The Official February 2015 Study Group Forum

[Smallville]

almost excluded you from it but didnt wanna leave ya out

Anyone who hasn't seen me PW hasn't been lurking hard enough.

Well I probably have seen you at some point but woulda been awhile ago...soooooo

eta: I also dont lurk much nowadays, just stick to TT mostly

[PeanutsNJam]

Yeah I've lost all interest in PW after becoming fb friends with everyone.

@jgoods you'd remember those brows

[JackelJ]

What is your thought process during review for each section? Review is where your score increases. It's where you learn, so it's the most important part.

I used to not do much, just check to see who my answers were wrong but that was when I was taking the blueprint course. Since then I have been blind reviewing my PTs, which I do as basically just retaking the test and looking at every question and not just ones I've circled. I also go on Manhattan forums for any LR question I am not 100% about whether I got it right or wrong. For LG I usually go -0 or made a stupid mistake so if it's the latter I watch the 7sage video to make sure I made all inferences correctly.

Fwiw I usually have pretty good accuracy on all the questions I get too. Still missing one or two in LR sections due to time and I usually have to rush on the last RC passage. So I need to definitely work on that.

[JackelJ]

Yeah I've lost all interest in PW after becoming fb friends with everyone.

I was gonna pw but if you're tired of them so I won't

[PeanutsNJam]

What is your thought process during review for each section? Review is where your score increases. It's where you learn, so it's the most important part.

I used to not do much, just check to see who my answers were wrong but that was when I was taking the blueprint course. Since then I have been blind reviewing my PTs, which I do as basically just retaking the test and looking at every question and not just ones I've circled. I also go on Manhattan forums for any LR question I am not 100% about whether I got it right or wrong. For LG I usually go -0 or made a stupid mistake so if it's the latter I watch the 7sage video to make sure I made all inferences correctly.

Fwiw I usually have pretty good accuracy on all the questions I get too. Still missing one or two in LR sections due to time and I usually have to rush on the last RC passage. So I need to definitely work on that.

Upper 160's is ~12-15ish wrong. If you get -0/-1 on LG times, I'm assuming you're looking at around -4 LR per section and -5 RC?

Try this: for each LR question you get wrong timed, explain why each answer choice is right/wrong as if to a 5 year old. Write it down/type it out. It's seriously possible to do ELI5 for almost any LR question. Then, when you get stuck, do the same break-down. It may or may not work for you, but you can try it.

I personally struggled with RC, it was my most difficult section by far. The only advice I have for that is improve reading familiarity, which is done by reading a lot.

[Smallville]

Yeah I've lost all interest in PW after becoming fb friends with everyone.

I was gonna pw but if you're tired of them so I won't

do it

What is your thought process during review for each section? Review is where your score increases. It's where you learn, so it's the most important part.

I used to not do much, just check to see who my answers were wrong but that was when I was taking the blueprint course. Since then I have been blind reviewing my PTs, which I do as basically just retaking the test and looking at every question and not just ones I've circled. I also go on Manhattan forums for any LR question I am not 100% about whether I got it right or wrong. For LG I usually go -0 or made a stupid mistake so if it's the latter I watch the 7sage video to make sure I made all inferences correctly.

Fwiw I usually have pretty good accuracy on all the questions I get too. Still missing one or two in LR sections due to time and I usually have to rush on the last RC passage. So I need to definitely work on that.

Have you figured out specific question types or attributes which are time-sinks for you causing you to miss those questions in LR? and what kind of RC strategy do you use? mark up the passage/minimal marks/none...

[brusselsprouts]

Just did a question from PT1...I had NO idea that pit bulls aren't a dog breed. So now I've spent a solid half hour reading about pit bulls. Anyway someone was talking about not taking a Brooklyn College should I take at Pace or Eleanor Roosevelt???

Sfogs had a terrible experience at Brooklyn, so I'd avoid it. It couldn't hurt to visit first, both to plot your route and scope out the testing room. Then go for whichever one floats your boat.

Regrettably, I took it there twice now.

Oh no. Ok thank you both for the advice!

[JackelJ]

What is your thought process during review for each section? Review is where your score increases. It's where you learn, so it's the most important part.

I used to not do much, just check to see who my answers were wrong but that was when I was taking the blueprint course. Since then I have been blind reviewing my PTs, which I do as basically just retaking the test and looking at every question and not just ones I've circled. I also go on Manhattan forums for any LR question I am not 100% about whether I got it right or wrong. For LG I usually go -0 or made a stupid mistake so if it's the latter I watch the 7sage video to make sure I made all inferences correctly.

Fwiw I usually have pretty good accuracy on all the questions I get too. Still missing one or two in LR sections due to time and I usually have to rush on the last RC passage. So I need to definitely work on that.

