The Official September 2016 Study Group - WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS Forum

[Mikey]

This is totally something I need to work on. I sometimes get stuck on question 2-3 on LG sections and end up running out of time.

Thank you all.

ETA: Mikey & Protein shake you are very correct. This should be used in LR. It wasn't until I began doing this I could lower my misses from 7-8 down to 4-5

Yeah! For me in LG, for a while there were only 2 types of questions that would really eat up a lot of my time and make me run out of it. They were the must be true questions (if I DIDN'T solve for all possibilities beforehand), as well as questions that ask you to choose an answer choice that would substitute one of the original rules. I find those time consuming, although some may disagree, but for me those have always had me working on them for a bit longer than other questions.

[20170322]

So, on my PT yesterday, I averaged -1 across 3 of the sections, but went -5 on RC.


Any tips on how to improve? I normally think of reading as my best subject, but I keep getting destroyed by these.

[FischerTAH]

Just clocked in at 29 minutes for 5 games, -0 (had seen a few of them before).

Feeling ready for this PT tomorrow.

Shit man, you're a boss. I wish I was at your level haha

Also, do you mind me telling me where you get your drilling packets from? Are these the "questions by type" packets? I've been reading that those Cambridge Packets are no longer available, so I'm wondering if you have those or another type of drilling packet?

I use Cambridge packets. I would try to find a copy online (LEGALLY, OF COURSE, I WOULD NEVER SUGGEST DOING SOMETHING ILLEGAL)

I noticed that 7sage has a tool that can sort questions by type, difficulty, and section (https://7sage.com/question-bank/). Anyone see any issues with assembling my own "packets" from this resource, in lieu of getting a copy of the Cambridge?

As for studying with 7Sage, should I be drilling the types of questions at the end of each section? For example I do a section on Most Strongly Supported Questions and then drill MSS questions per the break down provided via link above.

Yes, if you can't get your hands on one of Cambridge's by type books, you can sort them using 7asage's question bank. It's what people usually use when they do that. Also, yes if you're doing 7sage's curriculum (which I'm guessing you're doing?), drill the question type after the lesson. Or if you use a book, then drill after the question type chapter.

Do you exhaust the entire packet of each question type after reviewing the sections, talking about LR? If so, do you revisit them later?

[Mikey]

Do you exhaust the entire packet of each question type after reviewing the sections, talking about LR? If so, do you revisit them later?

Personally, I didn't complete the entire section of the question type at once. I would save the harder ones for later on after I got the hang of doing that question type. I did however revisit some of those questions that I did before, mostly speaking about sufficient assumptions questions that require conditional logic, as well as MBT questions. There's some question types in the Cambridge books that have very few questions, such as Evaluation questions which in volume 2 from what I remember had like 5(?) or 6 questions only. Those I went through at once but I carefully did them since there were so few.

[Barack O'Drama]

So, on my PT yesterday, I averaged -1 across 3 of the sections, but went -5 on RC.


Any tips on how to improve? I normally think of reading as my best subject, but I keep getting destroyed by these.

https://7sage.com/lsat-reading-comprehe ... ry-method/

This 7Sage memory-method helped me improve a bit. If you've already tried that, then hmm....

One of my biggest problems is that I consider reading my strongest subject, and I think that when you are a strong reader, like yourself, it can be hard to change the way you read for the way the LSAT requires. I think my biggest problem, for example, is that I can't but help read for details. Even when I think I am reading for the structure and big picture it is like my subconscious brain keeps remembering dumb dates, facts, and figures that probably aren't important. I am hoping by drilling some later on in my study I can get away from the mentality of reading of which I am accustomed to that seems to be holding me back.

Have you drilled all the RC sections out of the Cambridge packets?

[20170322]

So, on my PT yesterday, I averaged -1 across 3 of the sections, but went -5 on RC.


Any tips on how to improve? I normally think of reading as my best subject, but I keep getting destroyed by these.

https://7sage.com/lsat-reading-comprehe ... ry-method/

This 7Sage memory-method helped me improve a bit. If you've already tried that, then hmm....

One of my biggest problems is that I consider reading my strongest subject, and I think that when you are a strong reader, like yourself, it can be hard to change the way you read for the way the LSAT requires. I think my biggest problem, for example, is that I can't but help read for details. Even when I think I am reading for the structure and big picture it is like my subconscious brain keeps remembering dumb dates, facts, and figures that probably aren't important. I am hoping by drilling some later on in my study I can get away from the mentality of reading of which I am accustomed to that seems to be holding me back.

Have you drilled all the RC sections out of the Cambridge packets?

No. Tbh, virtually all of my prep thus far has been full PT's or LG drilling. I'm going to take the next few days to read some RC strategy (thanks for the link), and then spend all of my drilling days doing 50% LG, 50% RC. Sort of glad I realized how weak this section was before September.

[20170322]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

[proteinshake]

has anyone who has read the open grouping chapter in Manhattan LG and drilled the Undetermined Assignment games in Cambridge notice that there are other game types in there? I'm having to read the scenario before actually doing the question to make sure its a game type I actually want to do.

