October 2010 Test Prep Forum

[LSAT Blog]

Any one know of any pure sources of LG games?

The Traciela Grouped by Game Type book contains nothing but every single Logic Game from PTs 1-20.

Does anyone know of any sources of simulated questions so that I don't have to blow the practice tests?

I wrote some of my own Logic Games (LinkRemoved) for kicks. Keep in mind, though, that with 65 released exams, you already have 240 LSAC-written Logic Games at your disposal. Master those, and you should be ready for whatever LSAC throws at you on Test Day.

[northwood]

hey all.
Im taking the test in October, and have signed up for an online class( ends on september 1, and bought the bibles to help get the fundamentals down. ( my diagnostic was a cold 148 logic games are a foreign entitiy). As I work 6 days a week, I can estimate about 2 hours a night to study. I am planning on breaking up the old pts into sections based on question type and work my way through them, then in august- september do full length practice tests with my remaining tests. My goal is a 160+. Is this possible, or am I living in a dream world ( my gpa was a 3.5 so what score should I be aiming for to get into a top 50 school?

good luck to all

[LSAT Blog]

148 -> 160+ is totally doable, especially given that Logic Games is the area you need to improve on and that you have plenty of time between now and October.

Your study plan sounds excellent.

Use http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com to determine what kind of LSAT score you'll need to get into a given law school with your GPA>

[xqhp82]

Hi:) anyone who has planned to study for 4 months and is still struggling to start? I feel extremely bad about my lack of motivation,and the clock is ticking fast!
I was just drawing up a timetable today, and I realise both the lsat blog and pithpikes guide put very little time into RC. I bought both the RC bible and traciela grouped by passage type book,how much time should I plan on completing both of them?
Also,is it better to study section by section, or study all three(LG LR RC) simutaneously over 4 months?

[northwood]

Hi:) anyone who has planned to study for 4 months and is still struggling to start? I feel extremely bad about my lack of motivation,and the clock is ticking fast!
I was just drawing up a timetable today, and I realise both the lsat blog and pithpikes guide put very little time into RC. I bought both the RC bible and traciela grouped by passage type book,how much time should I plan on completing both of them?
Also,is it better to study section by section, or study all three(LG LR RC) simutaneously over 4 months?

I am planning on studying section by section.. that way I can fully focus on each section and not worry about the rules/ tendencies of other sections.... For me, I struggle the most with LG- and it seems that this section is easier to learn, as you have to follow rules and the games have simillar structures trhoughout the lsats prep tests.. There are 2 LR sections ( half your score) so spending a lot of time on this section will have abig impact on your test results... Being as there are 13 question types, and ways to attack each question, I am focusing on this section after the games, so I can have it fresh in my mind on test day.... RC is the hardest to improve your score

FOr me, from august to october I will be re-viewing each section to keep it fresh in my mind, and slowly practicing on more than one section to increase my mental staminia-( Do 1 section, then 2 sections and so on) I think it would be wise to get the strategy down first, then work on speed... but maybe others will say differently. Good luck! ( IF you want to work on reading comp- read a lot of informative books/ articles and try to figure out the main point, stance, and id important features of the aritcle- you could, i suppose do this when you are taking a break from lg and lr ..... GOOD LUCK and dont worry- you can always re take if you get stuck... plus with all of the time, if you need to tkae a day or 2 off, go a head and do it

[Patriot1208]

So, I did significantly worse on my second practice lsat than my first one. Is this something to be concernced about? Also, on my first one and the ACT I missed almost no reading comprehension, but yesterday I missed 8, I think it was because it was the last section and i was just tired out but this worries me. Does the "conditioning" get easier as you take more practice tests because I found that near the end I was having a hard time keeping my mind sharp and on the test.

[Matheson]

I wouldn't worry about it, at this point. As you study and take a few more you will learn what is your real current avg.
This test is learnable so yes you can improve everything. I am finding that I am learning patterns of wrong answers in relation to specific question types so am able to avoid the sucker choice. Just keep working. Don't get worried until a month before or so and you are still not where you want to be. But really, really, STUDY and keep track of question types you fail on and then stop getting them wrong.

[Patriot1208]

I wouldn't worry about it, at this point. As you study and take a few more you will learn what is your real current avg.
This test is learnable so yes you can improve everything. I am finding that I am learning patterns of wrong answers in relation to specific question types so am able to avoid the sucker choice. Just keep working. Don't get worried until a month before or so and you are still not where you want to be. But really, really, STUDY and keep track of question types you fail on and then stop getting them wrong.

