The Official October 2015 Study Group Forum

sephora_addict · Post by **sephora_addict** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:19 pm

TheProdigal wrote:
sephora_addict wrote:I feel like even with all the advice on which prep company is better or more useful I'm still confused and can't decide what to do. Good thing the october LSAT isn't for another 7 months. I used the LSAT trainer for when I took the test in February but unfortunately it didn't help me as much as I was hoping it would.
Honestly, I'd just go with the one with the best refund policy. I'm risk-adverse like that. Have you worked through the Manhattan books yet?

ETA: That's if I were doing a course. I'm a big fan of self-study. You've 7 months to go, I'd give the far cheaper option a go first.

I have not tried the Manhattan books but will now look into them. I just feel that I need a classroom like structure to help me do well. That's why I had some prep courses in mind.

adpitan · Post by **adpitan** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:14 pm

Hi all! I'm in, I just decided to start studying for the October LSAT in between completing two more graduate courses that are seven weeks each. I am planning on taking a prep course too but have to see what my work schedule is going to be like before I can commit. Is anyone in SoFL, Ft Lauderdale area that might be interested in getting together?

Reach4aJD · Post by **Reach4aJD** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:22 pm

Hey dudes, just checking in. I've been lurking for a bit.
Been studying on and off since December. I've finished the LG Bible and midway through Manhattan LR. I may sign up for a 7sage course, but I'm not too sure yet.

Good luck to everyone on their studies! Cheers to 180s.

TheWalkingDebt · Post by **TheWalkingDebt** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:17 pm

Penciling my check-in in the event I don't get it done in June.

mornincounselor · Post by **mornincounselor** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:03 am

Post removed.

chrijani · Post by **chrijani** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:23 am

I am in a similar boat as mornincounselor... I wrote the LSAT last September. I applied for law school and am still waiting to hear back. I am currently doing an MBA so I still have 1 year, so I may rewrite the LSAT this October if I don't hear from any law schools this cycle. I have tried to go back to study for the LSAT but I am torn because I know the fundamentals pretty well... so doing 7sage or LSAT trainer would not really help me besides RC. I only have 5 new tests untouched. I don't know how to go about studying this time because the timed tests with older test, I find that I sometimes remember a question and it may not be as helpful.. any suggestions? I'd love to know your tactic this time around mornin.

Shakawkaw · Post by **Shakawkaw** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:24 am

mornincounselor wrote:hello hello

Hate to see you taking it for a third time, MC. No June?

Re: no new material - embrace it! I would suggest doing back to back PTs (8 sections) with PTs 52-74. I'm not sure I see the utility in taking older tests as timed PTs since there is a very clear difference between the pre-40s and post-65 era. You can try taking an older PT as a timed PT, and then take a recent one and compare. I think that will give you a clearer indication of what you should focus on.

Where do you think you fell short in December?

adpitan · Post by **adpitan** » Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:59 pm

Is there anyone in the Ft Lauderdale area that wants to form a study group?

Andromeda · Post by **Andromeda** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:50 am

Going be the first time I give LSAT

Still gathering information, books and material. Gonna start preparing by next week; any updates, opinions etc are welcome

PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:16 pm

Post removed...

rangerA · Post by **rangerA** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:18 pm

Hey team! Longtime lurker as well, looking forward to doing this right for what will be my second LSAT. I took Testmasters this past fall but wasn't diligent on the homework, so I pushed the Dec test to February and studied quite hard late December until then. But as the wise TLS guides & my February score will tell you, that's not enough!

JDman · Post by **JDman** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:44 pm

Checking in--Oct will be my second try. Testmasters course begins in July. Chicago here. Anyone else taking the same course and/or is from Chicago?

MeganCQ · Post by **MeganCQ** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:34 pm

checking in! I took it in February but due to some pretty awful circumstances knew that I hadn't reached the score I wanted, so I cancelled my scores. I'm applying for fall 2016 so I'm still on track as far as scheduling.

I've already started studying, but that's because I am working in Spain this summer. I hope to study while I'm there but I realize now there's no way I'm going to keep up the same study level I have here. So I'm prepping now , going abroad, and then spending about another month and a half studying.

I'm hoping to get through the LSAT trainer and a book of ten prep tests before I leave. Then when I get back I'm starting on drills from the Power Score bible sets and even more practice tests.

Also, when I got my book of official LSAT prep tests I was pretty pissed that it didn't have the experimental sections because stamina is a huge issue of mine and taking tests that are one section shorter will certainly not help. I'm going to use sections of old practice tests to stand in for the experimental section, but still that really sucks. (In hindsight I realize it kind of makes sense that the experimental sections aren't there given that they're recent, official tests, but still not cool.)

179orBust · Post by **179orBust** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:23 pm

Signed up for the June test but will most likely be taking in October since I don't feel I'll be fully ready by then. Family is pressuring me to take in June but I don't give a crap; I'll take the test only when I feel I can reach my target score. Anyway, looking forward to spending the next few months with you all. Let's keep this thread active.

179orBust · Post by **179orBust** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:24 am

Initially prepped for June test, but don't think I'll be ready then. Procrastinated a lot and so I wanna begin posting what I did on the days I study for accountability. Also, it's good to have a record.

