The Official June 2014 Study Group Forum

[Nonconsecutive]

LG drilling, House of Cards, LG drilling, House of Cards

Kind of feels better than getting tanked...kind of.

[WaltGrace83]

A question for those of you drilling:

Do you blind review while drilling? If so, when drilling by specific question type, how do you time yourself on the initial run-through? Do you time each individual question? Does it depend on the difficulty level of the questions? I'm currently working through the Trainer and was curious as to the route most of you took during your drilling phase.

I drill untimed to understand the logic behind each question. Even on games I only time myself once in a blue moon just for funsies. Then I get depressed because hard games take me 20 minutes.

TL;DR I drill untimed

Lou, have you ever thought about doing what I do and doing questions timed and then blind reviewing? There is no harm in it because you get to see exactly how you respond in timed situations and then you get to completely go over the logic of the answers before checking the answer. Seeing how you respond, in my opinion, is essential to do perhaps not always but often. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Walt,

I am actually gong to start doing this tomorrow (drilling LR timed with blind review). If my accuracy starts plummeting, no big deal, I'll go back to taking as long as I need.

I was hesitant to drill timed this first month and a half because I did not understand the logic behind the test. I am not saying I am a hundred percent now, but I do feel like I am much better at locating and analyzing the core and finding the flaw in flaw family questions.

Quick update for everyone else:

Breaking news...This just in... Level 4grouping games still hard.

[WaltGrace83]

Ladies and gentleman, I wanted to write you all to give you some motivation (a kick in the face, perhaps). This is not to say "study harder" but more to say "stay grounded and realistic." I just had a conversation with a family member. This family member is taking the BAR on Tuesday, failing to pass it the first time around and graduating from a regional TTT at sticker price. I cannot begin to understand what "financial ruin" looks like and I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be buried in 200k+ in debt. The point is, said person is beginning to realize what mistake has been made: failing to be able to pay off credit card debt, failing to get any kind of legal work, and watching while the rest of the class gets excited over jobs that pay 30k a year (seriously). Said person received a 14x on the LSAT.

Just imagine what this test can do for you NOT what it can do to you. Imagine how much disaster would have been averted with a 16x, a seemingly much more simple task than finding a job from a TTT that pays enough to service 200k in debt. I am no LSAT wizard; hell I don't even think I am all that great yet. However, just realize that every little thing you learn is getting you closer, closer to what you want.

/food for thought

[Learn_Live_Hope]

Ladies and gentleman, I wanted to write you all to give you some motivation (a kick in the face, perhaps). This is not to say "study harder" but more to say "stay grounded and realistic." I just had a conversation with a family member. This family member is taking the BAR on Tuesday, failing to pass it the first time around and graduating from a regional TTT at sticker price. I cannot begin to understand what "financial ruin" looks like and I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be buried in 200k+ in debt. The point is, said person is beginning to realize what mistake has been made: failing to be able to pay off credit card debt, failing to get any kind of legal work, and watching while the rest of the class gets excited over jobs that pay 30k a year (seriously). Said person received a 14x on the LSAT.

Just imagine what this test can do for you NOT what it can do to you. Imagine how much disaster would have been averted with a 16x, a seemingly much more simple task than finding a job from a TTT that pays enough to service 200k in debt. I am no LSAT wizard; hell I don't even think I am all that great yet. However, just realize that every little thing you learn is getting you closer, closer to what you want.

/food for thought

Thank you so much. I know someone in a similar situation. She passed bar on her first try, however is currently working for 30K in a non legal job.I know how she feels, and the pain she goes through.

[WaltGrace83]

Thank you so much. I know someone in a similar situation. She passed bar on her first try, however is currently working for 30K in a non legal job.I know how she feels, and the pain she goes through.

regional TTT/TTTT?

[jmjm]

Any rc natural in this thread who can explain the issue with the passage structure in my last post? It's in PT-62 comp psg-B.

[lawstudenthopeful727]

Throughout the process of studying for my LSAT, there has been a lot of fear and doubt on whether or not I could do it.. I just completed my 2nd full week of studying and took another pt last night.. I SCORED 14 POINTS HIGHER THAN MY DIAGNOSTIC!!!! I am beyond excited, and can not wait for my end result!

