The Official June 2014 Study Group Forum

[Twitch]

Between yesterday and today I studied 9 hours. Did PT 29 (with exp section 09.03 --LR) yesterday and was disappointed by my 164 (previous PT 167). Even more so today when I reviewed it and realized that 3 were just me misreading the question and 2 were bubble-in errors where I actually got the right answer in the booklet. Sheesh. I need to get a handle on this paying attention situation.

Today I spent 5.5 hours going over the test, then doing the next Manhattan LR chapter (flaw questions, which I missed a lot of on the test). I felt good after that, because I knew I'd put in a lot of productive hours, improved my skill set, and didn't feel like I was crashing due to information overload.

Breakdown:
LR1: -3
RC: -4
Exp. LR: -3
LG: -6
LR2: -7
Score: 164
After review: 170 (lowest post-review score yet. this was a rough test.)

I haven't studied LG at all yet, but I have no excuse for that last LR score.

A few things to do better next time: slow down. Read the stem more carefully. Double check my bubbling in. Stop choosing reverse logic as the right answer.

One thing I realized is that when I'm writing out my explanations in review, I blame the test instead of myself. Why didn't I understand this problem? "Oh, the test confused me by..." Nope. I gotta own it. "I didn't read carefully enough to understand..." It's my fault. The test isn't going to make it easy on me, and I shouldn't phrase my explanations as excuses.

[alexrodriguez]

Just finished up all 128 Method Argument questions with a full review.

I need to pick up the pace. We are running out of time.

[alexrodriguez]

I'm leaving this island that I've been shipwrecked on for the last 15 months in 4 days. I'll be in Norfolk, Virgina for about three weeks after that. Then I'll be studying at the UCF library for two months straight.

Walt
Straw
Jay

How's the prep going?

[Twitch]

Just finished up all 128 Method Argument questions with a full review.

I need to pick up the pace. We are running out of time.

Nice work. Method questions are rough for me. What was the result?

[WaltGrace83]

I'm leaving this island that I've been shipwrecked on for the last 15 months in 4 days. I'll be in Norfolk, Virgina for about three weeks after that. Then I'll be studying at the UCF library for two months straight.

Walt
Straw
Jay

How's the prep going?

I literally just logged onto TLS for the first time since Thursday. I was doing very well early last week but ran into a few days of just terrible focus, scores, tiredness, etc. I think I needed a few days off so I didn't touch/read/do anything LSAT related from Thursday night to right now. I will be returning to studying tomorrow.

EDIT: I had a hypothesis that taking some time off would be really really good for me. I promised myself I wouldn't do ANY questions until tomorrow. I had to break that promise and just look at a few. I feel good. Hopefully I will feel relaxed and refreshed tomorrow!

[jk148706]

I'm leaving this island that I've been shipwrecked on for the last 15 months in 4 days. I'll be in Norfolk, Virgina for about three weeks after that. Then I'll be studying at the UCF library for two months straight.

Walt
Straw
Jay

How's the prep going?

I literally just logged onto TLS for the first time since Thursday. I was doing very well early last week but ran into a few days of just terrible focus, scores, tiredness, etc. I think I needed a few days off so I didn't touch/read/do anything LSAT related from Thursday night to right now. I will be returning to studying tomorrow.

EDIT: I had a hypothesis that taking some time off would be really really good for me. I promised myself I wouldn't do ANY questions until tomorrow. I had to break that promise and just look at a few. I feel good. Hopefully I will feel relaxed and refreshed tomorrow!

Taking breaks is credited. I didn't do anything this weekend, either, as I want to avoid any burnout.

[unodostres]

Starting tomorrow. Can't wait.

[Twitch]

I was so irritated by Friday's 164 that I took another PT today because I knew I had better in me. 168. Phew! Highlights: -0 in RC, -3 LG (plus -4 for the questions I didnt get to before time was up).

Feeling much better.

(yes, I know this is crazy.)

[alexrodriguez]

Twitch, aren't you relatively new to the LSAT?

How the hell are you scoring so high already?

[hotpinkpumas]

Alrighty-- I'm officially checking in! This is my first post on TLS (granted I've been kinda creeping)!

