October 2010 Test Prep Forum

[Sandro]

Taking PT 52 today probably. I utterly failed at taking PT 51 like I was supposed to yesterday (accidentally stopped the timer in RC and that screwed me up)

For 52 I will not:

Chug a 5 hr energy before the test
Go into the test cold (not having done any problems)
Keep making the same systematic mistakes of either not reading carefully enough, crossing out right answers just because how they are worded, or not identifying the premises/conclusion.

[gdane]

Taking PT 52 today probably. I utterly failed at taking PT 51 like I was supposed to yesterday (accidentally stopped the timer in RC and that screwed me up)

For 52 I will not:

Chug a 5 hr energy before the test
Go into the test cold (not having done any problems)
Keep making the same systematic mistakes of either not reading carefully enough, crossing out right answers just because how they are worded, or not identifying the premises/conclusion.

I agree with everything you said. I am very against taking these "energy boosters" prior to tests. Some people swear by them, but some of the ingredients in them (taurine, sucralose) can really screw you up.

As for your last problem, Ive personally fixed this and Ive seen my LR scores skyrocket. I found I made these mistakes because I was watching the clock too much. Once I stopped looking at the clock after every problem I was able to settle down and read everything carefully.

Good luck on 52!

[RFKScott]

Taking PT 52 today probably. I utterly failed at taking PT 51 like I was supposed to yesterday (accidentally stopped the timer in RC and that screwed me up)

For 52 I will not:

Chug a 5 hr energy before the test
Go into the test cold (not having done any problems)
Keep making the same systematic mistakes of either not reading carefully enough, crossing out right answers just because how they are worded, or not identifying the premises/conclusion.

How are you going about warming up? How close to the actual test are these warmups? I feel like Im one of those people that need a significant warmup prior to my PTs. If I get a RC or LR 1st section I score noticeably worse on it than later in the passage without fail. My LR2 always beats my LR1 by a decent margin. I dont really have a problem with games being in the 1st section though, I think it takes a little bit to get my brain into text processing mode under timed conditions.

[Adjudicator]

On "warming up,"

Recently I have began doing the LG section from the previous PT before I do each new PT, so in effect, it doubles as an experimental section and as review. It seems to really help me get my mind in gear. At least, I've done very well on the last two PTs since I've started this practice.

On another note, I love 5-Hour Energy!

[Classygal87]

PT 53 - 166

LR: -8
LG: -0
RC: -7 (wtf?)

Normally I only miss 4/5 on RC. RC is really messing me up and I have no idea how to improve it.
I've tried a bunch of different stuff. Anyone used the powerscore RC book? Wondering if it is any good.
Any advice on RC? (I know its the toughest section to improve).

[aesis]

On "warming up,"

Recently I have began doing the LG section from the previous PT before I do each new PT, so in effect, it doubles as an experimental section and as review. It seems to really help me get my mind in gear. At least, I've done very well on the last two PTs since I've started this practice.

On another note, I love 5-Hour Energy!

That's a great idea. Copping it.
I'm also throwing in an RC passage ripped from Kaplan Mastery for warm-up just to get into text processing mode. When I studied in undergrad it would take awhile to get into the "zone." I've been lazy and have only been doing 2 games for warm-up because doing more ends up being 30-40 minutes of time I don't have after work. Womp.

Anyone else getting up at 6:30am everyday for the next two weeks?

[Cromartie]

On "warming up,"

Recently I have began doing the LG section from the previous PT before I do each new PT, so in effect, it doubles as an experimental section and as review. It seems to really help me get my mind in gear. At least, I've done very well on the last two PTs since I've started this practice.

On another note, I love 5-Hour Energy!

That's a great idea. Copping it.
I'm also throwing in an RC passage ripped from Kaplan Mastery for warm-up just to get into text processing mode. When I studied in undergrad it would take awhile to get into the "zone." I've been lazy and have only been doing 2 games for warm-up because doing more ends up being 30-40 minutes of time I don't have after work. Womp.

Anyone else getting up at 6:30am everyday for the next two weeks?

LOL, I have to get up at 6 am everyday to make it to work on time.

[RFKScott]

On "warming up,"

Recently I have began doing the LG section from the previous PT before I do each new PT, so in effect, it doubles as an experimental section and as review. It seems to really help me get my mind in gear. At least, I've done very well on the last two PTs since I've started this practice.

On another note, I love 5-Hour Energy!