[Alexandros]

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[Alexandros]

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[20170322]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

WHAT Oh nooooo
Could you get on a waitlist or something?
Either way, you'll be fine! don't let that phase you!

I'm considering just sucking it up. My campus is a big SEC school, and we have a football game that day, so it's prone to be super loud. Plus, I think seeing someone I know in the testing center would throw me off, especially if I don't like them. Also, an hour commute isn't THAT bad, certainly not warranting a hotel or anything like that.

[Alexandros]

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[34iplaw]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

WHAT Oh nooooo
Could you get on a waitlist or something?
Either way, you'll be fine! don't let that phase you!

I'm considering just sucking it up. My campus is a big SEC school, and we have a football game that day, so it's prone to be super loud. Plus, I think seeing someone I know in the testing center would throw me off, especially if I don't like them. Also, an hour commute isn't THAT bad, certainly not warranting a hotel or anything like that.

Ah - sorry, that sucks man. You should check this out [as everyone else should]... definitely not infallible, but it is better than having no info!

https://blueprintlsat.com/lsatblog/lsat ... g-centers/

I think there's a wiki too.

As for me, first Testmasters class today. Took my first true diagnostic which was relatively disheartening. I should have taken the test more seriously or aggressively, as in I should have actively employed testing strategies rather than sort of just going through it and I should have used my time more effectively.. It was definitely a good experience, and I'll make sure to attack the next diagnostic more like a real test. I don't think it is a gross under representation of my current ability, but I do think I could have easily scored another few points if I was more ready or focused. It is good that the TestMasters tests have a 5th section in the diagnostics.... which...in mine I got trucked. I'm really not sure why... lots of sucker answers it looks like.

That said...

1st: June 2007 [original, not timed]: 167 [forget exact but was like -3LRx2; -2RC; -5 or something LG]

2nd: December 2010 [timed, proctored, shitty small desk]: 163

Section 1 [RC]: 22/27 correct; finished ~5 minutes early, went back to check #2, and picked the right one with 3-4 minutes remaining.

Section 2 [LR]: 19/26; I knew this section did not go well. I did not feel particularly rushed, but I didn't feel particularly comfortable.

Section 3 [Experimental RC]

Section 4 [LG]: 17/23; lower than I'd like, but I'm kind of OKAY with it. Out of the linear questions [which is all that I have done in regards to drilling] I was OK on timing for the two games I understood and went 10/11 on those two. I got really screwed up, as I made an incorrect inference on the second game.

Section 5 [LR]: 20/26; I didn't feel as bad about this as section 2, but apparently it didn't matter as much.

I'm kind of shocked that you can miss 24 questions and still score a 163 /88%. I'm going to do the games now and sort of kick myself.

[20170322]

Officially registered for the LSAT! Think I'm going to do a dry run of the test the Saturday before, waking up at 5, driving to the test center, maybe even finding a library near the campus to take the test. Want to make sure nothing messes me up the day of.

[Doubting Law]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

You should consider getting a hotel room closer to your testing center. That's what I'm doing, and my testing center is only 17 miles away (rush-hour traffic around DC is horrible).

[20170322]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

You should consider getting a hotel room closer to your testing center. That's what I'm doing, and my testing center is only 17 miles away (rush-hour traffic around DC is horrible).

I mean, I want to wake up around 4am anyways so my mind is fully awake, so I don't think it makes sense to get a hotel for a 1 hour drive.

[34iplaw]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

You should consider getting a hotel room closer to your testing center. That's what I'm doing, and my testing center is only 17 miles away (rush-hour traffic around DC is horrible).

I mean, I want to wake up around 4am anyways so my mind is fully awake, so I don't think it makes sense to get a hotel for a 1 hour drive.

I'm not sure about 4, but I definitely think it is a good idea to get up early. I may also get a question pack or just some easier games that won't mess up my mind, but it will also get my LG flexed for the day.

I noticed when I took my diagnostic today that I was sort of overwhelmed of what to employ... I definitely get into a LG 'rhythm' the more I do in one sitting.

BR'd 100% on games from diagnostic today with 100% confidence and realized mistakes... I had a O-not -> P; P-not -> O, and made the stupid mistake of thinking of it as O/P rather than O/P/O&P. Really stupid silly mistake, and, while I realized it a few questions in given a question where O/P/X/X was in the prompt, it just really messed me up mentally.

[20170322]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

You should consider getting a hotel room closer to your testing center. That's what I'm doing, and my testing center is only 17 miles away (rush-hour traffic around DC is horrible).

I mean, I want to wake up around 4am anyways so my mind is fully awake, so I don't think it makes sense to get a hotel for a 1 hour drive.

I'm not sure about 4, but I definitely think it is a good idea to get up early. I may also get a question pack or just some easier games that won't mess up my mind, but it will also get my LG flexed for the day.

I noticed when I took my diagnostic today that I was sort of overwhelmed of what to employ... I definitely get into a LG 'rhythm' the more I do in one sitting.