Upper 160's is ~12-15ish wrong. If you get -0/-1 on LG times, I'm assuming you're looking at around -4 LR per section and -5 RC?

Try this: for each LR question you get wrong timed, explain why the each answer choice is right/wrong as if to a 5 year old. Write it down/type it out. It's seriously possible to do ELI5 for almost any LR question.

Yup that's about right. RC varies more but I haven't drilled that as much as I should. I will try that, it will probably help to make sure I never make the same mistake again. And I appreciate the help

Eta: so much help lol. Quoting on my phone sucks so I'm just editing.
Jgoods - there aren't many questions that are time sinks for me, I'm pretty sure I'm just a slow reader haha. I usually skip any questions that take up an entire side of a page and are after question 15. So this usually ends up being parallel or parallel flaw questions. But I'm not necessarily weak in any particular question type, usually there's one or 2 for each question type that get me when I'm drilling by type. And I'm trying any and all strategies for RC. Usually underline a couple sentences

[sfoglia]

To be fair Sfog, I think most people score within a point or two in either direction of their PT average. The cases where people miss their mark are talked about more, so i think there is a bias toward believing that will be the case.

Oh, I know. I think that the September test, however, was an anomaly in that regard, because at least a dozen or so of the people on here scored well below their average. So, plan for contingency, I say.

[sfoglia]

@sfogs it's a slowpoke. Cause you slow, replying to posts 1000 pages back. Just like JW rn.

Ahahahaha, yes. And she does it again.

[sfoglia]

There's a c/o 2019 Hammy with your name on it, sfogs. I believe in you.

Tears of happiness, Rigo!!

[sfoglia]

I've been studying since around June also
Pretty low diagnostic (152 - they don't teach engineers much logic haha). I took a BP course over the summer and improved to 160 pretty quickly but then I plateaued around 162 for awhile. I studied as much as I could while working full time. I was drilling a ton and burning through PTs by the end of August and early September (rather stupidly since I didn't know about BR or good ways of reviewing questions I got wrong) I was going to take the test in September but after discovering TLS and much better study methods I decided to postpone to February. Had a very challenging fall term and did not get to study as much as I planned to. Went up to 165 plus or minus a couple points in the beginning of December after very lax drilling the previous 3 months. Then went on a 3 week roadtrip and did drilling in my downtime. Maybe 2 hours a day. And now I'm in the upper 160s.

I do have to admit that I have not been studying as much or as hard as I should have been or planned to. I expect much easier winter and spring terms for UG. I am willing to put more studying in, but June seems so far away after studying for this long and I'm worried about losing motivation. Sorry about the novel haha

I would focus on quality over quantity. Drill Cambridge Packets (worth the buy even if you already have access to all tests, because the questions increase in difficulty as you proceed through the packet) and REALLY sit there and work through your mental process in having selected the incorrect answer that you did, and why the credited response is such. And, also review those questions for which you weren't very confident in your answer, even if you did get them correct. It is not as much fun. And you don't feel like you are accomplishing as much as you would if you just zoomed through and answered as many questions as possible. But it is SO productive.

Also, I don't know where your LG is, but get it to -0. That IS fun. I would just sit there doing game after game after game with a stopwatch. I think I redid half of all games at least 4x. When you don't feel like studying, LG.

I'm really not kidding about just relaxing at least one day a week though, and giving your brain a complete rest from the LSAT. It was not a coincidence that I 178ed after binge-watching television all Saturday. And I knew it, but I just wouldn't let myself take a break, convinced I had to keep studying every. single. day. in order to improve. You can't overload your brain like that. It will rebel.

I was on the fence about taking September in mid-September. My score just jumped within those two weeks. I remember sitting down to a PT and saying, "This is it. If I don't get a 170 or higher on this, I cannot expect a 170+ on this test, and I will postpone straight away. I got a 172. And in those last two weeks I did about 8 PTs with consistent 170s the whole way through. It just clicked. (I still credit Bill for that. My LR spirit animal.)

Anyway, sorry for my novel, too! I'm here if you have any questions. Feel free to PM if I miss something you've written in here.

[sfoglia]

Try this. After a PT day, take the exact same PT again the next day. If you don't 180, you know:

a.) your PT review was lackluster
b.) your repeat-mistakes are your absolute problems, fix those

This is actually gold. It wouldn't seem like it, but it is. GOLD.

I wish I had thought to do that back before September!!

[sfoglia]

Just did a question from PT1...I had NO idea that pit bulls aren't a dog breed. So now I've spent a solid half hour reading about pit bulls. Anyway someone was talking about not taking a Brooklyn College should I take at Pace or Eleanor Roosevelt???

