The Official September 2016 Study Group - WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS Forum

[Alexandros]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

[Barack O'Drama]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

Nice! I am a bit ways behind you on MLR. I agree that MLG is more thorough, but I felt the logic games bible gave me a really good foundation, and MLSAT is helping me to build on that.

When are you aiming to finish the prep books and move on to practice tests? I feel like I am falling behind a bit...

[Alexandros]

Thinking more and more that I'm going to postpone my applications by a year and do the full 4 years of undergrad. Would certainly take some pressure off of the September test.

Had you been planning on only doing 3 years of UG?
Knowing you have the option to comfortably retake if things go disastrously is a extremely relieving.

[Mikey]

Just went through 7sage's Argument part (role) LR questions lesson. These questions aren't so bad, and I've never really had too much trouble with them but his explanations and how he breaks down arguments is just so understandable. He makes the tougher Role/Argument part questions that are usually seen in the middle/later part of the LR section just seem so easy.

[Alexandros]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

Nice! I am a bit ways behind you on MLR. I agree that MLG is more thorough, but I felt the logic games bible gave me a really good foundation, and MLSAT is helping me to build on that.

When are you aiming to finish the prep books and move on to practice tests? I feel like I am falling behind a bit...

Nice! That's what I felt about LGB too - def solid. I take it you're using both? I thought about maybe getting MLSAT LG but I think at this point I'm far enough along on LG that there wouldn't be much point.

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

[34iplaw]

Going to dedicate the day to some gameage now that I have that LR and RC homework out of the way. Going to be a very busy Wednesday/Thursday to make sure that I don't fall behind on my course while going to a wedding.

[Mikey]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

[mwells56]

Just went through 7sage's Argument part (role) LR questions lesson. These questions aren't so bad, and I've never really had too much trouble with them but his explanations and how he breaks down arguments is just so understandable. He makes the tougher Role/Argument part questions that are usually seen in the middle/later part of the LR section just seem so easy.

I agree. I'm doing 7sage as well, just finished up through the Main Point Questions sections. JY's thought process (thus far) really vibes with how I've always approached standardized testing. I don't even feel like I've had to change or "learn" anything new exactly, but just that I have to zone in on what's important and break it down.

I've taken to speeding up the videos on some of the question explanations. I feel that the quicker speed forces me to pay attention to the main points he's making. Double-edged sword though, if I catch something I realize I didn't understand I jump back and slow the video back down.

[Deardevil]

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Samesies... I was ready to start timing my LR speed, then realized my accuracy still reeks of unpleasantry.
Long road ahead, but let's keep our chins up.

Going to dedicate the day to some gameage now that I have that LR and RC homework out of the way. Going to be a very busy Wednesday/Thursday to make sure that I don't fall behind on my course while going to a wedding.

Yay, weddings! You'll be fine. Because, well, weddings. Have fun!

[Barack O'Drama]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

Nice! I am a bit ways behind you on MLR. I agree that MLG is more thorough, but I felt the logic games bible gave me a really good foundation, and MLSAT is helping me to build on that.

When are you aiming to finish the prep books and move on to practice tests? I feel like I am falling behind a bit...

Nice! That's what I felt about LGB too - def solid. I take it you're using both? I thought about maybe getting MLSAT LG but I think at this point I'm far enough along on LG that there wouldn't be much point.

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Yeah, I have had a slow and rocky start. Enough that it is making me consider withdrawing and taking my LSAT talents (or lack thereof) to December. I began by rushing through the LSAT Trainer and The Bibles without really gaining much. I did some sporadic sections here and there, but realized I need to focus on drilling for now as well. So I printed out all the Cambridge drill by type packets and I am going to drill from those after each chapter. I've also resigned to reading the books slower and making sure I understand everything before moving on. I am hoping if I kick it into gear this month, I can hopefully be more or less through my reading materials by mid-August. So that will give me about 5-6 weeks just for practice tests. I'm not sure if that will be enough, but I'm going to write the September exam and plan on retaking should I not hit my target. At worst it will serve as a good indicator of what I need to work on and how I need to handle the stress.

I do really like Manhattan LG! But if you already have a pretty good grip on that section, I am not sure it is worth getting. It wouldn't hurt, but as the old adage goes, if it ain't broke......

[Mikey]

Just went through 7sage's Argument part (role) LR questions lesson. These questions aren't so bad, and I've never really had too much trouble with them but his explanations and how he breaks down arguments is just so understandable. He makes the tougher Role/Argument part questions that are usually seen in the middle/later part of the LR section just seem so easy.

