The Official September 2014 Study Group Forum

[BillPackets]

Would u write me a letter of rec just PM if yes

Dear Admission Committee,

I am writing you on behalf of BillPackets. Among his peers, Bill is known as the @LSAT_rainman, which gives a clear indication of his superior intellectual abilities. He has been livening up TLS with his keen insights, sense of humor, and team spirit. Assuming he will be allowed to bring his electric brain stimulator to class (and the courtroom), I have no doubt he will excel both as a student in your law school, and as a lawyer upon graduation. You will not regret admitting this fine young man.

Regards,

Dr. Onehand

Omg ok y'all r killin it ONE EIGHTY!!!!!! PM me so I can send this in!!!!!

[Gray]

.

[hetookmetoamovie]

Would u write me a letter of rec just PM if yes

Dear Admission Committee,

I am writing you on behalf of BillPackets. Among his peers, Bill is known as the @LSAT_rainman, which gives a clear indication of his superior intellectual abilities. He has been livening up TLS with his keen insights, sense of humor, and team spirit. Assuming he will be allowed to bring his electric brain stimulator to class (and the courtroom), I have no doubt he will excel both as a student in your law school, and as a lawyer upon graduation. You will not regret admitting this fine young man.

Regards,

Dr. Onehand

hahahahahaha!!!

Btw for my Tar, R.M. Nixon's foreign policy will have to do until I can figure out how I can possibly capture Patrick Swayze's spirit in 130x130 pixels.

[GreenTee]

Vocab question: What is the meaning of the word "preponderance" in the context of PT67, RC Q7, answer choice D?

I usually don't run into vocabulary problems on the LSAT, but this is one case where I'm absolutely sure I got the question wrong because I didn't understand the specific meaning of a critical word.

Is this question asking whether Tucker's acting technique was analyzed based on ALL of his films, MOST of his films, or just 'a substantial number?' I assumed a preponderance in logical terms just equated to 'some.' The passage says the analysis was based on "ten still available films." Obviously (according to the answer sheet), ten films doesn't constitute "a preponderance." So what exactly does that word mean here?

[mornincounselor]

Post removed.

[AOT]

Vocab question: What is the meaning of the word "preponderance" in the context of PT67, RC Q7, answer choice D?

I usually don't run into vocabulary problems on the LSAT, but this is one case where I'm absolutely sure I got the question wrong because I didn't understand the specific meaning of a critical word.

Is this question asking whether Tucker's acting technique was analyzed based on ALL of his films, MOST of his films, or just 'a substantial number?' I assumed a preponderance in logical terms just equated to 'some.' The passage says the analysis was based on "ten still available films." Obviously (according to the answer sheet), ten films doesn't constitute "a preponderance." So what exactly does that word mean here?

most

(10 is only half his known films)

[GreenTee]

Good to know! Thanks guys.

/illiteracy

[sfoglia]

Feeling kinda bummed this evening. I did the June 14 RC section and missed 5. I've been drilling RC passages lately (didn't start until recently) but am still missing a lot. Not sure if it's because I'm not reading closely enough or what. Reading for structure has helped me but I'm still missing a lot.

Don't want this to get lost

Missing any particular type of Q? Inference ? MSS ?

Thanks, Bill. It appears as though I am mostly missing Inference questions, Author Most Likely To Agree With, and Weaken questions.

I have strong "Author Most Likely" skills. I think a lot of it has to do with identifying the author's position. The best way to do that is to pay attention to small word choice. The language in all passages is very elevated - strong writers consciously chose words that will express precisely what they want - and so the connotations of some words over others are of serious importance. How can I explain? It's like the difference between:

1. "With frequent use of his tDCS, BillPackets has discovered that he harbors mathematical potential that lay previously untapped."
2. "Indeed, with his frequent use of the newly patented tDCS, BillPackets has been proven to hold mathematical abilities that lie well beyond the bounds of anything that he could have anticipated."
3. "Increasing use of a machine called the 'tDCS' has led BillPackets to conclude that he has stronger mathematical ability than he had originally imagined."
4. "With his ever-increasing use of said 'tDCS' machine, BillPackets claims to have tapped into a mathematical potential which he believes was not previously present."