On test day, how do you think you will warmup? Will you do the warmup at home prior to leaving, in your car at the parking lot, or do some people (if allowed) warmup while waiting at the test center?

[Sandro]

I lied. I didnt warm up today cause I was too eager to just tear this PT apart

PT 52
LR -2
LG -3
LR -2
RC -4 (technically -5, but I mis bubbled because of an item removed from scoring... which I assume wouldnt be on the real lsat. I missed 2 main point questions out of 4, I ****** hate them because i always overthink them.)

88/169 highest PT ever. I will admit I might have gotten lucky with some guesses at the end of RC and LG though. But Im more excited by the fact I didnt run into too much of a timing problem, and actually had a couple mins at the end of LR to check. I think one of my problems i've been able to solve with LR is that I was used to tons of 20s and 30s LR - more convoluted some say. The recent LR is more cookie cutter and repeating of the same types of reasoning they want you to see.

[Sandro]

Anyone else getting up at 6:30am everyday for the next two weeks?

Trying to. Tried to get up around 8 or so today to start, didnt get up til 10 though I need to set multiple alarms all throughout the house I think. But I definitely didnt feel too much mental slowness today when I took my PT so i hope it stays that way the earlier I get up.

[3|ink]

I lied. I didnt warm up today cause I was too eager to just tear this PT apart

PT 52
LR -2
LG -3
LR -2
RC -4 (technically -5, but I mis bubbled because of an item removed from scoring... which I assume wouldnt be on the real lsat. I missed 2 main point questions out of 4, I ****** hate them because i always overthink them.)

88/169 highest PT ever. I will admit I might have gotten lucky with some guesses at the end of RC and LG though. But Im more excited by the fact I didnt run into too much of a timing problem, and actually had a couple mins at the end of LR to check. I think one of my problems i've been able to solve with LR is that I was used to tons of 20s and 30s LR - more convoluted some say. The recent LR is more cookie cutter and repeating of the same types of reasoning they want you to see.

Grats!

[gdane]

PT 53 - 166

LR: -8
LG: -0
RC: -7 (wtf?)

Normally I only miss 4/5 on RC. RC is really messing me up and I have no idea how to improve it.
I've tried a bunch of different stuff. Anyone used the powerscore RC book? Wondering if it is any good.
Any advice on RC? (I know its the toughest section to improve).

I did this one yesterday. My best PT ever. 164. Surprisingly enough my results very very similar to yours. RC does seem to be getting more difficult. The questions are very specific and require you to really get a grasp of what you read. No more being able to answer questions with a rough understanding of the passage. Sucks.

[3|ink]

On "warming up,"

Recently I have began doing the LG section from the previous PT before I do each new PT, so in effect, it doubles as an experimental section and as review. It seems to really help me get my mind in gear. At least, I've done very well on the last two PTs since I've started this practice.

On another note, I love 5-Hour Energy!

That's a great idea. Copping it.
I'm also throwing in an RC passage ripped from Kaplan Mastery for warm-up just to get into text processing mode. When I studied in undergrad it would take awhile to get into the "zone." I've been lazy and have only been doing 2 games for warm-up because doing more ends up being 30-40 minutes of time I don't have after work. Womp.

Anyone else getting up at 6:30am everyday for the next two weeks?

I wasn't, but I probably should. I just don't know what I'll do with myself getting up that early every morning. I don't have to be at work until 9, and my commute is only 15 minutes.

[Sandro]

I've also found that working through the answer choices with an eye towards ruling out bogus ones in the harder LR questions (10-20) works well because some of these stock wrong answers are just ridiculously wrong. There is merit to the strategy that if you can find 4 incorrect answers you have the right one...

[3|ink]

I've also found that working through the answer choices with an eye towards ruling out bogus ones in the harder LR questions (10-20) works well because some of these stock wrong answers are just ridiculously wrong. There is merit to the strategy that if you can find 4 incorrect answers you have the right one...

'EXCEPT' questions sometimes require this.

[Blumpbeef]

I did this one yesterday. My best PT ever. 164. Surprisingly enough my results very very similar to yours. RC does seem to be getting more difficult. The questions are very specific and require you to really get a grasp of what you read. No more being able to answer questions with a rough understanding of the passage. Sucks.

Yes, and I haven't found a strategy for these new ones. I finally started doing well on the old ones by learning to skim the passage quickly, but that is exactly what you shouldn't be doing now.

