Aesis' December 2010 Retake Study Progress Forum

[frustrated3]

SupraVln180 (or anyone else with a great approach) do you mind sharing your approach to LG and RC (and LR)? I was getting -2 max in my LG PTs but my nerves got the best of me in Oct and I thoroughly messed up. I suspect its because I dont really have a systematic approach...

[Ronnie_Coleman]

SupraVln180 (or anyone else with a great approach) do you mind sharing your approach to LG and RC (and LR)? I was getting -2 max in my LG PTs but my nerves got the best of me in Oct and I thoroughly messed up. I suspect its because I dont really have a systematic approach...

I have the same question here -- got -9 on both June and October LSAT LG Sections, despite getting max -2 on all practice tests, and thoroughly studying LG bible techniques. The problem in June was not leaving enough time to make the key deduction on the last game (Interns), whereas in October I felt rushed and unable to make a clear and solid diagram for games 3 and 4 (both sequencing games, game 3 with a grouping element).

I think being nervous on the real thing and knowing that if the game didn't "click" right away, I was screwed, had a real effect on my performance. Any methods to overcome this would help -- since clearly this wasn't a one-time thing.

[catsparka]

Wear lucky/happy clothing. I wore a sweatshirt I got on a trip to California over a concert t-shirt for one of my favorite bands. I SHOULD have worn my Keds even though it was rainy. Eh.


Associate routines with your test - for example, cool mint chocolate Cliff bars taste like LSAT to me (I honestly wrote "LSAT bars" by accident when I first wrote that sentence), mostly because I ate them during practice breaks as well as the real thing. Helps to have that routine/association going on.

I wore my lucky pair of underwear (TMI? sorry) on test day, along with my lucky t-shirt and my favorite pair of jeans.
For me, "LSAT food" was vitamin water and some chocolate chip cookies. I used to drink a bottle of the purple vitamin water every time I took a PT, and having a bottle there with me on test day was kind of comforting. (I actually didn't drink any of it on test day since I was so paranoid that I'll have to use the bathroom during a section, so it just kind of sat there underneath my chair the whole time. But still.)

Good luck!

[kpuc]

Good luck with your progress.

I got a 170 on the Oct LSAT and am going to retake, since I was getting 173-175 on my last 5 PTs (except for one LG mindfreeze on PT 60).

I'm doing 2 LR sections a day and an LG section of PTs 32-38, then PT'ing 39-43 and the with the SuperPreps. I'll also re-do the LRs and LGs of PTs 50-60 in the last 2 weeks before the test. I'll do an RC now and then to keep sharp, but I was able to get -0 on the Oct LSAT RC with 2 hours of sleep, so I'm going to focus more on getting my LRs and LGs tight.

I was worried about a lack of study materials, but I really don't remember most of the questions and answers that I did on PTs in September. I usually only remember the really difficult ones that stuck in my head, and that's maybe 1-2 per LR section. Even then, I don't quite remember what the answer was, and I have to end up being careful anyway since I don't want to hastily put down what I wrongly perceived to be the right answer.

Sounds good, though I'd caution about taking RC for granted? Just my opinion.

So for the next week or so you'll be doing 3 sections a day, followed by straight PTs and review for the next three or four weeks, while doing and re-doing the LRs and LGs of PTs 50-60 (61)? Sounds good, but I'd be more comfortable doing full PTs of 50/53-61. To each his own, though.

I like the idea of redoing the LG sections from the most recent PTs. I didn't do that last time, didn't make copies. I'll probably be drilling those in addition to the 30s LG sections in the last two weeks so I can be more confident in LG leading up to the test. LG is a necessary cushion for a 175+.

Good luck in December! The December thread is so boring right now...

Yeah, I won't take RC for granted. But the way I studied for the Oct LSAT, I never did RC sections (except maybe once or twice), and I mainly studied for RC by doing PTs. I'm going to do the same now, since I'd rather spend more time on LR and LG.

I would do full PTs of 50-60, but I've already PT'ed them before and thoroughly reviewed them. I suspect that I'd get inflated scores, especially since RC is going to be easy to remember IMHO.

I also like the idea of redoing LGs. What I've noticed is that I tend to do better on LGs a 2nd time not because I remember the answers (it's seriously hard to remember LG answers because they're so abstract), but because I have the confidence that none of those questions stumped me the last time. It's this confidence that allows me to calmly work through even the toughest LGs instead of panicking, which is the #1 reason why people seem to fail at LGs.

