Post removed. Forum

[blackbirdfly]

I have three fresh PTs left (not counting 1-40, because I've drilled extensively from them). I have no idea what to do with them. I'm almost afraid to take them. I like all of the 175+ scores I get from retakes and I will be sad to see them go

Also, I really need to visit my test site and take a PT there. Anxiety will not control me this December.

[Otunga]

Checking in again...

PT 43 last Saturday:
RC: -3 (timing was terrible)
LR1: -3
LR2: -1
LG: -0
94/175

Bummed with RC. I really let timing go haywire. LR felt good and I finished LG with 5 to go.

I normally warm up with one game and 10 LR questions. Considering adding one RC passage into the mix. Any thoughts?

Try it. It could be overdoing it though, particularly if you're doing 5 section tests.

[vicpin5190]

Checking in again...

PT 43 last Saturday:
RC: -3 (timing was terrible)
LR1: -3
LR2: -1
LG: -0
94/175

Bummed with RC. I really let timing go haywire. LR felt good and I finished LG with 5 to go.

I normally warm up with one game and 10 LR questions. Considering adding one RC passage into the mix. Any thoughts?

Try it. It could be overdoing it though, particularly if you're doing 5 section tests.

An untimed RC passage is usually how I've warmed up for prior sittings of PTs. I think it helps a lot because it's a gentle way to start warming up. The only problem is there are just so many RC passages....(i'm running out...)

[bound]

Okay so due to a busy schedule, I skipped a weekend of studying. I studied pretty diligently up until that weekend, took those three days off with no PT (11/9-11/11, Veterans day), did some drilling all week immediately following Veterans Day, and then took a PT yesterday in which I scored better than I ever have. It has been exactly 14 days between my two PTs.... I haven't taken that long of a break in MONTHS. Has this happened to anyone else before? Was I burnt out and didn't even know it? I really regretted that break intially, but now I'm not sure what to think. I'm hoping it wasn't an anomaly and my brain just needed that break to get back on track...

Our brains are very strange. Often times it takes stepping back from a problem and letting it marinate in your subconscious that you will find the answer. Constant LSAT studying going from 1 problem type to another and one practice section to another actually overloads your brain, causing you to retain less. By taking a break from studying, you actually gave your brain the chance to stop, rest, and digest the information you had been studying.

The feeling I'm describing can be felt in the form
Of being "burnt out" but it can also be more subtle. Sometimes you won't even realize it.

I have 2 days a week where I do not look at LSAT stuff. Normally these days com after a serious review session where I go over a ton of information about what I did wrong and what I can do better.

Yes, it's fairly normal, give your brain some rest!

Thanks for the feedback! Good to know that this was probably not just a one time thing and it was what my brain needed. I'm hoping to do relaxed studying from here on out until test day. At this point, its all about fine tuning the small things.

[webbdp3]

Has anyone used any of the India PTs? I used all my PTs before October and went to the India test as a way to find new material but found them to be super, super, easy (I think I missed 2 questions total). I only took PTs 2 and 4 which have 5 AC for each question but I was still blown away by how straight forward a lot of the questions were. I would love to just consider myself an LSAT animal but I have a sneaking suspicion that these tests are just not even close to on par with the real LSAT--- anyone have any experiences/opinions on these?

[mellow]

Has anyone used any of the India PTs? I used all my PTs before October and went to the India test as a way to find new material but found them to be super, super, easy (I think I missed 2 questions total). I only took PTs 2 and 4 which have 5 AC for each question but I was still blown away by how straight forward a lot of the questions were. I would love to just consider myself an LSAT animal but I have a sneaking suspicion that these tests are just not even close to on par with the real LSAT--- anyone have any experiences/opinions on these?

They're useful, but definitely easier. I haven't seen PT 2 yet, but I hear there are less difficult questions on these tests than usual. Also PT 4 is only 92 questions so timing is off for that.

[OVOXO]

October folks:

Was PT 70s LR harder than previous PTs? (I’ve read the stimuli were longer/wordier?)

[mellow]

October folks:

Was PT 70s LR harder than previous PTs? (I’ve read the stimuli were longer/wordier?)

Lots of discussion in older pages, but to save you time from backtracking 85 pages, the general consensus is yes.

[062914123]

.

