October 2013 (re)take Thread Forum

[Ambitious1]

I just finished 46-section 4-game 1 in 3 minutes 49 seconds. Fastest I've ever completed an LG game, I think.

Isn't that a great feeling? And even though you'll likely never be able to finish *every* game that quickly, anything shorter than 8:45 means you have "time in the bank" for another question in the section.

Definitely an amazing feeling. If only I could duplicate that kind of success in LR and RC

Why can't you?

I can and I will It took me a few days to get over the heartbreak of scoring 10 points below my PT range before June. But I am over it. And I am fucking angry and motivated.

I have one more chance to take this test, one more chance to push myself and reach my dream of going to a t14 school. Time to put up, or shut up.

[Dog]

Can't decide whether or not to retake. Got a 174 on my first try.. I feel like I could do better. I made a stupid mistake and got -2 in a row on LG, would have walked out 176 and never even thought of the LSAT again. I really don't think I can bring myself to do it though, my heart just wouldn't be in it this time... I'd probably be lucky to come out one point better, and would that really be worth it?

I hate TheMostDangerousLG for this, cause I know that @#$@%# is retaking a 175 lol.

[ScottRiqui]

Can't decide whether or not to retake. Got a 174 on my first try.. I feel like I could do better. I made a stupid mistake and got -2 in a row on LG, would have walked out 176 and never even thought of the LSAT again. I really don't think I can bring myself to do it though, my heart just wouldn't be in it this time... I'd probably be lucky to come out one point better, and would that really be worth it?

I hate TheMostDangerousLG for this, cause I know that @#$@%# is retaking a 175 lol.

Would an extra point or two make a significant difference in your admissions chances at any schools you're seriously considering attending?

[cavtrpr]

I'm retaking in October. I got a 170 in June so ill still apply to schools, but just update my packet with (hopefully) 174+.

[RuleSubstitution]

Can't decide whether or not to retake. Got a 174 on my first try.. I feel like I could do better. I made a stupid mistake and got -2 in a row on LG, would have walked out 176 and never even thought of the LSAT again. I really don't think I can bring myself to do it though, my heart just wouldn't be in it this time... I'd probably be lucky to come out one point better, and would that really be worth it?

I hate TheMostDangerousLG for this, cause I know that @#$@%# is retaking a 175 lol.

At this point, maybe you should consider hedging your risk: what are the chances your testing conditions suck or you get stuck with a brutal mix for your skillset? Perhaps you know you'll handle it. You could end up with a lower score or a cancel. A cancel might not be so bad.

You know the efficacy of your process best. Of course, you should weigh it out. Can you score 177 or higher on the real thing this time? Then again, you won't know if you don't try.

The 1%ers in this forum hopefully won't have a crisis of hubris, but if their methods work, we would love to read any prospective guides that come our way.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Can't decide whether or not to retake. Got a 174 on my first try.. I feel like I could do better. I made a stupid mistake and got -2 in a row on LG, would have walked out 176 and never even thought of the LSAT again. I really don't think I can bring myself to do it though, my heart just wouldn't be in it this time... I'd probably be lucky to come out one point better, and would that really be worth it?

I hate TheMostDangerousLG for this, cause I know that @#$@%# is retaking a 175 lol.

This made my night. And I had a good night. Dog, if you end up retaking, PM me. We'll be obsessive spazzes in pursuit of a 180 together.

[ladyberry]

I'm wondering what folks here think about a third retake. I took with far less than ideal preparation in Feb (162) and then retook this month (169). I think my score is okay - but my sense is it falls a little short of what would be ideal. 3.74 GPA. Four years out from undergrad.

What do you think?

[jk28]

Hey everyone. Decided to start posting after lurking on TLS for a while. I'm thinking about retaking in October. I took the LSAT for the first time in June and scored a 165 after having a PT average around 168 and scoring in the low 170s on a few occasions. Hoping to get my average into the mid 170s for October. I have a 3.61 and would love to get into Penn but would also like to try to get some scholarship money from a school like Fordham.

[Theopliske8711]

I was wondering. What are people doing with the June test? Are you going to retake it before reviewing or just heading straight for review? I kind of want to save it to retake it again fresh and then review the original test and review my new take maybe a month or two later.

[ScottRiqui]

I was wondering. What are people doing with the June test? Are you going to retake it before reviewing or just heading straight for review? I kind of want to save it to retake it again fresh and then review the original test and review my new take maybe a month or two later.

I'm just drilling games right now, and I've been going over the June ones. 20/20 hindsight, they weren't that bad, but I sucked at games until about a week *after* the test.

