for month 1 means:

Month 1:
LG: (# of game type through PT 44-Powerscore Classification)
Basic Linear - Balanced (23)
Basic Linear - Overloaded (5)
Basic Linear - Underfunded (5)
Advanced Linear - Balanced (25)
Advanced Linear - Overloaded (4)
Advanced Linear - Underfunded (7)
Write down the exact time and your score at the top of each LG. Push yourself to finish faster the next 2 times you complete that LG. DO NOT sacrifice speed for accuracy though.

LR:
Follow the guide set out above for these question types

Assumption
Strengthen/Weaken
Flaw

RC:
Complete all 10 RC sections from the first '10 LSAT' book (untimed)
Three-Day Cycle:
1) RC Section
2) Review
3) Review

Remember, you have to be focusing on developing your own method for identifying relevant sections of the passage. When reviewing wrong answers, focus on what referents or symbols would have helped you find the correct answer within the passage. When reviewing correct answers, look for what helped you pick that choice out and find out what strategies are effective. This is just as important as reviewing wrong answers.

At this end of this month take PrepTest 'A' from the SuperPrep series - timed. Review the test heavily and read the explanation for every single question, not just the ones you got wrong. Hearing it straight from the horse's mouth can often be very useful and helps you get in the test maker's head.

For example, for the LG aspect of the study plan, would it work like this:
Day 1 - complete three games of basic linear-balanced (should I time myself?). Then should I review them that same day?
Day 2 - complete the next three games of basic linear-balanced. review these?
etc. until the end of the month, completing all of the LG in the study guide (69 of them, I believe)

Then, for LR, how does it work? Where do I find the questions for this part? And how many do I do per day? And then do I review the questions immediately after I've completed them, or do I save that for another day? Do I work on LR and LG sections the same day, or devote different days to them?

And then for RC, what does it mean by completing one of the ten sections, then reviewing the next two days? Shouldn't you review a section immediately after completing it, so it's still fresh in your memory? When it says review, review, does that mean reviewing the same section that you completed 1 and 2 days prior? Does it really take 2 days to review the same section?

Sorry for the confusion! I'd really appreciate any help! What would a detailed example be of a study plan on a daily or weekly basis? And about how many hours should I devote per day? Should I do any full tests on the weekends? Thanks!

I've got all of the same questions as you... and I'm also looking to create a solid study plan but don't really know where to begin. This is what I've made of pithypike's ideas but feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken:

For LG, make 3 photocopies of every single game from every single preptest. I think what he is saying is to do (in addition to following the LG bible) about 6 games per day, 2-3 of them being new and 3 being repeats of games you've already done. At this point, you'd refer to the game types he has listed for 'Month 1' and do only those types. For 'Month 2' you would follow the same pattern but using the game types he has listed for that month, and likewise for 'Month 3.' Personally, I've got about 6 months so I plan to take his 'Month 1' games and divide them into two months, and likewise for months 2 and 3.

Same goes for LR.. except that you do 10 types of questions per day. He says to do up to 10 problems per day, so I'm assuming that you would go through the first '10 LSAT' book and get them from there. Make sure you do the LR sections in order in the first '10 LSAT' book so you don't get confused about which ones you have and haven't done.

For RC, you'll be devoting 3 days to each of the 10 sections in the first '10 LSAT' book (by this he means the entire RC section of ONE preptest from the book. the book contains 10 preptests, hence 10 RC sections). So, for example, you would do the RC section in the first preptest (which is preptest 7 in the first '10 LSAT' book) on day 1, and review your mistakes (as well as what you understood) on the two days following. I think he does it this way because doing a full RC section really burns you out so reviewing with a clear mind the next two days only makes sense. Since there are 10 preptests in the first LSAT book and you are devoting 3 days to each section, it will take you 1 month to complete and review the the RC sections in their entirety. And just a side note to answer your question, it's not that "it really takes that long to review a section," rather, you should devote that much time to properly review the section.

So, on a day-to-day basis, this is what you're studying would look like (Again, this is just my interpretation):

Day 1:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-1 entire RC section from the first prepetest in the '10 LSAT book'

Day 2:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 NEW LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-Review the RC section (I'd suggest taking this review day for questions you missed/got wrong/were difficult/etc.)

