October 2010 Test Prep Forum

[au bon pain]

Finals are over and back at it this weekend! Who's joining me!

Welcome! Raises hand!

[hunterjumper]

Hello all!
So glad to have found this site. I was registered for june and just switched to the october test yesterday. I have to say I'm feeling relieved! I really started my prep the last week of March and have been basically following the PR hyperlearning schedule (I was enrolled in a hyperlearning class that was cancelled and they offered to catch me up with private tutoring and I just hopped into a hyperlearning class last night. As of now I am being murdered by analytical reasoning. I'm hoping to really nail it this summer. I feel a lot better after switching my test date but I'm a little frustrated. Does everyone see steady improvement? I've taken two proctored tests and was not happy with either score (and only saw a 2 point improvement). If I could even work 2 of the games fully my score would be salvageable but as it stands I'm getting maybe 1 game (although I've done a lot of practice since my last test). Frustrating! I know it's the "best" section to be bad at but so far I'm seeing more improvement in the other two sections which I was better at in the first place. I'm taking another proctored test tomorrow so I guess I'll see how it goes. I wish I was one of those kids that spent time doing logic puzzles. Haha

I'm happy to have found people to commiserate with!!

[luxxe]

I just took Superprep B & got a 157, which is the same score I got on Superprep A. Feelin' discouraged early on!

[LSExpected]

Long time lurker, first time poster. We Ready!

[tomwatts]

I've taken two proctored tests and was not happy with either score (and only saw a 2 point improvement).

Yeah, score improvements do come a little slowly. Sometimes people remain flat on the second test, so if you're seeing any improvement now, that's a good sign; the jumps tend to get bigger as the course goes on.

If I could even work 2 of the games fully my score would be salvageable but as it stands I'm getting maybe 1 game (although I've done a lot of practice since my last test). Frustrating! I know it's the "best" section to be bad at but so far I'm seeing more improvement in the other two sections which I was better at in the first place. I'm taking another proctored test tomorrow so I guess I'll see how it goes.

Only being able to get to 1 game is rough. This means there something about how you're applying the approach that's screwy. It may be that you're spending too much time trying to visualize before you draw a diagram or to "comprehend" without just listing things. It may be that you're drawing your clues in a way that is not helping you answer questions (because they're not adequately visual). It may be that you're just staring without moving to the next step. It may be that you're not testing answers soon enough. Something is wrong, though, if a logic game is taking you half an hour to do, and it depends quite a lot on what you're spending that time doing.

I teach for Princeton Review, so if there's anything you want a second opinion on or explanation of in the course, feel free to let me know.

[ryanshep]

Hello all!
So glad to have found this site. I was registered for june and just switched to the october test yesterday. I have to say I'm feeling relieved! I really started my prep the last week of March and have been basically following the PR hyperlearning schedule (I was enrolled in a hyperlearning class that was cancelled and they offered to catch me up with private tutoring and I just hopped into a hyperlearning class last night. As of now I am being murdered by analytical reasoning. I'm hoping to really nail it this summer. I feel a lot better after switching my test date but I'm a little frustrated. Does everyone see steady improvement? I've taken two proctored tests and was not happy with either score (and only saw a 2 point improvement). If I could even work 2 of the games fully my score would be salvageable but as it stands I'm getting maybe 1 game (although I've done a lot of practice since my last test). Frustrating! I know it's the "best" section to be bad at but so far I'm seeing more improvement in the other two sections which I was better at in the first place. I'm taking another proctored test tomorrow so I guess I'll see how it goes. I wish I was one of those kids that spent time doing logic puzzles. Haha

I'm happy to have found people to commiserate with!!

I am in a similar boat, found this site and rescheduled. Now trying to decide on a course to take...

[au bon pain]

Hello all!
So glad to have found this site. I was registered for june and just switched to the october test yesterday. I have to say I'm feeling relieved! I really started my prep the last week of March and have been basically following the PR hyperlearning schedule (I was enrolled in a hyperlearning class that was cancelled and they offered to catch me up with private tutoring and I just hopped into a hyperlearning class last night. As of now I am being murdered by analytical reasoning. I'm hoping to really nail it this summer. I feel a lot better after switching my test date but I'm a little frustrated. Does everyone see steady improvement? I've taken two proctored tests and was not happy with either score (and only saw a 2 point improvement). If I could even work 2 of the games fully my score would be salvageable but as it stands I'm getting maybe 1 game (although I've done a lot of practice since my last test). Frustrating! I know it's the "best" section to be bad at but so far I'm seeing more improvement in the other two sections which I was better at in the first place. I'm taking another proctored test tomorrow so I guess I'll see how it goes. I wish I was one of those kids that spent time doing logic puzzles. Haha

I'm happy to have found people to commiserate with!!