I've been trying to study for this test over the past year or so and I've just been falling on and off the bandwagon- decided to take the February one just to face the exam (since I was having this huge mental block with the test- vicious cycle of feeling too scared to study and then guilty for not studying) and ended up canceling the score. I walked out feeling so much better about the exam in general and I can't wait to conquer it next time when I'm fully prepared. I'm looking to apply this fall so I hope to take the test this June (and September if necessary). Decided to officially check in on TLS since it'll I need something to keep me accountable

I'm also aiming for a 170+, just want to give it my all and see where it'll take me! Best of luck with studying everyone! Let's do this together!

[Marshmallow]

Hi everyone! tentatively checking in... I'm actually having a pretty good cycle, but i can't shake the nagging feeling that I could get a better score/more money from a school i'm already in at. I took the June and October 2013 tests and went from 165 to 170. I never used the cambridge packets, mostly because i couldn't commit to paying for them when i already had the trainer, manhattan LR, powerscore LG, and every preptest.

anyway, it's been 5 months since I touched any LSAT materials. I think I'll just start by going through the trainer and manhattan, but i was wondering if anyone here was in a similar position, and if so, what are you doing to motivate yourself and what does your study plan look like? i've been toying with the idea of using blueprint for LG, but have also heard good things about velocity. LG is still my weakest section, but obviously at this point, i'm probably rusty across the board. any suggestions/insights, anything at all is much appreciated. looking forward to this journey with you all

[Straw_Mandible]

Hey everyone.

I've been relatively quiet in this thread due to a number of recent personal revelations, and please bear with me. I would love to hear your thoughts:

I've been able to score perfectly on LR and LG sections with relative ease, but I'm going consistently -10 or worse on RC. The discrepancy is a little bit absurd. My reasoning skills are clearly very strong, but my reading skills are woefully inadequate.

This Saturday I tried to take PT56, and out of sheer anxiety and frustration, I quit 20 minutes into the first section! I chose to do the PT20 RC section first, as my experimental. The first passage went well, as I had already seen it in drills. Then I hit the second one--people around me started talking, and I just completely lost my cool. Couldn't focus at all. I blame my (relative) illiteracy and my general inability to manage testing anxiety.

This episode, in combination with my belief that my reading skills are not up to par, has made me reconsider my testing timeline. I already decided last week that I will not be applying to law schools next cycle. I'm going to focus on making the most of my B.A. for the next couple of years--find a new job that challenges me in compelling and sustainable ways, and all the while, work hard at becoming an exceedingly strong reader and a mature human being who can control his anxiety. I'm just not there yet. I trust that day will come. (Just likely not before June 9th.)

That being said, I will continue to drill RC in my spare time, and I will maintain a limited presence on these boards. I will just not be adhering to my practice test schedule until I feel that my reading skills have made measurable and adequate improvement. (That is, until I can reliably make it through an RC section under time, with 100% comprehension and without any loss of focus. Until I can do that, it would be a fool's errand to attempt to take the LSAT.)

I apologize for the long rambling personal revelation, but I believe that so much of the road to 180 depends upon a firm understanding of self. I now know what I need to do in order to achieve my goal, and I see no reason to rush to get there. Authentic and lasting transformations can only occur gradually.

If anyone here thinks I'm being ridiculous and that I should just stay the course and see what happens, I'd like to hear that line of thinking. But postponing law school is always a good choice, isn't it?

With utmost uncertainty,

- SM

[Twitch]

Twitch, aren't you relatively new to the LSAT?

How the hell are you scoring so high already?

Yes, this Wednesday will make a month of studying for me.

There are a couple reasons I'm scoring higher than might be expected at this point:
1) I am a really, really good reader. I started to say I am a naturally good reader, but that's not totally true. I'm a very well-trained reader. I'm a reading Olympian. No, seriously.

I was homeschooled and grew up on a farm, so I didn't really have anything to do other than read. All the time. All day. All night. Staying up till 4 am reading in the bathroom because my parents wouldn't interrupt me there. With flashlights under the covers. At the dinner table. In the car, getting motion sickness and fighting through the pain because the book was more important. I estimate I read approximately 10,000 books between the ages of 12 and 17 alone, and they were actually mostly works of serious literature, not Twilight. So I've put in the hours on the reading front and I'm pretty consistently going -0/-1 in RC. Frankly, without RC to save me, my scores would be a lot worse.