Day 3:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 NEW LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-Review the RC section (I'd suggest taking this review day to go over what you got right just so you understand why)

Continue this plan for 1 month, using pithypike's breakdown of LG game types and be sure to use only the first '10 LSAT' book as he has plans for the other two.

I hope this helps you. Feel free to pm me with any questions or I'll just be sure to check this thread again. As I mentioned, I, too, am looking for help in creating a solid study plan so anyone else with feedback/suggestions please feel free to post a reply or pm me.

Thanks!

[blackmamba76]

Thanks.

[TMT90]

Thanks for the guide pithypike, this seems very useful as I am just beginning my LSAT prep, aiming for the Oct 2010 or Dec 2010 LSAT - though preferably i'd rather take it in October to avoid meshing the LSAT with final exams. How crucial is the Kaplan Mastery book? The one on amazon is from 2009. Is this in fact the book everyone is talking about? I think references to this book earlier in this thread were for the 2006 book. If I buy it I want to make sure I buy the right book.

I just placed an order on amazon for LGB, LRB, and the PrepTest series plus I printed out the October 1996 & June 2007 exams from the lsac website and a practice from a sparknotes prep book I bought a while back (which I don't recommend, but is useful for the real LSAT questions it asks, including which PT). So I will have atleast 33 PTs to dissect and intensively study before I buy the individual PTs. Does it make sense to do this with the first 23 and save the rest for when I start simulating the LSAT experience and use the individual, more recent PTs as extra testing practice?

Also, would anyone be interested in being "study buddies" to keep in contact with via email, PM, IM, etc... I think it might be nice to help each other out when needed and to help keep our sanity! I don't know anyone else in person who is studying for the LSAT and nobody else wants to hear me talk about it.

[brickman]

I was unclear about what you meant by "(# of game type through PT 44)". Does this mean 7-44 based on the "10 PrepTest" books? I know it is a simple question, but it would help to know.


thanks

[seaghost527]

I've got all of the same questions as you... and I'm also looking to create a solid study plan but don't really know where to begin. This is what I've made of pithypike's ideas but feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken:

For LG, make 3 photocopies of every single game from every single preptest. I think what he is saying is to do (in addition to following the LG bible) about 6 games per day, 2-3 of them being new and 3 being repeats of games you've already done. At this point, you'd refer to the game types he has listed for 'Month 1' and do only those types. For 'Month 2' you would follow the same pattern but using the game types he has listed for that month, and likewise for 'Month 3.' Personally, I've got about 6 months so I plan to take his 'Month 1' games and divide them into two months, and likewise for months 2 and 3.

Same goes for LR.. except that you do 10 types of questions per day. He says to do up to 10 problems per day, so I'm assuming that you would go through the first '10 LSAT' book and get them from there. Make sure you do the LR sections in order in the first '10 LSAT' book so you don't get confused about which ones you have and haven't done.

For RC, you'll be devoting 3 days to each of the 10 sections in the first '10 LSAT' book (by this he means the entire RC section of ONE preptest from the book. the book contains 10 preptests, hence 10 RC sections). So, for example, you would do the RC section in the first preptest (which is preptest 7 in the first '10 LSAT' book) on day 1, and review your mistakes (as well as what you understood) on the two days following. I think he does it this way because doing a full RC section really burns you out so reviewing with a clear mind the next two days only makes sense. Since there are 10 preptests in the first LSAT book and you are devoting 3 days to each section, it will take you 1 month to complete and review the the RC sections in their entirety. And just a side note to answer your question, it's not that "it really takes that long to review a section," rather, you should devote that much time to properly review the section.

So, on a day-to-day basis, this is what you're studying would look like (Again, this is just my interpretation):

Day 1:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-1 entire RC section from the first prepetest in the '10 LSAT book'

Day 2:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 NEW LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-Review the RC section (I'd suggest taking this review day for questions you missed/got wrong/were difficult/etc.)