[SupraVln180]

SupraVln180 (or anyone else with a great approach) do you mind sharing your approach to LG and RC (and LR)? I was getting -2 max in my LG PTs but my nerves got the best of me in Oct and I thoroughly messed up. I suspect its because I dont really have a systematic approach...

I have the same question here -- got -9 on both June and October LSAT LG Sections, despite getting max -2 on all practice tests, and thoroughly studying LG bible techniques. The problem in June was not leaving enough time to make the key deduction on the last game (Interns), whereas in October I felt rushed and unable to make a clear and solid diagram for games 3 and 4 (both sequencing games, game 3 with a grouping element).

I think being nervous on the real thing and knowing that if the game didn't "click" right away, I was screwed, had a real effect on my performance. Any methods to overcome this would help -- since clearly this wasn't a one-time thing.

Games I am a pretty consistent 0/-1 (I got a -1 on test day b/c I was overconfident and finished 15 minutes early and didn't check throughly) Anyway, here it goes:
First, make sure you go through the LGB so you know how to properly diagram every type of game. Thats most important. When you're actually taking the test and you're digramming the rules, always try to make a few templates, so you can visualize the general directions you can take the game given the rules. Believe me it will save tons of time b/c you will get a real understanding of the rules and be able to make hypos to approach each question quickly and effectively. Also with the games, knock out the easy ones first, I jump around so much. If I can't get a deduction and have 3 games left I will skip it. I find when you can knock out the easy ones and you only have one left and have 15 minutes to finish it, the pressure is off, you can literally make hypos for every question.

Now RC, I am no expert, but I started out missing about 15 per section to -4 on game day which I am pretty proud of. I am determined to get that down to 0/-1 by December. I found less is more on RC. Don't try to underline everything, but also don't read for every little detail, understand the point of the passage, understand what the author is trying to convey to his audience. You can always go back and find the little details when asked. I found by reading through the passage quicker I can gain a more complete understanding of the whole passage and not just paragraph by paragraph.

Now if I can just get LR consistent, I will be good money for December. Can consistent 0/-1 LR people tell me how they do it?

[frustrated3]

thanks...i can see how scribbling a few hypos for LG can help with grasping the rules better......

[Hedwig]

Wear lucky/happy clothing. I wore a sweatshirt I got on a trip to California over a concert t-shirt for one of my favorite bands. I SHOULD have worn my Keds even though it was rainy. Eh.


Associate routines with your test - for example, cool mint chocolate Cliff bars taste like LSAT to me (I honestly wrote "LSAT bars" by accident when I first wrote that sentence), mostly because I ate them during practice breaks as well as the real thing. Helps to have that routine/association going on.

I wore my lucky pair of underwear (TMI? sorry) on test day, along with my lucky t-shirt and my favorite pair of jeans.
For me, "LSAT food" was vitamin water and some chocolate chip cookies. I used to drink a bottle of the purple vitamin water every time I took a PT, and having a bottle there with me on test day was kind of comforting. (I actually didn't drink any of it on test day since I was so paranoid that I'll have to use the bathroom during a section, so it just kind of sat there underneath my chair the whole time. But still.)

Good luck!

Lol I wore lucky underwear too, I just left that out of my original statement, haha.

Also, do EVERY SINGLE LOGIC GAME AVAILABLE. Do half of them more than once.

[aesis]

An interesting day 4:

#37 LR1 23/26: Q17, Q23, Q26
Tricky. I'm cutting these out (with a scissor I mean) because I'm pretty sure I missed these the first time I did them, too, ugh. Trickkkyyy ... or stupid. I changed answers on both 23 and 26. Ugh. The parallel reasoning at the end was sooo minute, it was hard to really see the difference. Imagine if I didn't have so much extra time to scrutinize it? Effing LSAC.

#37 LR2 25/25
Finally I -0 an LR. After four days and four LR sections later.

#24 LG 23/23
This one was easy, but I can imagine how Juarez/Rosenberg could trip a lot of people up. Tiered ordering is preferable to a difficult Grouping game like that 50's LG on courses. What a nightmare.

That puts me at a -4 for #37 so far, hoping to ace its LG later in the schedule. That would be 177. Every point counts, folks!

Happy Friday everybody.

[lparker]

That puts me at a -4 for #37 so far, hoping to ace its LG later in the schedule. That would be 177. Every point counts, folks!

Well said! Keep up the great work!

[aesis]

Thanks lparker hurrah study buddies.

A fantastic Day 5:

#38 RC 27/27
Quite pleased, finish +4:00.

#38 LR1 24/24 +7:00
Also quite pleased.

#25 24/24 +10:00
Not hard, almost laughable.