2) I've been an SAT prep teacher/tutor for the past five years. I'm really familiar with the psychology of test-taking, really comfortable working with time limits and thinking through things efficiently. I know the kinds of answer choices that are misdirects on tests, and maybe more than anything else, I enjoy the process. Basically, my study now is just putting new pieces of information into an already-existing matrix of test knowledge, rather than building a new matrix and then putting new information into it. I'm definitely lucky enough to be starting my prep process with an advantage.

PS. I somehow have social skills.

[WaltGrace83]

Hey everyone.

I've been relatively quiet in this thread due to a number of recent personal revelations, and please bear with me. I would love to hear your thoughts:

I've been able to score perfectly on LR and LG sections with relative ease, but I'm going consistently -10 or worse on RC. The discrepancy is a little bit absurd. My reasoning skills are clearly very strong, but my reading skills are woefully inadequate.

This Saturday I tried to take PT56, and out of sheer anxiety and frustration, I quit 20 minutes into the first section! I chose to do the PT20 RC section first, as my experimental. The first passage went well, as I had already seen it in drills. Then I hit the second one--people around me started talking, and I just completely lost my cool. Couldn't focus at all. I blame my (relative) illiteracy and my general inability to manage testing anxiety.

This episode, in combination with my belief that my reading skills are not up to par, has made me reconsider my testing timeline. I already decided last week that I will not be applying to law schools next cycle. I'm going to focus on making the most of my B.A. for the next couple of years--find a new job that challenges me in compelling and sustainable ways, and all the while, work hard at becoming an exceedingly strong reader and a mature human being who can control his anxiety. I'm just not there yet. I trust that day will come. (Just likely not before June 9th.)

That being said, I will continue to drill RC in my spare time, and I will maintain a limited presence on these boards. I will just not be adhering to my practice test schedule until I feel that my reading skills have made measurable and adequate improvement. (That is, until I can reliably make it through an RC section under time, with 100% comprehension and without any loss of focus. Until I can do that, it would be a fool's errand to attempt to take the LSAT.)

I apologize for the long rambling personal revelation, but I believe that so much of the road to 180 depends upon a firm understanding of self. I now know what I need to do in order to achieve my goal, and I see no reason to rush to get there. Authentic and lasting transformations can only occur gradually.

If anyone here thinks I'm being ridiculous and that I should just stay the course and see what happens, I'd like to hear that line of thinking. But postponing law school is always a good choice, isn't it?

With utmost uncertainty,

- SM

I see no problem with this thought process. Don't take June 9 just because you think you have to. You don't. I want so badly to rush this stuff because I know there is only 3 or so more months to go but it would be much more in my best interest to hold off and take September with the best understanding than rush a June LSAT. I want to be ready for June but I won't be terrible disappointed if not. We are building a career here; getting off to a great start is imperative to success!

[westtech]

Does anyone else think the way 7Sage does Grouping games with two groups as in/out games somewhat confusing?

I find it somewhat difficult to maintain which group is in and which group is out since the questions don't refer to them in that way.

To show the difference between 7 sage's method and say BP or Powerscore consider a simple scenario with two groups.

The groups: Group 1 and Group 2
The pawns: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H (8 pawns)

4 pawns in each group. The pawns may only be played once.

Rule: If A is in group 1 then B is in group 2.

The powerscore method for diagramming this rule:

statement: A1 -> B2
contrapositive: ~B2 -> ~A1
simplified contrapositive: B1 -> A2

Blueprint would take it a step further and make explicit the scenario that doesn't work:
A and B cannot be in group 1 together : A1 <-|-> B1 (this is the powerscore, blueprint? notation for cannot be together)

7sage is completely different. For the sake of this example I believe he would say Group 1 is the IN group and Group 2 is the OUT group
diagrammed as follows:

A -> ~B
B -> ~A

I find 7Sages notation to be simpler and (if you know conditional rules) you can see the not both relationship but it seems really easy to lose track of the groups if you are juggling in/out with group1/group2.

