Blueprint LSAT Prep's ongoing ask-an-instructor extravaganza Forum

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:06 am

josh321 wrote:Shinner I've also seen the phrase "~MTF" on the blueprint website, what type of question is that?

I think either you have a typo or we do - it should be ~MBF. Those are Must Be False questions with a little wiggle room, like a ~MBT.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:10 am

josh321 wrote:In a parallel and parallel flaw question is the phrase not all = some or does the terms have to be the same ? Like in PT 41 section 1 # 15 even though answer choice A & E are wrong they are very tempting. Thank you

Not all is equivalent to some don't, but they can phrase things to throw a wrench in that at times. A & E, however, have several other structural issues that make them incorrect - I'd go back and look at them to see why they shouldn't be tempting at all! Especially (E).

civis · Post by **civis** » Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:20 am

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:18 pm

civis wrote: Yesterday's exam didn't go terribly, but i'm preemptively looking at my options moving forward. I walked out of the test feeling kind of crappy but it might've just been the emotions riding high. Definitely did not feel as confident as usual.

Almost everyone feels terrible coming out of the test. I almost canceled my score.

I probably won't touch LSAT material for at least a week or two

Perfect step 1.

but I want to start laying down some framework for a mid October - December dash if need be.

Shoot me a PM with your last few PT scores and your target. The advice ranges wildly based on where you are and where you want to be.

drawstring · Post by **drawstring** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:25 am

Do you notice any patterns (e.g. hit their PT average) in the results of people who feel very confident following the test? I was a very nervous practice tester, often doubted my performance prior to marking, barely finished most sections and sometimes had to guess without seeing questions, but on test day I was super calm, had no problems with distraction, finished each section early and double checked harder questions, and came out feeling like I had my best performance yet.

jk148706 · Post by **jk148706** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:18 am

bp shinners wrote: Almost everyone feels terrible coming out of the test. I almost canceled my score.

Just curious BP, what were you thinking after your test? Where were you PTing and where did you end up (if you don't mind my asking)?

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:21 am

drawstring wrote:Do you notice any patterns (e.g. hit their PT average) in the results of people who feel very confident following the test? I was a very nervous practice tester, often doubted my performance prior to marking, barely finished most sections and sometimes had to guess without seeing questions, but on test day I was super calm, had no problems with distraction, finished each section early and double checked harder questions, and came out feeling like I had my best performance yet.

To paraphrase Mitch Hedberg, they either do really well, or really poorly, or just alright.

Seriously, though, people who feel confident coming out tend to be at or slightly above their PT average, but it's a weak correlation. I've had plenty of people feel confident, only to be many points below where they were practicing. I've had others who were confident end up at or above; this group is larger.

If you feel good, I'd say it's a good sign. Just don't get too cocky, kid*, because it makes it even worse if you end up in the less desirable category.

*Another quote, in case you think I was talking down to you.

And you can always check out Matt Riley's video on the subject on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkTQlzbTqTM

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:21 am

Post removed.

jk148706 · Post by **jk148706** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:23 am

Also, BP, I'm taking a week off after Saturday, but need to be prepared for a mid-Oct to Dec study session. My PTs were in the 172-178 range (a couple 180s, but they were retakes) Really I would be happy with a 170. I'm trying to figure out the best way to approach it. Any ideas?

jmjm · Post by **jmjm** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:34 pm

Hi bp, I exhausted RC from all PTs for Oct test but am retaking in Dec. Anywhere I can get fresh books/material or lsat-type passage and question combo to practice?

For LG I used the book ace-the-lsat that had made-up but more difficult questions by book authors than the lsat. I'd like something similar for RC if it exists. RC with fresh passages and questions combo similar to Lsat I think is necessary for me, even though I'll be redoing some RC from PTs.
Thanks in advance.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:27 am

PourMeTea wrote:In your experience, is it a good or bad sign if a student comes out of the test completely clueless about how it went? Like, if they have a generally bad feeling about it but can't specifically pinpoint what went wrong?

That's how most people feel about the test. It's how I felt coming out of mine!

Sit down and figure out worst case scenario for each section, based on how you did with timing and how many questions you struggled with. Then, compare that number to the last few score conversion charts. If you'd be distraught with the results, cancel. If you could live with them, keep it.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:29 am

jk148706 wrote:My PTs were in the 172-178 range (a couple 180s, but they were retakes) Any ideas?

Relax! If you're PTing in the 172-178 range, you're about as solid as you can get. Take PTs, review them, but mostly maintain. At this point, the worst thing you could do is overdo it and go into December feeling tired.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:33 am

jk148706 wrote:
bp shinners wrote: Almost everyone feels terrible coming out of the test. I almost canceled my score.
Just curious BP, what were you thinking after your test? Where were you PTing and where did you end up (if you don't mind my asking)?

I was PTing in the 172-174 range for about a week leading into my test. I don't know what happened, but the last 3 days all saw scores of 176-180. I attribute it to the gator meat I got with my uncle at a Cajun restaurant.

Right after the test, I felt awful. I was always rock-solid on LG, but I changed a few LG answers last minute (it was the light switch/circuit load game). The rest of the test I was okay with, except for one LR section, where I skipped at least 10 questions the first time through because they were, in my opinion, worded poorly. I left ready to cancel, as I was aiming for a 173+ and felt that the LR and LG killed that.

After talking with a few friends who also took it, I found out that the LR was the experimental. I went outside and literally flipped*. I was happy after that, but was still expecting a ~173 because that was about my average and I had issues with LG.