For the games - maybe try going through and making sure that you're making all the right inferences on your main diagram. I worked on this a lot this weekend and saw steady improvement with games. I also do a few games and focus on something else and then I go back and check my score and analyze what I did wrong. I have this little list that I've been making up of things to "watch out for" and so as I discover tricks, I add them to the list. g/l!

[ctroutma123]

I guess I'll stop lurking and join in. I've been studying for about a month and am consistently scoring 159-161. Just got LGB and am hoping to gain 10 points from the LG section (avg 11-13 right so far, running out of time mostly), and 2-4 on LR and RC.

Full time job and a family of six limits my study time. Trying to figure out a good way to keep my brain from turning to mush after 9pm!

[pilawpcv]

Full time job and a family of six limits my study time. Trying to figure out a good way to keep my brain from turning to mush after 9pm!

I am single but was working two jobs (about 60 hour weeks) the first time I studied for the LSAT. It's probably one reason I didn't do as well as I liked, but I did ok. I arranged with my boss to stay an extra half hour in the afternoon and have and hour and a half lunch break. I used this time to study for the LSAT; it was nice because my brain hadn't gone mushy yet. Might be worth a try

[hotdog123]

Burning through the Power Score Bibles... done with RC... a few chapters left in LR... and then onto the big booger, LG...

On pace to finish 15 practice tests before the October LSAT... interested to see how the PS books will help me after my diagnostic was so shitacular.

[LateNight]

Burning through the Power Score Bibles... done with RC... a few chapters left in LR... and then onto the big booger, LG...

On pace to finish 15 practice tests before the October LSAT... interested to see how the PS books will help me after my diagnostic was so shitacular.

What is your opinion on the RC Bible? I just cracked open the LR bible, and have gone through the LG bible. I freaking love these books, they are well written and comprehensive. The quality level is not even comparable to Princeton Review or Kaplan.

Sorry about any grammatical / logical errors. "You see, I was writing with casual haste and did not pay any heed to grammatical errors." And I am drugged up after getting my wisdom teeth pulled, so I don't make sense.

[pilawpcv]

What is your opinion on the RC Bible? I just cracked open the LR bible, and have gone through the LG bible. I freaking love these books, they are well written and comprehensive. The quality level is not even comparable to Princeton Review or Kaplan.

I couldn't agree more. What I can't figure out is why they're not famous. This is my third time around with the LSAT, and this board is the only place I've heard of them. Most other sources are all about Kaplan/Princeton Review.

[hotdog123]

Burning through the Power Score Bibles... done with RC... a few chapters left in LR... and then onto the big booger, LG...

On pace to finish 15 practice tests before the October LSAT... interested to see how the PS books will help me after my diagnostic was so shitacular.

What is your opinion on the RC Bible? I just cracked open the LR bible, and have gone through the LG bible. I freaking love these books, they are well written and comprehensive. The quality level is not even comparable to Princeton Review or Kaplan.

Sorry about any grammatical / logical errors. "You see, I was writing with casual haste and did not pay any heed to grammatical errors." And I am drugged up after getting my wisdom teeth pulled, so I don't make sense.

Honestly, I'm finding LR to be a pretty big waste of time. I'm mostly skimming it. However, I'm not surprised, because LR is my strongest section in scoring on the LSAT.

RC was pretty helpful in diagramming tips and little strategies for time management and being efficient.

I suspect LG, my weakest section, is going to take me forever to get through.

[nonpareilpearl]

What I can't figure out is why they're not famous.

If I had to guess it's probably because places like Kaplan and PR also have review books for the SAT, ACT, and other, more common, standardized tests. Students probably go back to the companies that helped them with these previous exams to try and get help for later exams (such as GREs, LSATs, etc.).

[brickman]

how much are you all reviewing the bible material in terms of it's discussion? pgs. 1-90 have a lot in there, and I want to make sure I have a good understanding before I tackle the games. First week of studying, just want to make sure all goes well.

[pilawpcv]

They have some built in practice in the first ninety pages (two drills I believe). Make sure you feel comfortable with the drills, then tackle the games!

