The Official June 2017 Study Group Forum

[heyduchess]

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

Seems like a solid plan. Sunday will be pretty light for me, maybe some review and drilling. Go to bed early, wake up at my usual time, do a bit of warmup, 35 minute power nap from 1015-1045 ish, hit the road and get to the center 45 minutes early. Usual caffeine on Monday, but light on the liquids on Sunday night. Don't want to have to pee halfway through section 1...

I've been told to get caffeine chewies from an outdoor sporting store to avoid the downsides of drinking coffee on test day. (Namely, having to pee.)

As for the weekend before, I will be kicking it, doing volunteer work, and maybe getting brunch because... well... duchess.

[zkyggi]

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

Up at 7:00, eat a decent amount of oatmeal then do 30 minutes of medium pace rowing. My testing center is an hour and a half away, so I'll head there around 9:30-10:00 and grab a coffee and eat a banana when I get there. I plan to read a book before the start as a warmup. During the break I'll eat a Larabar.

I have read that loading up the night before can help. I may test that this week.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

THERE IS HOPE!

I did timed sections of the LR sections from PT80 (that I sat for in December). I missed 11 total in December. Aced both sections back to back with 5+ minutes to spare today. Best part is I only remembered a couple of questions, and only vaguely remembered ACs on two of them. Even for those, I justified eliminating answers.

I think Friday was just an outlier. Looking forward to another PT tomorrow to try and get back to my 175+ scoring

[runnergirl159]

EFFF!!! PT 78, 169

LR1: -4 EFF!!!
LG: -3 EFF!!!
LR2: -1
RC: -4

That snaps a streak of five in a row over 170, the last two of which were a 177 and a 175. I really thought I had left the 160s behind. Two more wrong on this exam would have been a 167 I really struggled with basically all of the first LR. I was moving slow and had to skip some questions towards the end because they looked like too much reading and I was running out of time. LR2 was almost just as rough and I was pretty lucky to get the last two right because again I was running low on time and picked ACs after just skimming the stim. Reading comp could have potentially been a disaster too, luckily I'm knowledgeable about refrigerant and CFCs and was able to get through that passage quickly because I got to it with only 5 min to go. I didn't feel like the games were that hard and thought it was going to save my score. Nope, -3. EFF!!

Ultimately, if I get a 169 on the real thing I will live with it and move on. But this is pretty disheartening on the heels of my recent tests and so close to test day.

I can commiserate with you on PT 78 :/ My last 3 prep tests before 78 were 175,171,and 173, and then I got a 168 on prep test 178... LR 1 fucked me up too, with a -4 (I actually got the exact same scores as you, except went -5 on RC), and I bombed the passage on clay tablets (4/8 correct...). I'm chalking it up to a fluke, but I'm a little concerned it could be burnout.

[Experiment626]

Amerison

Lol, I did PT 29 LG today and I went -1 and I looked at the question I got wrong and was like... what? I got this one right. Realized I bubbled that one in wrong. Did the same thing for another LG a day or two ago. So I'm kind of the reverse of you because I haven't done it on a proctored test yet but it makes me nervous all the same.

Yea those test day nerves. I'm trying to talk myself off a ledge that today was a fluke because the place I'm doing my study through didn't have enough room so I volunteered to come back later in the day but I think that just messed up my flow with my normal practice test routine. Usually this issue is like 2-3 questions across all 5 sections. This time it was 10 and I'm not handling it very well. That's literally bye to any chance of a 170+ gone.

I'm also seriously questioning every scantron test in my life now.

Holy hell, 10 misbubbled questions should not happen. Maybe just take a second after every question to make sure you actually bubbled in the one you want? Might cost you a point but infinitely better than losing ten (or even two).

Confirmed it was some sort of weird fluke yesterday. Just took Dec 2014 and only bubbled 1 question wrong.

[NavyNuke]

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[Future Ex-Engineer]

archer can we pls get bottlenose dolphin for study spirit animal

[Slippin' Jimmy]

Amerison

Lol, I did PT 29 LG today and I went -1 and I looked at the question I got wrong and was like... what? I got this one right. Realized I bubbled that one in wrong. Did the same thing for another LG a day or two ago. So I'm kind of the reverse of you because I haven't done it on a proctored test yet but it makes me nervous all the same.

Yea those test day nerves. I'm trying to talk myself off a ledge that today was a fluke because the place I'm doing my study through didn't have enough room so I volunteered to come back later in the day but I think that just messed up my flow with my normal practice test routine. Usually this issue is like 2-3 questions across all 5 sections. This time it was 10 and I'm not handling it very well. That's literally bye to any chance of a 170+ gone.

