December 2013 LSAT Study Group Forum

[ManoftheHour]

7sage recommends doing a game 10 times or until you can do it perfectly and very quickly. People in the Oct SWEAR by this method. Apparently it enforces your basic understanding of LG, so even when you encounter a game that has different details, the "muscle memory" still kicks in. I'm signed up for Oct, and have now given up on drilling Cambridge. Drilling 1-38 didn't help me one bit on my previous PTs (all 50s/60s), so I'm now going to use the 7sage method + all the LG sections I've already used while PTing from the 50s and 60s. Hoping that this will make me very used to the games I see on the real LSAT (:

If I end up retaking in Dec, I'm definitely going to do the same with the level 3/4 games from Cambridge.

Huh. Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Definitely going to be trying that now. Man, December seems to be coming so quickly.

here's the link if you're interested: http://7sage.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-s ... gic-games/

yeah, it is! oct is only like 20 days away at this point. was getting a little desperate because cambridge drilling just wasn't really helping me, so i'm going to go all in with 7sage and pray that it helps me in time for oct. if not, you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here

I'm still at -3-4 on games, so I'm definitely going to try this out.

[062914123]

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[lhn5007]

I'm still at -3-4 on games, so I'm definitely going to try this out.

I FEEL YOUR PAIN. I'm at -1 to -3 combined on LR, maybe -4 depending on the difficulty of the test, and -0/-1 in RC. LG is anywhere from -3 to -5, but I definitely think I could go -7 if something truly horrific popped up on the LSAT. Games is the single thing that's holding me back from a consistent mid to high 170s score, and NOTHING I've done so far seems to work.

If you ever want to commiserate or talk over strategies, feel free to send me a PM! Everyone always says how easy LG is, but it's the section that least "clicks" with me

Which types of games are you having the most trouble with?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what is your strategy in LR? I'm consistently doing -3 or -4 on each LR section but again I'm only on Chapter 6 of the MLSAT LR and I've read about half of Powerscore LR. Flaw questions are my weaknesses, which is a problem because of their prevalence. I'm drilling Cambridge at the same time after every chapter but difficulty level 3 and 4 flaw questions seem to trip me up. I'm thinking of making flash cards along with common flaws from the Powerscore LRB. Thinking about getting the LSAT Trainer for its LR and RC sections too.

[062914123]

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[lhn5007]

I'm still at -3-4 on games, so I'm definitely going to try this out.

I FEEL YOUR PAIN. I'm at -1 to -3 combined on LR, maybe -4 depending on the difficulty of the test, and -0/-1 in RC. LG is anywhere from -3 to -5, but I definitely think I could go -7 if something truly horrific popped up on the LSAT. Games is the single thing that's holding me back from a consistent mid to high 170s score, and NOTHING I've done so far seems to work.

If you ever want to commiserate or talk over strategies, feel free to send me a PM! Everyone always says how easy LG is, but it's the section that least "clicks" with me

Which types of games are you having the most trouble with?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what is your strategy in LR? I'm consistently doing -3 or -4 on each LR section but again I'm only on Chapter 6 of the MLSAT LR and I've read about half of Powerscore LR. Flaw questions are my weaknesses, which is a problem because of their prevalence. I'm drilling Cambridge at the same time after every chapter but difficulty level 3 and 4 flaw questions seem to trip me up. I'm thinking of making flash cards along with common flaws from the Powerscore LRB. Thinking about getting the LSAT Trainer for its LR and RC sections too.

See, that's the thing. I don't have a problem with a particular TYPE of game, otherwise I'd just keep drilling drilling drilling. I just have a problem with HARD games, haha. If you've mastered LG, any tips?

Honestly, I don't have a strategy for LR. I learned the basics from Blueprint, which got me to about -6/-5 combined. Then I just kept doing PTs, and my scores just kept climbing. I will say that the single biggest thing that helped me with LR was 7sage's Blind Review method. I can now finish a section in about 25 minutes, and I spend the last 10 minutes double and triple checking that I didn't make any stupid mistakes like misread a question stem. I do think that drilling your weak q types helps, but I will say that LR from 1-38 is DRASTICALLY, DRASTICALLY different from LR in the 50s, and LR in the 50s is not quite as hard as LR in the 60s. I'd keep that in mind. Also--I personally find LR from 1-49 much more difficult than LR in the 50s/60s, but almost everyone feels the opposite way. 50s/60s LR is much more mechanical, with very little "wiggle room" in the ACs, so I wouldn't wait until the last moment to get acclimated to them.

All in all, you've still got plenty of time for LR and you haven't even finished a strategy guide yet. Don't worry about it until you've done a few PTs and your scores haven't improved.

