June 2011 Study Group Forum

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Strange and disconcerting. Took PT56 yesterday, which in the recent past, I have stated several times on TLS that it is the easiest PT ever, because I got my highest ever PT score last year on PT56. Well not yesterday I got 165, that is 1 point below my PT average. Yesterday, I found the PT56 LR particularly tough, missed 3-7 each on LR alone. Anyone had a similar experience with PT56 or another PT? Trying not to panic.

So I haven't been on TLS for a few weeks so as not to psych myself up too much, but of course I come crawling back Hope all is well with everyone. Jim I took 56 yesterday, and can attest to the nasty LR1 - total bitch, I went -6. LR2 seemed to be easier than usual however. I also went -5 on RC (misbubbling two TCRs) which is sadly higher than my avg. Ended up with an 87 raw - 170. Extremely generous curve. Did you want to kill yourself because of Naguchi like I did?

[OhOkay]

I've taken a break from PTing, ordered the MLSAT RC guide, read it, and have been drilling RC and games for the last few days. The RC I've been drilling are from the PTs in the teens. I've been doing really well on them -- under 8 mins usually, and no incorrect answers so far. Have I improved or is RC just a lot easier from the early PTs? I don't want to get overconfident... as soon as I do that, I just start sucking (see: LG).

[OhOkay]

Strange and disconcerting. Took PT56 yesterday, which in the recent past, I have stated several times on TLS that it is the easiest PT ever, because I got my highest ever PT score last year on PT56. Well not yesterday I got 165, that is 1 point below my PT average. Yesterday, I found the PT56 LR particularly tough, missed 3-7 each on LR alone. Anyone had a similar experience with PT56 or another PT? Trying not to panic.

So I haven't been on TLS for a few weeks so as not to psych myself up too much, but of course I come crawling back Hope all is well with everyone. Jim I took 56 yesterday, and can attest to the nasty LR1 - total bitch, I went -6. LR2 seemed to be easier than usual however. I also went -5 on RC (misbubbling two TCRs) which is sadly higher than my avg. Ended up with an 87 raw - 170. Extremely generous curve. Did you want to kill yourself because of Naguchi like I did?

Haha, am planning on taking PT 56 today. Let you guys know how it goes.

[Eichörnchen]

I've taken a break from PTing, ordered the MLSAT RC guide, read it, and have been drilling RC and games for the last few days. The RC I've been drilling are from the PTs in the teens. I've been doing really well on them -- under 8 mins usually, and no incorrect answers so far. Have I improved or is RC just a lot easier from the early PTs? I don't want to get overconfident... as soon as I do that, I just start sucking (see: LG).

How do you like the MLSAT RC guide? I was in the room for a manhattan RC lesson a few months back and the technique seemed kind of complicated to me (there were scales and other shenanigans). I keep it super simple in RC but my last few PTs have been -3s which really bugs me. Then again, the only RC practice I've done thus far is doing/reviewing the sections in the PTs I take and a few stray sections here and there for going over in the room.

[coldshoulder]

I've taken a break from PTing, ordered the MLSAT RC guide, read it, and have been drilling RC and games for the last few days. The RC I've been drilling are from the PTs in the teens. I've been doing really well on them -- under 8 mins usually, and no incorrect answers so far. Have I improved or is RC just a lot easier from the early PTs? I don't want to get overconfident... as soon as I do that, I just start sucking (see: LG).

That is great, and is definitely genuine improvement. However, the later rcs are without a doubt more difficult, so be prepared to drill later ones before the real test.

[Ginj]

Just did PrepTest A and, MAN! RC kicked my ass. -5? REALLY??

<---discouraged face

[northwood]

Jim Green: I remember that LR 1 on pt 56 was very difficult. It seems as though on the most recent tests one LR section is more difficult than the other one.

and to the poster about Nagauki ( spelling error) that passage was brutal. I thought it was a pretty easy read, but the questions were all in the WTF category. Ended up going - 5 or something on that passage. Dont worry about it- its pretty rough.