I'm also seriously questioning every scantron test in my life now.

Holy hell, 10 misbubbled questions should not happen. Maybe just take a second after every question to make sure you actually bubbled in the one you want? Might cost you a point but infinitely better than losing ten (or even two).

Confirmed it was some sort of weird fluke yesterday. Just took Dec 2014 and only bubbled 1 question wrong.

Don't mean to be rude or anything, but missbubbling shouldn't be happening ever. I've taken countless PTs and timed sections and I've never once misbubbled. Are you circling the answers and then transferring to the answer sheet at the end of the section?

[Experiment626]

Amerison

Lol, I did PT 29 LG today and I went -1 and I looked at the question I got wrong and was like... what? I got this one right. Realized I bubbled that one in wrong. Did the same thing for another LG a day or two ago. So I'm kind of the reverse of you because I haven't done it on a proctored test yet but it makes me nervous all the same.

Yea those test day nerves. I'm trying to talk myself off a ledge that today was a fluke because the place I'm doing my study through didn't have enough room so I volunteered to come back later in the day but I think that just messed up my flow with my normal practice test routine. Usually this issue is like 2-3 questions across all 5 sections. This time it was 10 and I'm not handling it very well. That's literally bye to any chance of a 170+ gone.

I'm also seriously questioning every scantron test in my life now.

Holy hell, 10 misbubbled questions should not happen. Maybe just take a second after every question to make sure you actually bubbled in the one you want? Might cost you a point but infinitely better than losing ten (or even two).

Confirmed it was some sort of weird fluke yesterday. Just took Dec 2014 and only bubbled 1 question wrong.

Don't mean to be rude or anything, but missbubbling shouldn't be happening ever. I've taken countless PTs and timed sections and I've never once misbubbled. Are you circling the answers and then transferring to the answer sheet at the end of the section?

I agree it shouldn't ever happen. Still trying to figure out why outside of the "haven't done scantron type testing in over 12 years". I do it as I finish each question. I tried the whole do a page then bubble thing and that actually was what started this discovery of misbubbled stuff. I'm too afraid to do the finish the section then bubble. I'm usually still 2-3 questions left at the 5 minute warning and I could totally see myself saying let me finish this question and then I'll bubble everything in and solve the rest if I have time and then somehow taking too long to be able to fill in the form for the section.

Like I said, only seems to be happening under an actual PT with a timer so I'm attributing it to nerves or something. More PTing and drilling with a timer while filling in a sheet this week should kill it. (I hope). Really don't want to have to retest, plus I don't think there's a way for me to confirm if it happens on actual test day.

[anonposter6775]

EFFF!!! PT 78, 169

LR1: -4 EFF!!!
LG: -3 EFF!!!
LR2: -1
RC: -4

That snaps a streak of five in a row over 170, the last two of which were a 177 and a 175. I really thought I had left the 160s behind. Two more wrong on this exam would have been a 167 I really struggled with basically all of the first LR. I was moving slow and had to skip some questions towards the end because they looked like too much reading and I was running out of time. LR2 was almost just as rough and I was pretty lucky to get the last two right because again I was running low on time and picked ACs after just skimming the stim. Reading comp could have potentially been a disaster too, luckily I'm knowledgeable about refrigerant and CFCs and was able to get through that passage quickly because I got to it with only 5 min to go. I didn't feel like the games were that hard and thought it was going to save my score. Nope, -3. EFF!!

Ultimately, if I get a 169 on the real thing I will live with it and move on. But this is pretty disheartening on the heels of my recent tests and so close to test day.

I can commiserate with you on PT 78 :/ My last 3 prep tests before 78 were 175,171,and 173, and then I got a 168 on prep test 178... LR 1 fucked me up too, with a -4 (I actually got the exact same scores as you, except went -5 on RC), and I bombed the passage on clay tablets (4/8 correct...). I'm chalking it up to a fluke, but I'm a little concerned it could be burnout.

Oh how I despise the passage on clay tablets...

[tuna_wasabi]

Praying for a stupidly generous curve. In terms of difficulty, I can't really tell the difference between tests with generous curve and those with brutal curve.

PT 78
LR 1: -2 (careless mistakes, e.g. misread the AC or the question stem incorrectly, because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
LR 2: -3
LG: 0
RC: -3

Experimentals:
PT 15.3 (LR): -1 (On q.1, because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
PT 16.2 (LR): -1

Note: LR: Very disappointed. 2 careless mistakes (misread weaken as strengthen), 2 more difficult questions that in retrospect would've been doable had I not panicked. The other 1 is a toss-up between 2 ACs--seems like a lost cause to me. LG: tricky but doable. RC: 1 seems like a lost cause. The other 2 look preventable (I think...).

