June 2011 Study Group Forum

[theaether]

When I took Pt 52 I finished one of the LR sections and was thinking " wow i suck" When I got to the LG section there was one game that I saved for last, and didnt really understand it at all ( I forgot what game, but i was just mind blown) The other LR section was a bit more challenging- but I ended up scoring within my normal range. When I took the RC section- I was at the point where i could go either really well, or really bad- the section didnt jell for me until right before the october test ( like 3 weeks out). I ended up with a -12 on that LR section and a -8 on the LG. Normally I was a -4 LG and a -7 LR on the pts before it, so the change was noticable. I had to take a day or 2 off from studying to get my confidence up after that one.

Thanks again, that game u found tough is G2. Impossible game with 2 exclusive ORs in the middle.

I think the key for this game for many of the questions was the second rule, the If then conditional. You definitely make use of the contrapositive a lot in crossing out many many wrong answers.

Then the third rule creates a good situation of one of the adults having only 1 slot left for a student. And this 1 slot is very restricted. For instance, if Thanh goes with O'Connell, you then can't have Veronica with him (because of rule 4). If you can't have Veronica with him, then K goes with Margoles because of the second rule's contrapositive. So that's just one useful inference.

I think this was one of those games where trying out situations and inferences (exploring) gets you further than just trying to diagram what the rules are stating.

[OhOkay]

Does anyone know where I can buy Superprep C (the entire test or just the logic games) without having to buy the whole book again? Really want to redo the games, but it doesn't look like Cambridge LSAT carries the superprep tests.

[soj]

If you already have the book but are afraid the pencil marks will distract you, just do what I do--circle and cross out every AC and then erase everything.

[99.9luft]

If you already have the book but are afraid the pencil marks will distract you, just do what I do--circle and cross out every AC and then erase everything.

This is what I do too. Alternatively, you can save some eraser and just mark all answers in the manner you mark the correct ones.

I've cut out all the wrong answers since I started PTing in April. The front of each is all circled and written on, while on the back it says the PT#, S# and the correct answer choice. These 'flash cards' is what I'm hoping to review (re-do) in my 9-day gap (like I said in my previous post, I only have 8 PTs left and 23 days to go.

[LSAT Blog]

Does anyone know where I can buy Superprep C (the entire test or just the logic games) without having to buy the whole book again?

LSAC doesn't make the SuperPrep exams available for licensing. I'd suggest erasing / whiting-out whatever you wrote and photocopying those pages.

[theaether]

If you already have the book but are afraid the pencil marks will distract you, just do what I do--circle and cross out every AC and then erase everything.

This is what I do too. Alternatively, you can save some eraser and just mark all answers in the manner you mark the correct ones.

I've cut out all the wrong answers since I started PTing in April. The front of each is all circled and written on, while on the back it says the PT#, S# and the correct answer choice. These 'flash cards' is what I'm hoping to review (re-do) in my 9-day gap (like I said in my previous post, I only have 8 PTs left and 23 days to go.

I know you're running low on PTs, but maybe throw in just one PT in that 9 day gap as well? At least to keep the PT mentality going. 9 days of pure review and no timed PT seems like a lot! 4 days of review, PT, then 5 days of review, and onto your original PT schedule seems better.

[OhOkay]

Wow, you guys are awesome, thanks for all the responses! Cool, I'll do my diagrams on a separate sheet, and just circle and cross out every answer like 99 suggested (faster than erasing). Thanks again

[99.9luft]

If you already have the book but are afraid the pencil marks will distract you, just do what I do--circle and cross out every AC and then erase everything.

This is what I do too. Alternatively, you can save some eraser and just mark all answers in the manner you mark the correct ones.

I've cut out all the wrong answers since I started PTing in April. The front of each is all circled and written on, while on the back it says the PT#, S# and the correct answer choice. These 'flash cards' is what I'm hoping to review (re-do) in my 9-day gap (like I said in my previous post, I only have 8 PTs left and 23 days to go.

I know you're running low on PTs, but maybe throw in just one PT in that 9 day gap as well? At least to keep the PT mentality going. 9 days of pure review and no timed PT seems like a lot! 4 days of review, PT, then 5 days of review, and onto your original PT schedule seems better.

Thanks, theaether. I know i wouldn't review for 9 days straight...2-3 days max, so you're right about throwing a PT in there...maybe PT 52 I took in December (before i read the Atlas books) and got -16 on it then. I hope I forgot most of it, so I'll probably do that in the 9-day gap, then.

[mickeyD]

Took a proctored PT through my TM class today.

PT56
LG: -1
LRe: -4
LR1: -2
LR2: -1
RC: -2
Raw: -6
Scaled: 175

Best raw score ever! And also ties my best scaled score ever. LG was a stupid mistake, misread and didn't read through all the ACs.

I had 3 straight LRs, didn't do so hot on my experimental (missed Q#1), but I felt good on the other sections. I went 15 Q's in 15 mins each time, although I may have missed #10 on LR2 as a result of going too fast (and as a result missed out on -0 again). I'm really starting to gain confidence in LR, as there were several instances where I spotted a sneaky correct answer to a tough question and knew I nailed it.