[soj]

I've taken a break from PTing, ordered the MLSAT RC guide, read it, and have been drilling RC and games for the last few days. The RC I've been drilling are from the PTs in the teens. I've been doing really well on them -- under 8 mins usually, and no incorrect answers so far. Have I improved or is RC just a lot easier from the early PTs? I don't want to get overconfident... as soon as I do that, I just start sucking (see: LG).

That's awesome news! I've done all the RCs in the 10s, and my scores were close to my overall RC average, so if that's any indication, you might have some real improvement there.

[bball1997]

Took Prep Test 50 today with 1.3 exp

RC: 24/28
LR1: 24/25
LR (exp): 25/25
LG: 21/22
LR: 24/25
Raw: 93/100
Scaled: 173

Reading Comp destroys me sometimes, I have just never been able to develop a strategy that works effectively for me. At least I've put together a couple of good LR's in a row.

[99.9luft]

took PT 56 yesterday...got -7, which ties my all-time high record. Note that -5 was on RC alone
I want that damn -5!
it's ok 2 more weeks....

[99.9luft]

Strange and disconcerting. Took PT56 yesterday, which in the recent past, I have stated several times on TLS that it is the easiest PT ever, because I got my highest ever PT score last year on PT56. Well not yesterday I got 165, that is 1 point below my PT average. Yesterday, I found the PT56 LR particularly tough, missed 3-7 each on LR alone. Anyone had a similar experience with PT56 or another PT? Trying not to panic.

you may be burning out. take 1-2 days off.

[99.9luft]

Is the cambridgelsat site down for anyone else?

yeah they have been down for several days now.

[coldshoulder]

On break from PT 53, so far feeling great about it. The two day break really helped calm my brain. From now on, doing tests on a specific schedule:
Sunday: test
Monday: test
Tuesday: break/review
Wednesday: test
Thursday: test
Friday/Saturday: review/work/relax

All tests taken at 1pm under strict conditions.

[citykitty]

Frustrated. I appear to have hit a ceiling at -9. Last 3 preptests have been -9 for me, but I screw up different things each time. I'm going to drive myself crazy.

[maxpower430]

took pt 53 yesterday, had a terrible sleep the night before and downed a ton of coffee and got to it haha.

LR1: -2 (got #8 wrong, which was a downer and for w/e just didn't click with me, and #22 which still confuses me a bit haha)
LRe: -4 (took it from pt 55, was one of my worst lr performances in a while, just missed some small details, also my timing was off but that's not a good excuse. gives me some things to work on though)
LG: -4 (really frustrated with this, got 2 wrong b/c i misdiagrammed a rule in game 2 and misread a tcr in game 3 which took up way too much time. I'm confident that if i can eliminate these dumb errors i'll be in a good place with lg, just frustrating in the meantime)
LR2: -0 (ended with about 4 minutes to spare and was able review questions that were tricky and changed a wrong answer to a right one, pretty happy about that but i need to figure out how to make sure i don't make mistakes the first time)
RC: -0 (wow the 2nd passage hit me like a ton of bricks, made no sense to me the first time through, somehow was able to piece together a -0 for that passage. thankfully the last two passages weren't too bad though)

Raw: 94
Scaled: 175

highest scaled score i've ever gotten which was pretty sweet, this logic game stuff is really starting to get old though, but i am happy that that i'm getting the hang of the new LR (experimental notwithstanding haha) and a good bounceback from my 170 on pt 52. also interesting how i did better exhausted than feeling fresh for 52, so who knows.

[crumpetsandtea]

On break from PT 53, so far feeling great about it. The two day break really helped calm my brain. From now on, doing tests on a specific schedule:
All tests taken at 1pm under strict conditions.

