DECEMBER 2010 DOMINATION Forum

[dlbuhr]

Took practice test 51 yesterday and 52 today

PT 51
LG (-4)
LR1 (-1)
LR2 (-1)
RC (-0)

Raw score 94
Scaled Score 176

PT 52
LG (-7)
LR1 (-0)
LR2 (-1)
RC (-0)

Raw score 91
Scaled Score 171

Would have gladly have taken either of those scores on the October test

[Nonok]

Took PT16 with RC from 43 as experimental. Just finished.

176 Scaled. 94 Raw. LG -0, LR1 -3, LR2, -2, RC -2, RCexp -3.

Getting better at reading comp. Now I'm going to review where I went wrong on LR.

Games were actually kind of hard on PT16... a game about houses on both sides of the street and a game about lions and tigers in cages across from each other. Ending up getting them all but almost ran out of time.

[AverageTutoring]

Took PT16 with RC from 43 as experimental. Just finished.

176 Scaled. 94 Raw. LG -0, LR1 -3, LR2, -2, RC -2, RCexp -3.

Getting better at reading comp. Now I'm going to review where I went wrong on LR.

Games were actually kind of hard on PT16... a game about houses on both sides of the street and a game about lions and tigers in cages across from each other. Ending up getting them all but almost ran out of time.

Word of the wise for the Tigers game. If you notice up front that the main possibilities in the game can be exhausted up front the game takes 2-3 minutes. The key is to notice the restrictive spacing (only 2 main possibilities).

[Nonok]

Word of the wise for the Tigers game. If you notice up front that the main possibilities in the game can be exhausted up front the game takes 2-3 minutes. The key is to notice the restrictive spacing (only 2 main possibilities).

Yeah, I figured out I missed some massive inferences when I was nearly done with all the questions.

Now that I'm looking at the questions. The fourth game (tennis league) was confusing at first as well. I was diagramming each round when the questions were a lot easier when you realized that if there are 3 rounds the maximum a player can move is 3 spots, for example. I wasn't going to finish in time then realized that with about a minute left and finished up the last two questions I was struggling with.

Is there somewhere I can go for explanations of the LR questions that I missed? I missed #22, #23, #24 on LR1. 22 was a dumb mistake, 23 and 24 I still can't figure out. Then on LR2 I missed 15 and 23. 23 was a dumb mistake. Any help on 15 though? I don't even see how the argument is flawed... I put A. CR is C.

The only thing I can think of on 15 is that perhaps Tall Tulips don't necessarily mean it's a Tall Plant in general. C is similar in that Small Gorillas might not necessarily be a Small Primate in general.

[AverageTutoring]

Word of the wise for the Tigers game. If you notice up front that the main possibilities in the game can be exhausted up front the game takes 2-3 minutes. The key is to notice the restrictive spacing (only 2 main possibilities).

Yeah, I figured out I missed some massive inferences when I was nearly done with all the questions.

Now that I'm looking at the questions. The fourth game (tennis league) was confusing at first as well. I was diagramming each round when the questions were a lot easier when you realized that if there are 3 rounds the maximum a player can move is 3 spots, for example. I wasn't going to finish in time then realized that with about a minute left and finished up the last two questions I was struggling with.

Is there somewhere I can go for explanations of the LR questions that I missed? I missed #22, #23, #24 on LR1. 22 was a dumb mistake, 23 and 24 I still can't figure out. Then on LR2 I missed 15 and 23. 23 was a dumb mistake. Any help on 15 though? I don't even see how the argument is flawed... I put A. CR is C.

The only thing I can think of on 15 is that perhaps Tall Tulips don't necessarily mean it's a Tall Plant in general. C is similar in that Small Gorillas might not necessarily be a Small Primate in general.

As far as explanations go you can visit Manhatton LSAT's online forum: http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/ they have explanations for some questions there. Otherwise you can ask the great posters here.

Here's my take on 15.

Reasoning

Plants in garden -> tall tulips

Plants in garden -> tall plants

Flaw

All the plants in the garden are tall tulips but that doesn’t mean that all the plants in the garden are tall. What if tulips are known to be super, super small and we have slightly larger then average tulips in the garden? The tulips would be considered big compared to other tulips but small compared to other plants, so they would still be small plants.

Answers

A,

Dogs in the show -> Black Poodles
Dogs in the show -> Black

This actually isn’t flawed. If all the dogs in the show were black poodles then all of the dogs in the show were, in fact, black!