[mellow]

October folks:

Was PT 70s LR harder than previous PTs? (I’ve read the stimuli were longer/wordier?)

Lots of discussion in older pages, but to save you time from backtracking 85 pages, the general consensus is yes.

it was noticeably different/more difficult, but i stayed within my usual pt range so imo it wasnt crazy or anything like that.

Yep. What I wrote in the other thread: Got the same number wrong but had noticeably less extra time than usual.

[esrom55]

Checking in...

I've been following the 4-week LSAT Trainer study guide pretty closely, but wanted to take a PT to gauge where I'm at.

I took the June 07 test, since I haven't seen any of it since my initial diagnostic in late August. (minus a couple LR questions that are included in the Trainer).

LG: -0
LR1: -1
LR2:-2
LR Exp: -2
RC:-2

95/100 -- 174

I'm planning to use the June 96 test as my experimental, since I've never seen those. I used Section 1 here.

My best PT to date, so I'm pretty content with that.

[OVOXO]

Checking in again...

PT 43 last Saturday:
RC: -3 (timing was terrible)
LR1: -3
LR2: -1
LG: -0
94/175

Bummed with RC. I really let timing go haywire. LR felt good and I finished LG with 5 to go.

I normally warm up with one game and 10 LR questions. Considering adding one RC passage into the mix. Any thoughts?

Try it. It could be overdoing it though, particularly if you're doing 5 section tests.

My warm up is 1-2 games, 1 rc passage, 5 LR questions (questions 15 − 20ish usually). works for me. I’d say do it, it helps for when I get RC as S1

[wtrc]

Hi retakers.

So with 3 weeks out I just want to say good luck and plz plz plz plz don't burnout and overstress. So many of you in this thread know this material remarkably well... better than I ever did. It's so much about mindset at this point. There's only one correct answer to everything. All that needs to be done is approaching each problem in the right way, and the right answer will (usually) stand out.

Before my take #2 I pretty much hermitted myself. I woke up, sometimes drilled a tiny bit, went to work, did LSAT after work and sometimes at work during breaks, then came home late, didn't do much, occasionally went to the gym, barely went out with friends. It was bad.

Take #3: Still did a lot of drilling and some PT's, but made sure that I went out with friends, even sometimes drinking, once or twice a week. The better mindset totally carried me through. I could have done better, and could have worked a bit on my stamina since I lost pretty much all my points in the final section, but I really do think my mindset carried me through the first 3 sections.

RELAX

<3 wtrc

[CookieDough]

October folks:

Was PT 70s LR harder than previous PTs? (I’ve read the stimuli were longer/wordier?)

Lots of discussion in older pages, but to save you time from backtracking 85 pages, the general consensus is yes.

it was noticeably different/more difficult, but i stayed within my usual pt range so imo it wasnt crazy or anything like that.

I'd love to say it was much harder to justify my score, but I think wordier is definitely a good way to categorize it. I felt like in particular LR was just a little more exhausting than usual, but that could have been my LG-LR-LR-LR-RC order in particular... I felt like LG wasn't too difficult per se, and RC was weird for me because the 'science' passage was a lot more straightforward than most. It was, for me at least, just a dense feeling test. Of course, I haven't redone it yet, so we'll see how I feel after I see it again... I'm sort of hoping it's actually hard to make me feel better

[CookieDough]

Hi retakers.

So with 3 weeks out I just want to say good luck and plz plz plz plz don't burnout and overstress. So many of you in this thread know this material remarkably well... better than I ever did. It's so much about mindset at this point. There's only one correct answer to everything. All that needs to be done is approaching each problem in the right way, and the right answer will (usually) stand out.

Before my take #2 I pretty much hermitted myself. I woke up, sometimes drilled a tiny bit, went to work, did LSAT after work and sometimes at work during breaks, then came home late, didn't do much, occasionally went to the gym, barely went out with friends. It was bad.

Take #3: Still did a lot of drilling and some PT's, but made sure that I went out with friends, even sometimes drinking, once or twice a week. The better mindset totally carried me through. I could have done better, and could have worked a bit on my stamina since I lost pretty much all my points in the final section, but I really do think my mindset carried me through the first 3 sections.

RELAX

<3 wtrc

Thank you for this!

[062914123]

.