As an aside, I'm really digging the strategy of framing out all the possible "worlds" for a game any time I can. I just did it with the June paralegals game, and it turns out there are only four possible "worlds", and each world only has one or two floaters. Once I got it framed out, I could literally put my pencil down for the rest of the game and just read the answers off of my diagram.

[bombaysippin]

What a fucking terrible week. Disappointing LSAT score, flat tire, and my dog passes away. Definitely in no mood to study.

[ScottRiqui]

What a fucking terrible week. Disappointing LSAT score, flat tire, and my dog passes away. Definitely in no mood to study.

Sorry about all that, especially your dog. Sucks losing an animal you're close to, whether it was expected or not.

[CQB]

Got a 165 in June, but realizing that I'd really like to do better. I am working for a 170+ in October to match my 3.9 gpa. I just discovered lsatqa.com and purchased some books for drilling (something I didn't do in my preparation for the june exam). I am hoping these tools enable me to eliminate my weaknesses.

If I am planning to apply this fall, how will taking the October lsat affect the admissions process? Should I apply before the test and update my lsat score when it comes, do I wait until I have the new lsat score and then apply, or does it depend on which school I am applying to? Basically, what, if any, is the tradeoff between being first to apply in the rolling admissions process and having your highest lsat score attached to the application from the beginning.

[Theopliske8711]

I was wondering. What are people doing with the June test? Are you going to retake it before reviewing or just heading straight for review? I kind of want to save it to retake it again fresh and then review the original test and review my new take maybe a month or two later.

I'm just drilling games right now, and I've been going over the June ones. 20/20 hindsight, they weren't that bad, but I sucked at games until about a week *after* the test.

As an aside, I'm really digging the strategy of framing out all the possible "worlds" for a game any time I can. I just did it with the June paralegals game, and it turns out there are only four possible "worlds", and each world only has one or two floaters. Once I got it framed out, I could literally put my pencil down for the rest of the game and just read the answers off of my diagram.

I'd love to do the framing, but I always feel like I'm too nervous during a test to do it properly and timely. What particular strategy were you using for that?

[ScottRiqui]

Got a 165 in June, but realizing that I'd really like to do better. I am working for a 170+ in October to match my 3.9 gpa. I just discovered lsatqa.com and purchased some books for drilling (something I didn't do in my preparation for the june exam). I am hoping these tools enable me to eliminate my weaknesses.

If I am planning to apply this fall, how will taking the October lsat affect the admissions process? Should I apply before the test and update my lsat score when it comes, do I wait until I have the new lsat score and then apply, or does it depend on which school I am applying to? Basically, what, if any, is the tradeoff between being first to apply in the rolling admissions process and having your highest lsat score attached to the application from the beginning.

You'll get the October scores back in plenty of time to meet even the early action/early decision deadlines at any school I can think of. I don't know if there's much of a bump to being "the earliest of the early".

Also, I've heard that the adcomms can see that you've registered for the October LSAT, and that some of them will just hold onto your package until the October scores come out anyway.

[ScottRiqui]

I was wondering. What are people doing with the June test? Are you going to retake it before reviewing or just heading straight for review? I kind of want to save it to retake it again fresh and then review the original test and review my new take maybe a month or two later.

I'm just drilling games right now, and I've been going over the June ones. 20/20 hindsight, they weren't that bad, but I sucked at games until about a week *after* the test.

As an aside, I'm really digging the strategy of framing out all the possible "worlds" for a game any time I can. I just did it with the June paralegals game, and it turns out there are only four possible "worlds", and each world only has one or two floaters. Once I got it framed out, I could literally put my pencil down for the rest of the game and just read the answers off of my diagram.

I'd love to do the framing, but I always feel like I'm too nervous during a test to do it properly and timely. What particular strategy were you using for that?

I didn't start proactively looking for opportunities to frame the possibilities until after the June test (which was probably one of the reasons I would chronically run out of time on games).

And I agree that framing can be scary - often, it feels like I'm taking forever. But then the questions go super-quickly, so I make up any lost time on the back end. Working slowly and steadily through paralegals, reading the entire question, writing down all the rules and then framing the possibilities, I just finished it in about 6:20. That's not fast for a lot of people, but it's blazing for me, especially compared to where I was a month ago. And it would be fast enough to give me 2:25 to use somewhere else in the section.

[Theopliske8711]

The thing for is isn't really timing. I've come to the point of consistently finishing with 5 minutes to review, but I realized finishing with extra time might be that worthwhile. I need to learn to go a bit more slowly, with focus and nail them 100% than have those 2-3 linger. I've become really good at games, but when I'm not on my A-game, I get super-flustered.

