The Official February 2015 Study Group Forum

Smallville · Post by **Smallville** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:46 pm

JackelJ wrote:
brusselsprouts wrote:Oof I feel SO tired right now. PT 63, 165. Not a surprise at all, down one point from last week, but I really had a horrible week so I wasn't expecting improvement. I was bracing myself for a much bigger drop.
LG: -2 (stupid mistakes not fully comprehending an easy game)
RC: -4 (a bit high for me but pretty standard given the pressure of the test)
LR: -13

I know I can improve my LR, but is it realistic to do so in 25 days? I know if I was able to improve before Feb, that would be my best chance for success given how far away June is and other commitments. But banking on that improvement and deciding by this weekend is terrifying.

My plan this week is BR tomorrow and drill some LR, drill LR Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I'll do Blueprint's last lesson and homework that's with it, Saturday PT and decide about postponing.
If you don't mind losing some money you can cancel the test after this weekend and wait until closer to the test date to see if you improve more to where you are happy. Losing the money now kinda sucks, but in the long run it doesn't matter. I would also relax and try to not worry about it too much. Even if you take it in Feb you can always retake in June or Oct after a break.

Except we all know you'll crush it

GreenTee · Post by **GreenTee** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:56 pm

mizu wrote:
GreenTee wrote:
penncon wrote: GreenTee, I was actually thinking about doing untimed drills nonstop until I more thoroughly internalize LR processes in order to increase my time. I'm pretty confident about my knowledge base and I'm pretty confident I could answer most questions correctly untimed. I was thinking if I just keep knocking questions down, my speed will eventually pick up in the process. Did you drill by question types or did you just complete as many LR sections as possible?
IMO, untimed drilling by type is THE essential LR prep. If you're not making that the bulk of your prep, you're doing it wrong.

For the entirety of my prep period between Sept and Dec, I was doing untimed drilling by type (maybe 100 questions a day on average), and only did timing practice during full PTs. I think the pattern recognition I gleaned from all of that untimed drilling made me crazy efficient on the real test. FWIW, I went -2 total for LR on test day, which was about average for me on PTs. I think the untimed drilling by type made all the difference.

e: By "untimed," to be clear, I just mean that you aren't using a watch. Your main goal should still be to move through the questions as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can.
Hi GT, thank you so much for your insights. Did you also do untimed drills for RC? Do you have any advice for drilling RC? Thanks again.

I did drill RC passages untimed occasionally, but that's just because I was at work, and I couldn't risk doing a full timed section. Most of my RC prep was in the form of full timed sections. I did blind review those sections, and I think it was useful. RC was always my weak point, but I managed to improve significantly with a high volume of drilling.

Sherlock1122 · Post by **Sherlock1122** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:03 pm

Been a while since I have checked in--currently PT'ing 169-172 range. Trying to hit 172+ consistently and would really like to knock this bad boy out in Feb. Does anyone have any advice or study plans for the final 3/4 weeks of prep? Best of luck to everyone else studying instead of watching the game tonight!

Big Red · Post by **Big Red** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:13 pm

Sherlock1122 wrote:Been a while since I have checked in--currently PT'ing 169-172 range. Trying to hit 172+ consistently and would really like to knock this bad boy out in Feb. Does anyone have any advice or study plans for the final 3/4 weeks of prep? Best of luck to everyone else studying instead of watching the game tonight!

I'm getting into drilling weaknesses and PTing as much as I can make myself do, but without about a week left if I recall correctly it starts to hit the fan at which point I think comfort matters more than your plan.

So I took a PT today and I noticed that sometimes I read the stim first and other times I go and look at the question type. So far in my BR it looks like it went OK - but is this something I should be correcting?

nlee10 · Post by **nlee10** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:15 pm

PT 53 Summary
LR1: 23/25 BR: 24/25
LG: 21/23 BR: 23/23 (made 2 really silly mistakes -_- but considered this an easier section)
LR2: 23/25 BR: 24/25
RC: 20/27 BR:

168

ETA: someone teach me RC!!

Smallville · Post by **Smallville** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:17 pm

Big Red wrote:
Sherlock1122 wrote:Been a while since I have checked in--currently PT'ing 169-172 range. Trying to hit 172+ consistently and would really like to knock this bad boy out in Feb. Does anyone have any advice or study plans for the final 3/4 weeks of prep? Best of luck to everyone else studying instead of watching the game tonight!
I'm getting into drilling weaknesses and PTing as much as I can make myself do, but without about a week left if I recall correctly it starts to hit the fan at which point I think comfort matters more than your plan.