Holy crap, cold, that is a ridiculous PT schedule o_o!!! I'm impressed by your ability to pound those out, I'd probably die, hahaha.

highest scaled score i've ever gotten which was pretty sweet, this logic game stuff is really starting to get old though, but i am happy that that i'm getting the hang of the new LR (experimental notwithstanding haha) and a good bounceback from my 170 on pt 52. also interesting how i did better exhausted than feeling fresh for 52, so who knows.

I know what you mean about the LG, I feel the same way about RC...have you gone through the LGB yet? What sorts of LG games are you missing the most often? Also, sleep will make a HUGE difference in your PTing.

[maxpower430]

I've taken a break from PTing, ordered the MLSAT RC guide, read it, and have been drilling RC and games for the last few days. The RC I've been drilling are from the PTs in the teens. I've been doing really well on them -- under 8 mins usually, and no incorrect answers so far. Have I improved or is RC just a lot easier from the early PTs? I don't want to get overconfident... as soon as I do that, I just start sucking (see: LG).

How do you like the MLSAT RC guide? I was in the room for a manhattan RC lesson a few months back and the technique seemed kind of complicated to me (there were scales and other shenanigans). I keep it super simple in RC but my last few PTs have been -3s which really bugs me. Then again, the only RC practice I've done thus far is doing/reviewing the sections in the PTs I take and a few stray sections here and there for going over in the room.

the manhattan system is actually pretty simple, they don't advocate actually writing out a scale, it's more a way to get you to keep track of the argument and which side is better supported than the other. i also keep it really simple and just try and note where the viewpoints are, the evidence and anything that indicates the author's opinion. i found the guide really helpful though b/c it helped focus my reading and i've gotten a bunch of -0s since, with a few slipups but i feel a lot more confident than i did before.

[pkpop]

Tonight's study session will probably be a short quick review of various questions. If you have any you want to go over as a group, please feel free to bring them.

[crumpetsandtea]

the manhattan system is actually pretty simple, they don't advocate actually writing out a scale, it's more a way to get you to keep track of the argument and which side is better supported than the other. i also keep it really simple and just try and note where the viewpoints are, the evidence and anything that indicates the author's opinion. i found the guide really helpful though b/c it helped focus my reading and i've gotten a bunch of -0s since, with a few slipups but i feel a lot more confident than i did before.

I just started reading this, hoping to improve my score...what were you scoring on RC before you did the manhattan book?

[maxpower430]

On break from PT 53, so far feeling great about it. The two day break really helped calm my brain. From now on, doing tests on a specific schedule:
All tests taken at 1pm under strict conditions.

Holy crap, cold, that is a ridiculous PT schedule o_o!!! I'm impressed by your ability to pound those out, I'd probably die, hahaha.

highest scaled score i've ever gotten which was pretty sweet, this logic game stuff is really starting to get old though, but i am happy that that i'm getting the hang of the new LR (experimental notwithstanding haha) and a good bounceback from my 170 on pt 52. also interesting how i did better exhausted than feeling fresh for 52, so who knows.

I know what you mean about the LG, I feel the same way about RC...have you gone through the LGB yet? What sorts of LG games are you missing the most often? Also, sleep will make a HUGE difference in your PTing.

yea it's just weird b/c i've occasionally had my best performances hungover/pretty sleep deprived, so who knows, maybe that's a good sign for if i can't sleep the night before the exam. and i have done the bible and lots of drilling, it's just i've been missing simple things. like on pt 53 i read the p before v or v before g rule as p before v or p before g which threw me off. the one game type that gets to me is like the 3rd game of pt 52, where you have 2 things a day, for three days. i just have a hard time visualizing it and keeping track of everything, though i think that is mostly due to how i was diagramming it. i was diagramming like this

_ _ _
_ _ _
1 2 3

but i think personally it clicks when i diagram it like this

_ _/_ _/_ _
1 2 3

so hopefully i can stop shooting myself in the foot, since i'm comfortable with games overall, though maybe too comfortable considering the uptick in foolish mistakes.