I'm thinking this will be my study shedule

Class 4 hours monday

Class 4 hours wednesday

Full Length practice test timed saturday (4 hours)

Review practice test and do class homework sunday and with extra time work to complete LG and LR bibles. (4-6 hours)

Do people think this is adequate? More time needed?

[mikehoe]

Hi:) anyone who has planned to study for 4 months and is still struggling to start? I feel extremely bad about my lack of motivation,and the clock is ticking fast!
I was just drawing up a timetable today, and I realise both the lsat blog and pithpikes guide put very little time into RC. I bought both the RC bible and traciela grouped by passage type book,how much time should I plan on completing both of them?
Also,is it better to study section by section, or study all three(LG LR RC) simutaneously over 4 months?

Man, i am such a procrastinator right now. i have all the bibles, never opened them, i have been reading the SuperPrep book, but i'm slow at it. I have never taken a practice test. I signed up for BluePrint prep course that starts at the end of this month, and is 2 days a week until the LSAT in October.

[Matheson]

I really couldn't tell you. I imagine it to be quite subjective. I am retaking and focusing on studying smart over "hard". Still I have scheduled to complete at least 40 fully timed tests. So I am not slacking by any means. But I really want to understand why I am getting questions wrong as well as right, so the bulk of my studying is going through my tests and writing down where my faults are, as well as where I do well. I am using Kaplan, PS, and Blueprint as resources to address my weak spots. I think this type of review is where I failed in my studying last time. I did a Blueprint course and just did the class review, which, looking back, was a rather detached method of review.

[LSAT Blog]

I wouldn't worry about it, at this point. As you study and take a few more you will learn what is your real current avg.
This test is learnable so yes you can improve everything. I am finding that I am learning patterns of wrong answers in relation to specific question types so am able to avoid the sucker choice. Just keep working. Don't get worried until a month before or so and you are still not where you want to be. But really, really, STUDY and keep track of question types you fail on and then stop getting them wrong.

I'm thinking this will be my study shedule

Class 4 hours monday

Class 4 hours wednesday

Full Length practice test timed saturday (4 hours)

Review practice test and do class homework sunday and with extra time work to complete LG and LR bibles. (4-6 hours)

Do people think this is adequate? More time needed?

I would spread out the homework. You're giving yourself a lot to do on Sunday. I (obviously) don't know what your other obligations are, but maybe you can do the homework another day instead.

More importantly, I believe it's a bit early to be completing timed practice tests if you're taking in October or later. Burning through exams before you've learned all the question-types, strategies, etc. may not be the best use of your time.

I'd recommend doing all your foundational work first, then (and only then), taking several full-length timed practice tests. I suggest replacing the Saturday timed exams with homework/other studying.

[Patriot1208]

I wouldn't worry about it, at this point. As you study and take a few more you will learn what is your real current avg.
This test is learnable so yes you can improve everything. I am finding that I am learning patterns of wrong answers in relation to specific question types so am able to avoid the sucker choice. Just keep working. Don't get worried until a month before or so and you are still not where you want to be. But really, really, STUDY and keep track of question types you fail on and then stop getting them wrong.

I'm thinking this will be my study shedule

Class 4 hours monday

Class 4 hours wednesday

Full Length practice test timed saturday (4 hours)

Review practice test and do class homework sunday and with extra time work to complete LG and LR bibles. (4-6 hours)

Do people think this is adequate? More time needed?

I would spread out the homework. You're giving yourself a lot to do on Sunday. I (obviously) don't know what your other obligations are, but maybe you can do the homework another day instead.

More importantly, I believe it's a bit early to be completing timed practice tests if you're taking in October or later. Burning through exams before you've learned all the question-types, strategies, etc. may not be the best use of your time.

I'd recommend doing all your foundational work first, then (and only then), taking several full-length timed practice tests. I suggest replacing the Saturday timed exams with homework/other studying.

Ok i'll try to do that, right now i'm trying to juggle this with two summer school classes, 30 hour work week, and finding time to work out.

[TMT90]

Is anyone else planning on taking the online practice LSAT proctored by Kaplan? I signed up for it a while ago and now it's coming up on Tuesday and i'm feeling unprepared. I know it's just a practice and no indication of how I will perform on test day since i'm only in the middle of my LGB and have yet to do prep for LR or RC, but I know i'll feel bummed out if I do worse than my diagnostic.

[surfermikedude]

I recently took Superprep A and scored a 167 cold. Anyone know what the differences are in difficulty between it and the more recent tests?