[CookieDough]

I'd love to say it was much harder to justify my score, but I think wordier is definitely a good way to categorize it. I felt like in particular LR was just a little more exhausting than usual, but that could have been my LG-LR-LR-LR-RC order in particular... I felt like LG wasn't too difficult per se, and RC was weird for me because the 'science' passage was a lot more straightforward than most. It was, for me at least, just a dense feeling test. Of course, I haven't redone it yet, so we'll see how I feel after I see it again... I'm sort of hoping it's actually hard to make me feel better

totally off topic, but dude, if you're talking dense pts, 62 is the gold standard. it felt like the test that went on... and on... and on... and on...

Oh god, I know. I just took it for the first time last week, and went OVER TIME for the first time ever. I just couldn't move through it at a decent pace at all... My eyes were totally glazed over by then end.

ETA: I also scored exactly the same on my blind review of 62 because I just didn't want to read it anymore.

[muzzy]

.

[dasani13]

Do you guys know if schools can see that you didn't show up to a scheduled test? And does a no-show count as your 3 takes/year? In other words, if I'm freaking out because I don't feel ready for December, should I change it to February (today is the last day) or should I continue and see if my score will somehow go from low 160s (current average) to high 160s on December?

1. you should cancel the night before if you dont feel ready instead of just not showing up. schools wont see a cancel before test day.
2. what are your weaknesses? if its something fundamental (you still dont understand the difference between necc and suff assumptions, you cant finish sections in 35 minutes) i'd go ahead and postpone until february. if its something small (fatigue by the 5th section, little timing issues such as missing the last q of a section consistently) i'd push on and cancel right before dec if necessary

Thank you for your help, bee. My weakness is timing (and anxiety due to timing). I'm going to do what you suggested and push on and decided the day before.

Thanks again!

[Ahamilton]

hey guys: pt 60 S1:Q7: between stress and immune system Was between C and E.
guessed E. Can someone explain why E is not right?

If stress is NOT a symptom of a weakened immune system, isn't the argument dead?

[HardenUp]

It seems like I'll be postponing it for now. The timing aspect is killing me on everything: In LR I'm able to get through about 20 questions, RC is around three + passages, and Games around the same (starting on the fourth) for when the time runs out. I need to focus on the small stuff, it's what's killing me.

I can turn my job into something full-time after graduation, but it'd be 4/5 days a week, 13 hours a day, so it'll still make for strong dedication to the studying aspect.

By chance, how long did you study for the LSAT?

I think postponing is the right call. The fact you're asking for and being receptive to input indicates to me that you're taking the entire law school game seriously. For LG timing, you'll probably have to do every game over and over until you can do it flawlessly in under 8:45 (or maybe even a lower time mark). For LR, get your accuracy over 95% and drill by question type with the Cambridge LR by Type packets. If you need to establish a base - that is rework your LR fundamental - try either the Manhattan LR book or the LSAT Trainer (or both). RC speed will come with improved LR timing, but you must also practice getting through the passages in about 3 minutes or less. The LSAT Trainer is probably the best supplement for building technique in RC.

I took a year off and worked overtime right out of undergrad, so I know how challenging finding time to study can be. But if you have until June you should be able to do an hour or two a night plus heavy weekend studying for over 6 months. I like your chances if you have the drive, and I get the impression you already have the right attitude. Good luck and don't get caught up comparing your progress to that of people on some website.

Ya, I take it seriously. There's no point in taking the test until I'm performing to game day standards.

I'll have to look into Manhattan and Cambridge. I've seen a lot of people typing about the Cambridge drilling packages if I recall correctly.

I have been using Blueprint prep and ordered PowerScore bibles (the three). Do you know if the PowerScore ones would help out too, or should I just jump to Cambridge following Blueprint?

I appreciate it. I'll have to apply the drive to study, but it'll be worth it in the end. Long term pays off, short term just satisfies.

[HardenUp]

If you don't mind me asking: how long have you been toiling away with studying for the LSAT? Those are some scores I'd do a backflip for.

8 months. Took my first "diagnostic" with a Princeton review crap made up test. I got a 155. I took a powerscore class starting in June. Got a 157 "real" diagnostic score. In about Late July, I was starting to score 168s consistently . In August my scores dropped (stress, school, the class ending, etc) to about 166s. I got a 163 on the real thing.