One RC mistake was stupid, didn't read the last AC, but the other was on the very tough comparative reading passage about Roma and minority groups. The passages were okay, but the questions were really hard.

Wish I didn't miss that LG question, but all in all I'm feeling good about the direction I'm heading in as the test approaches. Necessary and sufficient assumptions are my kryptonite, but each PT I feel like time is slowing down in LR and I am starting to feel like I got every one right. Probably gonna have to pull back on prep until my finals are done Tuesday, but hoping to at least finish reviewing this one by then.

[mickeyD]

Also, luft, I'm low on PTs as well but have just decided to take all of the 30s tests from "The Next 10" book in between newer PTs. Although I've seen a lot of the Q's, it's still valuable to go through those tricky games sections, do the RC passages (none of which I've seen), and do a full review of the LR so that I can continue to solidify the reasoning patterns in my head.

[soj]

Congrats! It must feel great to do well on such a recent PT. I know what you mean about nailing tough LR questions. I've been having that feeling recently, though the last PT (48) felt a little shaky.

I've been debating whether to do another PT today, but ultimately decided not to. I even have PT53 all laid out on my desk, but I don't want to do a PT three days in a row. Instead, I'm going to review some old RCs. I've been doing really well in the new RCs, but it would help my confidence a lot if I did well in the old ones too, even if they're somewhat spoiled.

I have 12.5 PTs left, which means I have 10 PT sittings left until I've seen everything. I'm also doing some drills, LR review, and two PT redos. It's going to be tough trying to get everything done, but that just means I'll have to take 2 days off a week instead of 3.

PTs
PT53 + 22.3
PT54 + 22.4
PT57 + 23.1
PT60 + 23.2
PT59 + 23.3
PT47 + 23.4
PT52 + 24.1
PT56 + 24.2
PT61 + 24.3
PT62 + 24.4

Review drills (sections I did poorly in)
RC: 1, 3, 18, 19
RC: B, C, 39, 43
RC: 26, 32, 34, 38
LG: B, C, 12, 25, 40

PT redo
PT30 + PT58 LR1
PT44 + PT36 RC

LR review
2 full days

[colforbin]

I've been following this thread since its beginning, but not commenting at all. It's definitely helped keep me on track with studying and I've picked up some pretty valuable info. I'm PTing in the low 170s, and really want to get my scores up before test day. A question:

I've gotten to the point where I consistently finish LR/RC with say 90 seconds or so, but I've had trouble capitalizing on this time. I go over tricky questions I marked, but I have a tough time actually re-analyzing questions. Anyone else experience this? I feel like I'm wasting time in a sense.

[xjykybl]

Have people done the pre 10PT?
I didn't do the 1-10PT, and am now using the LR sections for LR drill. Somehow the pre10PT LRs are different from the most recent ones. Anyone has the same feeling?

[soj]

I've been following this thread since its beginning, but not commenting at all. It's definitely helped keep me on track with studying and I've picked up some pretty valuable info. I'm PTing in the low 170s, and really want to get my scores up before test day. A question:

I've gotten to the point where I consistently finish LR/RC with say 90 seconds or so, but I've had trouble capitalizing on this time. I go over tricky questions I marked, but I have a tough time actually re-analyzing questions. Anyone else experience this? I feel like I'm wasting time in a sense.

Yeah, it's tough to do anything productive with only 1-2 minutes. I'd say check over the bubble sheet to make sure you haven't misbubbled anything, and maybe look over the one most "uncertain" question you remember in the section.

[mickeyD]

I've been following this thread since its beginning, but not commenting at all. It's definitely helped keep me on track with studying and I've picked up some pretty valuable info. I'm PTing in the low 170s, and really want to get my scores up before test day. A question:

I've gotten to the point where I consistently finish LR/RC with say 90 seconds or so, but I've had trouble capitalizing on this time. I go over tricky questions I marked, but I have a tough time actually re-analyzing questions. Anyone else experience this? I feel like I'm wasting time in a sense.

Yeah, it's tough to do anything productive with only 1-2 minutes. I'd say check over the bubble sheet to make sure you haven't misbubbled anything, and maybe look over the one most "uncertain" question you remember in the section.

I've had trouble as well figuring out what to do with such an awkward amount of time, sometimes 45-90 seconds, especially in RC. As far as LR goes though, when I go back to my unsure questions, I focus on trying to identify why one of the answer choices I'm debating between is incorrect. It's a different way of reanalyzing the question that often helps me make a breakthrough.

That's a hell of a study plan, soj! I'm sure it's gonna pay off and that those old mistakes will seem like no-brainers to you. I have the goal of doing every games section between now and June 6. I think that between that, 9 PTs, and 5 PT retakes, I will be in position to give the LSAT my best shot on June 6.

It's exciting with everything coming down to the wire. I know that everyone in here still has one more breakthrough in them- everyone is working so hard and I have a feeling we have definitely not reached our ceilings yet. Keep it up guys!