Sfogs had a terrible experience at Brooklyn, so I'd avoid it. It couldn't hurt to visit first, both to plot your route and scope out the testing room. Then go for whichever one floats your boat.

Regrettably, I took it there twice now.

Oh no. Ok thank you both for the advice!

I'll see you at Pace, then! I'll be the bitch in tall suede boots with black Ticonderogas to match. Feel free to wave.

[Shakawkaw]

I'll see you at Pace, then! I'll be the bitch in tall suede boots with black Ticonderogas to match. Feel free to wave.

Are those the boots you bought back in Sept?

[kang]

Just took PT 61 and got a 171. BR-ed at 172

RC: -4/-4
LR: -1/-2
LG: -3/-1
LR: -2/-2

Obviously, the questions that I got wrong are the problems that I'm having trouble with. How do you guys approach the substitute questions for LG?

I'm pretty happy about my LR average, but my LG and RC scores are infuriating!! I think my biggest problem with RC is that I read so goddamn slow...any advice on how to increase my reading speed?

[kang]

And woahh.. so many new people.

[ilikebaseball]

quick question: This is the first time I've managed to catch the "Decision Made" before actually knowing of the decision. How long does it usually take to hear from them? It changed this morning

[Gray]

.

[nlee10]

And woahh.. so many new people.

These new people are lsat veterans.

[ilikebaseball]

quick question: This is the first time I've managed to catch the "Decision Made" before actually knowing of the decision. How long does it usually take to hear from them? It changed this morning

Which school? Same day almost always.

Just Maryland. I expect (With my luck, hope?) to get in, I was just wondering how the process worked. Its weird though, because I've been getting my calls during the early afternoon, and its 4 15 here now

[Shakawkaw]

How do you guys approach the substitute questions for LG?

Watch JY's videos - they're pretty spectacular. He has a "sneak-in" (meaning it adds a new world) vs "knock-out" (meaning it eliminates a world) method. The latter is easier to see - if the AC knocks out some world that isn't allowed with the original rule, you can eliminate that AC as a contender. For sneak-in, if you can come up with a new world that wasn't allowed previously, you can eliminate that AC as well. This is time consuming (especially to test for sneak-in ones). JY suggests skipping rule subbies and doing everything else first.

From the December thread:

If you haven't already, I would watch JY's videos to see how he attacks the questions. He usually suggests skipping it and coming back to it, but I find that this approach, for me at least, either leaves me with no time left to answer it, or I forget until the very last minute and rush/guess.

You look at your original diagram and make a separate diagram eliminating the rule the question tells you to. Go through each answer choice and add it to your amended rule. If it makes connections/inferences that differ categorically from your original, it's wrong. For example:

Original: X-Y-Z
Remove: Y-Z
Amended diagram: X-Y
AC: Z is before Y.
Amended AC diagram: X + Z>Y

While this is a very simple example, it's clear that this answer choice is incorrect because it contradicts the original diagram, where X and Y are before Z.

[ilikebaseball]

What's the latest a school has called you guys thus far for a decision? And have they all called? Or have some just sent email

[NL2424]

..

[JackelJ]

I would focus on quality over quantity. Drill Cambridge Packets (worth the buy even if you already have access to all tests, because the questions increase in difficulty as you proceed through the packet) and REALLY sit there and work through your mental process in having selected the incorrect answer that you did, and why the credited response is such. And, also review those questions for which you weren't very confident in your answer, even if you did get them correct. It is not as much fun. And you don't feel like you are accomplishing as much as you would if you just zoomed through and answered as many questions as possible. But it is SO productive.

Also, I don't know where your LG is, but get it to -0. That IS fun. I would just sit there doing game after game after game with a stopwatch. I think I redid half of all games at least 4x. When you don't feel like studying, LG.

I'm really not kidding about just relaxing at least one day a week though, and giving your brain a complete rest from the LSAT. It was not a coincidence that I 178ed after binge-watching television all Saturday. And I knew it, but I just wouldn't let myself take a break, convinced I had to keep studying every. single. day. in order to improve. You can't overload your brain like that. It will rebel.

I was on the fence about taking September in mid-September. My score just jumped within those two weeks. I remember sitting down to a PT and saying, "This is it. If I don't get a 170 or higher on this, I cannot expect a 170+ on this test, and I will postpone straight away. I got a 172. And in those last two weeks I did about 8 PTs with consistent 170s the whole way through. It just clicked. (I still credit Bill for that. My LR spirit animal.)

Anyway, sorry for my novel, too! I'm here if you have any questions. Feel free to PM if I miss something you've written in here.

Thanks sfogs! I appreciate it. And I have access to all the tests but am definitely planning on buying the Cambridge packets if I postpone to June. Blueprint just divided it up by type and not type and they are hard copy so its a bitch to erase everything.