How does everyone here think of grouping/splitting games and if you do use 7sage's method, did you have to unlearn another method?
I am personally trying to guage whether or not it would be worth it to unlearn thinking of 2 group grouping games as grouping/splitting games and learning to think of them more in terms of in/out grouping games.

[ian16]

Quick question everybody,

Right now I am reviewing logic games using the Powerscore bible, and after each type of game I am doing the associated problems in the Cambridge drill pack. Then I am going over my answers using 7sage. I have noticed that 7sage describes many of the problems as Advanced Linear/Grouping hybrids. Since I did not even look at Grouping yet in the PS bible, should I find these Advanced Linear questions harder? Does it even make sense doing Advanced Linear practice drills without looking yet at Grouping?
Note: I am finding some of the Advanced Linear Games okay/pretty easy, but some of them I currently find very difficult/take way too much time.

Thanks guys and hope your studying is going well.

[FlyingNorth]

Quick question everybody,

Right now I am reviewing logic games using the Powerscore bible, and after each type of game I am doing the associated problems in the Cambridge drill pack. Then I am going over my answers using 7sage. I have noticed that 7sage describes many of the problems as Advanced Linear/Grouping hybrids. Since I did not even look at Grouping yet in the PS bible, should I find these Advanced Linear questions harder? Does it even make sense doing Advanced Linear practice drills without looking yet at Grouping?
Note: I am finding some of the Advanced Linear Games okay/pretty easy, but some of them I currently find very difficult/take way too much time.

Thanks guys and hope your studying is going well.

Cover the grouping chapter of the PS Bible before you delve into hybrids. You should be able to figure out those games anyway, but it will be significantly easier to accomplish after learning about grouping games.

[myoung7189]

Checking in.
June 2013----> 163
Feb 2014 ----> 168

I have no more excuses because I have no more retakes. Attempted 30 flaw... 4 games... 4 passages on the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA

[alexrodriguez]

Hey everyone.

I've been relatively quiet in this thread due to a number of recent personal revelations, and please bear with me. I would love to hear your thoughts:

I've been able to score perfectly on LR and LG sections with relative ease, but I'm going consistently -10 or worse on RC. The discrepancy is a little bit absurd. My reasoning skills are clearly very strong, but my reading skills are woefully inadequate.

This Saturday I tried to take PT56, and out of sheer anxiety and frustration, I quit 20 minutes into the first section! I chose to do the PT20 RC section first, as my experimental. The first passage went well, as I had already seen it in drills. Then I hit the second one--people around me started talking, and I just completely lost my cool. Couldn't focus at all. I blame my (relative) illiteracy and my general inability to manage testing anxiety.

This episode, in combination with my belief that my reading skills are not up to par, has made me reconsider my testing timeline. I already decided last week that I will not be applying to law schools next cycle. I'm going to focus on making the most of my B.A. for the next couple of years--find a new job that challenges me in compelling and sustainable ways, and all the while, work hard at becoming an exceedingly strong reader and a mature human being who can control his anxiety. I'm just not there yet. I trust that day will come. (Just likely not before June 9th.)

That being said, I will continue to drill RC in my spare time, and I will maintain a limited presence on these boards. I will just not be adhering to my practice test schedule until I feel that my reading skills have made measurable and adequate improvement. (That is, until I can reliably make it through an RC section under time, with 100% comprehension and without any loss of focus. Until I can do that, it would be a fool's errand to attempt to take the LSAT.)

I apologize for the long rambling personal revelation, but I believe that so much of the road to 180 depends upon a firm understanding of self. I now know what I need to do in order to achieve my goal, and I see no reason to rush to get there. Authentic and lasting transformations can only occur gradually.

If anyone here thinks I'm being ridiculous and that I should just stay the course and see what happens, I'd like to hear that line of thinking. But postponing law school is always a good choice, isn't it?

With utmost uncertainty,

- SM

SM... I think practical experience in the job market will go a long way. I taught English in China for a bit and then joined the military. If you know law school is definitely in your future I'd consider joining the military. Depending on what your degree is in you may easily be able to pick up a commission. If you don't have a hard science or engineering degree consider just going enlisted. The GI Bill makes law school practically free and admission officers do like to see the military experience. I'd consider it. It's a great chance to save a lot of money, see the world, serve your country, and set yourself up for the future.