[mvonh001]

I was wondering. What are people doing with the June test? Are you going to retake it before reviewing or just heading straight for review? I kind of want to save it to retake it again fresh and then review the original test and review my new take maybe a month or two later.

I'm just drilling games right now, and I've been going over the June ones. 20/20 hindsight, they weren't that bad, but I sucked at games until about a week *after* the test.

As an aside, I'm really digging the strategy of framing out all the possible "worlds" for a game any time I can. I just did it with the June paralegals game, and it turns out there are only four possible "worlds", and each world only has one or two floaters. Once I got it framed out, I could literally put my pencil down for the rest of the game and just read the answers off of my diagram.

Exactly why i crushed the LG sections on June... I have been reviewing framing because two problems in my drilling (see why its good to drill) took too long and after watching 7sage he used framing and that opened a world to me.

[bombaysippin]

What a fucking terrible week. Disappointing LSAT score, flat tire, and my dog passes away. Definitely in no mood to study.

Sorry about all that, especially your dog. Sucks losing an animal you're close to, whether it was expected or not.

It's all good. It wasn't expected, but he was getting old. It's just really weird being home now without him.

[Dog]

Would an extra point or two make a significant difference in your admissions chances at any schools you're seriously considering attending?

I'm planning on taking at least a year between undergrad and LS. A couple points raises my chances at Chicago, but the real difference is at Harvard. Harvard becomes around a 50-60% admit rate in the last couple cycle with my (hopefully final) GPA at 175-178. It is 0% at 174.

Since I now plan on taking some time off, would it be best to wait until next June to take the test? I definitely like taking without having to worry about classes. Or is October smarter because it is all still fresh in my mind?

I think it might not be worth it. Harvard could still easily reject me, my scholarship numbers won't go up much, and there is no guarantee I'll improve. The most recent figures for 174's retaking was not pretty, they averaged close to a 170 flat.

[caffedriade]

I've been a lurker and I think the retake thread can teach me more about the LSAT than the regular Oct 2013 thread just because (1) test anxiety is a huge handicap for me, and the retakers have already faced it, and (2) I've been studying since effing February and I've plateaued in the high 160s (would like the high 170s on the PTs) so obviously I'm a n00b but sadly has studied probably longer than many retakers D';

A popular reason many retakers attribute their lower than expected performance is test anxiety. Retakers, what do you plan on doing now to prepare for it come October?

[Ambitious1]

Pretty productive day. Did about 30 MBT questions and reviewed, read about the first 50 pages in LSAT Trainer today and drilled some LG. Wanted to get in some RC but I'll hold off until tomorrow. I want to be great at RC so badly..so everyday that I do not do any RC drilling, I feel guilty.

[mvonh001]

Pretty productive day. Did about 30 MBT questions and reviewed, read about the first 50 pages in LSAT Trainer today and drilled some LG. Wanted to get in some RC but I'll hold off until tomorrow. I want to be great at RC so badly..so everyday that I do not do any RC drilling, I feel guilty.

Word... I did 30 Flaw questions today and 5 LG from simple ordering packet. I too neglected my RC, but i figured Ill use it as an extra section on Tomorrow's PT.

[BFlanagan]

I've been a lurker and I think the retake thread can teach me more about the LSAT than the regular Oct 2013 thread just because (1) test anxiety is a huge handicap for me, and the retakers have already faced it, and (2) I've been studying since effing February and I've plateaued in the high 160s (would like the high 170s on the PTs) so obviously I'm a n00b but sadly has studied probably longer than many retakers D';

A popular reason many retakers attribute their lower than expected performance is test anxiety. Retakers, what do you plan on doing now to prepare for it come October?

A proper warm-up process. I did it before every PT with great results. Nerves got the best of me and I spent the 30 minutes before the exam stuffing granola bars down my throat instead of warming up as always. I couldn't even focus on a basic logic game before the test.

I'm going for *two* warm up sections this time so that I am in the zone for Section 1, PT70. But, others have had great success without any warm up due to fear of fatigue.

[Ambitious1]

Pretty productive day. Did about 30 MBT questions and reviewed, read about the first 50 pages in LSAT Trainer today and drilled some LG. Wanted to get in some RC but I'll hold off until tomorrow. I want to be great at RC so badly..so everyday that I do not do any RC drilling, I feel guilty.

Word... I did 30 Flaw questions today and 5 LG from simple ordering packet. I too neglected my RC, but i figured Ill use it as an extra section on Tomorrow's PT.

This early, how often do you plan on PTing? 5 sectioners once a week? I was thinking along those lines as well