So I took a PT today and I noticed that sometimes I read the stim first and other times I go and look at the question type. So far in my BR it looks like it went OK - but is this something I should be correcting?

if its natural and doesn't hinder you I don't think so, though if you tend to do better on ones you do a certain way its something to look into (unless its the same question type and then maybe you just do better bc of the type) but the point is to find something that works for you and you're comfortable with so if it works for you keep it

Sherlock1122 · Post by **Sherlock1122** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:34 pm

Big Red wrote:
Sherlock1122 wrote:Been a while since I have checked in--currently PT'ing 169-172 range. Trying to hit 172+ consistently and would really like to knock this bad boy out in Feb. Does anyone have any advice or study plans for the final 3/4 weeks of prep? Best of luck to everyone else studying instead of watching the game tonight!
I'm getting into drilling weaknesses and PTing as much as I can make myself do, but without about a week left if I recall correctly it starts to hit the fan at which point I think comfort matters more than your plan.

So I took a PT today and I noticed that sometimes I read the stim first and other times I go and look at the question type. So far in my BR it looks like it went OK - but is this something I should be correcting?

I actually find myself doing this every once in a while as well. Try to notice what sort of questions are prompting this response. For example I notice I do it when I see long passages. I think it helps calm my nerves of getting through pointless background info to get to the core of the argument. In my opinion, not the worst habit in the world if it seems to be working for you. 95% of the time I read stimulus first.

mizu · Post by **mizu** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:40 pm

GreenTee wrote:I did drill RC passages untimed occasionally, but that's just because I was at work, and I couldn't risk doing a full timed section. Most of my RC prep was in the form of full timed sections. I did blind review those sections, and I think it was useful. RC was always my weak point, but I managed to improve significantly with a high volume of drilling.

Thanks for the tip. Did you end up re-doing all the RC sections at least twice as you did with LR and LG?

Sherlock1122 · Post by **Sherlock1122** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:40 pm

nlee10 wrote:PT 53 Summary
LR1: 23/25 BR: 24/25
LG: 21/23 BR: 23/23 (made 2 really silly mistakes -_- but considered this an easier section)
LR2: 23/25 BR: 24/25
RC: 20/27 BR:
168

ETA: someone teach me RC!!

I'm by no means an RC expert, but I will say I eliminated the outlier scores from my practice tests. The most I have missed in the past few months has been -4, but generally I'm 0-2. The LSAT Trainer provides a great framework and some really usable tips that impacted my scores almost immediately. Check out this article on how to review reading comp if you have a sec--maybe you can try it on your -7. Cheers!

http://www.thelsattrainer.com/reading-comp-posts.html

GreenTee · Post by **GreenTee** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:44 pm

mizu wrote:
GreenTee wrote:I did drill RC passages untimed occasionally, but that's just because I was at work, and I couldn't risk doing a full timed section. Most of my RC prep was in the form of full timed sections. I did blind review those sections, and I think it was useful. RC was always my weak point, but I managed to improve significantly with a high volume of drilling.
Thanks for the tip. Did you end up re-doing all the RC sections at least twice as you did with LR and LG?

Yes, I did every passage from 1-73 at least twice over the course of my prep.

nlee10 · Post by **nlee10** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:45 pm

Sherlock1122 wrote: I'm by no means an RC expert, but I will say I eliminated the outlier scores from my practice tests. The most I have missed in the past few months has been -4, but generally I'm 0-2. The LSAT Trainer provides a great framework and some really usable tips that impacted my scores almost immediately. Check out this article on how to review reading comp if you have a sec--maybe you can try it on your -7. Cheers!

http://www.thelsattrainer.com/reading-comp-posts.html

Thanks. I actually started rereading the Trainer last night! It was my first prep book starting out so I probably didn't make the best use out of it lol. If I can get a -3 next month I'll be so happy.

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:51 pm

gamerish · Post by **gamerish** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:00 pm

Post removed...

leslieknope · Post by **leslieknope** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:03 pm

RC makes me feel like such an aspie. Like how am I supposed to know the difference between "clear respect" and "scholarly appreciation," Jesus Christ.

BR of yesterday's shitshow is going mostly okay aside from RC, though. Onwards to drilling.

ilikebaseball · Post by **ilikebaseball** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:04 pm

leslieknope wrote:RC makes me feel like such an aspie. Like how am I supposed to know the difference between "clear respect" and "scholarly appreciation," Jesus Christ.

BR of yesterday's shitshow is going mostly okay aside from RC, though. Onwards to drilling.

hahaha i know exactly what you're talking about. I totally missed one today where the answer was "unbridled appreciation" and I picked "unreserved approval" you kidding me?

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:09 pm

RZ5646 · Post by **RZ5646** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:14 pm

gamerish wrote:How long did it take you guys to not be complete shit at games? It's still taking me almost 20 minutes to do a full game and I rarely go -0 even with that much time.

The second time through your times will be cut in half. How much of that is due to improvement and how much is due to remembering things, however, will remain a mystery.

brusselsprouts · Post by **brusselsprouts** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:19 pm

JackelJ wrote:
brusselsprouts wrote:Oof I feel SO tired right now. PT 63, 165. Not a surprise at all, down one point from last week, but I really had a horrible week so I wasn't expecting improvement. I was bracing myself for a much bigger drop.
LG: -2 (stupid mistakes not fully comprehending an easy game)
RC: -4 (a bit high for me but pretty standard given the pressure of the test)
LR: -13

I know I can improve my LR, but is it realistic to do so in 25 days? I know if I was able to improve before Feb, that would be my best chance for success given how far away June is and other commitments. But banking on that improvement and deciding by this weekend is terrifying.