When I got my score back, I went crazy. I thought they'd messed up. I must have absolutely killed their numbers for that experimental LR section since there's no way I got more than 15 or 16 of them correct.

*Don't try this at home. I was a pretty successful gymnast back in the day, and still train on occasion.

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:34 am

Post removed.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:37 am

jmjm wrote:Hi bp, I exhausted RC from all PTs for Oct test but am retaking in Dec. Anywhere I can get fresh books/material or lsat-type passage and question combo to practice?

For LG I used the book ace-the-lsat that had made-up but more difficult questions by book authors than the lsat. I'd like something similar for RC if it exists. RC with fresh passages and questions combo similar to Lsat I think is necessary for me, even though I'll be redoing some RC from PTs.
Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't recommend that process for RC - well, I also wouldn't recommend it for LG. You don't want to practice on things that are made up, even if they are more difficult. Especially if they're more difficult. Why would you want to get used to something that's not representative? If you get used to LG being harder than they actually are (and phrased differently, etc...), you'll probably be looking for things that aren't there when you get to the actual exam. I'm not saying it's definitively going to lead to a poor score; just that it'd be easier to get to where you need to be without those made up games.

If you went through all the materials, then you really are out of materials. I've seen a few made up RC sections, and the one thing that is generally true of them is that they aren't very good. It's hard to:
1) Find an article like those that will appear on the LSAT (or write one...)
2) Edit it down in a similar manner
3) Write questions that reflect what the LSAT would ask
4) Write answer choices that are as precise

Too many places to go wrong. It's much better to go back over sections that you already did. Especially since RC is ALL pattern recognition (the pattern of what they ask), so seeing the passages a few times will help you see those patterns.

Hotguy · Post by **Hotguy** » Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:14 am

Hey BP, what's your take on 2 pts a day with review, about a month before the test?

Possibly 3.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:33 pm

Hotguy wrote:Hey BP, what's your take on 2 pts a day with review, about a month before the test?

Possibly 3.

It's what I did. I would strongly recommend against it. I was extremely burnt out and losing my mind by the time test day came around.

wtrc · Post by **wtrc** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:51 pm

bp shinners wrote:
Hotguy wrote:Hey BP, what's your take on 2 pts a day with review, about a month before the test?

Possibly 3.
It's what I did. I would strongly recommend against it. I was extremely burnt out and losing my mind by the time test day came around.

Wow. I can't imagine. Doing 1 to 3 a WEEK since 2011 (with a large break in 2012) killed me, I was at my breaking point by the time test day came around, if the test was a week later I totally would have burnt out.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:10 pm

wtrc wrote:
bp shinners wrote:
Hotguy wrote:Hey BP, what's your take on 2 pts a day with review, about a month before the test?

Possibly 3.
It's what I did. I would strongly recommend against it. I was extremely burnt out and losing my mind by the time test day came around.
Wow. I can't imagine. Doing 1 to 3 a WEEK since 2011 (with a large break in 2012) killed me, I was at my breaking point by the time test day came around, if the test was a week later I totally would have burnt out.

I was way past my breaking point...

Hotguy · Post by **Hotguy** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:14 pm

Live life dangerously...

I'm going to try.... For science.

Any tips o the sanity department?

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:17 pm

Hotguy wrote:Live life dangerously...

I'm going to try.... For science.

Any tips o the sanity department?

Have a way to, uhm....relieve stress.

Hotguy · Post by **Hotguy** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:18 pm

bp shinners wrote:
Hotguy wrote:Live life dangerously...

I'm going to try.... For science.

Any tips o the sanity department?
Have a way to, uhm....relieve stress.

bp shinners · Post by **bp shinners** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 3:58 pm

Let's get the December party started!

dreamofNYC · Post by **dreamofNYC** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:07 pm

Logical force in weaken / strengthen questions. In weaken / Strengthen questions does the correct answer choice "just enough" weaken or strengthen the conclusion, or also more than enough. i.e., use of can vs definitely, use of some vs. most, etc. Do you have some general pointers on that?

Here are some specific questions that I find play on the nuances of logical force (I am not sure whether I am posting too much LSAT content):

PT 53, Section 3, Q 9
Regular drinkers are more likely to develop kidney damage (correlation)
C: regular consumption can result in a heightened risk of kidney failure
Correct answer choice says *many* people who develop kidney damage due to drinking tea, also drink something else that causes kidney damage.

Also PT 53, Section 1, Q 3
P: Cats are genetically similar to humans.
C: Therefore *many* diseases that cats have in common with humans are genetically-based.
Weaken: *most* diseases that humans have in common with cats are not genetically based.

PT 55, Section 3, Q 14
An ancient stone building at the site was composed of a mix of stones
some buildings that were inhabitable were made of a type of material only
c: this ancient stone building (that is made of a mix of stones) was *probably* not inhabitable
strengthen: *most* that were not inhabitable were made of a mix of stones

Thank you!

dreamofNYC · Post by **dreamofNYC** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:14 pm

Does causation require the existence of a correlation? Meaning if I can only derive a causation from a correlation. In PT 53, Section 1, Q 8 the correct answer choice weakens the possibility that there is a correlation between nightlights during infancy and near-nearsightedness. So the conclusion says "if there is a causal connection, that connection disappears with age", and the correct answer choice disputes the likelihood of a correlation.

Is this the correct way to think about this question? Thanks so much.