December 2013 LSAT Study Group Forum

jk148706 · Post by **jk148706** » Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:10 pm

John_rizzy_rawls wrote:Checking in.

Retaking in Oct.

Probably taking a third time in December if I don't crack 173+.

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:09 am

lavender01 wrote:Checking in! Was going to take the Oct test but after heavy consideration I have decided to take the Dec LSAT. Initially, I was planning to take a course to supplement my self-study & take in Oct, but that was an epic fail because all three of the courses I wanted to enroll in were cancelled. So since I know I won't be completely ready by Oct I am going to study on my own for the Dec LSAT

I have PS LRB, LGB, and RC. I also have all three of Manhattan's books. & I have 20 LSAT PT. & after thoroughly stalking TLS I have put together my own "syllabus" and calendar lol. Since the fall semester is creeping up, I know I will do best by studying for the LSAT like it is one of my college courses. I am a little nervous about studying on my own, but I am going to stick with it.

I noticed people talking about drilling...what exactly does that consist of and what books do you use to drill questions by type?

Also are you guys applying this cycle or next cycle?

That's a good idea. Never take it when you're not ready (or when you think there's a lot more you can do given more time). As a 4th time taker, I can tell you that you'll never know when you'll need that extra retake. Seriously. I thought I was done forever after first one. And then the second. And then the third. Especially after the third. Then I got a promotion at work and all of a sudden, I can afford to take another year. Things can happen in your life anytime. If I could have one of those retakes back, I'd take it this October and December.

If you're still in school, it's best to focus on that GPA. It can make a huge difference. I'm sure there are a lot of TLSers that wish they could have some of those As that they could have gotten. Just know that once you get your BA/BS, your LSAC GPA is locked in.

Drilling is pretty much doing questions by type. People suggest doing drills untimed because your main focus is accuracy. During drills, you will be putting into practice what you learned in the Manhattan/PS books. You should be analyzing and understanding fully the stimulus, question stem, why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong. Eventually, these skills that you acquire and hone will be second nature.

As for books:

http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... g-by-type/

http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... s-by-type/

I will be applying this cycle.

bizzybone1313 · Post by **bizzybone1313** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:50 am

Have any of you guys tried to go through the entire Cambridge LSAT Challenge book of 410 difficult logical reasoning questions, 49 difficult logic games with solutions and 20 difficult reading comprehension passages and then taken a PT or two to see what happens?

It seems that I only miss difficult questions. There was actually a TLS guy or gal that scored like a 175ish that tried this strategy and it obviously worked out well for him.

Why spend 100's of hours on easy questions when you know your mostly missing the difficult ones? It seems like this strategy could backfire. What do you all think?

alpha kenny body · Post by **alpha kenny body** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:22 am

Checking in. I've come too far to not be 100% comfortable when I take the LSAT for the first time. Good luck lil brehs. Drilling timed sections today and getting at my sixth PT by the end of the week.

Gamine · Post by **Gamine** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:04 am

I want to take it in October but I know that that would be a disservice to myself. this will be my third take and like other posters have said I don't wanna be selling myself short. It would be great to get it done by October and apply early but I would rather have a high score because I know how it feels to be very disappointed with your LSAT score

dasani13 · Post by **dasani13** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:32 pm

I'm currently studying for October but I'm still so far from my goal. I do have abou 20 PTs left to take but I'm not sure if it can bring me up 10 points. I'll probably be joining you guys in December.

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:10 pm

Post removed.

lavender01 · Post by **lavender01** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:25 pm

Thank you!! I will buy those two packets once I finish reading the Bibles. & yes, I definitely plan to focus on maintaining my GPA this semester while studying for the LSAT as well. I have a 3.8 right now. So, I would definitely like to keep it there but I also want an LSAT score that compliments my GPA Lol. I am also planning to apply this cycle. I am a little nervous about getting LSAT results back in January, but I will make sure everything else is ready to go before they release results.

ManoftheHour wrote:
lavender01 wrote:Checking in! Was going to take the Oct test but after heavy consideration I have decided to take the Dec LSAT. Initially, I was planning to take a course to supplement my self-study & take in Oct, but that was an epic fail because all three of the courses I wanted to enroll in were cancelled. So since I know I won't be completely ready by Oct I am going to study on my own for the Dec LSAT

I have PS LRB, LGB, and RC. I also have all three of Manhattan's books. & I have 20 LSAT PT. & after thoroughly stalking TLS I have put together my own "syllabus" and calendar lol. Since the fall semester is creeping up, I know I will do best by studying for the LSAT like it is one of my college courses. I am a little nervous about studying on my own, but I am going to stick with it.

I noticed people talking about drilling...what exactly does that consist of and what books do you use to drill questions by type?

Also are you guys applying this cycle or next cycle?
That's a good idea. Never take it when you're not ready (or when you think there's a lot more you can do given more time). As a 4th time taker, I can tell you that you'll never know when you'll need that extra retake. Seriously. I thought I was done forever after first one. And then the second. And then the third. Especially after the third. Then I got a promotion at work and all of a sudden, I can afford to take another year. Things can happen in your life anytime. If I could have one of those retakes back, I'd take it this October and December.