So with RC and LR today I tried reading even more rapidly. I noticed though that I would miss a few words. I think the trick is to read as fast as possible, but to register every single word, underlining the "!" words as you go so you're cognizant of them, particularly with RC. It reminds me of a speed reading trick, to imagine placing an orange or a ball at the crown of your head, like the upper back of your skull. I used to do this when I read history articles in UG, and I imagine it would increase comprehension even though you're not trying to speed read, just read rapidly.

Hope that helps.

[3|ink]

Thanks lparker hurrah study buddies.

A fantastic Day 5:

#38 RC 27/27
Quite pleased, finish +4:00.

#38 LR1 24/24 +7:00
Also quite pleased.

#25 24/24 +10:00
Not hard, almost laughable.

So with RC and LR today I tried reading even more rapidly. I noticed though that I would miss a few words. I think the trick is to read as fast as possible, but to register every single word, underlining the "!" words as you go so you're cognizant of them, particularly with RC. It reminds me of a speed reading trick, to imagine placing an orange or a ball at the crown of your head, like the upper back of your skull. I used to do this when I read history articles in UG, and I imagine it would increase comprehension even though you're not trying to speed read, just read rapidly.

Hope that helps.

With all of your -0s, it doesn't look like you'll have much use for the tracking system.

[kpuc]

Aesis,

So you're doing 3 sections a day too? I think this is a good amount, since doing 4 would mean you're practically doing a PT a day, while 2 seems a bit low.

I'm alternating between LG-LR-LR days and LG-LR-RC days.

[kpuc]

Just did my first PT for December.

SuperPrep A: 173

LR 1: -1
RC: -0
LR 1 Exp (PT 29): -1
LG: -4
LR 2: -2

Very happy that I'm continuing to minimize my number of wrong answers on LR and RC. A bit more concerned about LG, but I'll have over a month to get in shape, and it was just one game in particular that gave me trouble (the other three were fine). I will go over the test tomorrow, but right now, I need a break.

[aesis]

Ah, it'll be nice to bounce scores off someone again, GJ kpuc! You'll get LG down easy.

Day 6:

SuperPrep C (33 minute sections)
RC 25/27
LR1 22/24
LR2 24/26
LG 22/24
93 raw
175 scaled
#38 LR2 experimental 24/25 (dammit!)

Apparently SuperPrep C was a hard test. I think I got a 93 on PT 60 last time and it scaled to 174/175 or something. LG was particularly difficult at the end. Planning on reading the SuperPrep explanations this week, one section a time until Thursday. Nice to have a great score on my first reprep PT.

Day 7:

#26 LG 24/24 +9:00

God, today was so tiring and busy, so I have to relegate the RC and LR sections to tomorrow. That means for Day 8 it's #39 RC LR1 LR2; #27 LG. Basically ... a PT. I'll just do it in halves I guess.

Based on my shenanigans this past weekend -- NO FUN FOR ME THIS WEEK/WEEKEND.

[kkklick]

After a week or so away from the LSAT, I've decided I will be jumping back in. Step 1 for me is to read informal logic by Mr. Walton, and go through the Atlas RC guide. LG doesn't need to be fixed for me, going through the test the LR mistakes I made except for the brick question were embarassing, definately hoping to clean up sloppy mistakes this time. Thinking about RC I'm almost 100% sure my poor performance was due to have 8 passages back-to-back. By the 8th passage I couldn't even engage myself in the reading and was lucky to get the 3/8 that I did considering I understood nothing. Going back and doing the passage again got 7/8. What is it about test day that throws everything out of whack?

[aesis]

After a week or so away from the LSAT, I've decided I will be jumping back in. Step 1 for me is to read informal logic by Mr. Walton, and go through the Atlas RC guide. LG doesn't need to be fixed for me, going through the test the LR mistakes I made except for the brick question were embarassing, definately hoping to clean up sloppy mistakes this time. Thinking about RC I'm almost 100% sure my poor performance was due to have 8 passages back-to-back. By the 8th passage I couldn't even engage myself in the reading and was lucky to get the 3/8 that I did considering I understood nothing. Going back and doing the passage again got 7/8. What is it about test day that throws everything out of whack?

I'm thinking of getting the Atlas RC/LG guides too, just for some extra tips, but I don't want to spend the money. Still deliberating. Welcome to the December club! You're your own worst enemy. I'm prepping somewhat casually in the sense that I'm not taking a PT every other day like last time, and I'm striving for maximum accuracy under constrained time limits. I feel a lot more relaxed, and am trying to keep that attitude the whole way through. That means NOT looking at What are my chances? threads or obsessing over admissions threads.