I've been waking up at 5am over the summer, so 4am won't be that big of a shift.

Yeah, it definitely changes your groove to do 4 in a row vs. 1. That's why I try to drill in packets of 4/5 for RC/LG

[34iplaw]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I wanted to wait until I had 2 PT's above my goal (172) before I registered for the LSAT. So, I log on today to register... AND MY TEST SITE IS FULL! The closest one is roughly one hour away, meaning I'd need to leave around 6am. whyyyyyyyyyyyy

You should consider getting a hotel room closer to your testing center. That's what I'm doing, and my testing center is only 17 miles away (rush-hour traffic around DC is horrible).

I mean, I want to wake up around 4am anyways so my mind is fully awake, so I don't think it makes sense to get a hotel for a 1 hour drive.

I'm not sure about 4, but I definitely think it is a good idea to get up early. I may also get a question pack or just some easier games that won't mess up my mind, but it will also get my LG flexed for the day.

I noticed when I took my diagnostic today that I was sort of overwhelmed of what to employ... I definitely get into a LG 'rhythm' the more I do in one sitting.

I've been waking up at 5am over the summer, so 4am won't be that big of a shift.

Yeah, it definitely changes your groove to do 4 in a row vs. 1. That's why I try to drill in packets of 4/5 for RC/LG

Yeah for sure... as long as you're good with it, but I think the general idea of giving the mind time to wake up is a great idea.

I'm going to adopt a test day ritual that I use for the remainder of my Testmasters in class diagnostics. Those are at 10AM rather than 8:30AM which is a bit annoying, but not a huge deal IMO. I'll set alarm for four hours before test, inevitably roll around in bed for a half hour, do a game or two, go to get breakfast, do some games where I get breakfast, and get to the center a bit early. I'll work out the actual time then. I'm really certain at this point that I will break 170, but my problem is that, given a 3.4, a 170 is *drastically* different from a 172 or 174.

I think I'm going to do that for all of my remaining TestMasters Diagnostics. Granted, they're at 10AM rather than 8:30AM, so, what I think I'll do, is wake up around 7:00, do a quick linear or two, get breakfast, drive over [classes are farther than the test], do some more games while I wait.

Finished BRing games from that test. Games on that test seemed pretty easy... no reason to be more than -1 or -2 on it at absolute worst. I'm going to grab some food and last minute stuff for the padre's day. Then I'll do the passages...definitely going to BR that experimental section...they used it in December 2012, and it would have demolished my score in one swoop.

[CoGar]

I see The LSAT Trainer talked about quite a bit on here. It must be a relatively new book I suppose.. What is the buzz surrounding it, would you all recommend it?

[20170322]

Y'all, Orange is the New Black is giving me life.

[Barack O'Drama]

I see The LSAT Trainer talked about quite a bit on here. It must be a relatively new book I suppose.. What is the buzz surrounding it, would you all recommend it?

I would 100% recommend it. It is so different from every other LSAT book out there IMHO.

It focuses on the sections/questions types similarities. Going through it will give you a STRONG foundation of everything you need to do well on the LSAT. I don't think it was enough for me to use solely; but with Manhattan LSAT trilogy and PTs the sky is really the limit.

You may not need additional things besides for prep tests, but I liked having something to go through the really hone in on my skills as I began drilling sections.

[proteinshake]

got my last intense day of LG tomorrow. finishing up Manhattan LG and drilling 3D grouping and Hybrid games, then taking a PT Monday morning! hoping for a 173+ this time!

[34iplaw]

Taking solace in now learning that December 2012 Games was considered a fairly hard set of games... still not making me feel great about the LR/RC on it.

In watching the 7Sage, I noticed that, again, they never seem to factor in the idea of a 'not' assignment. I forget if that was MK, LB, or Manhattan, but I feel like it's actually a useful tool in underfunded games. In the 3rd game from that test, you have four people attending twice to five meetings with two slots each [8 underfunded 10]... much easier to look at it as QQRRSSTTXX IMO... esp that one of the slots cannot be Q nor R and S/T cannot be together i.e. at least one slot is filled by an X. I'm wondering if there is a reason to avoid looking at these questions this way, as it is the second time I've noticed that 7Sage never mentions the idea.

During BR, I got all questions on the second game right, but I didn't make a critical inference early on...however, I did notice it by the time it mattered?

I'm going to really hammer some more ordering tomorrow and possibly start to look at grouping.

[Barack O'Drama]

got my last intense day of LG tomorrow. finishing up Manhattan LG and drilling 3D grouping and Hybrid games, then taking a PT Monday morning! hoping for a 173+ this time!

Just finished the relative ordering chapter and on to 3D tomorrow. I think I'll get through those with relative ease because I did some of the advanced ordering from LG Bible before I made the switch to MLSAT. So hopefully next week I can focus on drilling and getting 3D/Advanced ordering down. Hopefully move on to grouping relatively soon.

Good luck on Monday. I believe in you!