People who went in cold and scored 170+, PLEASE HELP! Forum

mr. wednesday · Post by **mr. wednesday** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 2:16 pm

I took it cold (this was before I knew about TLS) and my strategy was reading every question and then trying to pick the right answer.

gatorchomps · Post by **gatorchomps** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 4:20 pm

I have nothing to add; I just wanted to be a part of this epic thread.

Also, studying is both sufficient and necessary.

That is all.

modusponen · Post by **modusponen** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:06 pm

Began my prep in earnest by looking up the definition of neprep. Turns out its the amalgamation of prick and asshole into one person.

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:09 pm

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iamgeorgebush · Post by **iamgeorgebush** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:17 pm

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:21 pm

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neprep · Post by **neprep** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 3:22 am

PourMeTea wrote:
modusponen wrote:Began my prep in earnest by looking up the definition of neprep. Turns out its the amalgamation of prick and asshole into one person.
Sounds like you're on track.

Hahahaha FINALLY I achieve the bad boy status I've been yearning for all these months.

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 3:29 am

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ratiller · Post by **ratiller** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:22 pm

Wow did that sound douchy after a second read, I am sorry..

@OP there's really no workaround, if you're going to score in the 99th percentile (or better) then you generally have to belong there either through natural talent or hard work or both. Going in blind is an awful strategy because even if you can hit 170 cold that doesn't mean you couldn't hit 180 with a few months of studying

Pneumonia · Post by **Pneumonia** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:01 pm

People that make 170 cold do not employ "strategies," and definitely not anything that they could share with other; they are just really smart.

The test is explicitly designed to be a test of skill rather than of knowledge, so you can't game it (I tried). Your question is rather akin to asking a bunch of marathon runners which pair of shoes will give you the ability to run 50 miles, so I'm sure you can understand the negative reaction, especially given the particularly asinine way in which you phrased it. It in both cases there is no magic bullet, only practice, which is something you'll need to accept if you want to do well.

No one is doubting that you made straight A's through undergrad with minimal studying, wrote A+ papers the night before they were due, or were generally the smartest person in your class. This description fits pretty much everyone here; the pyramid is narrower, and even so we all had to put in our time with the test to get good scores.

That said, since there are a bunch of smart people here there are some great resources available to you here as well. The only barrier between most people and a 170+ is time, and most people give up before having spent the requisite amount. You can do well, just look around these boards and don't give up. Also, wtrc is a smart dude so you'd be well served to take him up on his offer.

btw, I was 99th cold ACT/SAT and it took me at least 50 hours to achieve consistent 170+ on the test, probably closer to 100. These estimates do not take into account time spent researching the test and reading guides on TLS, in which case they would be much higher.

SteelPenguin · Post by **SteelPenguin** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:16 pm

ratiller wrote:If you're not arrogant enough to believe you can do it simply by showing up sorry but i doubt you'll get a 170+ without any practice, fram of reference, my diagnostic was around 170 and my SAT cold was about 1760 when i was 12 and a 2400 when i took it as a senior

lol

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:22 pm

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DrStudMuffin · Post by **DrStudMuffin** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:24 pm

SteelPenguin wrote:This is without a doubt the worst thread I've seen posted here all year.

mhaas · Post by **mhaas** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:29 pm

modusponen wrote:People who have gone into test day with minimal or no prep and scored 170+, I need your help! What strategy did you use while taking the test that helped you? Is it as simple as making inferences and guessing a letter multiple times across sections? While I am going through preptests and understanding why some answers are right and others are wrong, I know that there surely has to be a way to infer and BS some things to make it to the promised land. Please share your stories of survival and triumph.

TCR is C.

HTH

Pneumonia · Post by **Pneumonia** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:39 pm

PourMeTea wrote: Well said, Pneumonia. What would you suggest for someone who has only 5 weeks left to prepare?

what i normally suggest is to ignore everything accept LG, while taking (and reviewing) PT's to maintain your LR/RC levels. Specifically though you want to think in terms of which points are the "easiest" to pick up. Don't spend time on RC unless you're already -2 or better (consistently) on LG and -3 or better (consistently) on LR. Even then I'd say your time is better spent with LG/LR than with RC unless you're -8/9 or worse on RC.

I'd look at what you missed, ask what your most easily correctable mistakes were and drill those. choosing what you're willing to miss is as important as getting better at your weaknesses. this includes things like always skipping Parallel Flaw and difficult rule replacement in LG. You can always come back to them if time permits.

mindarmed · Post by **mindarmed** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:58 pm

wtrc wrote:
PourMeTea wrote:
thewaves wrote:Actually the LSAC illuminati embed a code into each test that you can crack to unlock the "promised land." A BA in Symbology from Harvard should help prepare you.
Please do not troll in the on-topics.
Mods, if you're looking for someone to be promoted, I think this TeaGirl is a good candidate.

can one's white knighting be more egregious?

PourMeTea · Post by **PourMeTea** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 6:26 pm

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IgosduIkana · Post by **IgosduIkana** » Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:35 am

For what it's worth (not much at all, your approach is awful and IF you apply it to other sectors of your life you are doomed, please refrain from reproduction kindly) I think I remember seeing that D is more often the correct answer than the others by a very small percentage.

SteelPenguin · Post by **SteelPenguin** » Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:18 pm

IgosduIkana wrote:For what it's worth (not much at all, your approach is awful and IF you apply it to other sectors of your life you are doomed, please refrain from reproduction kindly) I think I remember seeing that D is more often the correct answer than the others by a very small percentage.

As of last year, D was the correct answer most often, except for the last 5 or so questions, where E was the most common correct answer.

aesth24 · Post by **aesth24** » Wed Nov 06, 2013 4:24 pm

modusponen wrote:People who have gone into test day with minimal or no prep and scored 170+, I need your help! What strategy did you use while taking the test that helped you? Is it as simple as making inferences and guessing a letter multiple times across sections? While I am going through preptests and understanding why some answers are right and others are wrong, I know that there surely has to be a way to infer and BS some things to make it to the promised land. Please share your stories of survival and triumph.

Yes, the strategy is to eliminate the wrong answers and pick the right answer. If you want a 170+, then you gotta pick lots of right answers.