The Official September 2016 Study Group - WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS Forum

[proteinshake]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

What's your degree in? Maybe find a part time job at something simple like a coffee shop, retail, etc. You can also take up some type of internship that isn't law related, something you find interesting. Like me, I find public relations somewhat interesting (not full on career wise though), and if I were to take a gap year, I would probably find an internship in that field to see what it's like. What kinds of things are you interesting in? If you're really up for it, maybe even travel!!

I'm trying to get a job in sales, there is no degree requirement.

[proteinshake]

Just finished up PT 45 - an interesting observation at the end of this post.

LR1: - 8
RC: -4
LG: -1
LR2: -3

Score: 167

I just could not get my brain moving on the first LR section. 5 minutes was called towards the end and I missed the last 4 by trying to go too quickly (not including the 1 I missed by running out of time). I then proceeded to finish the other LR section before 5 minutes was even called...

This was my first PT in almost a month - perhaps that had something to do with this.

we got the same score. I got wrecked by the Hippocratic Oath passage.

I've actually done that passage, and it was an earlier one where I went through everything very closely. I can post my thoughts on it here if you are interested. I have what I consider pretty thorough explanations that were checked by the TM people.

I actually checked the Manhattan explanations. I think I just did a terrible job at reading it.

[20170322]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

What's your degree in? Maybe find a part time job at something simple like a coffee shop, retail, etc. You can also take up some type of internship that isn't law related, something you find interesting. Like me, I find public relations somewhat interesting (not full on career wise though), and if I were to take a gap year, I would probably find an internship in that field to see what it's like. What kinds of things are you interesting in? If you're really up for it, maybe even travel!!

See, that's the thing. My prospects may be better if I take a gap year (let's say, 120k v 150k scholarship), but if I'm not retaking the LSAT I don't know if it'd be worth a year as a barista.

[Barack O'Drama]

I don't think there's anything more frustrating then changing a correct answer to a wrong answer in B.R.

Just did that for 2 questions. God. Damnit. It was so stupid too. I have got to read more carefully for LR.

[20170322]

I don't think there's anything more frustrating then changing a correct answer to a wrong answer in B.R.

Just did that for 2 questions. God. Damnit. It was so stupid too. I have got to read more carefully for LR.

My rule is that unless the right answer is glaringly obvious, I won't change it. More often than not, you're overthinking it.

[appind]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

depends on your interests and degree? you must have some skills of value that you learned in college i think

[20170322]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

depends on your interests and degree? you must have some skills of value that you learned in college i think

Political Science major at Big State U. I've basically learned that you shouldn't pass out with your shoes on, and an obscene amount of info on SEC football.

[Barack O'Drama]

I don't think there's anything more frustrating then changing a correct answer to a wrong answer in B.R.

Just did that for 2 questions. God. Damnit. It was so stupid too. I have got to read more carefully for LR.

My rule is that unless the right answer is glaringly obvious, I won't change it. More often than not, you're overthinking it.

Exactly Sweet! Fuckin Exactly! I sat there during BR for like 3 minutes and thinking back had no GOOD reason to change it. I must have convinced myself the other one I was on the fence about was right. I'm just going to look at it as a learned experience. Next time, thank to your advice, I won't change it unless it is glaringly obvious. Got to stop overthinking it when I know I'm right.

I think I'm going to start keep a spreadsheet of the questions I get wrong in LR and type up explanations and all that. Im know a lot of you guys do that and it seems to work.

[TheKingLives]

.

[Barack O'Drama]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

depends on your interests and degree? you must have some skills of value that you learned in college i think

Political Science major at Big State U. I've basically learned that you shouldn't pass out with your shoes on, and an obscene amount of info on SEC football.

Don't feel bad. Also a Big State U attendee. I double majored in History/Biology. I've learned the mitochondria is the power house of the cell and some stuff about wars.

[appind]

So i haven't been able to bring down my time for first 15 questions to under 17 mins in LR after gazillion drills..

sometimes i go as bad as 21 mins for the first 15 questions. when that happens i end up rushing through the last couple questions finishing just in time and missing a couple as a result of rushing. i go anywhere between -0 and -3 in an lr section.

if someone is interested to take a look, i was thinking of recording real time an LR section i do this weekend, and uploading it online in case someone could see my blind spot that i don't see. i can also do the same in return.
anyone tried such recording before, or is it like a stupid idea..?

[20170322]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

depends on your interests and degree? you must have some skills of value that you learned in college i think

Political Science major at Big State U. I've basically learned that you shouldn't pass out with your shoes on, and an obscene amount of info on SEC football.

Don't feel bad. Also a Big State U attendee. I double majored in History/Biology. I've learned the mitochondria is the power house of the cell and some stuff about wars.

Oh, literally 0 regrets. I got to go to college for free, get a 4.3, and have some dope ass experiences. I also learned a lot through reading cool shit outside of class.