Anyway, Day 8:

I had a tiring day of looking at others PS's after work so I could only do 3 sections today instead of the 4 I had planned since I skimped out on prep yesterday.

#39 RC 26/28
One scope-related error and I skimmed over TCR on the second one because I was running out of time. Overall, kind of silly errors, but that's what most of these are in the mid-170s. Have to minimize them.

#39 LR1 22/24
These two errors were super dumb. I had just woken from a nap when I did this section and some things just fail to register. I missed Q19 and Q24; Q24's was just so obvious if I had only diagrammed it. Over thought it. I should take the LR sections more seriously now that I'm heading into less familiar territory (post PT38 material that is not in the Next 10s series).

#27 LG 24/24 +4:00
Hard, time consuming section, apart from the last game. Or I was just sluggish. I need to stop doing prep late at night. But at least I know I can do it even if I'm tired?

Haven't been able to review SuperPrep C yet. Doing #39 LR2, #40 LR1, #28 LG tomorrow.

Week 2 has begun! And I'm already shifting things in my schedule. C'est la vie.

[aesis]

Day 9:

I didn't have PT 40 on hand so I couldn't do them. I expected to have my new copy of Kaplan Endurance by now, but ... I don't.

#39 LR2 25/26: Q23
Changed the answer from right to wrong, gah.

#41 LR1 23/25
Missed Q12, messed up the no cause no effect strategy for + questions, and failed to incorporate the conclusion correctly in the Parallel in Q23.

#28 LG 23/23 +10:00

I'm glad to see I have LR down to 0-2 right now, and my timing is on point despite my not remembering the questions anymore. I have around 2-3 minutes to check answers, which is what I was shooting for. My current pacing is 15 in 15 / 20 in 25. Once I hit Q12 it gets a little harder to move in less than a minute. Probably the MOST important thing is to not get hung up on a single question. So much better to just return to it after a solid look (1-1:30 min).

LG is just fine. I'm anxious to get my LR down to perfect sections. RC, I can only hope.
Did not work on any Personal Statement stuff today

[kpuc]

Did some sections from PT 35 today.

LG: -4
LR1: -0

3 out of the 4 LG mistakes were purely out of misreading the rules, which really ticked me off. So I went online and bought the Cambridge LSAT by Type books. My LR and RC seem to be consistently -0 or -1, so I should focus more on LG (without neglecting LR and RC, of course).

[aesis]

Did some sections from PT 35 today.

LG: -4
LR1: -0

3 out of the 4 LG mistakes were purely out of misreading the rules, which really ticked me off. So I went online and bought the Cambridge LSAT by Type books. My LR and RC seem to be consistently -0 or -1, so I should focus more on LG (without neglecting LR and RC, of course).

You seem to have a real handle on LR. Do you have any tips or observations you could share? With LR, it's all about pacing and reading efficiently for me. I go through a POE for each question as fast and as careful as possible. I don't look for right answers necessarily, unless it's formal logic / assumption question stem. And I read every answer choice. I feel like I'm so close to getting it down perfectly, and it's those "doh" mistakes that keep me from doing that. Time has become much less of an issue after I emphasized pacing.

[aesis]

Day 10:
#41 RC 24/26
#29 LG 24/24

Day 11: June 07
LR1 23/25
LR2 21/25 (asdfjkl;)
RC 26/27
LG 23/23
93 | 171 (nice curve -- not)

#40 LG (experimental) 23/23

A quick look at LR2 -- ouchhh, a result of me rushing for sure. I've built up a lot of confidence in my answer choice selection and need to give the other answer choices more consideration I guess. 93 raw seems to be my sweet spot. I hope I can raise that up in four weeks.

Today kicks off my 3(ish) -day PT cycle. 29 days remain!

[Hedwig]

Don't worry if you don't stick to your schedule. I crafted several lovely well thought out schedules for my LSAT and ended up following none of them. As long as you get stuff done, it's k.

[aesis]

Don't worry if you don't stick to your schedule. I crafted several lovely well thought out schedules for my LSAT and ended up following none of them. As long as you get stuff done, it's k.

I am following your advice. Phew. So much to do.

Weekend Recap:
Day 12:
I did nothing. I had work and then went to a concert. And it was spectacular.

Day 13:
#40 LG 20/23
Circular reasoning at the end screwed me. I'll probably redo this game a few times.
#42 LG 23/23
#40 RC 25/27
Can't seem to consistently get this down to -1, but I am pacing myself extremely well, which I am very happy about.
#41 LR2 23/26
Not too happy about this. A couple of stupid mistakes, and a WTF? I cut them out, will review them periodically.

