February 2012 LSAT Study Group Forum

[Eichörnchen]

OK, now I am officially experiencing regression. This is quite disheartening. Took PT 60 tonight. -6 total on LR (about average), -4 on RC (slightly below average), -7 on LG (ATROCIOUS!!!). Overall scaled score of 83, which normalizes to 167. I don't know what it is about LG that gets me down so. It just seems like every time I see a game for the first time there's always some new trick, some new testmaking technique that throws me for a loop and results in disaster. If I could just get myself to a consistent -2 or better on LG, my PT scores would skyrocket. -2 on LG tonight would have yielded me a 170, my goal. In any case, here's my updated trend:

PT 61 on 11/6=163 (161 was a typo in my previous posts )
PT 64 on 11/9=168
PT 62 on 11/27=169
PT 63 on 12/3=168
PT 61 retake on 12/7=172
PT 60 on 12/11= 167

Starting to get very concerned.

I wouldn't be at all concerned. That PT trend looks completely and absolutely normal. So far, you're actually quite consistent. Unfortunately one foray into the 170s doesn't keep us there (damnit! ) so you just did a bit better on PT 61 compared to others. It's all part of your upward trend.

(And I have to admit that you being within a point of your PT score before last and calling it official regression made me chuckle a little. You're FINE! Just breathe. )

That 172 was a PT 61 retake (trying to preserve the newer tests)...so far my highest score on a "first look" at a PT is 169.

In that case, you are even more consistent than I thought! You have zero to worry about. You're actually one of the most consistent PTers I've seen, and I've been hanging round these parts far too long. Everyone goes up and down a little as they go. It's the overall upward trend that you want to see, and you have it already. As you PT more, your overarching progress will be even clearer. Here, maybe this will ease your mind:



Those are my first 10 PTs. I didn't really bat an eye at it, except that one sneaky 170+ that raised my hopes way too high in the beginning. I don't think it's abnormal, and everyone in my study thread didn't seem to think so either. Everyone jumps around a bit (not that 'regressing' by a point is at all jumping around). So see how you are actually remarkably consistent? That's a good thing! Be happy, not concerned.

[willwash]

OK, now I am officially experiencing regression. This is quite disheartening. Took PT 60 tonight. -6 total on LR (about average), -4 on RC (slightly below average), -7 on LG (ATROCIOUS!!!). Overall scaled score of 83, which normalizes to 167. I don't know what it is about LG that gets me down so. It just seems like every time I see a game for the first time there's always some new trick, some new testmaking technique that throws me for a loop and results in disaster. If I could just get myself to a consistent -2 or better on LG, my PT scores would skyrocket. -2 on LG tonight would have yielded me a 170, my goal. In any case, here's my updated trend:

PT 61 on 11/6=163 (161 was a typo in my previous posts )
PT 64 on 11/9=168
PT 62 on 11/27=169
PT 63 on 12/3=168
PT 61 retake on 12/7=172
PT 60 on 12/11= 167

Starting to get very concerned.

I wouldn't be at all concerned. That PT trend looks completely and absolutely normal. So far, you're actually quite consistent. Unfortunately one foray into the 170s doesn't keep us there (damnit! ) so you just did a bit better on PT 61 compared to others. It's all part of your upward trend.

(And I have to admit that you being within a point of your PT score before last and calling it official regression made me chuckle a little. You're FINE! Just breathe. )

That 172 was a PT 61 retake (trying to preserve the newer tests)...so far my highest score on a "first look" at a PT is 169.

In that case, you are even more consistent than I thought! You have zero to worry about. You're actually one of the most consistent PTers I've seen, and I've been hanging round these parts far too long. Everyone goes up and down a little as they go. It's the overall upward trend that you want to see, and you have it already. As you PT more, your overarching progress will be even clearer. Here, maybe this will ease your mind:



Those are my first 10 PTs. I didn't really bat an eye at it, except that one sneaky 170+ that raised my hopes way too high in the beginning. I don't think it's abnormal, and everyone in my study thread didn't seem to think so either. Everyone jumps around a bit (not that 'regressing' by a point is at all jumping around). So see how you are actually remarkably consistent? That's a good thing! Be happy, not concerned.

The fact that I am scoring at the 170+ level in LR and RC (for the most part) and at the ~160 level in LG for upper 160s overall is probably a good thing. My results in LG are much more "all over the map" than my overall PT scores. Sometimes a game and even a whole section just "clicks" and I get -1...just as often I completely choke on a game and get -7 or worse.

