October 2010 Test Prep Forum

[gdane]

Took SuperPrep B today. I'm conflicted. I went up in scaled score, 158 to 159, but I went down in raw score. In other words a generous curve bailed me out. Im happy because I went up from a 158 to a 159, but Im unhappy because I got 2 less questions correct than I got on Superprep A on Monday. The one positive that I can take from this is that I managed to do ok, in spite of the fact that I felt "off". I felt very distracted and just had a tough time focusing on certain questions. Also, I did well on LR. -5 and -6 respectively. That might sound sucky, but thats a huge improvement from where I was.

This test seemed very difficult. The curve definitely reflects that. The games werent that bad, but I ran out of time and had to rush through the third one. I ended up with a -9 on that section. RC also wasnt that bad, but the passage about the hispanics really threw me off. The passages were definitely more "dry" and complex than Superprep A's were. I ended up going through the last passage and questions extremely quickly. However, I was fortunate enough to only get 1 incorrect.

Overall, Im disappointed because I told myself "today youre getting that 160" and I didnt get it. Im also disappointed because I did so poorly on the games. -9 is inexcusable. Im going to go over my results, see what the hell happened and rest up. Tomorrow is Superprep C and I'll go from there.

[ly2010]

My TM teacher told us not to mark on the passage during RC. I tried her strategy and did even worse. I missed half of the questions instead of my consistent -1 or 2/passage.

Anyone else going through the TM books? I wondering whether I should just ditch 'em and start doing timed PT's since it's almost test time... or to wait a few more days and finish these books.

[aesis]

If you look at "eit" 's posts several pages back she has some great advice on RC. I took BP 4 months ago and their RC strategy just didn't work for me. You have to develop your own method, synthesize from different strategies. And if you're already hitting 170+ I'd say start doing PTs for timing and endurance practice for the next month with work on your TM books between PTs.

If you're still having trouble on certain question types then you need to drill those obviously.

[ly2010]

If you look at "eit" 's posts several pages back she has some great advice on RC. I took BP 4 months ago and their RC strategy just didn't work for me. You have to develop your own method, synthesize from different strategies. And if you're already hitting 170+ I'd say start doing PTs for timing and endurance practice for the next month with work on your TM books between PTs.

If you're still having trouble on certain question types then you need to drill those obviously.

I'm going to take SuperPrep A timed and see where I stand. I've been scared to find out! But yea, that's good advice. I can't drill forever....

[Gemini]

Just took PT 34. Omg it was more difficult for me, especially fo LR, to the point that I decided not to do the SOS method right away but just score it.

Nonetheless I managed to score a 174! Very relieved. However this definitely prompts me to do a much more serious review of the material.

Have any of you felt like that? Like you did poorly yet got a high score? What should you do when that happens?

I want to walk away from the actual test feeling like I've done well.

[Hedwig]

Just did PT 50. -1RC, -2LR, -1LG, -2LR. 94 raw, 175 scaled.

Riddled Basins of Attraction was an RC passage in this one. It did not live up to the hype. I got one question wrong on RC on a different passage, and basically breezed through Basins... once you got your head straight as to what a riddled basin was, you were golden.

What are some other notorious RC PTs? I think there's a maize one in PT 49. I shall do PT 49 and see if it's scary. Because right now I'm feeling like, if that's the worst they've got, I'll be fine with RC.

[Adjudicator]

Just took PT 34. Omg it was more difficult for me, especially fo LR, to the point that I decided not to do the SOS method right away but just score it.

Nonetheless I managed to score a 174! Very relieved. However this definitely prompts me to do a much more serious review of the material.

Have any of you felt like that? Like you did poorly yet got a high score? What should you do when that happens?

I want to walk away from the actual test feeling like I've done well.

I get that feeling all the time. I missed 6 on #50, which gave me a 175, but I was devastated by the number of problems that I missed, including ones that I felt I should not have missed.

I just had to tell myself that if -6 is me at my worst, then I'm in a pretty good position that many people would envy. And it also helps to realize that nobody is going to get every question right every single time. Even people that get 180 don't get 180 on every single test. You're almost always going to miss something.

[Gemini]

Yea but that's not exactly what I meant. Some tests feel harder than others. I feel that PT 34 was harder than 33, to the point that I thought I got somewhere in the 160's. Perhaps it's my own panic and stress contributing to that but I was just wondering what people do in their test preparation to alleviate that.