I agree. I'm doing 7sage as well, just finished up through the Main Point Questions sections. JY's thought process (thus far) really vibes with how I've always approached standardized testing. I don't even feel like I've had to change or "learn" anything new exactly, but just that I have to zone in on what's important and break it down.

I've taken to speeding up the videos on some of the question explanations. I feel that the quicker speed forces me to pay attention to the main points he's making. Double-edged sword though, if I catch something I realize I didn't understand I jump back and slow the video back down.

Yeah I speed it up a bit as well, but only to 1.2. Usually before he does every question explanation, I pause the video and do it myself very quickly as if I'm being timed. If I get down to an answer that I know for sure 100% is the answer and I understand the argument, I skip to where he shows the answer and if my 100% certainty that 4 choices are wrong and 1 is correct, I just ignore his explanations for the other answer choices but I ALWAYS go back and compare my thought process and breakdown of the argument to his. Usually I fully watch his explanations if I get down to 2 answer choices that I'm just not certain of which is correct or if I'm completely lost by the argument and then I watch it and as he goes through the argument, if I start understanding it more I just pause the video, and then go through it all on my own again and I try to get the right answer before he reaches them. If you're not doing the questions before watching the video (hard copy or just on the video while paused), I'd highly recommend doing that because it is very helpful to compare your reasoning of the argument to his.

[Alexandros]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

Last (only) real PTs - 173, 167, 167, from earliest to most recent. Need a 175+. Figure I need to go into the exam with each section down perfectly, and then hope nerves and whatnot don't get the best of me.

[Alexandros]

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Samesies... I was ready to start timing my LR speed, then realized my accuracy still reeks of unpleasantry.
Long road ahead, but let's keep our chins up.

Going to dedicate the day to some gameage now that I have that LR and RC homework out of the way. Going to be a very busy Wednesday/Thursday to make sure that I don't fall behind on my course while going to a wedding.

Yay, weddings! You'll be fine. Because, well, weddings. Have fun!

That's right. It's a long, hard struggle, but we'll get there - point by point by precious point.

[Barack O'Drama]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

Last (only) real PTs - 173, 167, 167, from earliest to most recent. Need a 175+. Figure I need to go into the exam with each section down perfectly, and then hope nerves and whatnot don't get the best of me.

That's great! I think with the 11 or so weeks we have left, you should be able to be killing it by September!

[Alexandros]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

Nice! I am a bit ways behind you on MLR. I agree that MLG is more thorough, but I felt the logic games bible gave me a really good foundation, and MLSAT is helping me to build on that.

When are you aiming to finish the prep books and move on to practice tests? I feel like I am falling behind a bit...

Nice! That's what I felt about LGB too - def solid. I take it you're using both? I thought about maybe getting MLSAT LG but I think at this point I'm far enough along on LG that there wouldn't be much point.

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Yeah, I have had a slow and rocky start. Enough that it is making me consider withdrawing and taking my LSAT talents (or lack thereof) to December. I began by rushing through the LSAT Trainer and The Bibles without really gaining much. I did some sporadic sections here and there, but realized I need to focus on drilling for now as well. So I printed out all the Cambridge drill by type packets and I am going to drill from those after each chapter. I've also resigned to reading the books slower and making sure I understand everything before moving on. I am hoping if I kick it into gear this month, I can hopefully be more or less through my reading materials by mid-August. So that will give me about 5-6 weeks just for practice tests. I'm not sure if that will be enough, but I'm going to write the September exam and plan on retaking should I not hit my target. At worst it will serve as a good indicator of what I need to work on and how I need to handle the stress.

I do really like Manhattan LG! But if you already have a pretty good grip on that section, I am not sure it is worth getting. It wouldn't hurt, but as the old adage goes, if it ain't broke......

That sounds like a solid plan - I'm sure you'll be seeing some serious progress soon. It was a real epiphany for me when I realized the best way to get better at LG once you've got the basics down is really just to drill each and every one to perfection.

I mean, I figure the worst that could happen in September (at least for people in our position) is it doesn't go as well as we'd like, and we come out with an enhanced knowledge of the testing environment and a few more months to really tighten up our skills.
(although apparently two people at my testing center last time got dismissed for not dropping their pencils fast enough. I can't even imagine how devastating that would be. So I guess there's maybe the previous scenario is "second worst")

Are you in UG? It would make sense to retake in Dec after a Sept take, but for me it'll be after a full semester and right before final exams. Trying not to worry about that right now though, and I'll have time enough to retake regardless.