[Eichörnchen]

Oh lawd, don't get me started on LG. It's my worst by a mile. In fact, once I went -1 LG on one PT and -11 on the next. I've been consistently at the 170 level with LR and RC for a long time now...it's just LG that brings me down. I'd pay a LOT of money (well...if I had a lot of money I would anyways) for 3 LRs instead of 2 LRs with 1 LG. I'd be hoping for a 175+ if that were the case. But, seeing as I still haven't been presented with my three magic wishes, I guess I'll just keep studying and hoping it gets better.

[willwash]

Oh lawd, don't get me started on LG. It's my worst by a mile. In fact, once I went -1 LG on one PT and -11 on the next. I've been consistently at the 170 level with LR and RC for a long time now...it's just LG that brings me down. I'd pay a LOT of money (well...if I had a lot of money I would anyways) for 3 LRs instead of 2 LRs with 1 LG. I'd be hoping for a 175+ if that were the case. But, seeing as I still haven't been presented with my three magic wishes, I guess I'll just keep studying and hoping it gets better.

You know what's funny, most TLS types claim RC as their hardest section and LG as their best. What I wouldn't do to be able to rely confidently on scoring a -0 on LG on test day. I'd be well into the 170s

[Eichörnchen]

Hey we have 60 days to lock it down.

[ngogirl]

Woohoo!! LSAT time!!

[marti20123]

Hi everyone!

[Eichörnchen]

Hi everyone!
I'm an Ivy grad...

Congrats...?

[Davidbentley]

Hi everyone!

I'm taking the LSAT in Feb - it's my first crack at the exam. Looking for a support group and it looks like many of us are on the same boat here. Hoping to take it in Feb... June if necessary (hopefully not). Aiming for a 170 or higher. I'm an Ivy grad... not that being one necessarily correlates with having a very high LSAT.

This is my first post!


Any tips? I hope to post more often.

[marti20123]

No1curr? right.

I guess I know what to expect.

[willwash]

So I went back over all the LR that I missed on PT 60 yesterday. I was able to figure out 5 of the 6 that I missed (STUPID mistakes!). There was a particularly insidious parallel reasoning one that I just couldn't figure out.

Also, of the 7 LG I missed, 4 came from the last game, where I misread two of the key rules. I read "the same field"/"different fields" to mean that they were assigned to the same/different projects. Yeah. Catastrophe. One of the 2 I got right was a lucky 1/5 guess (out of time)!

[Eichörnchen]

No1curr? right.

I guess I know what to expect.

Alright you asked for tips - Protip: Tossing in a mention that you graduated from an Ivy in a completely gratuitous fashion isn't going to win you any admiration or friends in TLSland. It just makes you sound douchey. This also carries over to the real world. Sorry if that's blunt, but if you take it to heart I just saved you a lot of time and trouble.

So I went back over all the LR that I missed on PT 60 yesterday. I was able to figure out 5 of the 6 that I missed (STUPID mistakes!). There was a particularly insidious parallel reasoning one that I just couldn't figure out.

Also, of the 7 LG I missed, 4 came from the last game, where I misread two of the key rules. I read "the same field"/"different fields" to mean that they were assigned to the same/different projects. Yeah. Catastrophe. One of the 2 I got right was a lucky 1/5 guess (out of time)!

Yech, PR. I still haven't entirely locked down parallels. I generally get them right, but I don't feel like my method of attack is streamlined enough. I started diagramming them a while back and that greatly improved matters, but lately I have been doing them only in my head. It's working, but I feel kinda iffy about it because I feel like it leaves me open to error. It's just sometimes there isn't a good way to diagram them effectively and quickly, so I find myself reading the stim, absorbing what they're trying to communicate, and then just reading all the ACs and picking the one that I feel says the same thing. I guess I should just sit down with a bunch of them and fiddle with my method. Maybe that would help you as well?

The thought of misreading or misdiagramming a rule on the real deal makes me feel like this:

[marti20123]

I mentioned Ivy grad because I figure most people on this thread are either Ivy grads or top 25. So I thought I was in very familiar company. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the heads up though.

[Eichörnchen]

I mentioned Ivy grad because I figure most people on this thread are either Ivy grads or top 25. So I thought I was in very familiar company. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the heads up though.

I can't speak for others, but I am not. Sorry to make you have to fraternize with the hoi polloi.

[lhess218]

I consider myself a graduate from the School of Hard Knocks, as made famous by the musical Annie.

And I agree re: parallel reasoning. I've used BP's method and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If anyone has a method that consistently works for them, I would greatly appreciate it if they shared.

[Gisney]

ah frustrated. Stupid sickness I feel set me way back.

