JUNE 2013 Study Group / Study Partner Thread Forum

[melmoththewanderer]

Thanks for the support guys. And yeah, Noodley, Igochi was hard.

Is anyone here good at the new RC (post June 2007)? What do you do? I've gone through Powerscore and MLSAT but these newer tests are a different kind of animal.

[wtrc]

Thanks for the support guys. And yeah, Noodley, Igochi was hard.

Is anyone here good at the new RC (post June 2007)? What do you do? I've gone through Powerscore and MLSAT but these newer tests are a different kind of animal.

Do you mean in general, or just the comparative passages?

[melmoththewanderer]

The new RC in general, but if you have tips for comparative that would be helpful too.

I went from -2 average to like -4/-5. So depressing.

[Chambo]

Did drilling on point at issue questions yesterday and went 45/50. The easy ones are getting super easy, but the tougher ones still often stump me. Does anyone have advice on how to attack them?

Which ones did you miss?

Missed 17.3.5, 29.4.13, 32.4.20, 26.2.24, and 37.2.23.

[Chambo]

Took PT 55 today after doing a pitiful amount of prep last week and virtually nothing in the last four days.

LG: -5 (PT 38 experimental)
LR: -1
RC: -3
LR: -0
LG: -1

175

I was slowww as hell on the first LG. Took 9 minutes for the first game, and 10 for games two and three. Had little left over for game 5, which was annoying to begin with (songs played with different instruments) and didn't even get to two of the questions. I think this was largely due to some rust, and also because I suck at games.

As per usual, I felt really familiar with the other sections and flew through both LRs and LG. I felt really good about RC, but as it turns out I wasn't so great. Still need to nail down this section, I'm just not sure where to start.

I'll be back to heavy drilling this week and will start the heavy PT schedule next week for the month leading up to the test. Time to close this shit out.

[okaygo]

RC needs to become my bitch. Now. I'm going between -7 and -9 but every to,e for at least three of the questions I'm between two and end up picking the wrong answer. Normally it seems like for RC I need to go with the simpler response.

Also I continuously miss questions that are asking you to interpret the authors position.

[mvonh001]

I said fuck it to PTing today, and went to the library to review the 6 groups the i drilled on saturday, I sat down did 11 Sufficient assumption. got 6 wrong. Then I decided i wasnt feeling it today and went home. I planned on taking a PT today, but this has made me postpone it until tomorrow. But now I do not know what to do about PTing tomorrow. Should I PT tomorrow, or should I finish MLSAT LR book and review the chapters I've already read. I have about 4 or 5 more chapters in the book, all on inference. Basically the second half of the book. I just don't know if I should PT tomorrow and continue my PT schedule of 3 PT per week and save all of the reading until this weekend, or Read tomorrow, then postpone my PT's another day??

Any ideas on what i should do?

[CardozoLaw09]

I said fuck it to PTing today, and went to the library to review the 6 groups the i drilled on saturday, I sat down did 11 Sufficient assumption. got 6 wrong. Then I decided i wasnt feeling it today and went home. I planned on taking a PT today, but this has made me postpone it until tomorrow. But now I do not know what to do about PTing tomorrow. Should I PT tomorrow, or should I finish MLSAT LR book and review the chapters I've already read. I have about 4 or 5 more chapters in the book, all on inference. Basically the second half of the book. I just don't know if I should PT tomorrow and continue my PT schedule of 3 PT per week and save all of the reading until this weekend, or Read tomorrow, then postpone my PT's another day??

Any ideas on what i should do?

Review the 6 you missed like crazy tonight --> drill some more sufficient assumption Qs tomorrow/read MLSAT ---> PT Wed

[Chambo]

I said fuck it to PTing today, and went to the library to review the 6 groups the i drilled on saturday, I sat down did 11 Sufficient assumption. got 6 wrong. Then I decided i wasnt feeling it today and went home. I planned on taking a PT today, but this has made me postpone it until tomorrow. But now I do not know what to do about PTing tomorrow. Should I PT tomorrow, or should I finish MLSAT LR book and review the chapters I've already read. I have about 4 or 5 more chapters in the book, all on inference. Basically the second half of the book. I just don't know if I should PT tomorrow and continue my PT schedule of 3 PT per week and save all of the reading until this weekend, or Read tomorrow, then postpone my PT's another day??

Any ideas on what i should do?

I'd go with reading/drilling. Your time is probably better spent figuring out how to attack the questions on the tests rather than just doing a lot of PTs.

[mvonh001]

thanks. i think that is what i will do.

Anyway, the level 4's of cambridge packet are not that difficult if they arent worded funky. I got all the funky worded ones wrong. How can i improve my comfort -idk if that is the right word - with fucked up worded questions?? Or do i just need to work on getting the essence out of each question so the content doesnt matter. If thats the case Im def gonna review the book tomorrow...

Thanks for all the insight guys

[Chambo]

thanks. i think that is what i will do.

