The Official June 2016 Study Group Forum

[ayylmao]

177 on PT 75. But with some (potentially) major caveats.

-0 LG
-1 LR
-3 RC

I averaged 171 on PTs 72, 73, and 74, which I felt bad about since I scored a 172 on the real LSAT in 2014 and I'm like how did I get WORSE on the LSAT after 2 years of getting smarter and healthier plus some additional months of prep? Also I was PTing in the high 170s on older tests.

So I did some INTENSE review of those three PTs before doing PT 75. Now for the caveats: For PT 75 I did the sections one at a time, with long breaks, and I scored each section once I finished. I did this because I wanted to make sure that I at least had a good understanding of the questions, because I feel like these tests are subtly different from the older ones, and I think maybe I had just gotten too used to the older PT style. I feel like my review really helped me readjust.

Now I'll have to gauge to what extent stamina and confidence will be a factor by taking a full PT and following the rules. I'm wondering how much of a performance difference any of you see when you do the sections individually as I described vs. the full PT?

What exactly do you mean by "these tests" and "old ones"?

[somewhatferal]

I have taken a couple PT's in the past few days

PT 59, 175 (LR -4, LG -2, RC -3)
PT 56, 175 (LR -5, LG -0, RC -1)

59 had a hell of a generous curve. These are some of my worst LR scores since I started taking tests. I talked myself out of three right answers on PT 56. It's very frustrating, but at least I have improved dramatically on my games since I started practicing. I scored a -10 on LG on my second PT.

175 is about the minimum of what I want to score in June, so I'd like to be reliably scoring in the 177-179 range on PT's before the real thing.

[R. Jeeves]

177 on PT 75. But with some (potentially) major caveats.

-0 LG
-1 LR
-3 RC

I averaged 171 on PTs 72, 73, and 74, which I felt bad about since I scored a 172 on the real LSAT in 2014 and I'm like how did I get WORSE on the LSAT after 2 years of getting smarter and healthier plus some additional months of prep? Also I was PTing in the high 170s on older tests.

So I did some INTENSE review of those three PTs before doing PT 75. Now for the caveats: For PT 75 I did the sections one at a time, with long breaks, and I scored each section once I finished. I did this because I wanted to make sure that I at least had a good understanding of the questions, because I feel like these tests are subtly different from the older ones, and I think maybe I had just gotten too used to the older PT style. I feel like my review really helped me readjust.

Now I'll have to gauge to what extent stamina and confidence will be a factor by taking a full PT and following the rules. I'm wondering how much of a performance difference any of you see when you do the sections individually as I described vs. the full PT?

What exactly do you mean by "these tests" and "old ones"?

Oh sorry, my post was really poorly written.

I meant that the more recent PTs (like maybe the late 60s onward) seem to be different from earlier PTs in terms of the style of questions. I had most recently been working on PTs 29-38, then I decided to try the ones in the 70s and the transition didn't go well for me - even though I had done a lot of practice on sections from 52-71 earlier in my prep.

[Mikey]

I've intensely drilled away with MBT questions and for the life of me CANNOT wrap my head around these. I feel like crap being able to do the other question types EXCEPT MBT questions, which sucks!

[nerdylsat]

PT 55, 175 (-2 LR, -2 RC, -1 LG)

Stupid mistakes, stupid mistakes. Gah. I always use a LG as a fifth section during PT's. Maybe I should switch to LR or RC.

So I took PT 55 just to see how I compared to you. Ended up with my highest score ever - 172!

Went -4 LR, -2 RC, -1 LG.

I was usually scoring around 166 before this, and my highest score was a 169. The fact that LG was really easy here also helped since I didn't bomb any games like I do sometimes.

I had taken this PT like 6 months ago, even though I didn't remember anything, and I took it in sections during the week, so I'm not taking the 172 at face value but seeing it as just a plain 170 since I didn't take it in PT conditions.

Let's hope my scores stay in this range!

[appind]

Parallel flaw questions will be the death of me.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. And eliminate answer choices by comparing conclusions first. You can mentally boil down lots of parallel flaw stims to their essential elements. For example, "Most A's are B, if you want C you should B, thus the only way to C is A." Then you can look for certain indicator words in the answer choices (i.e. "most," "should," etc.) and try to match the things to which they refer with A, B, and C.

it's useful to do it in most questions but not always. lsat has been making such questions more subtle in recent PTs where just matching some elements in conclusion/stim doesn't work, which had always worked in the old PTs. e.g. 76.LR1.21.

[YupSports]

7Saged the games I missed from yesterday's marathon, as well as drilled LG sections from 47 and 48.