Whether or not I'll be prepared for law school, however, is a different question.

[Barack O'Drama]

Hey guys! New to TLS and this thread. Wishing you all the best of luck. I decided to do the four-week plan for the LSAT Trainer and pick the best course of action after that. Hoping I won't have to blow too much money on additional materials. Currently have the Trainer, 7sage, and 10 Actual LSAT tests.

Finished Lesson 9 today in the Trainer, and I just find the LR section incredibly annoying for a simple reason: the whole concept is just too subjective, despite Mike Kim insisting otherwise. Hope this goes away with time, but I doubt it. I find myself reading a stimulus, understanding it, and not feeling confident about any of the answer choices. They just don't strike me as answering the question prompt, and I don't feel confident for practice tests. How can I improve my speed if I can't narrow down a correct response with ease? Any help would be much appreciated.

Welcome TheKingLives!

Did you just start the 4-week plan. I think it may be best to slow it down if you feel that way. Especially since you sort of doubt it will. I would actually suggest that you start off with the 8 or 12 week schedule, and go into it expecting to adjust it to your needs. The LSAT Trainer's study schedules are meant to be adjusted, and it will be much more beneficial not to rush through it. I did that the first time, and I really regretted it. Hence why I am re-reading it cover-to-cover and following the 12 week study guide while I use 7Sage. You can probably comfortably get the 12 week study guide completed a lot sooner, but again, it is better to adjust rather than rush through it. If you feel comfortable with the pace you're at, by all means ignore what I said.

Lesson 9 is still relatively early in, so don't be so hard on yourself.

Are you using the entire 7Sage course? I think that should help. I am using it now and seeing some pretty good improvements in the way I am understanding LR.

The answer to your struggles with LR and PTs is you can't expect to get your speed up without accuracy. The two are mutually constitutive if you wish to be successful on the LSAT. If you are feeling like the answers don't address the prompt I would say two things:

1) You are probably not ready to be practice testing. Try drilling question types, and ease into actual timed sections as you get more comfortable. I don't think at your point in your studying--at least if you're just using The Trainer--that you have learned all the different question types yet.
Might I suggest getting a prep book just for LR? I know you didn't want to spend any more money, but I think a copy of the Logical Reasoning Bible or Manhattan LR would do you some good. This way you have a book that goes through every question type in detail.

[Mikey]

Don't feel bad. Also a Big State U attendee. I double majored in History/Biology. I've learned the mitochondria is the power house of the cell and some stuff about wars.

Biology?? What drove you to choose it? Just curious

Bruh I bullshitted my way through my schools science requirements. We need 3 science courses and I took 2 psychology classes (psych major so it counts for the major and requirement) and then a general nutrition class. I was told to take bio or Chem I was like fuckkkkk no babbyyyyy.

But hey everyone has different interests! My aunt's SO was a bio and chem double major and is currently in med school.

[Barack O'Drama]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

depends on your interests and degree? you must have some skills of value that you learned in college i think

Political Science major at Big State U. I've basically learned that you shouldn't pass out with your shoes on, and an obscene amount of info on SEC football.

Don't feel bad. Also a Big State U attendee. I double majored in History/Biology. I've learned the mitochondria is the power house of the cell and some stuff about wars.

Oh, literally 0 regrets. I got to go to college for free, get a 4.3, and have some dope ass experiences. I also learned a lot through reading cool shit outside of class.


Whether or not I'll be prepared for law school, however, is a different question.

I am with you on the 0 regrets. I had a great experience and met tons of cool people. And you really do learn the most outside of class. If I could go back, I don't think I would have done it any differently. Although I do often regret doing Biology. It isn't very useful as a STEM major if you aren't going the route of med school. And it is the sole reason my GPA is not a 4.0

Even so, I don't think I'd change it. It kept me serious and without it to balance the rest of my easier classes I might have partied too much or something.

I think we will be ready for law school. Political Science and History teach you to read, analyze as well as distill arguments and at least some useful stuff for law school. At the very least it keeps you reading and writing which perhaps may be a struggle for those who majored in areas that didn't require it as much...

[Barack O'Drama]

Don't feel bad. Also a Big State U attendee. I double majored in History/Biology. I've learned the mitochondria is the power house of the cell and some stuff about wars.

Biology?? What drove you to choose it? Just curious

Bruh I bullshitted my way through my schools science requirements. We need 3 science courses and I took 2 psychology classes (psych major so it counts for the major and requirement) and then a general nutrition class. I was told to take bio or Chem I was like fuckkkkk no babbyyyyy.

But hey everyone has different interests! My aunt's SO was a bio and chem double major and is currently in med school.

Haha! There's a few reasons I chose my majors.

