October 2012 Retakers Forum

[mac35352]

Hi all! Will be starting my prep again for October--- also got a 158 in June so I'm hoping to improve by about 10 points. I hope that's possible in less than 3 months...

We have a similar goal! I waited a whole year to retake because I was so maxed out from studying. What is your study plan? Good luck!

[R86]

I need a reliable study partner who I can meet with during afternoons (US) over skype. I plan to do RC from PTs 1-38 until mid-august, then PT. I have a few casual study partners but no one who's really into drilling RC as much as I am (since I bombed for -7 in June). I scored 168 on June, PTing 173-175 (targeting at least that in October) and looking for someone with a similar mindset.

Please let me know if you're interested.

You imagine doing the same PT's before your conversations and going over the tough problems over Skype?

[Honey_Badger]

Are most of you planning on writing your personal essays and other essays while waiting for the October scores (oh god I can't wait for another one of these)?

I've been working on mine when I get fed up with LSAT prep.
It's nice to go back and forth.

This.

[EstherG]

Are most of you planning on writing your personal essays and other essays while waiting for the October scores (oh god I can't wait for another one of these)?

I've been working on mine when I get fed up with LSAT prep.
It's nice to go back and forth.

I've been doing this too; taking a day or half-day off from LSAT to prep my applications. Its a nice break and definitely motivates me to keep studying.

I can't remember exactly where, but somewhere on TLS I read that for a lot of people, the three weeks between the test and getting your score isn't really enough time to do all of the essays. Obviously this varies depending on your writing skills, but if you're already thinking about your essays, it couldn't hurt to brainstorm/freewrite a few drafts.

[ninetails]

...

[NoodleyOne]

Make sure that your errors are brain farts and not something else, but beyond that, you have two months to work on getting your focus down. By test day, make it like shooting free throws.

[burtlantin]

Is anyone else getting a little discouraged? I find that almost all of my UCRs nowadays are pretty careless errors. Like a word or few I missed, or spaced out on this or that. It's hard when you get to that point where there isn't much to take away from reviewing except stop being so stupid all the time? How can you really "learn&grow" from there?

THIS. So frustrating.

[seacow]

Is anyone else getting a little discouraged? I find that almost all of my UCRs nowadays are pretty careless errors. Like a word or few I missed, or spaced out on this or that. It's hard when you get to that point where there isn't much to take away from reviewing except stop being so stupid all the time? How can you really "learn&grow" from there?

I figured this was the case for most 160+-ers; I experience the same.

Make sure that your errors are brain farts and not something else, but beyond that, you have two months to work on getting your focus down. By test day, make it like shooting free throws.

Noodley, you think it's from a lack of focus/concentration?

I do too. But I do think there are at least two other factors in play in my case. (1) reading comprehension; sometimes it doesn't click until the second time through. (2) poor performance on answering the question. For example, on RC yesterday, I prephrased correctly but completely overlooked the right answer. This probably has something to do with the skill of reading comprehension, but it also could be remedied by better performance; I need to not let stress/timing/etc. get to me and just focus on the problem at hand and match up my prephrase to the correct answer choice.

I think a way out of this would be to not get too hasty to check your answers and go back over them to ensure that they are correct. Then if you get one wrong, you have to do a lap around the block or something


Ninetails: more to your point of how to get motivated, what more motivation do you need? You are a few silly mistakes from a great, great score!

[ninetails]

...

[espressocream]

Guys this is my third retake and I can't get rid of these problems.


Freaking the eff out.

[seacow]

I started this today: I literally will not leave the passage until I am 100% that I got all of them right. It worked, I think. A lot of my problem was in "settling." "Settling" became a habit when I had to crunch for time and I don't think I know how to not "settle" anymore.

In my RC section today I missed 1 (on the last passage because I settled). It didn't take me significantly longer - maybe 1-2 minutes - but I felt much better about everything I did.