The comparative ones are the worst. If you skim both of them you will have no idea which is which by the end of it, and you basically have to reread each one to see who said what and who didn't.

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to answer questions about Passage A before going on to read Passage B?

[gdane]

I did this one yesterday. My best PT ever. 164. Surprisingly enough my results very very similar to yours. RC does seem to be getting more difficult. The questions are very specific and require you to really get a grasp of what you read. No more being able to answer questions with a rough understanding of the passage. Sucks.

Yes, and I haven't found a strategy for these new ones. I finally started doing well on the old ones by learning to skim the passage quickly, but that is exactly what you shouldn't be doing now.

The comparative ones are the worst. If you skim both of them you will have no idea which is which by the end of it, and you basically have to reread each one to see who said what and who didn't.

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to answer questions about Passage A before going on to read Passage B?

Comparative reading hasnt tripped me up as much as I though they would. However, Im spending/wasting a lot of time on them. I spen close to 12 minutes on it. Too much time.

A general strategy is to do the questions that correspond to one passage first. However, there arent many of these. LSAC's smart. They wont give you too many of these.

[sgtgrumbles]

Anyone else getting up at 6:30am everyday for the next two weeks?

LOL, I have to get up at 6 am everyday to make it to work on time.

Damn, that's rough. 10:00 AM start time and 20 minute commute FTW. But yes, I have been waking up earlier and earlier each week. I woke up at 7:00 AM every day this week and will do 6:30 next week. I'm still debating whether I want to jog before the test. If I do, I'll probably wake up at 6:00 that week to prepare me for waking up at 6:00 on test day. Alternately, I might just do a few push-ups in the morning on test day to get my blood flowing. I'll also rely on the invigoration of bicycling to the test center. (Yes, I'm serious. I bike to work every day and don't want to diverge from my everyday routine. The test center is even closer to home.)

[Hedwig]

Wow, I just wrote a whole paragraph and it got deleted by the evil library computer. Anyways, highlights -

PT 55. 96 raw, 177 scaled. -0LR, -2RC, -1LR, -1LG.

RC - Talk story passage didn't get me, two stupid mistakes on other questions.

LR - Starting to freeze over the easier questions, debating between two answer choices. I should not get #3 wrong and everything else right. Will work on this.

LG - First not -0 in awhile. Stupid mistake. I had the right answer circled, then erased and chose the wrong answer.

[northwood]

I must be odd... I find the RC in the 50's to be easier than before. I dont read, and after each paragraph jot down 2 shorthand dots about what I just read, then read the rest of the passage. after i finish jotting down some info next to each paragraph, i re read them all to help determine the overall main idea. Since ive done this, i finish each passage in about 4 mins. If there is a real key word or def, i circle it, or draw an arrow. then i hit the questions.

So far, I average -1 per passage, except for the last one i do ( I find myself rushing through the reading and answer choices for no good reason other than I know time is getting low- i make 2 0r 3 stupid mistakes.

On the other hand... when i do timed sections not knowing how long I have left set the timer for 33 minutes- i score about +19 or higher. WHen I know how long I have, I make at least 1 or 2 stupid mistakes... Must make sure to not clockwatch during the test...

As for the 5 hour energy drink... Im leery on doing that because processing in can take a while,( and you have to process in and out beofre section1 and with the break) and the timed instructions can take a while... so im afraid of the "crash" occuring during section 4 or 5...... therefore no drink for me

[2014]

About to do 58. I would rather do 51-57 first...but they are on my computer and I can't be bothered to go print at the library right now Leaves me with 58 as the earliest one I have in print from Amazon.

[Shammis]

.

[psychlaw]

Allergy Update: Took Zytrec at about 10pm and couldnt breath all night. I got up this morning to walk the dog; as soon as I went outside I sneezed 12 times in a row. I thought I was going to throw up.

Zrytec= epic fail

[northwood]

claradin D 24 hour ( take 2x a day) or CVS Cold/ sinus or CVS allergies medicine works fantastic for me. I have horrible allergies... take one of those ( I switch them up weekly) and within an hour i can actually breathe, and not have itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, or any thing else... just make sure to get the non drowsy ones

[Pleasye]

claradin D 24 hour ( take 2x a day) or CVS Cold/ sinus or CVS allergies medicine works fantastic for me. I have horrible allergies... take one of those ( I switch them up weekly) and within an hour i can actually breathe, and not have itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, or any thing else... just make sure to get the non drowsy ones

this would be very key. especially on test day.