[withoutapaddle]

Just did the first 40 of the Powerscore Logical Reasoning Question Type Training

36/40

Hopefully I can get this to -0 by June

[RobertGolddust]

Hey, I was over in the FEB study group but I just got my LSAT score and it was 5 points below my PT median of 162. Basically, this resulted from the increased difficulty on the newer tests (60-70) and the fact that I got mind erasingly hammered for three days straight, a week before the test. Not to boor you with my pathetic story, but I'm thinking about regaining my composure and jumping back into the ring with the LSAT. From the military school of life: non quod destructio, quod nutria (or something like that, my Latin sucks).

[alansadler]

Hey guys,

I took a diagnostic last month before beginning my studying and got a 163. This past month I worked through the Powerscore LG bible and got a 169, which felt great, considering I have 3 months of intense studying ahead of me. I did realize, after the fact, that the test I took is from 1999, and after reading through here, it seems like the 169 might not be a great representation of where I'm at if I took a newer test.

So, how old is too old when doing practice tests? And are these older tests (late 90's-early 00's) still good practice, or have the tests changed so much that it could potentially throw me off?

[Louis1127]

Hey everyone.

I've been relatively quiet in this thread due to a number of recent personal revelations, and please bear with me. I would love to hear your thoughts:

I've been able to score perfectly on LR and LG sections with relative ease, but I'm going consistently -10 or worse on RC. The discrepancy is a little bit absurd. My reasoning skills are clearly very strong, but my reading skills are woefully inadequate.

This Saturday I tried to take PT56, and out of sheer anxiety and frustration, I quit 20 minutes into the first section! I chose to do the PT20 RC section first, as my experimental. The first passage went well, as I had already seen it in drills. Then I hit the second one--people around me started talking, and I just completely lost my cool. Couldn't focus at all. I blame my (relative) illiteracy and my general inability to manage testing anxiety.

This episode, in combination with my belief that my reading skills are not up to par, has made me reconsider my testing timeline. I already decided last week that I will not be applying to law schools next cycle. I'm going to focus on making the most of my B.A. for the next couple of years--find a new job that challenges me in compelling and sustainable ways, and all the while, work hard at becoming an exceedingly strong reader and a mature human being who can control his anxiety. I'm just not there yet. I trust that day will come. (Just likely not before June 9th.)

That being said, I will continue to drill RC in my spare time, and I will maintain a limited presence on these boards. I will just not be adhering to my practice test schedule until I feel that my reading skills have made measurable and adequate improvement. (That is, until I can reliably make it through an RC section under time, with 100% comprehension and without any loss of focus. Until I can do that, it would be a fool's errand to attempt to take the LSAT.)

I apologize for the long rambling personal revelation, but I believe that so much of the road to 180 depends upon a firm understanding of self. I now know what I need to do in order to achieve my goal, and I see no reason to rush to get there. Authentic and lasting transformations can only occur gradually.

If anyone here thinks I'm being ridiculous and that I should just stay the course and see what happens, I'd like to hear that line of thinking. But postponing law school is always a good choice, isn't it?

With utmost uncertainty,

- SM

The only thing I can offer is a slightly different perspective. Many, many people would jump for joy if they were in your position (me included) You have clearly mastered 3/4 of the test. Could you conquer RC by June? I don't know. But I do know that I have 3 sections to master before June (or Sept, or Dec) while you have one.

Just wanted you to realize what a great position you are in. But I love the idea of you working with your BA for a couple of years before law school.

[knowyourself]

Checking in !!! Just quickly went through the thread to catch-up. Out of curiosity, anyone here from Canada ?

- The support here is GREAT! and this thread is 100% necessary.
- I've also heard of people improving their RC by reading difficult books on their spare time, can anyone recommend a few ??

Good luck to everyone and remember to stay motivation no matter what !

[evolution]

Checking in !!! Just quickly went through the thread to catch-up. Out of curiosity, anyone here from Canada ?

- The support here is GREAT! and this thread is 100% necessary.
- I've also heard of people improving their RC by reading difficult books on their spare time, can anyone recommend a few ??

Good luck to everyone and remember to stay motivation no matter what !

Canadian here. Where abouts are you from?