[WaltGrace83]

Throughout the process of studying for my LSAT, there has been a lot of fear and doubt on whether or not I could do it.. I just completed my 2nd full week of studying and took another pt last night.. I SCORED 14 POINTS HIGHER THAN MY DIAGNOSTIC!!!! I am beyond excited, and can not wait for my end result!

That's GREAT! Just don't expect a 14 pt increase every week . What did you do better on this time, anyway?

Any rc natural in this thread who can explain the issue with the passage structure in my last post? It's in PT-62 comp psg-B.

hey man, I just wanted to acknowledge you. I personally cannot help too much but I'd love it if someone could! Who's got jmjm over here?

Here is the question:

Ok, so I've done this passage before, but I was trying to pick PT-62 Passage-3B apart piece-by-piece to review its structure. And it's construction looks a bit confusing. It's the comparative passage B about dental caries.

At the end of the first para, it says "Evidence indicates that...dependent on agriculture." This seems to suggest that the passage would elaborate on this statement or reference it later.

The second para describes background information/research about how agriculture results in declining human/dental health with a little twist (about fiber or grit and its double-edged effect on caries).

However in the 3rd para, which sets up the introduction to the paradoxical observation about caries, the author refers to "from the beginning of the period represented by the recovered remains" in line 52-54. This would mean that the "evidence" in line 36-38 refers to not something related to Ban Chiang because all of Ban Chiang evidence described in para-4 is related to agriculture period and doesn't conform to the "evidence" of line 36-38. So, the line 35-38 seem to contain an orphaned or underdeveloped idea, which seems odd particularly as it's mentioned in relation with Ban Chiang discovery.

Any explanation?

ps: when doing it the first time, I had found this structure a bit odd. But this issue in particular wasn't tested on any question, so as long as one understood the main point of para-4, the passage wouldn't be particularly troublesome. yet, it seems the structure has the issue mentioned above.

[lawstudenthopeful727]

Throughout the process of studying for my LSAT, there has been a lot of fear and doubt on whether or not I could do it.. I just completed my 2nd full week of studying and took another pt last night.. I SCORED 14 POINTS HIGHER THAN MY DIAGNOSTIC!!!! I am beyond excited, and can not wait for my end result!

That's GREAT! Just don't expect a 14 pt increase every week . What did you do better on this time, anyway?

Any rc natural in this thread who can explain the issue with the passage structure in my last post? It's in PT-62 comp psg-B.

hey man, I just wanted to acknowledge you. I personally cannot help too much but I'd love it if someone could! Who's got jmjm over here?

Here is the question:

Ok, so I've done this passage before, but I was trying to pick PT-62 Passage-3B apart piece-by-piece to review its structure. And it's construction looks a bit confusing. It's the comparative passage B about dental caries.

At the end of the first para, it says "Evidence indicates that...dependent on agriculture." This seems to suggest that the passage would elaborate on this statement or reference it later.

The second para describes background information/research about how agriculture results in declining human/dental health with a little twist (about fiber or grit and its double-edged effect on caries).

However in the 3rd para, which sets up the introduction to the paradoxical observation about caries, the author refers to "from the beginning of the period represented by the recovered remains" in line 52-54. This would mean that the "evidence" in line 36-38 refers to not something related to Ban Chiang because all of Ban Chiang evidence described in para-4 is related to agriculture period and doesn't conform to the "evidence" of line 36-38. So, the line 35-38 seem to contain an orphaned or underdeveloped idea, which seems odd particularly as it's mentioned in relation with Ban Chiang discovery.

Any explanation?

ps: when doing it the first time, I had found this structure a bit odd. But this issue in particular wasn't tested on any question, so as long as one understood the main point of para-4, the passage wouldn't be particularly troublesome. yet, it seems the structure has the issue mentioned above.

Ha! Oh no I won't! I'm using the trainer, manhattan, and the ps bibles for my journey. What I did? I'm just becoming aware of what I'm really doing or trying to figure out. I'm at the point where there are a lot of "oh..duh" moments. I'm still in the beginning stages though, so I have a ways to go!

[Straw_Mandible]

RC is the worst.

[jk148706]

RC is the worst.

RC is the worst, but I really like the Trainer's approach:'learn how to read for structure, understand WHY certain sentences/paragraphs are there, and attack the questions. I'm definitely going to drill more RC for this test than I did in Oct

[rebexness]

RC is the worst.