I think this will be the key for me; I definitely think it will help.

I may run into time issues when I need to start PT'ing, but if I could just then teach myself how to skip 2 questions or so, I should more than hit my goal of -5 in RC.

Thoughts?

[052220151]

On my way to BFE to hide for the weekend and take PTs and not booze myself into oblivion. Wish me luck.

[TheThriller]

Gave myself a serious pep talk today! if anyone else needs it I available

[espressocream]

Gave myself a serious pep talk today! if anyone else needs it I available

Please.
I read 20 pages of Manhattan LR and didn't even do the drills....
Totes slacking.

[GATA1989]

Checking in for the first time;
164 in June after a two month Kaplan course, I was PTing around 166-168 right before the exam. The Kaplan class really helped me master the games (-1 in June but was consistently -0 in practice) however I did not improve at all on LR and barely improved in RC. I am working my way through the Powerscore LR/RC Bibles and I feel more confident but has anyone had any luck switching from the Kaplan methods to Powerscore in LR/RC?
I only prepped for about two months before June so I'm hoping that more time for prep before Oct. and new methods in LR/RC will get me to a 168+. I also didn't discover TLS until after the June test, and I now realize that my prep for June was not as intense as I previously thought.

[VasaVasori]

.

[Easy-E]

I've still only taken 1 PT since the June exam...

all of my prep comes from answering questions on this forum.

I've spent more time in that "ITT we post pictures of our dogs" thread than any LSAT related thread, don't feel too bad Vasa.

[Pocahontas]

Balls! ... just over two months left to prep... I think it's about time to serious.

[Easy-E]

To third-timers...

How are you guys prepping this time around? Heavy on PTs/review?

[flem]

To third-timers...

How are you guys prepping this time around? Heavy on PTs/review?

I'm going more drilling-focused this time. Seems to be helping.

[Easy-E]

To third-timers...

How are you guys prepping this time around? Heavy on PTs/review?

I'm going more drilling-focused this time. Seems to be helping.

True. I was gonna go heavy on PT and review just because I've seen nearly all the newest materials. I have the Kaplan Mastery book so I could drill LR with that, although I despise that book with a passion*. Drilling RC seemed to help me previously though so I might mix that in since I have some newer unused sections. I don't think I'm starting until towards the end of August, I just can't commit yet. Bad call?



*Before someone asks, I hate the paper its printed on, I hate that half the book is shitty explanations, and I hate that I have to flip back and forth for the answers, and they aren't just at the end of the section like my Velocity LR book was.

[espressocream]

To third-timers...

How are you guys prepping this time around? Heavy on PTs/review?

I'm going more drilling-focused this time. Seems to be helping.

Same, though I can't tell if it's helping. I've been doing LR for a week....a mix of drilling and reading....but I don't know
how much progress, if any, I've made.

[flem]

Same, though I can't tell if it's helping. I've been doing LR for a week....a mix of drilling and reading....but I don't know
how much progress, if any, I've made.

I mean, you need to do both. Take PTs to know where you stand, use missed questions from PTs as a focus for drilling.

[mindarmed]

To third-timers...

How are you guys prepping this time around? Heavy on PTs/review?

I'm going more drilling-focused this time. Seems to be helping.

Same, though I can't tell if it's helping. I've been doing LR for a week....a mix of drilling and reading....but I don't know
how much progress, if any, I've made.

If you want a good way of drilling LR, I used the Cambridge Difficult packet to drill 1-38 (found here: --LinkRemoved--)

If you can have a high accuracy on these, you'll be fine for the test.

[espressocream]

Same, though I can't tell if it's helping. I've been doing LR for a week....a mix of drilling and reading....but I don't know
how much progress, if any, I've made.

I mean, you need to do both. Take PTs to know where you stand, use missed questions from PTs as a focus for drilling.

I've gone through almost all PTs...third take here....so I was trying to delay PTing until later - I'll try this though. Thanks