Day 3:
-6 LG problems (3 new & 3 repeats) followed by a review of these problems
-10 NEW LR problems from the '10 LSAT' book followed by a review of these problems
-Review the RC section (I'd suggest taking this review day to go over what you got right just so you understand why)

Continue this plan for 1 month, using pithypike's breakdown of LG game types and be sure to use only the first '10 LSAT' book as he has plans for the other two.

I hope this helps you. Feel free to pm me with any questions or I'll just be sure to check this thread again. As I mentioned, I, too, am looking for help in creating a solid study plan so anyone else with feedback/suggestions please feel free to post a reply or pm me.

Thanks!

Thank you!

I'm gonna spend the next 2 weeks reading the LG and LR Bibles, then begin this 3-month plan, even though I'm taking the test in October (currently 18 weeks away). I suppose I can use the final month for review and working on trouble spots and such.

[Eow]

Concerning RC, what are some good reading sources outside of practicing actual RC examples to prepare the RC section?

[MysticalWheel]

Concerning RC, what are some good reading sources outside of practicing actual RC examples to prepare the RC section?

Reading magazines like the Economist (or even some articles from the NY Times) is good supplemental study for the RC section.

[Player21]

Does it matter that I am using the 2006 Mastery Kaplan book, or should I update?

[LSAT Blog]

I'd argue that it's actually better to use an older version of the Mastery Practice book. The newer versions are more likely to contain questions from newer PrepTests, which you'll probably want to save for full-length timed practice exams closer to test date.

Whichever edition you use doesn't make a whole lot of difference, though, because the general idea is the same - you can use Mastery Practice to drill particular question-types, which is particularly useful for Logical Reasoning. The questions are also arranged in reverse chronological order, so you can avoid the newest questions no matter which edition you use.

Keep in mind, however, that Mastery Practice fails to make some important distinctions. It doesn't differentiate between "Must Be True" and "Most Strongly Supported" questions (it lumps them together under "Inference"), nor does it distinguish between "Necessary Assumption" and "Sufficient Assumption" questions (it lumps them together under "Assumption").

Let me know if you'd like details on the differences between these question-types.

[burtonrideclub]

Just wanted to thank Pithypike and this board for my 5 point increase on my retake. I didn't really need help on LR and RC, but his method for games (while a pain in the ass to set up) was huge for me.

[doug_7506]

RC:
Complete all 10 RC sections from the first '10 LSAT' book (untimed)
Three-Day Cycle:
1) RC Section
2) Review
3) Review

what are you guys doing on the two review days???

[apaint]

Can you purchase the 10 most recent preptests in some sort of package deal or do you have to pay $8 per test? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!!

[apaint]

RC:
Complete all 10 RC sections from the first '10 LSAT' book (untimed)
Three-Day Cycle:
1) RC Section
2) Review
3) Review

what are you guys doing on the two review days???

Complete an RC section on day 1 and then review that section on days 2 and 3. Going over right and wrong answers, writing out why they are right, why they are wrong, etc....

[Barack O'Clinton]

Hello all,

maybe I'm just being a NEWB, but I'm trying to do some extra games until my first "10 Actual Official LSATs" book gets here, and I'm wondering about the connection between Powerscore and Kaplan game classification terminology. For instance Is what Kaplan calls "Sequencing" what Powerscore calls "Linear" and are Kaplan "Matching Games" what Powerscore calls "Advanced Linear"? Also, Kaplan dvides grouping games into two different types ... does anyone know why Powerscore doesn't do so?

[doug_7506]

RC:
Complete all 10 RC sections from the first '10 LSAT' book (untimed)
Three-Day Cycle:
1) RC Section
2) Review
3) Review

what are you guys doing on the two review days???

Complete an RC section on day 1 and then review that section on days 2 and 3. Going over right and wrong answers, writing out why they are right, why they are wrong, etc....

thanks, thats pretty much what i thought. I have been doing half on the first review day and half on the second review day.

[Norlan]

Month 1:
LG: (# of game type through PT 44-Powerscore Classification)
Basic Linear - Balanced (23)
Basic Linear - Overloaded (5)
Basic Linear - Underfunded (5)
Advanced Linear - Balanced (25)
Advanced Linear - Overloaded (4)
Advanced Linear - Underfunded (7)
Write down the exact time and your score at the top of each LG. Push yourself to finish faster the next 2 times you complete that LG. DO NOT sacrifice speed for accuracy though.