[Sandro]

Started to take PT 20 today, but after the first LR realized I had taken this before. Not that I really remembered it because it was ages ago, but I forgot to erase the LG stuff.. so i Just did the LR's

LR 1 -5 Ran out of time and had to guess on 24 25.
LR 2 -4 Tried doing the first ~10 then going backwards. Ended up forgetting to do question #1 and didnt get to #12. Missed 13 and 19 as well.

Still wondering how to get my timing back, seems as when I have enough time to complete a section and go back for a min or two I end up in the -2/-3 range. Missing way too many questions in the 10-15 range which it seems is where I begin to slow down... I am usually averaging 1 min a question until I hit about 13 or so. Don't know if I just need to skip certain longer stim's/questions I have trouble with or what. I also feel like I like the language of the more recent PT's LR compared to the older, seems like they are a bit tougher to me.

[Ragged]

Just did PT 50. -1RC, -2LR, -1LG, -2LR. 94 raw, 175 scaled.

Riddled Basins of Attraction was an RC passage in this one. It did not live up to the hype. I got one question wrong on RC on a different passage, and basically breezed through Basins... once you got your head straight as to what a riddled basin was, you were golden.

What are some other notorious RC PTs? I think there's a maize one in PT 49. I shall do PT 49 and see if it's scary. Because right now I'm feeling like, if that's the worst they've got, I'll be fine with RC.

Is -1 on RC typical for you? Any tips?

[Adjudicator]

I thought I'd share my progress so far. I started logging my results 4 tests ago. I actually had a couple of my best scores before I started logging, but they were earlier tests and I feel like these recent ones are more relevant. So...

PrepTest #49: 177 (-4)
Section 1 (LG): -2
Section 2 (LR): -2
Section 3 (RC): -0
Section 4 (LR): -0

PrepTest #50: 175 (-6)
Section 1 (RC): -2
Section 2 (LR): -1
Section 3 (LG): -2
Section 4 (LR): -1

PrepTest #43: 177 (-5)
Section 1 (RC): -1
Section 2 (LR): -1
Section 3 (LR): -0
Section 4 (LG): -3

PrepTest #38: 179 (-3)
Section 1 (LR): -1
Section 2 (LG): -1
Section 3 (RC): -1
Section 4 (LR): -0

So far I'm averaging 177 quite consistently, which is right where I wanted to be. I'm trying to pace myself and not blow through the rest of the tests too quickly, so I still have 52-60 left. I did 51 and got a 176 but I disqualified it because I had already done the LG section before; it must have been in a prep book or something.

We'll see what happens on 52-60, but I'm hoping to continue this consistency and score 175+ on the October LSAT.

It kind of troubles me that I scored lowest on #50, the most recent test so far (not counting 51). Hopefully I will vindicate myself on #52.

[Hedwig]

Just did PT 50. -1RC, -2LR, -1LG, -2LR. 94 raw, 175 scaled.

Riddled Basins of Attraction was an RC passage in this one. It did not live up to the hype. I got one question wrong on RC on a different passage, and basically breezed through Basins... once you got your head straight as to what a riddled basin was, you were golden.

What are some other notorious RC PTs? I think there's a maize one in PT 49. I shall do PT 49 and see if it's scary. Because right now I'm feeling like, if that's the worst they've got, I'll be fine with RC.

Is -1 on RC typical for you? Any tips?

I usually get either -0, -1, or -2.

I wrote up my seven-step method a couple of pages back (I think maybe on page 59 or thereabouts).

[Hannibal]

Really happy about my 180 on PT 49, but did anyone else have huge trouble with PT 38's LGs? If you added my exp score into the 49 score I have a 175 instead of 180.

[Adjudicator]

Really happy about my 180 on PT 49, but did anyone else have huge trouble with PT 38's LGs? If you added my exp score into the 49 score I have a 175 instead of 180.

I just did PT38 today. I don't remember the LG being very difficult except the final one, which was super annoying. But I had enough time left over to solve it. I think I was -1 on the LG section.