Took 56 when I wasn´t really all the way better
(this might not be totally accurate since I am at a cyber posting this from memory)
LR1:-5
LR2: -3
RC: -3
LG: -4 I have not made worse than a -1 since my cold diagnostic

Score: 165

I reviewed this pretty heavily and so much of it was just stupid mistakes that I don´t believe I would have normally have missed. Def know that large breaks are not good for me.

Took 44 yesterday and was slightly better but not great

LR1: -2
LR2: -1
RC: -5
LG: -3 Miss diagramed a rule. Lord that scares me for the actual test

Raw: 89
Score: 169

Tough curve on that one.

I need to be supèr careful with the games. One misstep and you are screwed and what is worse you prolly won´t even realize it.

RC RC RC. I am suprised I do so bad on these. I used to be really good at reading dense material and processing it. Comparative lit was one of my majors. I think it is because since I have been in the Peace Corps I have stopped reading the tough stuff and been reading a lot of fluff. I am going to try to stop that and go back to reading dense material and cut down on my pirated movie intake as well. Anyone else have any RC tips? I know this is the hardest section to give advice on though.


Anywho I hope everyones studying is going well! How you been doing outlook and bee?

[ngogirl]

I consider myself a graduate from the School of Hard Knocks, as made famous by the musical Annie.

And I agree re: parallel reasoning. I've used BP's method and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If anyone has a method that consistently works for them, I would greatly appreciate it if they shared.

DIAGRAMMING!!! It always gets me 100%! I have also heard that word matching: absolutes/conditionals, prescriptions, value judgements, opinions, facts is helpful. That is stimulus to answer choice.

Sometimes I just read the stimulus as a principle or structurally and try to match it with the answer choices.

HTH!!

[ngogirl]

@Gisney

Don't feel bad at your drop in score range, as Eich mentioned earlier it happens to everyone.

Honestly, I think it was taking a break in you getting sick. The brain was used to the LSAT intake, and it got confused with the abrupt stop so it slowed down. The same thing happened to me this week, I've been in the 170+ range and took 2 days off this week (they weren't consecutive though) and I immediately dropped down into the 160s range.

I wouldn't worry, just get back into the LSAT mode and you should be fine! It's more important that you took care of your health, and got better so you can give your LSAT prep 100%!

[lhess218]

DIAGRAMMING!!! It always gets me 100%! I have also heard that word matching: absolutes/conditionals, prescriptions, value judgements, opinions, facts is helpful. That is stimulus to answer choice.

Sometimes I just read the stimulus as a principle or structurally and try to match it with the answer choices.

HTH!!

I've used word matching before, and that helps a lot... I wonder if I've just studied myself into a funk about parallel reasoning.

[willwash]

Figure out also which specific question types you're missing:

Main point of passage
Author would agree/disagree
Purpose of word "X" in the passage.

etc. Consult one of the many numerous guides to identify all of the question types.

You'll probably find yourself weaker in one of these rather than the others. Drill that subject.

[ngogirl]

DIAGRAMMING!!! It always gets me 100%! I have also heard that word matching: absolutes/conditionals, prescriptions, value judgements, opinions, facts is helpful. That is stimulus to answer choice.

Sometimes I just read the stimulus as a principle or structurally and try to match it with the answer choices.

HTH!!

I've used word matching before, and that helps a lot... I wonder if I've just studied myself into a funk about parallel reasoning.

Also, try getting the LR by type, or if you already have them from other resources try drilling them. I got the LR bundle to drill the hell out of every type, need to start ACTUALLY drilling lol!

[062914123]

.

[princeR]

I mentioned Ivy grad because I figure most people on this thread are either Ivy grads or top 25. So I thought I was in very familiar company. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the heads up though.

I can't speak for others, but I am not. Sorry to make you have to fraternize with the hoi polloi.

+1


So I just took my diagnostic with BP and scored well on everything... until I hit Logic Games, which DECIMATED me. How are you guys missing so few? What are your preferred methods e.g. Powerscore? TIA

PS LGB. Seriously, I never really miss any. This really doesn't have anything to do with me, but the fact that I sat down with some very good prep material and really focused solely on LG for a solid 3 weeks.

[062914123]

.

[lhess218]

I took a BP class and use their LG method, and just recently finished PT 57 (mauve dinosaurs).

I went from an average of -12 (my first diagnostic) to -3 on PT 57 (and only one *really dumb* mistake on mauve dinosaurs).

Point is, stop freaking out so early in the class. Do your homework and take a break. I took a two week break because of some personal crises, and my accuracy improved significantly.