RC is the worst, but I really like the Trainer's approach:'learn how to read for structure, understand WHY certain sentences/paragraphs are there, and attack the questions. I'm definitely going to drill more RC for this test than I did in Oct

Yepp. I didn't actually ever drill RC besides what is in PTs or the Trainer.

[jk148706]

RC is the worst.

RC is the worst, but I really like the Trainer's approach:'learn how to read for structure, understand WHY certain sentences/paragraphs are there, and attack the questions. I'm definitely going to drill more RC for this test than I did in Oct

Yepp. I didn't actually ever drill RC besides what is in PTs or the Trainer.

Yeah my RC drilling was nearly non existent last time I prepped.

Actually, I'm emphasizing drilling over PTs all the way around this time

[WaltGrace83]

Just did PT43-S2, the first LR section. I haven't done a true timed section in a few weeks and the nerves got to me so bad. After spending so many hours drilling, I just wanted some freakin' validation that I was improving! Yet because I was so afraid of doing worse than before (-5), my hands were shaking.

However, not only did I actually finish the entire section (okay.... the last one I just kind of guessed and got it wrong because I was down to 13 seconds), I did better than last time! -4. I am fairly content with that, though I wish I had gotten to the 0-2 range. It's okay though, any progress is - in fact - progress and I am happy that I increased both my timing and accuracy. In addition, I got the first 15 correct in 15 minutes! I don't know where the last 20 minutes went to though . Here was my breakdown:

3: Was thrown off by the word "economically powerful," it seemed like kind of a stretch to me. However, I knew the rest were wrong so I gave the LSAT a little bit of language leniency.
6: I hardly gave the other answers any thought, I saw (E) right away and knew it was right. To save time, I just glanced at the others and moved along.
7: Not completely confident but I haven't even begun to drill MBT questions yet. I don't really have a technique for attacking these.
11: Haven't drilled parallel reasoning yet so I don't have the most solid plan of attack. I thought that (B) and (C) looked good too but it emphasized going over a certain threshold while the correct answer, (E), emphasized going under it. I remember hearing that little stuff like this for parallel is quite important.
16: I failed to see the word "most" in (B) . This was why I got it wrong. I was being too haphazard with this one.
17: Another MBT question. I froze. Once again, no solid plan of attack and it got the best of me.
18: Failed to see the word "IS" propaganda. I knew that this question was messed up. Here I go rushing again.
24: Flawed reasoning. No solid plan of attack on these yet. Either way, I gave it my best effort with what I knew about the LSAT and ended up doing well on it!
25: I chose (A). I honestly need to really review this question.

So I guess my breakdown is as follows:
NA: -1
SA: -1
MBT: -1
EXPLAIN: -1

I really should have gotten those NA/SA's right! I wish I could just appeal to "stupid mistake" here but the LSAT is a tricky beast and there are no stupid mistakes. I got them wrong. Either way, hopefully I can improve on the MBT, EXPLAIN, PR, and PFs!

Here's to more drilling!

[Twitch]

I started prepping this month for September, but that thread is pretty quiet and I'm open to taking June if I'm PT-ing in my optimal range by then (176+... 9+ points in the future...ha), so I'll be hanging around in here a little bit with you guys, if that's ok.

Walt, keep the reviews coming. I love your attitude and your level of analysis is great to see.

Personally, I'm concentrating on LR (I'm consistently missing 4-5 in LR sections) until I get those errors down, then I'll shift my focus to in depth comprehension of LG while maintaining accuracy/improving time in LR by drilling sections. I'm an excellent reader, so I have no plans to touch RC outside of whatever happens in PTs (went -0 in RC on my last PT).

[evolution]

Hey guys, I'm curious as to what your methods are in regards to drilling RC?

I started drilling RC from the Cambridge bundles for about 2 weeks now, and I've been doing it one passage at a time untimed, checking my answers and reviewing, then moving onto the next passage. Since RC is my worst section, until I start seeing an improvement when drilling, I feel like drilling timed would just reinforce my bad habits.

I read a post somewhere that when drilling, we should drill by section. Does it really matter - in the beginning stages of prep, whether or not we drill one passage vs 4 passages at a time, other than the fact that the latter would improve stamina?

[rebexness]

Hey guys, I'm curious as to what your methods are in regards to drilling RC?

I started drilling RC from the Cambridge bundles for about 2 weeks now, and I've been doing it one passage at a time untimed, checking my answers and reviewing, then moving onto the next passage. Since RC is my worst section, until I start seeing an improvement when drilling, I feel like drilling timed would just reinforce my bad habits.