C,

Primates in the zoo -> Small Gorillas
Primates in the zoo -> Small Primates

This follows the same flaw we noticed above. Gorillas are massive creatures and while we may only have small gorillas in the zoo, those small gorillas may very well be larger then the average primate…so we would have large primates!

If you need more help, just ask! I always love diverting my attention from Concrete design

[Nonok]

As far as explanations go you can visit Manhatton LSAT's online forum: http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/ they have explanations for some questions there. Otherwise you can ask the great posters here.

Here's my take on 15.

Reasoning

Plants in garden -> tall tulips

Plants in garden -> tall plants

Flaw

All the plants in the garden are tall tulips but that doesn’t mean that all the plants in the garden are tall. What if tulips are known to be super, super small and we have slightly larger then average tulips in the garden? The tulips would be considered big compared to other tulips but small compared to other plants, so they would still be small plants.

Answers

A,

Dogs in the show -> Black Poodles
Dogs in the show -> Black

This actually isn’t flawed. If all the dogs in the show were black poodles then all of the dogs in the show were, in fact, black!

C,

Primates in the zoo -> Small Gorillas
Primates in the zoo -> Small Primates

This follows the same flaw we noticed above. Gorillas are massive creatures and while we may only have small gorillas in the zoo, those small gorillas may very well be larger then the average primate…so we would have large primates!

If you need more help, just ask! I always love diverting my attention from Concrete design

So I was kind of on the right track then. My problem was I didn't figure out the flaw in the stimulus during the test... so I knew I was missing it somewhere. The dog answer was so similar to the stimulus so I went with that.

I really need to reread the section in the LRB about parallel reasoning questions. I stink at them.

[SchopenhauerFTW]

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[northwood]

adjacent means touching either onthe left or right side

[SchopenhauerFTW]

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[SchopenhauerFTW]

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[Nonok]

So I was kind of on the right track then. My problem was I didn't figure out the flaw in the stimulus during the test... so I knew I was missing it somewhere. The dog answer was so similar to the stimulus so I went with that.

I really need to reread the section in the LRB about parallel reasoning questions. I stink at them.

Parallel reasoning questions take up so much time. Thankfully there don't seem to be more than one or two of them in each LR section.

Yeah, and they are normally towards the end of the section when I tend to be pressed for time. I think if I work on speeding up on easier questions I can spend more time on these and do better.

[Sandro]

So I was kind of on the right track then. My problem was I didn't figure out the flaw in the stimulus during the test... so I knew I was missing it somewhere. The dog answer was so similar to the stimulus so I went with that.

I really need to reread the section in the LRB about parallel reasoning questions. I stink at them.

Parallel reasoning questions take up so much time. Thankfully there don't seem to be more than one or two of them in each LR section.

Not always. I skipped the long Parallel reasoning at the end of one LR in Oct10 and it turned out to be cake. Once you've seen almost every kind of flaw they can make in the stim and how it gets presented it becomes very easy to spot them. I made the mistake of thinking this way and skipping it do try and tackle harder questions.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I can't let myself get too overconfident again.

I took a PT today.
175
LG (-0)
LR 1 (-6)
LR 2 (-0) !?!?!
RC (-2)

I got a 165 on the actual exam last June..

I took the practice test under 'proctored conditions' (my cell phone alarm, rather than an actual proctor, informed me when I had 5 minutes left etc...) and everything like that.. it was just within the comfort of my dorm's study room rather than a random testing room.

Oops.. the test I took was PT 31.

[keeran23]

PT 54 today (cakewalk RC)

RC (-4)
LR (-2)
LG (-0)
LR (-1)

Raw Score: 93
Scaled: 172

.....I don't understand what happened on October.....OADSDJLKASJDLKQWEOUDS

Still can't get ahead of myself though, one day at a time. I still need to go buy PT's 20-39 as those are the only ones I haven't really taken besides a few in the 50's.

[Nonok]

Pt18 + RC41 as exp today.

173 Scaled. 91 Raw. LG -1 , LR1 -2, RC -6 , RCexp -3, LR2 -1.

Had no focus on the scored RC section today. Took WAY too much time (9+ mins) on the first passage and ended up missing 3 questions on it anyways. Exp RC was fine... didn't like missing 3 questions in a row though (20, 21, 22). Hopefully that's just a focus issue that I can resolve.