I had AP credits from History and Biology classes in high school. I never really "liked" Biology, but for some odd reason it just sort of clicked for me. I never really had to study and would basically just memorize facts from the Powerpoints the night before the test. Also, it just seemed the path of least resistance. I knew I was good at it, and I knew I wanted to keep my GPA as high as possible and Biology would help me do that. (Too bad I didn't realize at first that Biology majors at my college need Advanced Physics which I am not good at. I basically suck at math)

The second reason is I was torn between medical school and law school throughout high school. By freshman year in college I kind of knew I wanted to pursue law, but I was still not fully committed. Around that time (2012) EVERYONE was telling me not to go to law school. Telling me the market was terrible and there were no good jobs, etc. So that sort of behooved me to keep Biology as a major as a backup plan.

The last reason is kind of stupid, but it was because my best friend in college was a Pre-med major and we wanted to have classes together. It sort of worked out too because it made labs and studying a lot easier.


So, yeah, basically the tl;dr version is because I knew it would be easier for me to get As in it. And because I had some credits already.


Haha! I bullshitted my way through my language requirement by taking French, which I had been taking since 7th grade. I took it every year in college and got the easiest As imaginable. And yeah, it was probably a smarter choice to stay away from Bio and Chem. I personally wish that I double majored in English at this point, just because I am never going to use my biology major and it really didn't interest me after a certain point. I still have flashbacks of having to go to labs on Friday afternoons... It was always so much extra bullshit.

[BlackCanary]

Yikes! That sounds rough. Are you an international student, or working abroad?

It's annoying, but it's not too bad. Or maybe that's just what I tell myself.
& it's still cheaper to go to another continent than to set up a center here. Kind of ridiculous, but it is what it is.

I'm working abroad.

[BlackCanary]

See, that's the thing. My prospects may be better if I take a gap year (let's say, 120k v 150k scholarship), but if I'm not retaking the LSAT I don't know if it'd be worth a year as a barista.

You're doing really well. Unless you want to take a year off, I'm not really sure it's worth it in your case.

[20170322]

Taking a PT today. My arm hurts like hell, think I pulled something while lifting.

[34iplaw]

So, how does someone without valuable skills/prestigious pedigree take a gap year?

Go to Ibizia.

Take a pill.

???

Profit.

this lol, that sound was so catchy when i first heard it but now i get sick of it

I like it because it reminds me of a modern day Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good in a way. That said, it has definitely been played to death.

[34iplaw]

Just finished up PT 45 - an interesting observation at the end of this post.

LR1: - 8
RC: -4
LG: -1
LR2: -3

Score: 167

I just could not get my brain moving on the first LR section. 5 minutes was called towards the end and I missed the last 4 by trying to go too quickly (not including the 1 I missed by running out of time). I then proceeded to finish the other LR section before 5 minutes was even called...

This was my first PT in almost a month - perhaps that had something to do with this.

we got the same score. I got wrecked by the Hippocratic Oath passage.

I've actually done that passage, and it was an earlier one where I went through everything very closely. I can post my thoughts on it here if you are interested. I have what I consider pretty thorough explanations that were checked by the TM people.

I actually checked the Manhattan explanations. I think I just did a terrible job at reading it.

Ah - it happens.

[YupSports]

Just finished up PT 45 - an interesting observation at the end of this post.

LR1: - 8
RC: -4
LG: -1
LR2: -3

Score: 167

I just could not get my brain moving on the first LR section. 5 minutes was called towards the end and I missed the last 4 by trying to go too quickly (not including the 1 I missed by running out of time). I then proceeded to finish the other LR section before 5 minutes was even called...

This was my first PT in almost a month - perhaps that had something to do with this.

we got the same score. I got wrecked by the Hippocratic Oath passage.

Yeah, it was rough.

I haven't looked at what I missed, but I wasn't as firm on my answers as usual.

[Deardevil]

Hey guys! New to TLS and this thread. Wishing you all the best of luck. I decided to do the four-week plan for the LSAT Trainer and pick the best course of action after that. Hoping I won't have to blow too much money on additional materials. Currently have the Trainer, 7sage, and 10 Actual LSAT tests.

Finished Lesson 9 today in the Trainer, and I just find the LR section incredibly annoying for a simple reason: the whole concept is just too subjective, despite Mike Kim insisting otherwise. Hope this goes away with time, but I doubt it. I find myself reading a stimulus, understanding it, and not feeling confident about any of the answer choices. They just don't strike me as answering the question prompt, and I don't feel confident for practice tests. How can I improve my speed if I can't narrow down a correct response with ease? Any help would be much appreciated.

What's up, King?

As Barack says, I also think you should go with an eight-week or 12-week schedule. I believe Mike Kim would also suggest the same.
Of course, you are not required to follow it religiously; I'm not. At the end of the day, follow what suits you.