So frustrated right now. This makes the 3rd 172. It's odd because prior to this, from PTs 71, 74, 77, and the late 60s, I hit at most -3 total on LR. Not sure if it's because of burnout, but this is just tiring.

I was planning to do PT 79 and PT 80 this week, but after seeing this, 1 PT and tons of LR review look like a better plan.

[tuna_wasabi]

Thanks Jimmy and duchess. Haven't reviewed yet, will probably do it tomorrow. After eating and venting to my wife (who thankfully can still stand to listen to me talk about the LSAT) I think the biggest thing I'm gonna take away from this PT is I need to do everything I can to be wide awake and focused on the 12th. I definitely wasn't firing on all cylinders when I took the test.

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

...Don't know about y'all but I'm going to make sure I have a decent time in the toilet that morning. Other than that, get decent-size breakfast, do warmups, and eat some bananas.

[MediocreAtBest]

Thanks Jimmy and duchess. Haven't reviewed yet, will probably do it tomorrow. After eating and venting to my wife (who thankfully can still stand to listen to me talk about the LSAT) I think the biggest thing I'm gonna take away from this PT is I need to do everything I can to be wide awake and focused on the 12th. I definitely wasn't firing on all cylinders when I took the test.

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

...Don't know about y'all but I'm going to make sure I have a decent time in the toilet that morning. Other than that, get decent-size breakfast, do warmups, and eat some bananas.

Def agree on the toilet thing. When I took the digital test, about halfway through I really got uncomfortable because I had to..ya know.

[Amerision]

Morning of schedule will probably look like this.

Wake up at 9:00. Brush/eat/wonderful time on toilet till 10. Light jog till 10:15, change and leave my house by 10:30. Spend some time reviewing at the test center (anyone know if that's allowed?).

[Slippin' Jimmy]

God /r/LSAT is full of 150 scrubs. TLS4LYFE.

[runnergirl159]

EFFF!!! PT 78, 169

LR1: -4 EFF!!!
LG: -3 EFF!!!
LR2: -1
RC: -4

That snaps a streak of five in a row over 170, the last two of which were a 177 and a 175. I really thought I had left the 160s behind. Two more wrong on this exam would have been a 167 I really struggled with basically all of the first LR. I was moving slow and had to skip some questions towards the end because they looked like too much reading and I was running out of time. LR2 was almost just as rough and I was pretty lucky to get the last two right because again I was running low on time and picked ACs after just skimming the stim. Reading comp could have potentially been a disaster too, luckily I'm knowledgeable about refrigerant and CFCs and was able to get through that passage quickly because I got to it with only 5 min to go. I didn't feel like the games were that hard and thought it was going to save my score. Nope, -3. EFF!!

Ultimately, if I get a 169 on the real thing I will live with it and move on. But this is pretty disheartening on the heels of my recent tests and so close to test day.

I can commiserate with you on PT 78 :/ My last 3 prep tests before 78 were 175,171,and 173, and then I got a 168 on prep test 178... LR 1 fucked me up too, with a -4 (I actually got the exact same scores as you, except went -5 on RC), and I bombed the passage on clay tablets (4/8 correct...). I'm chalking it up to a fluke, but I'm a little concerned it could be burnout.

You are fine! Take the night off and relax. You will perform to your potential on test day.

The Finals game got uncompetitive so I started reviewing. 3 of the 4 I missed in the first LR I chose answers that were obviously wrong. Like I have no clue what I was thinking type of wrong. 2 of the 3 I missed in LG I bubbled in wrong. Done worrying about it.

On to 3 days of timed games, difficult RC passages, and the most difficult LR questions from PT 70-78. PT 79 and review on Thursday. Friday keep drilling. PT 80 and review on Saturday. Sunday skim through the trainer and review missed LR questions from 79 and 80, but mostly take it easy. Monday dominate.

Thanks! I hope so. Sounds like you have a good plan going. I'm sure you'll be able to hit mid- high 70's, especially considering you had a few bubbling errors. It also seems that a few of us found LR 1 on PT 78 be tricky, compared to other 70's PTs.

I have a similar plan. I'm going to drill LG and RC Monday and Tuesday, write PT 79 on Wednesday, drill LG Thursday, PT 80 Friday, and take it easy with one section of LR, and one of LG Saturday and Sunday. I originally was going to do 3 LG sections tomorrow and Tuesday, but that may be overkill, so I think I'll just stick to 2. I've been doing 4-6 full sections + review everyday for 3 weeks now, so I think I should taper off a little bit this week so that I'll be fresh on Monday.