The powerscore prep class was amazing. Fixed my LG issues and I went from a -6 to a -2 on most (nearly all) PTs. I think I got a -4 on test day, but that was a timing issue. It got my LR from a -6 to about a -3 or -4 on PT's.

But Powerscore really isn't great for RC and my scores actually dropped from my diagnostic near the end and on test day. LR also dropped off as I stopped taking the class. I think not having that last month of class really hurt me.

My scores have been better now (177 on a test that I had taken before), and I'm not too phased with getting a 169 on a new test. If I can get my RC down (and I'm making good strides in drills. The -2 on my PT was a better reflection than the -6s and -5s), my timing in LG fixed, and some minor LR issues solved, I can kill it in December. My goal is a 168 or above.

From what it sounds like, I think you should postpone until June 2014. The LSAT is a learnable test and a better reflection of how much you studied rather than how smart you are. This way, you get all the prep time you need, can sign up for a course if you want, and be confident going into the test. There's tons of materials on this site, take advantage of them.

Thanks for the info.

I havne't got any options for actual classes around where I live besides Kaplan, and I've been told to save my money when it comes to that program. I've been using Blueprint Prep and ordered the powerscore bibles, but haven't dipped into the bibles yet: I've still got to finish Blueprint.

I ended up signing out of the December test. It's either June or nothing for me now. Also, best of luck on the December test, kill it.

[HardenUp]

It seems like I'll be postponing it for now. The timing aspect is killing me on everything: In LR I'm able to get through about 20 questions, RC is around three + passages, and Games around the same (starting on the fourth) for when the time runs out. I need to focus on the small stuff, it's what's killing me.

I can turn my job into something full-time after graduation, but it'd be 4/5 days a week, 13 hours a day, so it'll still make for strong dedication to the studying aspect.

By chance, how long did you study for the LSAT?

sorry to butt in, but this is absolutely the right choice. the timing problems you're describing take time to correct, more time than you have before dec. as you study more and increase familiarity, you'll be able to move through questions much more efficiently. how long have you been prepping for at this point, and what guides have you been using? what is your current pt range and what score do you want? it sounds like you might want to revisit the fundamentals or try out a new strategy; having to skip 5-6 problems in each LR section (so 10-12 q's total just in LR) is a HUGE issue, not to mention the rc/lg stuff you brought up.

i work full time, 5-6 days a week. im lucky enough to be in an office, so i can sneak in some studying at work, but it takes some doing. you just have to be disciplined and keep yourself on schedule. you can definitely try to drill at work, and it can even be good practice at concentrating while quiet activity is going on all around you.

So far I've been prepping for about 4.5 months. This is between school (full-time) and work (part-time). I've been using the Blueprint Prep "movie" and haven't finished that yet. I've also got the powerscore bibles that haven't been opened yet either. So I figured once I finish Blueprint and my finals are finished for this semester, I'd just hop into the powerscore bibles and then order some preptests to do in-between the lessons.

Current scores have been 148-151. I want a 165+ if I'm to go into debt up to my eye balls. Ya, I realize it's not a good thing. I get all correct on the games sections, but still don't finish because of time, so regardless I've got skills that need to become better.

[John_rizzy_rawls]

PT52, Section 3, Q 16:

The stimulus specifically says patients with similar illnesses but the answer is that the stimulus ignores the possibility that patients at the 2 hospitals could be getting treated for different illnesses.

Quick explanation from someone would be great. TYIA.

[mellow]

PT52, Section 3, Q 16:

The stimulus specifically says patients with similar illnesses but the answer is that the stimulus ignores the possibility that patients at the 2 hospitals could be getting treated for different illnesses.

Quick explanation from someone would be great. TYIA.

Answer is C because even if the recovery rates for patients with similar illnesses are similar for the two hospitals, what if they only had a couple patients with similar illnesses? Take this sample scenario:

1. University has 100 patients. 99 with terminal cancer who require 6 days for good quality of care. They have 1 with a broken bone who needs 4 days.
2. Edgewater has 100 patients. 100 with broken bones who need 4 days.

Then if University Hospital decreases its average length of stay, it would greatly affect quality of care because those cancer patients would suffer.

HTH