I read a post somewhere that when drilling, we should drill by section. Does it really matter - in the beginning stages of prep, whether or not we drill one passage vs 4 passages at a time, other than the fact that the latter would improve stamina?

The good thing about drilling a lot of RC in a row is that you tend to weed out the fluff when you read, as well as really learning what precisely the questions are asking.

[iiibbystar]

Hey guys, I'm curious as to what your methods are in regards to drilling RC?

I started drilling RC from the Cambridge bundles for about 2 weeks now, and I've been doing it one passage at a time untimed, checking my answers and reviewing, then moving onto the next passage. Since RC is my worst section, until I start seeing an improvement when drilling, I feel like drilling timed would just reinforce my bad habits.

I read a post somewhere that when drilling, we should drill by section. Does it really matter - in the beginning stages of prep, whether or not we drill one passage vs 4 passages at a time, other than the fact that the latter would improve stamina?

What I like about drilling the passages by section (4 at a time) is that I develop a rhythm. I can have a general sense of whether or not I'm taking too long on a passage without having to look at the clock, and I have learned to pace myself better because it's so easy to burn time on the first few passages only to find out you have 5mins left to finish the last passage. Doing a whole section gets me into a better habit of allocating my time for all 4 passages. I always go back and do the section again, untimed, and review that way. I think it's better to practice via section, rather than individual, so you can build stamina too.

[dardardelight]

Finished up 7sage today and done with the Trainer; and Excited to finish up my last leg of questions designated for drilling. The one thing is -- I haven't really touched any RC material . I skipped those sections in both the trainer and in 7sage. I guess I'm going to binge study RC and go through as many sections as I can in PT's until I get it right. My ultimate plan is to ace LG and LR and allow for some mistakes in RC.. but this plan might backfire right in my face . Any thoughts?

I really hope I do well on my first PT this weekend : /

[rebexness]

Finished up 7sage today and done with the Trainer; and Excited to finish up my last leg of questions designated for drilling. The one thing is -- I haven't really touched any RC material . I skipped those sections in both the trainer and in 7sage. I guess I'm going to binge study RC and go through as many sections as I can in PT's until I get it right. My ultimate plan is to ace LG and LR and allow for some mistakes in RC.. but this plan might backfire right in my face . Any thoughts?

Why? Are you planning to go back through and do them? The trainer is very strong for RC, imho. Better to plan to ace all three.

[sashafierce]

Hey guys, I'm curious as to what your methods are in regards to drilling RC?

I started drilling RC from the Cambridge bundles for about 2 weeks now, and I've been doing it one passage at a time untimed, checking my answers and reviewing, then moving onto the next passage. Since RC is my worst section, until I start seeing an improvement when drilling, I feel like drilling timed would just reinforce my bad habits.

I read a post somewhere that when drilling, we should drill by section. Does it really matter - in the beginning stages of prep, whether or not we drill one passage vs 4 passages at a time, other than the fact that the latter would improve stamina?

I drill one passage at a time (timed) during the week (1 per day) because I work full time. What I would recommend is blind review as well as the Manhattan forum. Also what I do is a full write up for each passage and I go through the questions and write out why answer choices were correct/wrong. Its a long process but I think that it would help me improve my score over time.

[gnomgnomuch]

Just got an e-mail from Cooley.... IM COOLEY MATERIAL!!!!! ALL THAT LIBRARY SPACE.

....back to studying.

[WaltGrace83]

Just got an e-mail from Cooley.... IM COOLEY MATERIAL!!!!! ALL THAT LIBRARY SPACE.

....back to studying.

Can you please post what they said?

[Straw_Mandible]

Just got an e-mail from Cooley.... IM COOLEY MATERIAL!!!!! ALL THAT LIBRARY SPACE.

....back to studying.

Can you please post what they said?

Got this too. Something about info sessions -- nothing hilarious or noteworthy. #TTTharassment #unsubscribe

[jmjm]

Drilled PT-12 LR1 and RC timed yesterday (-1 each). This LR had some tough ones amongst the first 10 questions and was thrown off by them in the beginning.

hey man, I just wanted to acknowledge you. I personally cannot help too much but I'd love it if someone could!

Hey, that color really puts it out there! thanks though. I should've thought of that