If you're still in school, it's best to focus on that GPA. It can make a huge difference. I'm sure there are a lot of TLSers that wish they could have some of those As that they could have gotten. Just know that once you get your BA/BS, your LSAC GPA is locked in.

Drilling is pretty much doing questions by type. People suggest doing drills untimed because your main focus is accuracy. During drills, you will be putting into practice what you learned in the Manhattan/PS books. You should be analyzing and understanding fully the stimulus, question stem, why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong. Eventually, these skills that you acquire and hone will be second nature.

As for books:

http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... g-by-type/

http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... s-by-type/

I will be applying this cycle.

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 6:10 pm

lavender01 wrote:Thank you!! I will buy those two packets once I finish reading the Bibles. & yes, I definitely plan to focus on maintaining my GPA this semester while studying for the LSAT as well. I have a 3.8 right now. So, I would definitely like to keep it there but I also want an LSAT score that compliments my GPA Lol. I am also planning to apply this cycle. I am a little nervous about getting LSAT results back in January, but I will make sure everything else is ready to go before they release results.

Yeah. You can always retake your LSAT. Taking a year or two off to study can be an option. But that GPA is locked forever once you get your first degree.

Depending on your score, the difference between a 3.80 and a 3.89 could be huge for those top schools (HYSCCN).

Good luck.

boris09 · Post by **boris09** » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:24 am

i think i'll feel the best about myself when i can not only answer the questions myself, but help others struggling with questions i used to in the past. Seems far from happening at the point I am now, but just imagining the idea of me feeling confident in the material well enough to explain it to others, rather than having it explained to me, will do wonders for my self-esteem when writing the test

David_Hume14 · Post by **David_Hume14** » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:26 pm

Hi fellow Decemberites. Will us December splitters be in trouble next cycle?

tanes25 · Post by **tanes25** » Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:13 pm

XicaDaSilva wrote:I'm in!

Planned on sitting for the test in October, but thinking I want to give myself enough time to really nail this thing, haha.

So, what is everyone using (books/plans, etc)? I'm a first time test-taker, so I've gotten a lot of my advice from combing the TLS forums. I have PS + Manhattan for LG, Manhattan for RC and the "10 more LSATs" Series + PrepTests. Still have not quite found my mojo of LR guides...what are you all using?

I'm loving Manhattan for LR. I'm also using the 7 Sage basic course. It was less than $200. They really break things down. It's an online course that lets you logon whenever and you complete certain sections according to when you're going to to the test. It's videos and pdfs. You can watch them as many times as you'd like. They have free video explanations for every LG question as well. Check out their website. I took the test in 2008 and havent really done much since. I've been studying off and on since March, but I've also had two major surgeries since March as well, so I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I was planning on October, but I'll hold out for December.

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:21 pm

David_Hume14 wrote:Hi fellow Decemberites. Will us December splitters be in trouble next cycle?

Nah, doubt it. With the application drops, schools seem desperate for those 170s to keep their medians up. It's that or they'll have to cut class sizes.

Dr. Dre · Post by **Dr. Dre** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:23 pm

Hey ManoftheHour are you applying this cycle bro?

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:34 pm

Dr. Dre wrote:Hey ManoftheHour are you applying this cycle bro?

Hell yeah.

Dr. Dre · Post by **Dr. Dre** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:55 pm

ManoftheHour wrote:
Dr. Dre wrote:Hey ManoftheHour are you applying this cycle bro?
Hell yeah.

nice! we've got to hit up tha East Coast

062914123 · Post by **062914123** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:05 pm

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:09 pm

Post removed.

Dr. Dre · Post by **Dr. Dre** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:10 pm

bee wrote:
PourMeTea wrote:
John_rizzy_rawls wrote:Checking in.

taking in Oct.

Probably taking a second time in December if I don't crack 173+.
Same. I was supposed to study all summer for Oct. but my job has been so insane that I'm almost certain I'll be retaking in December. I still want to apply this cycle though, so submitting my apps in late Dec is fucking terrifying me right now Anyone else feeling similarly?

I don't think submitting apps in late Dec will put you at a disadvantage.

Granted, you have above-median-LSAT score

Dr. Dre · Post by **Dr. Dre** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:40 pm

http://admissionsbythenumbers.blogspot. ... esses.html

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:51 pm

Dr. Dre wrote:http://admissionsbythenumbers.blogspot. ... esses.html

180 poast

Dr. Dre · Post by **Dr. Dre** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:55 pm

tl;dr — THERE IS NO DISADVANTAGE in submitting apps after December LSAT score, PROVIDED you can cop dat above median lsat score

062914123 · Post by **062914123** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:32 pm

ManoftheHour · Post by **ManoftheHour** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:34 pm

LET'S DO IT GUYS!!!

I can't wait to get off work and start the LSAT Trainer.

LegaleZy · Post by **LegaleZy** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:37 pm

Checking in. I was pretty set in October, but decided I need more time to get the best score possible. I'd rather apply later with a high score than apply early with a decent score.