Unfortunately, the reality is that you pretty much have to spend some dough on the studying.
You're still in the early stages of LR, so it's good to struggle. You'll get familiar in due time. If you must, get Manhattan LR.
In the answer choices, there are obvious wrong answers most of the time; maybe it's because they're irrelevant or out of scope.
Process of elimination can be your best friend in logical reasoning because you don't necessarily have to prove that a right answer is correct;
you simply need to prove that the remaining choices are indubitably incorrect. Again, practice more and you will eventually get the hang of it all.

You're not supposed to feel confident for PTs yet, but on that subject, you need MORE. Like, way more. 10 ain't enough.
Get ALL of them. Or, at the very least, the most recent ones from 51 and onward.
Don't worry about speed just yet. You should look to improve accuracy; start out untimed, then progress to timed when you're hitting the mark.

Good luck to you as well.

[proteinshake]

Just finished up PT 45 - an interesting observation at the end of this post.

LR1: - 8
RC: -4
LG: -1
LR2: -3

Score: 167

I just could not get my brain moving on the first LR section. 5 minutes was called towards the end and I missed the last 4 by trying to go too quickly (not including the 1 I missed by running out of time). I then proceeded to finish the other LR section before 5 minutes was even called...

This was my first PT in almost a month - perhaps that had something to do with this.

we got the same score. I got wrecked by the Hippocratic Oath passage.

Yeah, it was rough.

I haven't looked at what I missed, but I wasn't as firm on my answers as usual.

the fish abnormalities question was KILLER (LR)

[34iplaw]

Hey guys! New to TLS and this thread. Wishing you all the best of luck. I decided to do the four-week plan for the LSAT Trainer and pick the best course of action after that. Hoping I won't have to blow too much money on additional materials. Currently have the Trainer, 7sage, and 10 Actual LSAT tests.

Finished Lesson 9 today in the Trainer, and I just find the LR section incredibly annoying for a simple reason: the whole concept is just too subjective, despite Mike Kim insisting otherwise. Hope this goes away with time, but I doubt it. I find myself reading a stimulus, understanding it, and not feeling confident about any of the answer choices. They just don't strike me as answering the question prompt, and I don't feel confident for practice tests. How can I improve my speed if I can't narrow down a correct response with ease? Any help would be much appreciated.

What's up, King?

As Barack says, I also think you should go with an eight-week or 12-week schedule. I believe Mike Kim would also suggest the same.
Of course, you are not required to follow it religiously; I'm not. At the end of the day, follow what suits you.

Unfortunately, the reality is that you pretty much have to spend some dough on the studying.
You're still in the early stages of LR, so it's good to struggle. You'll get familiar in due time. If you must, get Manhattan LR.
In the answer choices, there are obvious wrong answers most of the time; maybe it's because they're irrelevant or out of scope.
Process of elimination can be your best friend in logical reasoning because you don't necessarily have to prove that a right answer is correct;
you simply need to prove that the remaining choices are indubitably incorrect. Again, practice more and you will eventually get the hang of it all.

You're not supposed to feel confident for PTs yet, but on that subject, you need MORE. Like, way more. 10 ain't enough.
Get ALL of them. Or, at the very least, the most recent ones from 51 and onward.
Don't worry about speed just yet. You should look to improve accuracy; start out untimed, then progress to timed when you're hitting the mark.

Good luck to you as well.

Yeah - I understand that everyone is in different financial situations and has different law school targets and post-grad goals, but, at the same time, skimp on other things and cut corners where you can on other things. You're talking about a test that could determine whether you make $40K your first year out or $180K your first year out and whether you pay full sticker or get a $50k/yr scholarship. It's not the place to cut corners. It's really hard to overstress how important this test is. This isn't the time to weigh a decision on buying a prep book that could net you 2-3 points [1 point even] and $30-$50. I'm not trying to advocate every book that you'll never use, but, if you reasonably suspect a book will help you, get it and don't look back. If LG are a challenge, I fully recommend PowerScore Bible followed by Manhattan LSAT LG. I haven't touched my PowerScore LR, and I'm sort of perusing Manhattan LSAT as I go through my course time permitting [or struggling with a concept].

Wholeheartedly agree on accuracy before speed. Speed comes with accuracy and confidence. Accuracy does not come with speed... i.e. you aren't going to get faster or more accurate by just focusing solely on speed. The other benefit is that you will notice questions and patterns repeat... even in LR. TBH, I haven't been doing this that often, and, sometimes, I could swear that I have already done a question, but it wasn't featured on any of the prep tests or other materials that I have done. It's really bizarre. One example that comes to mind is, "This dude sucks at his job, but does he really suck?" type idea. You'll also notice common tricks for creating wrong answers through weird language which can save you tons of times when you inevitably hit a question with two answers that look good, but one is wrong because it says "only" or "primary" or "sole" or some generic pedantic stuff like that.