[Mikey]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

Last (only) real PTs - 173, 167, 167, from earliest to most recent. Need a 175+. Figure I need to go into the exam with each section down perfectly, and then hope nerves and whatnot don't get the best of me.

That's great! I think with the 11 or so weeks we have left, you should be able to be killing it by September!

For sure! Alex, what PTs were these scores for? Were the 167's for more recent PTs than the 173 was?

[Deardevil]

Looks I finally met my match in parallel reasoning, the first of many to hate, I reckon...
Also seem to be plummeting in LR accuracy. Either that or I haven't really progressed much to begin with.

[Barack O'Drama]

Finally ordered PTs 7-18 - Hoping it gets here before I leave to visit family on Thursday. Yay, more drill material!
Going to do one more set of LG then be done for the night.
Tomorrow morning - Manhattan ch. 6, LG set, RC drills of some to-be-determined quantity.

I think we are on similar prep time frames!
Just finished reading up on Conditional logic. On to (Mismatch Ordering) Chapter 6 as well. What chapter are you at around on Manhattan LR/RC?

I just started it on Thursday and am almost done with the chapter 3 on Assumptions. It is definitely taking me a bit longer to get through the MLSAT materials than expected...

Manhattan LR Ch 6 (what I was planning on reading this morning) second round through I used PS for LG (back in ~May) and haven't used anything for RC. I kinda wish I would've used Manhattan for LG since it sounds like it's more thorough, but PS served me well.

Happy 4th everyone!

Nice! I am a bit ways behind you on MLR. I agree that MLG is more thorough, but I felt the logic games bible gave me a really good foundation, and MLSAT is helping me to build on that.

When are you aiming to finish the prep books and move on to practice tests? I feel like I am falling behind a bit...

Nice! That's what I felt about LGB too - def solid. I take it you're using both? I thought about maybe getting MLSAT LG but I think at this point I'm far enough along on LG that there wouldn't be much point.

I thought I was done with prepbooks a few weeks ago (although I do still have the last couple chapters of the Trainer to go through) and moved on to PTs, haven't been doing too jolly well though So it's back to prepbooks + intense by type drilling to smooth out LR. I'm also finding going back to the books and repeating the more complex set-up activities from the LGB and the Trainer is a good exercise for LG.

Yeeah, I'm starting to freak out a bit. Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Yeah, I have had a slow and rocky start. Enough that it is making me consider withdrawing and taking my LSAT talents (or lack thereof) to December. I began by rushing through the LSAT Trainer and The Bibles without really gaining much. I did some sporadic sections here and there, but realized I need to focus on drilling for now as well. So I printed out all the Cambridge drill by type packets and I am going to drill from those after each chapter. I've also resigned to reading the books slower and making sure I understand everything before moving on. I am hoping if I kick it into gear this month, I can hopefully be more or less through my reading materials by mid-August. So that will give me about 5-6 weeks just for practice tests. I'm not sure if that will be enough, but I'm going to write the September exam and plan on retaking should I not hit my target. At worst it will serve as a good indicator of what I need to work on and how I need to handle the stress.

I do really like Manhattan LG! But if you already have a pretty good grip on that section, I am not sure it is worth getting. It wouldn't hurt, but as the old adage goes, if it ain't broke......

That sounds like a solid plan - I'm sure you'll be seeing some serious progress soon. It was a real epiphany for me when I realized the best way to get better at LG once you've got the basics down is really just to drill each and every one to perfection.

I mean, I figure the worst that could happen in September (at least for people in our position) is it doesn't go as well as we'd like, and we come out with an enhanced knowledge of the testing environment and a few more months to really tighten up our skills.
(although apparently two people at my testing center last time got dismissed for not dropping their pencils fast enough. I can't even imagine how devastating that would be. So I guess there's maybe the previous scenario is "second worst")

Are you in UG? It would make sense to retake in Dec after a Sept take, but for me it'll be after a full semester and right before final exams. Trying not to worry about that right now though, and I'll have time enough to retake regardless.

Nope graduated in May! So I'd like to apply this cycle, but if not, I am not opposed to sitting out. I've been set on law school since high school and worked really hard in UG to get a good GPA and I'd hate to waste it with anything less than a 170+ So that is my goal for now...

Oh my god! Fo not dropping their pencils fast enough... I would be devastated for sure. You're right, there is a second-worse case scenario

I definitely think you're right about logic games. Once I keep on doing them to perfection, I am confident I will be able to get my logic game score where it needs to be.