Didn't do much today, but at least I got in a bit of studying. Redid 12 easy sequencing games from the Cambridge packets:

PT28, Game 1- 3:16, 5/5
PT19, Game 1- 6:43, 7/7
PT23, Game 1- 4:30, 4/5
PT24, Game 2- 4:57, 5/5
PT27, Game 1- 8:53 (crap), 6/6
PT30, Game 4- 7:05, 7/7
PT26, Game 2- 5:49, 5/5
PT13, Game 2- 7:30, 5/5
PT15, Game 1- 6:38, 6/6
PT11, Game 2- 6:15, 5/5
PT15, Game 3- 7:40, 5/6
PT29, Game 3- 5:09, 6/6

Need to cut down on the careless mistakes like misreading a question or forgetting a certain rule. Also, my timing needs to improve. These were all pretty easy games + I had seen them before. I guess I'll just keep doing them over and over until I can get below 5:30 for each game. Just started drilling/learning LG two weeks ago so I hope there's room for improvement.

Anyway, just wanted to post a few LG tips. For LG pros these may seem very obvious, however, for those who have just begun studying I think they may help:
1) For acceptability questions eliminate answer choices by using the rules you diagrammed near/on your master game-board. When I first began doing games I would keep looking back at the rules near the paragraph to eliminate answer choices. After watching a some 7sage videos I noticed that JY eliminates answer choices for acceptability questions by using the rules he notated. I started doing this and I think it saves me around 10-15 seconds.
2) When you think you've selected the right AC move on from the question. I hate moving on without looking at the other choices but I have learned that it's not worth the extra time to confirm something that you're 95% sure about. You're better on moving to the next question. If you have time at the end you can always revisit the question.
3) When you're drawing a local board for a question that gives you new information, remember to transfer ALL the inferences you made from the master game board. So if you inferred that L can't go into slots 4 and 6, remember to notate that on your local board. Sometimes I forget to do this and I either waste valuable time or get a question wrong. Don't be careless.
4) And lastly, you can use previous questions/diagrams you created to help you out with a later could be true question. Again, you can save yourself a ton of time. Timing is so important with this section. Getting all the questions right means absolutely nothing; you gotta be able to them both effectively AND efficiently.

Again, some of these may be really obvious but if it helps even one person then it was worth posting. Good luck studying!

Dexter97 · Post by **Dexter97** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:52 pm

Post removed.

lollsat · Post by **lollsat** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 1:53 pm

First time visiting TLS thought I'd make an account since it seems like we're all in this journey together

I've been studying since last fall using the 7sage ultimate course. I realllyyy wanted to take in June especially since it's in the afternoon

and to just get this darn test over with but idk, I just don't feel ready yet. I originally planned to take in June and use the summer to craft my law school apps, but it looks like I'll most likely be taking in October.

I just finished the course and am reviewing each section now in order to hammer in the fundamentals. At least by next week I will begin my first non-diagnostic practice test starting with PT 36 Dec. 2001. Lets do this folks!!!!

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:51 pm

Checking in, taking this test for the second time.

Elexica · Post by **Elexica** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 5:50 pm

Checking in!

Long time lurker, first time posting. Starting study at the beginning of April for my first attempt in October, applying in the 2016-17 cycle, but I want to make sure there is time for retakes.

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 9:30 pm

Haven't been diligently posting here like I wanted to.
Will try to do so from now.

Dexter97 · Post by **Dexter97** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:22 pm

Post removed.

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:09 am

I don't know if it qualifies as implicit advertising, but I found LSAT blogs LR/LG/RC online course to be relatively cheap and helpful. Morevover, I'm not using a study-guide on the site, but rather I think structuring your study around the LSAT-trainer schedule can be more helpful, at least it has been for me -> http://www.thelsattrainer.com/assets/16 ... ysched.pdf

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:31 am

Today, I intend to study all the three sections.

In LR I want to go over sufficient and necessary condition from LSAT blog LR course, the argument core chapter two from ManhattanPrep's LR guide 2nd edition, the flaws chapter 5 from the LSAT-trainer, the basics of LR chapter 2 from PowerScore.

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 11:17 pm

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete what I set out to do for LR. I didn't do the entire Argument core chapter 2 from Manhattan Lsat - only got to page 38 out of 66 pages of the chapter. Morevover, I didn't do the Flaw chapter from the LSAT Trainer and the basics of LR chapter from PS.

kirilrez · Post by **kirilrez** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 11:43 pm

My revised schedule includes finishing the Argument core drill in the Manhattan LR book chapter 2, reading the LSAT trainer Flaw chapter and doing 10 Flaw questions from the Cambridge Flaw packet and finishing the basics of LR chapter from PS.

For LG today I intend to to watch LSAT Blog video about the Importance of Inferences,
to read Relative Ordering and the Tree chapter 2 from the Manhattan LSAT LG 2nd edition, to read chapter two in PS LGB Analytical Reasoning Basics. Diagramming ch 10 from the LSAT trainer.

For RC today I intend to watch Reading Comprehension Approach Part 1: Mindset from LSAT blog, Pt1: Read Like A Law Student chapter two Recognizing the Argument from MG RC 2nd ed. Pt1: Change How You Read ch 2 Reading for the Scale. Reading for Reasoning Structure ch 22 form the LSAT trainer.