P.S. I think flaw questions in particular are different from the early PTs to the modern PTs. The prevalence of certain kinds of flaws has shifted. For example, there are quite a lot of nebulous, soft flaws in the older questions e.g. you can tell what it is because it feels wrong when you read the prompt, stuff like circular reasoning or confusing the suff/necc conditions etc. Newer PTs tend to have flaw q's that are much more direct, but they're well hidden. The prompt often doesn't feel wrong in a significant way, because the flaw is something like a very subtle necessary assumption or equivocation. Of course, there are still some circular reasoning flaws or w/e, but most of the time I'd say the flaw is all about what ISN'T in the stimulus, rather than what IS.

Thanks bee for the advice. I'll stop panicking and finish my LR guides haha. Is it sad that although its almost 3 months away, I already feel the countdown?

I think if it isn't a particular game type then it has to be a line of thinking that is screwing you up. Do you miss inferences? Get contrapositives wrong? Are they just silly errors from time pressure? Maybe you psych yourself out. Everyone knows a difficult game immediately following the setup. This sort of creates a level of anxiety that clouds your judgment from seeing the key inference that lets everything else falls into place.

[062914123]

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[vicpin5190]

Took a timed section of RC today, or at least the first 3 sections timed strictly and the last section I ended up running out of time but allowed myself to finish the section. Got a -5 total, which was really encouraging. Glad I postponed the test even more now that I'm starting to get a hang of the RC section. Still have work to go, but if i can balance my time i feel better about this section than I did a few weeks ago.

[lhn5007]

Thanks bee for the advice. I'll stop panicking and finish my LR guides haha. Is it sad that although its almost 3 months away, I already feel the countdown?

I think if it isn't a particular game type then it has to be a line of thinking that is screwing you up. Do you miss inferences? Get contrapositives wrong? Are they just silly errors from time pressure? Maybe you psych yourself out. Everyone knows a difficult game immediately following the setup. This sort of creates a level of anxiety that clouds your judgment from seeing the key inference that lets everything else falls into place.

Nailed it. I can easily get 100% accuracy even on the hardest games with no time pressure and no test taking pressure. But under the gun I make REALLY DUMB little mistakes. 2/3 of my mistakes in LG are reading comp mistakes or misreading my perfectly drawn diagram due to nerves. IDK, it's the only section where my nerves really come out. And when I hit a difficult game, it's like all I can do is freeze up and let it fuck me over, even though I DO know how to do it. I just can't perform

You can perform if you can get 100% accuracy without pressure. You just have to slow down, focus on the problem and not your emotions. I had to look at every single word, detail, and stop skimming. This type of tunnel vision also made me forget I was nervous. You will waste more time having to reread than you would just reading actively albeit more slowly (not to mention the amount of studying time you waste in order to review a wrong answer then beat yourself over it lol). Plus we plow through the easy LGs so we can have more time on the harder LGs anyway, so trust yourself.

[062914123]

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[Sinatra]

Thanks bee for the advice. I'll stop panicking and finish my LR guides haha. Is it sad that although its almost 3 months away, I already feel the countdown?

I think if it isn't a particular game type then it has to be a line of thinking that is screwing you up. Do you miss inferences? Get contrapositives wrong? Are they just silly errors from time pressure? Maybe you psych yourself out. Everyone knows a difficult game immediately following the setup. This sort of creates a level of anxiety that clouds your judgment from seeing the key inference that lets everything else falls into place.

Nailed it. I can easily get 100% accuracy even on the hardest games with no time pressure and no test taking pressure. But under the gun I make REALLY DUMB little mistakes. 2/3 of my mistakes in LG are reading comp mistakes or misreading my perfectly drawn diagram due to nerves. IDK, it's the only section where my nerves really come out. And when I hit a difficult game, it's like all I can do is freeze up and let it fuck me over, even though I DO know how to do it. I just can't perform

You can perform if you can get 100% accuracy without pressure. You just have to slow down, focus on the problem and not your emotions. I had to look at every single word, detail, and stop skimming. This type of tunnel vision also made me forget I was nervous. You will waste more time having to reread than you would just reading actively albeit more slowly (not to mention the amount of studying time you waste in order to review a wrong answer then beat yourself over it lol). Plus we plow through the easy LGs so we can have more time on the harder LGs anyway, so trust yourself.

Yup, just gotta keep telling myself this until it finally sinks in...

Mind if I ask how you're PTing lately?

bee, I would give almost anything to be in your situation. You are nailing every other section other than the easiest to improve on. You know the material so you shouldn't psyche yourself out. They are just games, similar to sudoku, and you and I both know you know how can do them.

[lhn5007]

Yup, just gotta keep telling myself this until it finally sinks in...

Mind if I ask how you're PTing lately?

I will let you know after I finish these damn LR guides, told myself I'd wait to do another whole PT after LR studying. WHY ARE ALL OF THESE BOOKS 600 PAGES?!

[062914123]

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[OVOXO]

Drilled 10 sequencing games. A couple were −1, and time was <9 minutes per, so minor hiccups. On to advanced linear and logical reasoning tomorrow.