[UtopianCitizen]

I think I've posted here before, but I'm not 100% sure, so excuse me if this is redundant:
Anyone looking to join a study buddy/group either in person in the NEW YORK CITY area or via video chat?
I'm gunning for a perfect score and have heaps of material (LR, LG, and RC Bibles; PTs 1-77; LR and LG question by type, plus my own spreadsheets to keep track of drilling) that I'm willing to share.
Let me know if you're interested.

[Alexandros]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

Last (only) real PTs - 173, 167, 167, from earliest to most recent. Need a 175+. Figure I need to go into the exam with each section down perfectly, and then hope nerves and whatnot don't get the best of me.

That's great! I think with the 11 or so weeks we have left, you should be able to be killing it by September!

For sure! Alex, what PTs were these scores for? Were the 167's for more recent PTs than the 173 was?

Thanks - I'm so glad y'all think that. :') Trying to keep a positive attitude.
I should really remember the exact PT numbers but I don't have my notebook with me, but pretty sure it was 173 - PT 52, 167 - PT 65, 167 - PT 55.

[Mikey]

Test day is coming up fast and I'm not PT-ing where I should be at all.

Where are you PTing and what is your goal score range that you would be happy with?

Last (only) real PTs - 173, 167, 167, from earliest to most recent. Need a 175+. Figure I need to go into the exam with each section down perfectly, and then hope nerves and whatnot don't get the best of me.

That's great! I think with the 11 or so weeks we have left, you should be able to be killing it by September!

For sure! Alex, what PTs were these scores for? Were the 167's for more recent PTs than the 173 was?

Thanks - I'm so glad y'all think that. :') Trying to keep a positive attitude.
I should really remember the exact PT numbers but I don't have my notebook with me, but pretty sure it was 173 - PT 52, 167 - PT 65, 167 - PT 55.

Hmm, I wonder why the drop happened. Do you remember if it was a specific section that screwed things up for you, or was it just a more general type of drop from all sections?

[20170322]

Thinking more and more that I'm going to postpone my applications by a year and do the full 4 years of undergrad. Would certainly take some pressure off of the September test.

Had you been planning on only doing 3 years of UG?
Knowing you have the option to comfortably retake if things go disastrously is a extremely relieving.

Yeah, it's probably a dumb idea. I'm on a full ride, and my girlfriend is a junior as well, so I think I should just ride it out and spend some more time with her. Also, the scholarship will study study abroad, which could be a fun way to spend the final semester.

Also, it would be dope as hell to go into senior year with a 4.0/180 in hand. Haha

[Alexandros]

Nope graduated in May! So I'd like to apply this cycle, but if not, I am not opposed to sitting out. I've been set on law school since high school and worked really hard in UG to get a good GPA and I'd hate to waste it with anything less than a 170+ So that is my goal for now...

Oh my god! Fo not dropping their pencils fast enough... I would be devastated for sure. You're right, there is a second-worse case scenario

I definitely think you're right about logic games. Once I keep on doing them to perfection, I am confident I will be able to get my logic game score where it needs to be.

That's awesome - Congrats! Yeah, for sure - that ain't worth it. I know you'll make it!

Ikr - apparently it was only in the range of around 3 seconds after they said, too. Can't imagine all that effort and then getting "dismissed." I've definitely cheated and filled a final bubble after the 7sage proctor's said stop once or twice - not doing that anymore

[proteinshake]

I think I'll eventually time myself on PTs by giving myself 34 minutes instead of 35. you for sure won't keep working on test day until the very last second (to prevent yourself from having empty answer choices when time is called), so no point in getting used to it.

[Alexandros]

Thinking more and more that I'm going to postpone my applications by a year and do the full 4 years of undergrad. Would certainly take some pressure off of the September test.

Had you been planning on only doing 3 years of UG?
Knowing you have the option to comfortably retake if things go disastrously is a extremely relieving.

Yeah, it's probably a dumb idea. I'm on a full ride, and my girlfriend is a junior as well, so I think I should just ride it out and spend some more time with her. Also, the scholarship will study study abroad, which could be a fun way to spend the final semester.

Also, it would be dope as hell to go into senior year with a 4.0/180 in hand. Haha

Not a dumb idea at all! But riding it out sounds a solid plan too, especially with those considerations! Agreed - senior year with 4.0 + 180 would be LIT.

I'm a junior too - thought I might've been the only one. tho I'll def be doing all four years given my program aha