Also, does anyone have any insight about being able to tell if you're burning out? Is anyone going to scale back their prep this week? I feel like I should, but I also feel nervous to do so since I've been in a grinding rhythm for awhile now, and I don't want to lose momentum.

[InterLaw]

Poll update. And shout out to Platoupus, Mint-berry Crunch, Interlaw, Mediocreatbest, zkyggi, Slippin' Jimmy, Walliums, dm1683, and all you other guys for crushing it on the home stretch.

Let's f$#k this test up!

FIGHT ON!

(let's go trojans)

[InterLaw]

PT70 today:

LR1: -1
RC: -3
LG: -0
LR2: -2
175

Experimental (4): PT26 / RC: -5

I found it actually pretty brutal, and the outcome surprised me a bit!

[Walliums]

Morning of schedule will probably look like this.

Wake up at 9:00. Brush/eat/wonderful time on toilet till 10. Light jog till 10:15, change and leave my house by 10:30. Spend some time reviewing at the test center (anyone know if that's allowed?).

I believe that you cannot take practice materials into the testing center. So you'll have to do your practice before you check-in

[Walliums]

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

So I've been a bit anal about trying to avoid drowsiness. I've been practicing PTing midday pretty religiously. Main goal will be to get a good night's sleep the entire weekend before. Right before I check-in for the test (which, while I will be there a half-hour early, I probably will not check-in until as close to 12:30 as possible) I will down double strength caffeine shot, and I will have a single strength caffeine shot for the break. I brew these in only a few oz of water so that I don't have to pee like crazy, and they are cold-brewed in the fridge overnight so they are simply delicious. Cold-brewing doesn't bring out the tannins the way hot-brewing does.

This week I am doing a lot of LR and RC review and going back to the Trainer to make sure that I've got good habits leading up to test day. Will also review some LG that gave me trouble (mostly pattern games). Thursday after work I will take PT 80, Friday I will review it and see if I have improved some of my weaker areas. Saturday and Sunday I am taking off from the LSAT, and won't get back to it until Monday.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

Thanks Jimmy and duchess. Haven't reviewed yet, will probably do it tomorrow. After eating and venting to my wife (who thankfully can still stand to listen to me talk about the LSAT) I think the biggest thing I'm gonna take away from this PT is I need to do everything I can to be wide awake and focused on the 12th. I definitely wasn't firing on all cylinders when I took the test.

What's everyones plan to avoid mid-day drowsiness on test day? I think I am not going to take a PT the day before. Test day: sleep in, go for a run, shower, get a coffee, then go to test center around 11:15ish and do warmups.

...Don't know about y'all but I'm going to make sure I have a decent time in the toilet that morning. Other than that, get decent-size breakfast, do warmups, and eat some bananas.

Def agree on the toilet thing. When I took the digital test, about halfway through I really got uncomfortable because I had to..ya know.

Don't know how any of you feel about this sort of thing, but as someone with borderline IBS, immodium does wonders for me in dealing with toilet needs for standardized testing (and the associated anxiety that accompanies)

[Barry grandpapy]

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[Neil_Gorsuch]

PT 72 yesterday, 178. Only one wrong on the infamous Marcusian passage and one wrong on infamous pattern game.

Also, in regard to this bubbling discussion, I always take 10 - 30 seconds at the end of the exam to make sure I've bubbled correctly.

[Neil_Gorsuch]

Did pt66 today in a loud coffeeshop while my friends were hanging out enjoying the nice weather AND while knowing I was missing the first half of the Champions League final.
RC:-2
LR:-3
LG:-0
Experimental RC:-3.
Score: 176

I got lucky on LG, almost totally blew it. Only had 5 minutes going into the last game, luckily it was easy and I could finish it in time. Feeling pretty good, I've improved on LR which was a big weak point and a big cause of stress for me. I haven't reviewed yet but I'm pretty sure that RC should've been -0. Looking forward to a similar performance next monday.

Believe it or not, 7Sage lists that as a difficulty 5 game so good on you.

Oh wow lol, that one just kinda clicked for me. I had trouble with the first game for whatever reason, I just wasn't making any inferences so it took me way too long.

That game is primarily difficult because of inferences. If you spend the time upfront to make all the inferences, you can make two master game boards that describe all the possibilities, which it sounds like you did.

[calmike]

I was PT'ing in the 170's before I jumped in to the 70's PTs. Now I am super nervous and the test is in a week. I have been scoring lower.