Anyway, the level 4's of cambridge packet are not that difficult if they arent worded funky. I got all the funky worded ones wrong. How can i improve my comfort -idk if that is the right word - with fucked up worded questions?? Or do i just need to work on getting the essence out of each question so the content doesnt matter. If thats the case Im def gonna review the book tomorrow...

Thanks for all the insight guys

Being able to unravel the really dense language comes with practice... When you're drilling and you come across a stim that seems as clear as mud, try diagramming it and really putting it in a simpler format. They all come down to a conclusion with a premise or two and maybe background info. Identifying the argument core is the first and most important step in solving any assumption-family question.

[tehkris]

I said fuck it to PTing today, and went to the library to review the 6 groups the i drilled on saturday, I sat down did 11 Sufficient assumption. got 6 wrong. Then I decided i wasnt feeling it today and went home. I planned on taking a PT today, but this has made me postpone it until tomorrow. But now I do not know what to do about PTing tomorrow. Should I PT tomorrow, or should I finish MLSAT LR book and review the chapters I've already read. I have about 4 or 5 more chapters in the book, all on inference. Basically the second half of the book. I just don't know if I should PT tomorrow and continue my PT schedule of 3 PT per week and save all of the reading until this weekend, or Read tomorrow, then postpone my PT's another day??

Any ideas on what i should do?

Since an assumption is merely an unstated premise, it helps me to just put that answer choice into the scenario to see if it logically connects the premise to the conclusion. Just my .02.

[mvonh001]

so the correct answer for an assumption based question will always contain part of the conclusion and part of the premise... correct?

I think im gonna review the LR MLSAT book. My grasp of the basics of these questions seems a bit tenuous.

[objection_your_honor]

so the correct answer for an assumption based question will always contain part of the conclusion and part of the premise... correct?

I think im gonna review the LR MLSAT book. My grasp of the basics of these questions seems a bit tenuous.

No. If it's a necessary assumption question, the correct answer choice must be true in order for the argument to hold. If it's a sufficient assumption question, the correct answer choice is sufficient to make the argument sound (usually by supplying a premise that ties the argument's support to its conclusion).

So it's not necessary that the answer choice contains part of the conclusion and part of the premise. That is more common in sufficient assumption questions, but you still can't count on it. And if that's all you're looking for there will be many wrong answers that fit the description.

[NoodleyOne]

so the correct answer for an assumption based question will always contain part of the conclusion and part of the premise... correct?

I think im gonna review the LR MLSAT book. My grasp of the basics of these questions seems a bit tenuous.

I think I see where your mind is, but it will hang you up on trickier questions. Generally, an assumption is going to deal with something that is present in one of the premises but missing in the conclusion or vice versa conceptually, but the test writers are out to trick you, and if you rely on that you're going to find yourself in a lot of trouble. Your best bet is to grasp the idea behind the core and the gap, and work with filling the gap (either partially with an NA question or completely with an SA question).

[SteelPenguin]

As I had hoped, I was able to finish the Manhattan Logic Games in a week. For anyone else that has completed it, what are your thoughts on the "open grouping" strategies? I really liked the logic chains in the "conditional grouping" chapter, but the open grouping feels clumsy to me. I haven't gotten to drill it outside of the text yet, but I'm curious to hear what others think about this.

[jad0re]

Yeah, the Chopin passage is kind of legendary. I thought their were harder ones (the sculptor one was tough, and that fucking two language one is one I still mess up on while tutoring), but it does seem to give people problems.

I see your Chopin and raise you !Kung.

[jad0re]

Can't wait til I sell off these books

[itachiuchiha]

LR1 on PT 56 -3
hell yeah!

[Ron5150]

i think he means -6 per LR section... Correct me if im wrong OP.

Yes, -6 per each LR section

[NoWorries]

Alright I'm putting together my final month schedule and am trying to think of any things outside of PT's and drilling I need to do. For example-

1. Visit the test site beforehand so you know where to go.
2. Get the proper ID they want.
3. Get a analog watch to use.
4. Take a few 6 section tests.
5. Get your pencils ready.
6. Do a written section? Is this even worth it?

Any other things you guys can think of?

[NoodleyOne]

No digital watch, bro.

[objection_your_honor]

Get used to using an analog watch ASAP because it realistically robs you of a minute or two given the margin of error in setting the minute hand.

[NoWorries]

No digital watch, bro.

You're right, meant to say analog.

Does it really rob you a minute of time? Don't you just set it at 0 or 25 and just follow it?

[objection_your_honor]

No digital watch, bro.

You're right, meant to say analog.

Does it really rob you a minute of time? Don't you just set it at 0 and/or 25 and just follow it?

Yeah, but there will still be a level of approximation. It's not really possible to set it exactly at :25 without +/- seconds to the digital timer that the proctor is using. It's also not really possible to glance at the watch and see with precision exactly how much time is left at the end. That lack of precision sort of forces you to play more conservatively.

With a digital timer you may be tempted to spend that last minute on a question, bubbling in the last 10 seconds. With an analog watch, I don't really trust that I have the full minute. When they call time, that's it.

Maybe this is just an issue with my cheap watch.