Then, when you go to the answer choices for an AML, you see how they choose these very specific words, too. The easy ones will focus on degree ("all, most, some"), but the more difficult questions will include very precise verbage that you have to unpack. Say, the difference between answer choices that uses the word "preoccupied with" vs. "concerned with" vs. "attentive to" vs. "interested in." The author's bias is your key to choosing the correct answer, IME.

Does that make sense? Let me know if you want to go over a specific passage. This is one of the few areas with which I can actually help, so I'm more than happy to, if you'd like.

[Colonel_funkadunk]

Feeling kinda bummed this evening. I did the June 14 RC section and missed 5. I've been drilling RC passages lately (didn't start until recently) but am still missing a lot. Not sure if it's because I'm not reading closely enough or what. Reading for structure has helped me but I'm still missing a lot.

Don't want this to get lost

Missing any particular type of Q? Inference ? MSS ?

Thanks, Bill. It appears as though I am mostly missing Inference questions, Author Most Likely To Agree With, and Weaken questions.

I have strong "Author Most Likely" skills. I think a lot of it has to do with identifying the author's position. The best way to do that is to pay attention to small word choice. The language in all passages is very elevated - strong writers consciously chose words that will express precisely what they want - and so the connotations of some words over others are of serious importance. How can I explain? It's like the difference between:

1. "With frequent use of his tDCS, BillPackets has discovered that he harbors mathematical potential that lay previously untapped."
2. "Indeed, with his frequent use of the newly patented tDCS, BillPackets has been proven to hold mathematical abilities that lie well beyond the bounds of anything that he could have anticipated."
3. "Increasing use of a machine called the 'tDCS' has led BillPackets to conclude that he has stronger mathematical ability than he had originally imagined."
4. "With his ever-increasing use of said 'tDCS' machine, BillPackets claims to have tapped into a mathematical potential which he believes was not previously present."

Then, when you go to the answer choices for an AML, you see how they choose these very specific words, too. The easy ones will focus on degree ("all, most, some"), but the more difficult questions will include very precise verbage that you have to unpack. Say, the difference between answer choices that uses the word "preoccupied with" vs. "concerned with" vs. "attentive to" vs. "interested in." The author's bias is your key to choosing the correct answer, IME.

Does that make sense? Let me know if you want to go over a specific passage. This is one of the few areas with which I can actually help, so I'm more than happy to, if you'd like.

Idk whether to laugh at the TDCS or just say good explanation, but that was a solid post 4 anyone who Needs RC help

[sashafierce]

Just took PT65 160

LR1 -5
LR2 -8
RC -8
LG -7 (guessed on the 5 questions on the last LG game and got them all wrong due to time)


Pretty sure that I should postpone until December. I blind reviewed the two LR sections before I scored the test and realized this:
1. 7 misses were due to being down to two answer choices and choosing the wrong answer
2. 2 were guesses due to time
3. 4 were wtf type questions where I had absolutely no idea what I was reading

Also 90% of my LR misses are Level 1 and 2 questions like seriously wtf

RC is within my range, I am drilling right now so hopefully I should be able to get it down to -2 to -3

My last three scores have been 160--162--160, I am starting to think that maybe I have reached my peak and should just call it quits and sit the exam in September but I dunno. Maybe I am just plateauing and need to approach prep differently. Not sure

[sfoglia]

Just took PT65 160

LR1 -5
LR2 -8
RC -8
LG -7 (guessed on the 5 questions on the last LG game and got them all wrong due to time)


Pretty sure that I should postpone until December. I blind reviewed the two LR sections before I scored the test and realized this:
1. 7 misses were due to being down to two answer choices and choosing the wrong answer
2. 2 were guesses due to time
3. 4 were wtf type questions where I had absolutely no idea what I was reading

Also 90% of my LR misses are Level 1 and 2 questions like seriously wtf

RC is within my range, I am drilling right now so hopefully I should be able to get it down to -2 to -3

My last three scores have been 160--162--160, I am starting to think that maybe I have reached my peak and should just call it quits and sit the exam in September but I dunno. Maybe I am just plateauing and need to approach prep differently. Not sure

I'm very sorry to read this. I'm skeptical about whether I should take the test in September, too; hoping to be proven wrong this weekend with my two scheduled PTs.