Day 14:
PT 53
RC -3
LR -2/-1 (Hurrah!)
LG -0 +9:00
94 --> 175

I keep making similar mistakes -- either settling for an unsatisfactory answer without reconsidering ones I DQ'd or being too confident in an AC that doesn't quite make it. Pacing is great, the subconscious urgency in having a 33 minute section is working very well. I remember very little of the material since it is post-PT38. Hopefully I can pull it off on test day, too.

I'm thinking of reducing my time limit even further this week by one minute. Then next week another minute and so on, unless performance drops.

Cheers.

[r2b2ct]

I'm prepping somewhat casually in the sense that I'm not taking a PT every other day like last time, and I'm striving for maximum accuracy under constrained time limits. I feel a lot more relaxed, and am trying to keep that attitude the whole way through.

I feel the same way. I feel a lot more comfortable with the test after the Oct experience. I also think the ~month break from studying while waiting for my Oct score has helped a lot with both comfort and skill. I think I'm well on my way to conquering the RC section, which basically ruined my score in Oct.

Good luck Aesis and anyone else retaking in Dec.

[aesis]

I'm prepping somewhat casually in the sense that I'm not taking a PT every other day like last time, and I'm striving for maximum accuracy under constrained time limits. I feel a lot more relaxed, and am trying to keep that attitude the whole way through.

I feel the same way. I feel a lot more comfortable with the test after the Oct experience. I also think the ~month break from studying while waiting for my Oct score has helped a lot with both comfort and skill. I think I'm well on my way to conquering the RC section, which basically ruined my score in Oct.

Good luck Aesis and anyone else retaking in Dec.

Thanks, you too!

Day 15:

#42 LR1 25/26
Missed a parallel because I chose an AC that didn't contain the conclusion even though it was inferred. Ruled out TCR because I was being TOO strict. Hate that.
#43 LG 22/22 +9:00
I wish the 50s LG were this easy :\

I modified my schedule so I could thoroughly review PTs afterward. There's no way to get better without reviewing, so I'll only be doing two sections a day on non-PT days (LG/RC - LG/LR, or vice versa). Again, my pacing is good. Just need to work on consistent accuracy.

Day 16:
#44 RC 26/27
Debated on this one. Picked the wrong AC. Had doubts about after going back and checking answers. Should have trusted my gut.
#44 LG 22/22

Day 17:
PT 54
LG (exp) 23/23
LG 23/23
LR 24/26; 24/25
RC 25/27
96 --> 176

Haven't reviewed it yet, but am pleased. Finished up a final-ish draft of my PS today too, PM me if you want to swap or would like to help? Timing is probably the biggest confidence you can ever have. If you can whittle your time and maintain a 170+ PT accuracy mindset then you are gold.

Cheers.

[aesis]

Day 18:
#42 LR1 23/25
#45 LG 22/22

Day 19:
#42 RC 24/26
#46 LG 22/22
MITES AND NEUROTRANSMITTERS. ALDSK;FJ

Day 20:

PT 55 (32 min sections)
RC 25/27
LR1 25/25
LR2 24/25
LG 23/23
97 --> 178

32 minute sections is really pushing it. My watch has a red band for 3-minute warning, so it actually makes more sense if I practice with 33 minute sections instead of 32. Nevertheless, the goal is to finish the section before the red band, which means several things:

LR -- powering through the first 12 questions like nobody's business. This is probably not emphasized enough. The first 10 questions in the 50s tests have some wrenches thrown in, but for the most part it's important to power through these, confident in your answer choices. I gamble having extra time to double-check these in order to nab points for the tougher questions. It's a gamble I think worth taking if your theory is solid.

LG -- power through the first game or find that linear game and do that to build your confidence. I have been just attacking the first LG as fast as possible because I start out with a 3 minute handicap right from the start. If I can finish the game in 5 minutes then great, but if not, I have to make that up and get up to speed, burning the handicap in two games. That leaves the last two games with more time.

RC -- first passage is key here. I'll look at how many questions there are and then adjust how I read the passage. More questions, more detail, usually. The complexity of the passage also affects the reading. Comparative passages beckon an emphasis more on detail, but I try to get through it fast, underlining/boxing key words and AA. Sometimes you can save yourself by having a last passage that is so ridiculously easy to read that you shave enough time to check answers. But I shouldn't get myself in that situation anyway -- again, first passage speed is key. If it's an 8-question first passage, I'll be a little more forgiving with my pacing, but I want to be in and out in < 8 minutes ideally.

Anyway, HTH somebody.