[Eichörnchen]

Have people done the pre 10PT?
I didn't do the 1-10PT, and am now using the LR sections for LR drill. Somehow the pre10PT LRs are different from the most recent ones. Anyone has the same feeling?

I just started with a few LR from PT2. If you've done them, did you understand #2 of LR1? I read the MLSAT explanation and still don't get it.

And this is a random question for everyone: when you send PMs do they sit in your outbox without sending for a ridiculous amount of time? I tried to send a PM at like 10:30 am and it still hasn't sent...happens all the time

[theaether]

Can anyone shed some light onto some LR questions for me?
They're from PT53. Section 3 #17 and #24

For #17: Answer choice C in particular. I thought this answer choice embodied answer choice A within it. If many pieces of this guy's "rope" break, then the entire rope falls apart, because those pieces are significantly more critical than the other pieces. Answer choice A is more direct but I thought C was more encompassing. Went back and forth between the 2 like crazy.

For #24: Someone please tell me how the professor is not using an analogy in his argument? I see something subtle brewing here but can't quite place it.

[soj]

Just ordered a dozen Ticonderoga pencils and a 4-pack of Staedtler erasers. Seems kind of silly to fork over $9 on stationery now, but I'm sparing no expense on this LSAT thing (well, except on tutors) and I wanted to get the brands I trust the most. Also, I'm going to stop using mechanical pencils on PTs.

I just hope Amazon remembers to pack some bubble sheets with the pencils. I'm gonna be pissed if they're all broken when they get here.

[Kurst]

Can anyone shed some light onto some LR questions for me?
They're from PT53. Section 3 #17 and #24

For #17: Answer choice C in particular. I thought this answer choice embodied answer choice A within it. If many pieces of this guy's "rope" break, then the entire rope falls apart, because those pieces are significantly more critical than the other pieces. Answer choice A is more direct but I thought C was more encompassing. Went back and forth between the 2 like crazy.

"a few" does not equal "many"

[MarineLaw]

Just finished PT 50...

RC: -4 (arrrrgh!)
LR1: -3
LG EXP(PT 46 sect 1): -5
LG: -3
LR2:-5 (arrrgh!)

I wasn't keeping track of my time on the RC and only had 5 minutes for the last passage, which I missed 3 questions on! I normally finish RC and LR with 3-5 minutes to go and totally got bogged down on this one!

Are you guys using new PTs for your experimentals? Or are you going with older test sections?

I did a full, timed LR section and a full, timed LG section before today's test as a warm up. I think it helped get the brain juices flowing, but that last LR section I could tell I was getting burned out, as it was the 7th timed section in a row...ugh. Either way it helped remediate my earlier problem of missing a ton right off the bat. Anyone else do warm ups or do you go in cold turkey?

10 PTs left! Lets start turning on the afterburners for this last stretch! Bring on June 6th!

[soj]

I use older PTs as experimentals, but if you're going to do them all eventually, it doesn't really matter.

I got -5 on PT3 RC two months ago. Got -0 five minutes ago. I'm surprised I did well even in the stupid Navajo weaving passage, which took me 11 minutes (again). I'm gonna do three more sections and call it a night.

[xjykybl]

Just finish the Superprep B
LR1: -4
LG:-1
RC: -3
LR2: -3
Raw: -11
Scaled:173

The game is tricky.
Very general scale though.

[99.9luft]

Can anyone shed some light onto some LR questions for me?
They're from PT53. Section 3 #17 and #24

For #17: Answer choice C in particular. I thought this answer choice embodied answer choice A within it. If many pieces of this guy's "rope" break, then the entire rope falls apart, because those pieces are significantly more critical than the other pieces. Answer choice A is more direct but I thought C was more encompassing. Went back and forth between the 2 like crazy.

For #24: Someone please tell me how the professor is not using an analogy in his argument? I see something subtle brewing here but can't quite place it.

I was going to type up a response, but then read these and got lazy. hth!

17: http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/q17 ... f0eb05cad9

24: http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/q24 ... f0eb05cad9

[MarineLaw]

Ahh Navajo basket weaving...

After doing the RC in PTs 19-28 I swore I was going to send hate mail to every Jazz and Blues music historian I could find an address to. Maybe the head RC passage writer at LSAC was a Jazz/Blues aficionado at that time.

.....And maybe he was in a traumatic accident involving elevator music and a blind black man and has since shifted focus as the newer RC passages don't seem quite as mentally torturous...

[99.9luft]

Just ordered a dozen Ticonderoga pencils and a 4-pack of Staedtler erasers. Seems kind of silly to fork over $9 on stationery now, but I'm sparing no expense on this LSAT thing (well, except on tutors) and I wanted to get the brands I trust the most. Also, I'm going to stop using mechanical pencils on PTs.

I just hope Amazon remembers to pack some bubble sheets with the pencils. I'm gonna be pissed if they're all broken when they get here.

Ticonderoga black =