Games were pretty hard too. I got off to a slow start and hit the third game (a mapping game... havn't had to do any of those in awhile) then game four (partners, associates, and assistants in a law firm). Both somewhat hard. Missed the last question because I misread it (thought it was assistants instead of associates).

Doing pretty well so far prepping for this retake. Since I started studying again: PT48 170, PT16 176, PT18 173.

It's a shame that I don't have many of the more recent tests that I haven't taken. I have a ton of tests that I used for drilling and will continue to use for drilling... but taking full 5-section PTs is just so much better.

PTs I haven't taken yet that I plan on taking over the next month: 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 56, 60. 3 tests a week. Section work on off days.

[FishOil]

Jumping in on here to help myself track my progress for my December Retake. Only got a couple weeks to decide if its worth it (170 on Oct. but had a misbubble situation that I think affected the following sections).

Wednesday took PT 28 in four sections straight.

LG -0, LR1 -1, LR2 -1, RC -2. 97 Raw. 179 scaled

Today took PT 49 + RC31

RCexp -2, LG -1 (dumb mistake ), LR1 -2, RC -2 (changed a right answer to a wrong), LR2 -1

94 Raw. 174 Scaled

Test felt good but might not be completely representative on all questions due to me remembering some subtleties. Only Untainted Test I have left are SuperPrep booklet. Anybody have any ideas (maybe just heavy review of all the questions I got wrong on the other 60 PT? lol)

[Nonok]

Test felt good but might not be completely representative on all questions due to me remembering some subtleties. Only Untainted Test I have left are SuperPrep booklet. Anybody have any ideas (maybe just heavy review of all the questions I got wrong on the other 60 PT? lol)

You have taken EVERY PT? The lower ones are better than doing the more recent ones again IMO.

[kpuc]

Just did my first PT for December.

SuperPrep A: 173

LR 1: -1
RC: -0
LR 1 Exp (PT 29): -1
LG: -4
LR 2: -2

Very happy that I'm continuing to minimize my number of wrong answers on LR and RC. A bit more concerned about LG, but I'll have over a month to get in shape, and it was just one game in particular that gave me trouble (the other three were fine). I will go over the test tomorrow, but right now, I need a break.

[Miracle]

How many Practice Tests have you guys done so far, and how many would you like to do until the offical test day? Do you do them every day?

[Nonok]

How many Practice Tests have you guys done so far, and how many would you like to do until the offical test day? Do you do them every day?

I did 20 or so prepping for Oct. Plan on doing 20 or so more before Dec. 3 tests a week.

I'd do them all of I had enough time.

[lparker]

Okay... After my weekend off, I'm ready to dedicate myself to the LSAT again. This week I'm going to finish re-reading the LRB and finish reading the RCB. I plan to start prep tests again either Saturday or Sunday. Good Luck everyone!

[Nonok]

Section work today. Only had time for 1 LR and 1 RC section. Both from PT40

LR -1, RC -4

I flew through the LR section in 29 minutes. Marked my question to come back on, and read it a few times and still missed it. Any help on this one? PT4, LR1 Question 10. It asks what word the response is misinterpreting. I put E. CR is B. Edit: Nvm, I found the answer by googling. I still don't like the question though.

RC. Meh. Getting better, and I'd LOVE to get a -4 on the Dec test. At least I'm upgrading from not understanding what the passage to understanding it better but just making stupid mistakes.

Tomorrow: more section work. Hopefully I'll have time at work to do a LG section. If not, just a LR and RC section. Another 5-section PT on Wednesday.

[dlbuhr]

How many Practice Tests have you guys done so far, and how many would you like to do until the offical test day? Do you do them every day?

I did 10 prepping for October, and I plan to do 15-20 leading up to December. About 3 a week and during 2 weeks prior probably one every other day. Pretty sure you're risking burout taking a practice test everyday.

[lisavj]

My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I'm in for December - hey y'alls.

Took Oct without reading through LGB and LRB - used to get -4 to -5 on each section, today went through 2 LG sections with -2 and -0. LOVE IT. So much better than Kaplan where I was finding mistakes right and left *in the book*.

[Nonok]

More section work today. LG45, LR1 52, RC7.

-1 LG , -1 LR , -2 RC

Really improving on RC. Both misses today came in the first passage, I blame it on not being warmed up. LG miss, annoying. LR, I'm happy with the score, but felt like I bombed the passage until I scored it. Was expecting to miss 3-5.

Full 5-section PT tomorrow morning. PT29 + RC20 as experimental.