My plan this week is BR tomorrow and drill some LR, drill LR Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I'll do Blueprint's last lesson and homework that's with it, Saturday PT and decide about postponing.
If you don't mind losing some money you can cancel the test after this weekend and wait until closer to the test date to see if you improve more to where you are happy. Losing the money now kinda sucks, but in the long run it doesn't matter. I would also relax and try to not worry about it too much. Even if you take it in Feb you can always retake in June or Oct after a break.

Yeah I know.. I'm 100% overthinking it. TLS has convinced me there's no way I'm prepared if I'm not already scoring 170+ but we still have lots of time! And maybe if I only talk poositively about it form here out I'll get there very soon.

And thanks smallville for the encouragement!

ilikebaseball · Post by **ilikebaseball** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:20 pm

brusselsprouts wrote:
JackelJ wrote:
brusselsprouts wrote:Oof I feel SO tired right now. PT 63, 165. Not a surprise at all, down one point from last week, but I really had a horrible week so I wasn't expecting improvement. I was bracing myself for a much bigger drop.
LG: -2 (stupid mistakes not fully comprehending an easy game)
RC: -4 (a bit high for me but pretty standard given the pressure of the test)
LR: -13

I know I can improve my LR, but is it realistic to do so in 25 days? I know if I was able to improve before Feb, that would be my best chance for success given how far away June is and other commitments. But banking on that improvement and deciding by this weekend is terrifying.

My plan this week is BR tomorrow and drill some LR, drill LR Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I'll do Blueprint's last lesson and homework that's with it, Saturday PT and decide about postponing.
If you don't mind losing some money you can cancel the test after this weekend and wait until closer to the test date to see if you improve more to where you are happy. Losing the money now kinda sucks, but in the long run it doesn't matter. I would also relax and try to not worry about it too much. Even if you take it in Feb you can always retake in June or Oct after a break.
Yeah I know.. I'm 100% overthinking it. TLS has convinced me there's no way I'm prepared if I'm not already scoring 170+ but we still have lots of time! And maybe if I only talk poositively about it form here out I'll get there very soon.

And thanks smallville for the encouragement!

before september, I had my biggest breakthrough 2 weeks until the test for LR. Just keep working, and sometimes it just clicks. I cant even explain it.

Smallville · Post by **Smallville** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:21 pm

nlee10 wrote:
Sherlock1122 wrote: I'm by no means an RC expert, but I will say I eliminated the outlier scores from my practice tests. The most I have missed in the past few months has been -4, but generally I'm 0-2. The LSAT Trainer provides a great framework and some really usable tips that impacted my scores almost immediately. Check out this article on how to review reading comp if you have a sec--maybe you can try it on your -7. Cheers!

http://www.thelsattrainer.com/reading-comp-posts.html
Thanks. I actually started rereading the Trainer last night! It was my first prep book starting out so I probably didn't make the best use out of it lol. If I can get a -3 next month I'll be so happy.

Man if only I had all day everyday lol I thought about rereading parts of the trainer but with such restricted time I don't think it's the best use of my time

nlee10 · Post by **nlee10** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:22 pm

ilikebaseball wrote: before september, I had my biggest breakthrough 2 weeks until the test for LR. Just keep working, and sometimes it just clicks. I cant even explain it.

Yup....I had my LR breakthrough when I was going through the 7Sage curriculum and drilling Cambridge for a month.
Yet to find my RC epiphany though.

NL2424 · Post by **NL2424** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:23 pm

ilikebaseball · Post by **ilikebaseball** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:24 pm

nlee10 wrote:
ilikebaseball wrote: before september, I had my biggest breakthrough 2 weeks until the test for LR. Just keep working, and sometimes it just clicks. I cant even explain it.
Yup....I had my LR breakthrough when I was going through the 7Sage curriculum and drilling Cambridge for a month.
Yet to find my RC epiphany though.

I haven't found the light yet, but I can honestly say I'm getting a little better just by doing it every.day.of.prep. I am now in a strong 3-7 range, when I was about 5-10. LR is usually 5 or less also, yesterday was jut an ordinarily strong LR PT

gamerish · Post by **gamerish** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:24 pm

Post removed...

JackelJ · Post by **JackelJ** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:31 pm

brusselsprouts wrote: Yeah I know.. I'm 100% overthinking it. TLS has convinced me there's no way I'm prepared if I'm not already scoring 170+ but we still have lots of time! And maybe if I only talk poositively about it form here out I'll get there very soon.

And thanks smallville for the encouragement!

Superman is right, you will do great. And TLS can get crazy and overwhelming sometimes when it seems like everyone here scores really high. But take it when you feel like you are ready based on your goals, not at the arbitrary 170+ cutoff that exists on here. And yes, plenty of time and stay positive