[LateNight]

Take notes and outline each page. It sounds terrible, but it helps. In addition, you can keep track of each time you start a new page and the actually time you spend outlining. Gives you a solid grasp on how much time you are spending studying.

LR is also my strongest section, I finish about -4 with 5 minutes to spare on each section. I hope the LR book will get me to -0. I feel great that I have so much extra time on each section and am scoring only -4.

RC is going to be rough for me, I do well on the older tests but have heard that the newer tests are BRUTAL.

Good luck everyone! Hope ya'll don't bend the curve too high for me.

[nonpareilpearl]

LR is also my strongest section, I finish about -4 with 5 minutes to spare on each section. I hope the LR book will get me to -0.

Same here! Let me know if the LR Bible helps you - I wasn't sure if it'd be worth the cost.

[hotdog123]

LR is also my strongest section, I finish about -4 with 5 minutes to spare on each section. I hope the LR book will get me to -0.

Same here! Let me know if the LR Bible helps you - I wasn't sure if it'd be worth the cost.

If you struggle with LR, I can see it being beneficial. But if you're good at it, you're going to quickly become bored with it. It hasn't taught me a whole lot that I already didn't know, in fact, the majority of the skills I'm using in LR I learned from the RC book and the first 5 chapters in LR... I'd say overall the book is worth it, if for nothing more than a quick reference to section rules/tips if you find yourself making the same errors over and over again... it won't be worth as much to you as RC and LG, but it will still likely be worth the investment if you nail your target score

[TUP]

I'm working through the LRB now, but it isn't nearly as useful as the LGB. I think it would help those scoring poorly that need help understanding the basics, but I find myself skimming through chapters to spend more time on questions.

I probably won't be going through the RCB, either. I think simply doing more questions, even if they're from early preptests, is a better use of time for this section as well.

[hotdog123]

I finished the LR bible tonight. Starting on LG tomorrow. I think I may have developed some bad habits for LG from my Princeton Review course last year. Hopefully that won't be the case.

Would you say that the LG Bible takes a lot longer to get through?

[Dripworx]

Just finished my spring semester 2 weeks ago, and since the last day of exams Ive been able to finish the LGB. Shot through the whole thing and now im just using games from kaplan mastery (not the orange book, but the one they give during the courses) to kind of hone down the skills. Im planning on doing this for whats left of the month and hopefully beginning to move on to LRB by early june.

Just wondering if im at a good pace? how is everyone spacing out their studying?

some quick info abt myself:

never taken the LSAT yet, diagnostics have all been 140< so my motivation is extreme to say the least...

books im using: LGB, LRB, kaplan mastery, the three "actual' series, and the most recent tests from 41-59

planning to take this bastard in october obviously, trying to keep my head up by looking at this forum and realizing that this test IS learnable, and it CAN be beaten...

not taking a prep class, not working at my job, and only taking 4 online classes (nothing demanding) until early july...

Best of luck to everyone!

[LateNight]

Just finished my spring semester 2 weeks ago, and since the last day of exams Ive been able to finish the LGB. Shot through the whole thing and now im just using games from kaplan mastery (not the orange book, but the one they give during the courses) to kind of hone down the skills. Im planning on doing this for whats left of the month and hopefully beginning to move on to LRB by early june.

My advice is to slow down and take your time on the LGB especially with your PTs where they are. Outline each section, do each game several times (at least four of five) until it is second nature. Identify every possible inference in every single game before starting. Make this a habit.

I can't emphasize enough that it is critical not to just "read" the book but actually outline it and take notes and practice the skill sets.

You seem like you are doing that, but if you're not then start.

[TUP]

I guess my experience was somewhat different. I think I did about a chapter per day with the LGB, so about a week to get through the reading and all the exercises/games in the book once. I do work full-time, though, so if you are unemployed and out of school it could definitely be done faster.

I don't think outlining and taking notes is necessary. The LGB really does a great job, and I found that after reading the chapter once and doing the games with explanations at the end of the chapter, I had the diagramming strategy down and was ready to move onto doing as many games as possible. Learning the strategies doesn't take too long as they are explained simply and concisely, and the bulk of my LG time will be spent practicing with them on as many games as possible to consistently get -0 in under 8 minutes on every game.

[RockabillyForums]

Well this will be my third attempt at the LSAT, I know I can do much better. Now that school is over I can focus on my LSAT and feel 100% going into this one. The first attempt I did not study much, and the second attempt I studied a little bit more but also came down with the flu the week of the test but still actually improved by 3 points.