[maxpower430]

the manhattan system is actually pretty simple, they don't advocate actually writing out a scale, it's more a way to get you to keep track of the argument and which side is better supported than the other. i also keep it really simple and just try and note where the viewpoints are, the evidence and anything that indicates the author's opinion. i found the guide really helpful though b/c it helped focus my reading and i've gotten a bunch of -0s since, with a few slipups but i feel a lot more confident than i did before.

I just started reading this, hoping to improve my score...what were you scoring on RC before you did the manhattan book?

before manhattan, i was anywhere from -0 to like -5/-6. what i like about the manhattan guide is it gets you reading with a purpose, which i find really helpful for the science passages b/c it really helps you attack them and not get bogged down by the science jargon.

[soj]

Looks like a lot of people are taking 56 today.

I'm on break from 56 + 23.3 (LR2). LRe and LR1 were so bad I lost my resolve and checked my answers. Actually, the results weren't too bad.

I need to resist the urge to score between sections. In theory, I should not be scoring for at least 24 hours after writing the exam since that's the time limit for canceling the real thing. I should be keeping a "pain diary" to gauge the level of remorse, fury, and despair 24 hours after each test and compare it to the score so that I can determine what level on test day would merit a cancellation.

[coldshoulder]

On break from PT 53, so far feeling great about it. The two day break really helped calm my brain. From now on, doing tests on a specific schedule:
All tests taken at 1pm under strict conditions.

Holy crap, cold, that is a ridiculous PT schedule o_o!!! I'm impressed by your ability to pound those out, I'd probably die, haha

Haha it's the only way for me to stay on my game, I did five days in a row last week and it was terrible, it killed me and my 5th day didn't score well.

Oh. My. God.
PT 53
LR: -1
LG: -0
LR: -1
RC: -0
-2, 180!!!

This is my best raw and scaled score, I am completely ecstatic! The break really helped clear my head for this test, and I definitely got a bit lucky on the first LR section and the English common law rc passage.

180 bitches! I gotta keep scoring like this before the real thing.

[minnbills]

Took the June 2007 PT today, not sure which # that is. Does anyone know?

A strong performance for me, the curve was brutal though.

RCe: -5
LG: -0 (Looks live I've finally figured LG out)
LR: -4
LR: -2
RC: -4

Raw: 90
Score: 168 (stupid, stupid curve.)

I need to get my RC under control, all I do is read all day, every day, no reason I should be missing so many.

a -3 avg. for LR is my goal, so I'm happy I achieved that. Hopefully it wasn't due to an easy test, and difficult curve.

[crumpetsandtea]

like on pt 53 i read the p before v or v before g rule as p before v or p before g which threw me off. the one game type that gets to me is like the 3rd game of pt 52, where you have 2 things a day, for three days. i just have a hard time visualizing it and keeping track of everything, though i think that is mostly due to how i was diagramming it. i was diagramming like this
_ _ _
_ _ _
1 2 3
but i think personally it clicks when i diagram it like this
_ _/_ _/_ _
1 2 3

IDK if this will help at all, but for games like that, I usually diagram it like this:

1 _ _
2 _ _
3 _ _

Then to the left of the 1/2/3, I will cross out the variables that don't fit there. If 2 variables have to go together I'll put them as (AB) or (AB) if they can't be together. Also, IDK how your timing is rn, but if you have some extra time I usually go back and double check my answers for the first couple games after I'm done with them, that way I can catch any silly mistakes I make.

I'm hoping to replicate your improvement with RC!!!

I need to resist the urge to score between sections. In theory, I should not be scoring for at least 24 hours after writing the exam since that's the time limit for canceling the real thing.

I have the urge to do this too...ALLL the time Both when I do well or when I do badly. When I do well I'm like "ooh, ooh, how well did I do??? Did I -0 it????" when I do badly I'm like ".......uuuugh am I even still in contention for a 170+? ):"