Glad to everyone putting in some weekend work and all pushing towards our goals.

[somewhatferal]

PT 55, 175 (-2 LR, -2 RC, -1 LG)

Stupid mistakes, stupid mistakes. Gah. I always use a LG as a fifth section during PT's. Maybe I should switch to LR or RC.

So I took PT 55 just to see how I compared to you. Ended up with my highest score ever - 172!

Went -4 LR, -2 RC, -1 LG.

I was usually scoring around 166 before this, and my highest score was a 169. The fact that LG was really easy here also helped since I didn't bomb any games like I do sometimes.

I had taken this PT like 6 months ago, even though I didn't remember anything, and I took it in sections during the week, so I'm not taking the 172 at face value but seeing it as just a plain 170 since I didn't take it in PT conditions.

Let's hope my scores stay in this range!

Nice! Keep it up!

[longpig]

Got a high score today - 178 on PT66!

RC -0, LR -1 combined, LG -3 (2 wrong in the first 4 questions of a reeeally easy game lol)

Can't help but feel like it's a fluke/a birthday blessing (yep, PT-ing on my birthday weee)

Also I'm sure this has been asked a million times but is there any way to get PT's 72-77 as a bundle or do I have to buy them individually?

Nice score! And Happy Birthday! You should go out tonight and celebrate your birthday AND that great PT score

Thanks! Yeah it was a relief to do well so I could give myself a break for the night

[appind]

spent the weekend reviewing LR and RC sections that i took over the last month.

planning for pt-77 next weekend.

[CPAlawHopefu]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

[beenoparte125]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

RC is also, I think, the biggest threat to scoring in the 170's this June for me.

If you've done that many passages and not improved, I would definitely suggest trying something new, what is your current approach? That being said... RC has certainly gotten more difficult as the LSAT has evolved, so it could be that not getting any worse is actually a sign of some improvement. I understand if that is not very comforting.

[beenoparte125]

Also... checking back in... I've been wallowing in the low 170's... kind of discouraging but I'm gearing up to take PT 64 either tonight or tomorrow and am planning on killing it.

[Mikey]

Also... checking back in... I've been wallowing in the low 170's... kind of discouraging but I'm gearing up to take PT 64 either tonight or tomorrow and am planning on killing it.

Wish I had time during the current week to take a PT, I'm gonna have to wait until the weekend. KILL IT THOUGH! I KNOW YOU CAN!

[CPAlawHopefu]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

RC is also, I think, the biggest threat to scoring in the 170's this June for me.

If you've done that many passages and not improved, I would definitely suggest trying something new, what is your current approach? That being said... RC has certainly gotten more difficult as the LSAT has evolved, so it could be that not getting any worse is actually a sign of some improvement. I understand if that is not very comforting.

I almost always get perfect score on Science and Social Science passages.

Humanities (anything to do with Art or music) and Law related (especially the abstract passages that deals with jurisprudence) are guaranteed fail for me.

[lawschoolbound17]

Checking in. Started the most recent Manhattan course last week. Took the June 2007 PT on Saturday and scored a 162. Hoping to climb my way up to the 170s by test day in June. If not, I'll be in the September re-take board.

Good luck all!

[ayylmao]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

Teach me your LG ways please. It's my most inconsistent section. On any given day I could get either -0 or -6. I tend to miss opportunities to split my game board and I don't spot enough inferences.

[ayylmao]

Checking in. Started the most recent Manhattan course last week. Took the June 2007 PT on Saturday and scored a 162. Hoping to climb my way up to the 170s by test day in June. If not, I'll be in the September re-take board.

Good luck all!

That's a high diagnostic score. Don't be afraid to put off your first take till September if you need to in order to maximize your score. You seem to be in a good starting position.

[ayylmao]

How should I use my PTs for my June take? I have PTs 63-77 fresh and ready to use between now and June. Since I want to use all of them, that's about 2 per week. I think it might be worth burning the most sacred PTs to learn the nuances of the 70s-series tests, but at the same time I don't want to shoot my wad too early.

[Mikey]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

Teach me your LG ways please. It's my most inconsistent section. On any given day I could get either -0 or -6. I tend to miss opportunities to split my game board and I don't spot enough inferences.

Yo chill, I need you to show me your -1 LR ways.

[ayylmao]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

Teach me your LG ways please. It's my most inconsistent section. On any given day I could get either -0 or -6. I tend to miss opportunities to split my game board and I don't spot enough inferences.

Yo chill, I need you to show me your -1 LR ways.