[ManoftheHour]

I'm studying at a cafe right now and there's a guy at the table next to me using a PrinceTTTon Review book. No matter his ability (who knows, he might be a 170+ scorer already), he could benefit from PS, the LSAT Trainer, or Manhattan.

[Nonconsecutive]

I'm studying at a cafe right now and there's a guy at the table next to me using a PrinceTTTon Review book. No matter his ability (who knows, he might be a 170+ scorer already), he could benefit from PS, the LSAT Trainer, or Manhattan.

I honestly didn't realize how true this was until I picked up a Princeton LSAT book in a store the other day just to flip through it.

Drilled 10 sequencing games. A couple were −1, and time was <9 minutes per, so minor hiccups. On to advanced linear and logical reasoning tomorrow.

Nice! I still have a lot of trouble with LG, thankfully drilling seems to be slowly pulling those missed numbers closer to 0. Have you improved much while drilling?

[alpha kenny body]

September - Timed Sections and Drilling
October - Preptests and Drilling (Blind Review)
November - Preptests (Blind Review)
All 3 Months - Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Supplements

Keeping it simple

[flash21]

anyone around 150 skill want to help eachother beat that 160+ mark? If so PM we can skype/study together till' december.

[raindrop]

September - Timed Sections and Drilling
October - Preptests and Drilling (Blind Review)
November - Preptests (Blind Review)
All 3 Months - Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Supplements

Keeping it simple

Pretty much my plan as well... I'd also like to fit in one, maybe two proctored Kaplan exams in if I can. Powerscore books took longer than I expected to finish -_-. Also, getting my diet, exercise and supplement regimens in order has made me feel great too. I need to crush the exam.


89 days.

[dasani13]

Any recommendation on diet/exercise/supplements?

[OVOXO]

I'm studying at a cafe right now and there's a guy at the table next to me using a PrinceTTTon Review book. No matter his ability (who knows, he might be a 170+ scorer already), he could benefit from PS, the LSAT Trainer, or Manhattan.

I honestly didn't realize how true this was until I picked up a Princeton LSAT book in a store the other day just to flip through it.

Drilled 10 sequencing games. A couple were −1, and time was <9 minutes per, so minor hiccups. On to advanced linear and logical reasoning tomorrow.

Nice! I still have a lot of trouble with LG, thankfully drilling seems to be slowly pulling those missed numbers closer to 0. Have you improved much while drilling?

Yes! drilling is the key once you know the “theory” behind the various games and the processes. Drilling reinforces those processes. Keep track of how long each game takes you and how many wrong you get. Make a spreadsheet so you keep everything organized. I plan on redoing every single game that I either got more than −0 wrong or was over 9 minutes. Don’t hesitate to redo tougher games 3, 4, 5 times during your practice so you’ll reinforce the pattern in your mind.

[alecks]

this is my first post! what if I'm doing this wrong???

checking in, studying for the lsat for the third time... anyone have advice about concentration? I graduated in 2012 and am now blaming my lack of concentration on my boring job.

[lhn5007]

this is my first post! what if I'm doing this wrong???

checking in, studying for the lsat for the third time... anyone have advice about concentration? I graduated in 2012 and am now blaming my lack of concentration on my boring job.

I'm combating my lack of concentration with these simple thoughts:
1. 170+ or wait another year (I hate being stuck in limbo, not working towards my career.)
2. 170+ or 200ks+ debt
3. 170+ or TTT

I also have a boring mundane job where I go stir crazy. I get a lot of reading done on the Economist though. By the time 5pm rolls around the last thing I want to do is study while I'm in zombie mode. So I've decided to get up at 6:00 every morning and study at a local coffee shop from 7:00-9am then head to work. After work I'll exercise which de-stresses me and then maybe do a couple sections/light review for an hour. A plus to this is that I'll be training my brain to work earlier in the day being that the exam will prob start around 9am. October and November, I'll start doing LSAT simulations on Saturday mornings at 9am in a location near the test center (luckily only 15 minutes from my house).

[OVOXO]

Anyone buy LSAT trainer? Useful? I’m a retaker and so I’ve already read the Powerscore Bibles and the Manhattan LG and LR guides and doing a quick refresher before diving back into serious drilling/PTing (was 165 in Feb but PTing 170-174). Any thoughts?

[OVOXO]

this is my first post! what if I'm doing this wrong???

checking in, studying for the lsat for the third time... anyone have advice about concentration? I graduated in 2012 and am now blaming my lack of concentration on my boring job.

I really think the concentration comes with practice. It’s like training for a marathon — you’ll be able to run farther each time you run. For me, when I started, I couldn’t even finish a section without breaking concentration; 2 months into it I was in complete zen mode

[Kimikho]

Reluctantly checking in to keep October nerves under control . I think after October I'll start from the 40s and move up, focusing on six-section PTs with the experimentals anywhere but the first section. My median and mean right now are both 172, and I'm hoping for a 174+.

Good luck everyone! Trust me, December will be here before you know it :/.