For LR, if you're between two answers, maybe that's a good sign that you just need more drilling? Maybe it has something to do with being pressed for time that you choose the wrong one?

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I commiserate and I know how much it sucks to feel like maybe this is as good as it's going to get.

[ErgoSum]

When you guys are drilling, do you do them all timed, all at once, hold some off for later, do some at your own pace or any combination of that? I have around 100 each of question type from the LR section, and I'm not sure if I want to just devote a day for each and get through all of them, do some untimed and then do the rest timed, or mix up chunks of different question types daily for the next two weeks.

[BillPackets]

Feeling kinda bummed this evening. I did the June 14 RC section and missed 5. I've been drilling RC passages lately (didn't start until recently) but am still missing a lot. Not sure if it's because I'm not reading closely enough or what. Reading for structure has helped me but I'm still missing a lot.

Don't want this to get lost

Missing any particular type of Q? Inference ? MSS ?

Thanks, Bill. It appears as though I am mostly missing Inference questions, Author Most Likely To Agree With, and Weaken questions.

I have strong "Author Most Likely" skills. I think a lot of it has to do with identifying the author's position. The best way to do that is to pay attention to small word choice. The language in all passages is very elevated - strong writers consciously chose words that will express precisely what they want - and so the connotations of some words over others are of serious importance. How can I explain? It's like the difference between:

1. "With frequent use of his tDCS, BillPackets has discovered that he harbors mathematical potential that lay previously untapped."
2. "Indeed, with his frequent use of the newly patented tDCS, BillPackets has been proven to hold mathematical abilities that lie well beyond the bounds of anything that he could have anticipated."
3. "Increasing use of a machine called the 'tDCS' has led BillPackets to conclude that he has stronger mathematical ability than he had originally imagined."
4. "With his ever-increasing use of said 'tDCS' machine, BillPackets claims to have tapped into a mathematical potential which he believes was not previously present."

Then, when you go to the answer choices for an AML, you see how they choose these very specific words, too. The easy ones will focus on degree ("all, most, some"), but the more difficult questions will include very precise verbage that you have to unpack. Say, the difference between answer choices that uses the word "preoccupied with" vs. "concerned with" vs. "attentive to" vs. "interested in." The author's bias is your key to choosing the correct answer, IME.

Does that make sense? Let me know if you want to go over a specific passage. This is one of the few areas with which I can actually help, so I'm more than happy to, if you'd like.

That's another 180 poast and I'll just reiterate what was said about language choice and verbiage bc wrong answer choices on inference Qs will sometimes hinge on something as simple as a plural (i.e. the author was talking about a singular thing and this answer choice is talking about at least 2 things). I typically do well on RC but sometimes I get an inference Q and I'm just like wtf is going on here and it comes down to noticing those little things

[sashafierce]

I'm very sorry to read this. I'm skeptical about whether I should take the test in September, too; hoping to be proven wrong this weekend with my two scheduled PTs.

For LR, if you're between two answers, maybe that's a good sign that you just need more drilling? Maybe it has something to do with being pressed for time that you choose the wrong one?

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I commiserate and I know how much it sucks to feel like maybe this is as good as it's going to get.

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing as well. I was like if I score 170 on this PT then I am sitting the exam


Completely random but while drilling RC I missed a question on PT8 P3 because I did not know the meaning of the word "ostensible" (I keep track of all my RC errors so I know what Im doing wrong). I added the word to my "RC new words list" Word file and low and behold PT65 P2 tested your understanding of the word....I got it right this time...lol...lol....lol

[schmelling]

Post removed.