[lastch2]

did PT 50 yesterday, awful. -6 RC -2LR -1LG -3LR...168.

please, someone out there reading this tell me how to beat the morning fuzzies!!! this is really killing me!! and my stupid self just realized i'm signed up to take the test in eastern time, i'm in central time, which means to my brain it'll be like taking the test at 7:30am...i'm really freaking out about this morning thing!



edit: typo

[Feeny]

did PT 50 yesterday, awful. -6 RC -2LR -1LG -3LR...168.

please, someone out there reading this tell me how to beat the morning fuzzies!!! this is really killing me!! and my stupid self just realized i'm signed up to take the test in eastern time, i'm in central time, which means to my brain it'll be like taking the test at 7:30am...i'm really freaking out about this morning thing!



edit: typo

I suggest you start getting up early tomorrow morning and get a routine going, find out your optimal level of caffeine, if you suffer from that addiction. The human body/mind is highly adaptable, but it is also a creature of routine. I find that after a few weeks of rising early, I no longer really need an alarm. Your body will adapt.

If you feel awful about a great score like 168, a score that many would kill their neighbor with a rusty spoon for, then I think you have the self-discipline to start getting up early enough to get your mind in the zone.

[lennonist]

post moved to a separate thread

[Hedwig]

I just really, really want a 170 range score. It's stupid, because a score in the 160's is perfectly respectable, and the more regional school I'll probably apply to has had a median LSAT between 162-164 for the past couple years, so it's not like it wouldn't get me in. But then again, 170+ would help with scholarships. So who knows.

I guess it's useless to speculate on what you want when you're gonna get what you're gonna get, hey?

Is anyone else feeling ready for this test? I kind of wish I was taking it sooner.

ALSO I NEED to fix my goddamn sleep patterns. I slept in this morning just because I could and was rewarded with really weird dreams haha.

[Nulli Secundus]

Not that I have a severe problem with LSAT (so far my scores are quite good in PTs), but I wanted to learn TLS opinions on one thing: Since LSAT is an exam that is objectively challenging for most of native speakers, do you think same score by a non-native speaker is even infinitesimally more valuable than that of a native speaker,due to the additional challenge of language barrier, in the eyes of an Adcomm? Or, for example, a 173 is a 173, no matter what?

[lennonist]

Not that I have a severe problem with LSAT (so far my scores are quite good in PTs), but I wanted to learn TLS opinions on one thing: Since LSAT is an exam that is objectively challenging for most of native speakers, do you think same score by a non-native speaker is even infinitesimally more valuable than that of a native speaker, in recognizance of the additional challenge of language barrier? Or, for example, a 173 is a 173, no matter what?

that's a good question. As a non-native speaker myself, I always wondered about it. I think, given a right emphasis in your personal statement, your non-native 173 is more impressive than a native 173. What i mean by 'right emphasis' is explaining that you came to the US as a teenager or not learning English at home, etc; basically, reasons why your non-nativism is significant and not just a statistical point (for ex., it bugs me when kids go to kindergarden in the US and still try to pull the non-native card).

I highly doubt that the admissions of any good school will unambiguously answer this one.

[lparker]

Is anyone else feeling ready for this test? I kind of wish I was taking it sooner.

YES! I'm a retaker so I am especially ready to get it over with. Although, I think the wait for our scores is going to be intense. I'm used to immediately scoring my PTs, haha.

[Nulli Secundus]

Well in my case, I ve never been in the USA before, I was actually abroad for a grand total of 8 days and now PTing 174+ consistently. That is why I asked.

[lennonist]

Well in my case, I ve never been in the USA before, I was actually abroad for a grand total of 8 days and now PTing 174+ consistently. That is why I asked.

174+? Well-done, my friend. Happy for you

[Hedwig]

Well in my case, I ve never been in the USA before, I was actually abroad for a grand total of 8 days and now PTing 174+ consistently. That is why I asked.

What's your native language?

I completely respect anyone who learns English well enough to do well on the LSAT. I've tried other languages but I can't learn another living language, I just tend to be incredibly ethnocentric and get mad that it's not done that way in English, haha. Only exception is Latin which I love to death and would happily take an LSAT in, although I would need five thousand bajillion hours to translate it.

Also, for the waiting period, um... yeah. I think I'm going to have to find a new hobby or something. There is a reason the word patience comes from the Latin word patientia, which means SUFFERING. Lulz, I'm no good at patience.

[Nulli Secundus]

My native language is Turkish. So no structural similarities with English, but at least the (almost) same alphabet, I guess it would be harder to reach the level in English sufficient to score high in LSAT if your native language had a different alphabet like Cyrillic (or w/e that Russian alphabet is called).