Thanks.

[surfermikedude]

Bump it ^^^

[kineticx]

My biggest issue with studying is finding a good place to do so. Library is pretty full / noisy, I don't want to spend $$ every day on coffee, there is a daycare operating out of my home, and my college is a thousand miles away. Might try sneaking into the local university library. Any suggestions aside from the usual Starbucks?

[Patriot1208]

My biggest issue with studying is finding a good place to do so. Library is pretty full / noisy, I don't want to spend $$ every day on coffee, there is a daycare operating out of my home, and my college is a thousand miles away. Might try sneaking into the local university library. Any suggestions aside from the usual Starbucks?

i'm doing a lot at work lol

[brickman]

My biggest issue with studying is finding a good place to do so. Library is pretty full / noisy, I don't want to spend $$ every day on coffee, there is a daycare operating out of my home, and my college is a thousand miles away. Might try sneaking into the local university library. Any suggestions aside from the usual Starbucks?

Some old man I met at the library told me to study at a dunkin donuts or a burger king, says they are almost always empty on the inside later in the evening. Haven't checked it out b/c he is creepy as hell.

[nonpareilpearl]

I keep seeing references to the SuperPrep tests but I'm not 100% sure what they are. Are they actual preptests or are they made by someone else and they are supposed to simulate a real preptest? (If the latter, do they do that well?)

[brickman]

I keep seeing references to the SuperPrep tests but I'm not 100% sure what they are. Are they actual preptests or are they made by someone else and they are supposed to simulate a real preptest? (If the latter, do they do that well?)

see: http://www.amazon.com/Official-SuperPre ... 103&sr=8-1

[LSAT Blog]

My biggest issue with studying is finding a good place to do so. Library is pretty full / noisy, I don't want to spend $$ every day on coffee, there is a daycare operating out of my home, and my college is a thousand miles away. Might try sneaking into the local university library. Any suggestions aside from the usual Starbucks?

Some old man I met at the library told me to study at a dunkin donuts or a burger king, says they are almost always empty on the inside later in the evening. Haven't checked it out b/c he is creepy as hell.

+1 on the earlier comment about studying at work

Dunkin Donuts and Burger King might be empty, but they often also smell of the food they sell (esp. fast food burger places). You probably don't want to be hungered/disgusted by the food, depending upon your preferences, while you're studying.

Places that cater to office-worker lunch crowds are often quiet in the evening and the smell of their food may be less likely to overtake the entire restaurant. I'm talking about places like Panera Bread, Cosi, etc. Since they're chains, they probably won't care if you sit there for hours and hours. Also, their food is pretty decent, so you can eat without leaving if you get hungry.

[curly fries]

Hi everyone,

I'm beginning to study for the October 2010 lsat. I took Testmasters prep and studied on my own for a week for the June 2010 exam, but ended up cancelling my score (ran out of time). I wanted to know if anyone has tips/advice on how to prepare for the October test - my weakest section is reading comp (-3 to -12), and my logical reasoning sometimes shows substantial variance (-4 to -10ish). Also, because the prep books had the most recent exams, I am wondering whether it would be worthwhile to buy older exams from lsac?

Thanks very much, appreciate any suggestions/advice. Good luck to everyone taking the October lsat!

[unattended bag]

Hi everyone. Long time reader, first time poster. Figured I should try to contribute to this site a little bit rather than just take advantage of it. I'll be taking the October test with all of you, and I look forward to sharing ideas and information with everyone.

[unattended bag]

Also, because the prep books had the most recent exams, I am wondering whether it would be worthwhile to buy older exams from lsac?

I think it's worthwhile to get the older tests. I'm breaking them up into individual sections for extra practice, and saving the newer tests (39 and up) to use as full practice tests.

I know that the LSAT has evolved over the years, but I still think older tests are useful to see where you are weakest. You can also break the sections down even further into question types that you are consistently getting wrong (weaken/strengthen, flaw, etc.), I think doing this makes it easier to improve your score.

[volcom_sig]

(been lurking for a couple of weeks, but finally decided to jump in)

i definitely recommend using the older exams early on in your studying, but I would keep in mind that the test has changed somewhat and don't get too comfortable with the question types.

i had a bit of a shock when i took the June 2009 LSAT and I saw the new(ish) reading comp section. I was somewhat foolish and didn't think to take any test within the last 2 or so years. I ultimately canceled my score, took Testmasters and am coming out guns blazing for October.