Hi, I've bought the Logic Games Bible (the green cover), but there is something that I don't understand. Is "Basic Linear" = Ch.2 Linear Games? Where are all those "balanced", "overloaded", and "underfunded"? I'm confused...and I presume "Advanced Linear" = Ch.3 Advanced Linear Games?

[Anaconda]

Basic linear has only one row of constants (group 1, group 2, or class 1, class 2, etc) of "variables" (Gina, Hector or Woodpecker, Cardinal, etc) to plug in. Advanced has 2-3 separate rows for variables.

Overloaded means that there are more variables than groups (ex: 9 people for 5 days, so on at least one day there will have more than one person, and at least one day must have only one person).

Underfunded means that some variables must be used more than once. (ex: 3 people for 5 lessons) i.e., you don't have enough variables to fund the game, so you use 1+ more than once.

Rules, especially conditional statements will determine the game balance for a particular local question. It's very easy to tell what games are balanced, overloaded, or underfunded, simply by reading the first few sentences of the game setup.

BTW: all these things are described in detail in the book, don't get worked up over it if you don't understand it yet

Month 1:
LG: (# of game type through PT 44-Powerscore Classification)
Basic Linear - Balanced (23)
Basic Linear - Overloaded (5)
Basic Linear - Underfunded (5)
Advanced Linear - Balanced (25)
Advanced Linear - Overloaded (4)
Advanced Linear - Underfunded (7)
Write down the exact time and your score at the top of each LG. Push yourself to finish faster the next 2 times you complete that LG. DO NOT sacrifice speed for accuracy though.

Hi, I've bought the Logic Games Bible (the green cover), but there is something that I don't understand. Is "Basic Linear" = Ch.2 Linear Games? Where are all those "balanced", "overloaded", and "underfunded"? I'm confused...and I presume "Advanced Linear" = Ch.3 Advanced Linear Games?

[LSAT Blog]

Hello all,

maybe I'm just being a NEWB, but I'm trying to do some extra games until my first "10 Actual Official LSATs" book gets here, and I'm wondering about the connection between Powerscore and Kaplan game classification terminology. For instance Is what Kaplan calls "Sequencing" what Powerscore calls "Linear" and are Kaplan "Matching Games" what Powerscore calls "Advanced Linear"? Also, Kaplan dvides grouping games into two different types ... does anyone know why Powerscore doesn't do so?

Kaplan "Loose Sequencing" is Powerscore "Pure Sequencing"
Kaplan "Strict Sequencing" is Powerscore "Basic Linear"
Kaplan "Matching" is within Powerscore "Grouping"
Kaplan'"Hybrid" includes Powerscore "Advanced Linear"

Hope this helps.

You'd have to ask Powerscore about the reasons for their classification system

[cherryalamode]

hi all,

I'm following this for the October exam giving me three months... I have a question:

The logical reasoning bible places question types together weirdly. How did you guys handle that or how do you plan to handle it? Should I follow the bible in their chapter order or should I follow the pithypike method and do assumptions/flaws/strenthen/weaken questions first? I'd have to divide the chapters up though. For example, a chapter in the bible puts assumptions, justify and strengthen questions together.

Thanks!

[CalBear2011]

hi all,

I'm following this for the October exam giving me three months... I have a question:

The logical reasoning bible places question types together weirdly. How did you guys handle that or how do you plan to handle it? Should I follow the bible in their chapter order or should I follow the pithypike method and do assumptions/flaws/strenthen/weaken questions first? I'd have to divide the chapters up though. For example, a chapter in the bible puts assumptions, justify and strengthen questions together.

Thanks!

I followed pithypike's instruction to the letter for LG's and went from -20 (seriously I just didn't know what to do) to -1. However, for LR I went in the order of the LRB because things in later chapters build on concepts in previous chapters also their grouping of question types into families is pretty intuitive and thorough. Since going through it like I mentioned I went from an embarrassing -7 to -8 each LR section all the way to a -2 to -3 each section. Hope my experience helps a bit.