[sashafierce]

Top scorers, when your down to two attractive answer choices do you:
1. Go back to the stimulus and read the facts or premise + conclusion or
2. Try to find the difference between the two answer choices

I think that I do more of 2. and less of 1. which is what maybe the reason for me choosing so many contenders rather than actual correct answers.

[ErgoSum]

When you guys are drilling, do you do them all timed, all at once, hold some off for later, do some at your own pace or any combination of that? I have around 100 each of question type from the LR section, and I'm not sure if I want to just devote a day for each and get through all of them, do some untimed and then do the rest timed, or mix up chunks of different question types daily for the next two weeks.

I have a bunch of Q's of different types too. I am doing all of the question type straight through, though not necessarily all in one day (some of them are over 250). My timing is okay so I am not sweating timing, just making sure to be methodical and work expeditiously. If timing is still an issue I might due half of them (every other one if theyre arranged by difficulty) while timing up with a stopwatch rather than giving myself limit. Then, do the other half while trying to cut that time down.

Thanks! Yea my timing is fine - I usually finish LR with ~10 minutes to spare. I was just nervous that by going through them (the questions I have of a specific type) all, I would run out of questions to use as "maintainance" drills.

[Colonel_funkadunk]

Top scorers, when your down to two attractive answer choices do you:
1. Go back to the stimulus and read the facts or premise + conclusion or
2. Try to find the difference between the two answer choices

I think that I do more of 2. and less of 1. which is what maybe the reason for me choosing so many contenders rather than actual correct answers.

IMHO number 2 is a really bad idea. I mean If I'm narrowed down to 2 and I can't get it for sure after thinking about it for a few seconds I definitely re read the main portion of the argument at least bc often I may miss a word or term shift or something and then it makes TCR clear. You can think yourself in a circle just jumping back n forth between the 2

[schmelling]

Post removed.

[sfoglia]

When you guys are drilling, do you do them all timed, all at once, hold some off for later, do some at your own pace or any combination of that? I have around 100 each of question type from the LR section, and I'm not sure if I want to just devote a day for each and get through all of them, do some untimed and then do the rest timed, or mix up chunks of different question types daily for the next two weeks.

I have a bunch of Q's of different types too. I am doing all of the question type straight through, though not necessarily all in one day (some of them are over 250). My timing is okay so I am not sweating timing, just making sure to be methodical and work expeditiously. If timing is still an issue I might due half of them (every other one if theyre arranged by difficulty) while timing up with a stopwatch rather than giving myself limit. Then, do the other half while trying to cut that time down.

I time myself when doing LG and when doing whole sections, but I haven't been with drilling the Cambridge LR, packets. Trying to sort out my logical errors and stuff, so being very deliberate and writing down rationale for my answer choice and stuff. That said, I'm trying to get through as much material as I possibly can as quickly as I can. I did the 180+ question Strengthen packet between yesterday and today, the Weaken basically in one day, and I'm going to have to start re-reading the Trainer soon, so I am definitely feeling like I do not have enough time to get through everything I want/need to.

Off to do the "Miscellaneous" LGs packet now...

[schmelling]

Post removed.

[ErgoSum]

I do not have enough time.

This

[hillz]

Thanks, sfogs! I am going to work on paying more attention to connotation & the difference a single word can make. I'm planning on trying again tomorrow so if I get stuck, I'll post and see if you can help. I know I can do better! I think I've figured out how to read for structure but now I need to work on reading the answer choices more carefully. I've learned with LR that there's always a single answer and it's just about looking for the little things (sometimes blatant, though) that make an answer wrong. It seems like the same is true of RC sometimes, especially when it comes down to 2 seemingly right answers.

[sashafierce]

Option 1 every single time.

IMHO number 2 is a really bad idea.

That's the thing, I started keeping track of my LR errors by writing out exactly what I did on that question and the reason is usually because I do more of 2. and less of 1. Also I've found that when I realize that I am stuck and decide to skip the question and then come back to it I usually get it right the second time because I'm forced to re-read the stimulus.

Fucking bad habits

[Gray]

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