Oh shit, is today the day when I become such a TLS regular that people remember my past posts? I'm flattered.

I do think LR requires lots and lots of repetition though (not unlike other parts of the LSAT of course). To get consistently good at LR, you have to be proactive instead of reactive. With the exception of the hardest questions, you have to be able to sense where they're taking you before you even read the answers. (I'd say "before you read the stem" but not everyone does this.) It's not merely prephrasing; you should generally be able to hold multiple argument flaws in your head at the same time and always read with the eye of a pedantic asshole teenager who picks holes in your arguments for fun. (We all know that kid.) Ultimately, I think pattern-recognition is almost as important on LR as it is on LG.

[Mikey]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

Teach me your LG ways please. It's my most inconsistent section. On any given day I could get either -0 or -6. I tend to miss opportunities to split my game board and I don't spot enough inferences.

Yo chill, I need you to show me your -1 LR ways.

Oh shit, is today the day when I become such a TLS regular that people remember my past posts? I'm flattered.

I do think LR requires lots and lots of repetition though (not unlike other parts of the LSAT of course). To get consistently good at LR, you have to be proactive instead of reactive. With the exception of the hardest questions, you have to be able to sense where they're taking you before you even read the answers. (I'd say "before you read the stem" but not everyone does this.) It's not merely prephrasing; you should generally be able to hold multiple argument flaws in your head at the same time and always read with the eye of a pedantic asshole teenager who picks holes in your arguments for fun. (We all know that kid.) Ultimately, I think pattern-recognition is almost as important on LR as it is on LG.

I remember some (conditional logic joke with the word some? no? ok) of the TLS regulars in this group

Yeah, where I lose most of my LR points is from the harder questions, and occasionally one of the easier questions if I slip up. I drill so much yet the harder questions never seem to stick with me, meh, I guess more drilling and BR will get me there though :p

[ayylmao]

Consistently getting -0 on LG and somewhere between -3 and -5 on LR (combined). RC is the real curveball, on a good day I'd get down to -3 but on a real bad day it could go as bad as -10, which instantly brings my score down from 170's to low 160's.

Any tips? I did every passage from PT1 - PT54 (I'm going in order) yet it does not seem to be improving.

Teach me your LG ways please. It's my most inconsistent section. On any given day I could get either -0 or -6. I tend to miss opportunities to split my game board and I don't spot enough inferences.

Yo chill, I need you to show me your -1 LR ways.

Oh shit, is today the day when I become such a TLS regular that people remember my past posts? I'm flattered.

I do think LR requires lots and lots of repetition though (not unlike other parts of the LSAT of course). To get consistently good at LR, you have to be proactive instead of reactive. With the exception of the hardest questions, you have to be able to sense where they're taking you before you even read the answers. (I'd say "before you read the stem" but not everyone does this.) It's not merely prephrasing; you should generally be able to hold multiple argument flaws in your head at the same time and always read with the eye of a pedantic asshole teenager who picks holes in your arguments for fun. (We all know that kid.) Ultimately, I think pattern-recognition is almost as important on LR as it is on LG.

I remember some (conditional logic joke with the word some? no? ok) of the TLS regulars in this group

Yeah, where I lose most of my LR points is from the harder questions, and occasionally one of the easier questions if I slip up. I drill so much yet the harder questions never seem to stick with me, meh, I guess more drilling and BR will get me there though :p

You might try doing what I'm starting to do with games, and what I've read other high-scorers say helped them: carry little copies of very hard LR questions around with you, and look at them during idle moments. Or just keep a list of questions with PT #, section and question # so you know what to revisit at regular intervals. I think the theory behind that strategy is that you keep your brain "in" the test all the time, making it easier for the information to stick.

[lawschoolbound17]

Checking in. Started the most recent Manhattan course last week. Took the June 2007 PT on Saturday and scored a 162. Hoping to climb my way up to the 170s by test day in June. If not, I'll be in the September re-take board.

Good luck all!

That's a high diagnostic score. Don't be afraid to put off your first take till September if you need to in order to maximize your score. You seem to be in a good starting position.

Thanks. That's the plan depending on where I'm scoring on May 17. That was the first full test I've taken so my plan was to keep taking a practice test a week on top of the class. I'll evaluate my progress once the deadline arrives. The reading comprehension section was my worst section. Any tips on how to improve? Mostly, I just felt extremely fatigued by the final section (RC) and found it difficult to focus.

[YupSports]

Drilled the games I missed yesterday as well as LG from 48.

I'm getting excited for this test - I feel like we are all going to do great.

Just keep making progress every day.