The 160s Club! Join all ye 170 hopefuls! Forum

[BigJiggaJ87]

In case anyone is interested, I recently started doing LR sections from back to front. LR has been my toughest section and I missed most questions in the last half (no surprise). So I start in the back when I have the most focus and work towards the front where the easier questions are, as I lose focus. So far I have in no way compromised my score on the earlier questions and I have seen very good gains in the latter half of the test.

For me, this is something that could be the key to an overall higher score, so I thought it might be applicable to someone else.

I'm going to try this later tonight.

[ruleser]

June 2006:
LG -3 (note: I printed from PowerScore site, and there was a typo in one of the games (the one I got -3 on) that listed a variable as I in the list, but then J for the rest of the game)
LR1 -1
RC -1 (Not the easiest RC, so pretty happy)
LR2 -2 (a bit annoyed)

Total: -7=173

I had taken the long weekend off, so first test back. Had been getting straight 175's - might have been the same without that typo in LG's. In any case, good to know I'm back to about where I was - now for the last few week push to finally beat 175 - at least for at least one damned PT.

[Kulax22]

I just finished 51 and got my highest yet raw and and scaled scores: 92 / 173 . I think that everyone is finding this test easy because all, or at least most, of its games were disected in the LGB.

The games were WAY easy, I thought.

However, when completing the LGB, I strictly avoided any games which were post-2000 for this exact reason. I didn't want them to influence my 50+ PT performance. So I had never seen any of these games before.

.... for you at least

did well on PT51 too, then just realized the LGB had 2 of those questions.

Fact is, I did them so long ago I didn't remember them... not to say they are not relatively easy. But I think if you've done them months back, it's almost good as new...

[Stanford4Me]

I have apparently been spending too much time answering LR questions. On my diag I was at 85% correct on both LR sections combined, I dropped to averaging about -5 on each section, and over the past few weeks (after spending less time thinking about the questions) I have dropped back down to -1/-2 on each section. Hopefully this will help bump me over the 167 hump I've been at.

[Sandro]

my last three LR sections (-8,-6,-10, newer LR's) I dont know if its cause I haven touched LR in a couple weeks or what. But before that I was getting around -4 on the older LR's. Any suggestions? I'm running out of time due to questions completely befuddiling me, should I stick to untimed then switch to timed?

[georgetown.hopeful]

September LSAT in two weeks... problems with timing... help?

My PTs are running mid to high 160s with a high of 167 (today!)

My main hurdle seems to be games. On my diagnostic I missed just six, then went through the LG Bible, which improved my accuracy to almost 100% (untimed) but I slowed WAAAAAY down. I can only finish 2.5 games on timed PTs, and I'm still scoring almost where I want to be...

So if someone could help me jump this hurdle, I would really appreciate it. Obviously more time to do more PTs would help, but if someone just has a few suggestions here and there, that would be awesome.

THANKS! (And good luck with the last two weeks for all of you September takers!)

[dakatz]

September LSAT in two weeks... problems with timing... help?

My PTs are running mid to high 160s with a high of 167 (today!)

My main hurdle seems to be games. On my diagnostic I missed just six, then went through the LG Bible, which improved my accuracy to almost 100% (untimed) but I slowed WAAAAAY down. I can only finish 2.5 games on timed PTs, and I'm still scoring almost where I want to be...

So if someone could help me jump this hurdle, I would really appreciate it. Obviously more time to do more PTs would help, but if someone just has a few suggestions here and there, that would be awesome.

THANKS! (And good luck with the last two weeks for all of you September takers!)

I do the same games over and over again until I can see all the deductions and figure out a quick way of answering the questions that I might have missed the first time around. Obviously I don't mean doing a game again immediately after doing it the first time. But if you wait 1 or 2 weeks, then the particular answers and deductions should have faded from your mind so you can attack it once again. I almost always improve on my second try. And then I apply the same habits to new games of the same type. Honestly, I considered myself a mess at games about a month ago, and now I never get more than 2 wrong a section, with most sections coming in at -0 or -1 if I make one dumb mistake. The key for me was mastering the easy game types. I can do linear games very quickly, and grouping games have become much more comfortable to me during my prepcourse. So I knock those 2 off in about 10 minutes. This leaves me with a ton of time to tackle the harder games that I might not be too comfortable with.

[teaadntoast]

I do the same games over and over again until I can see all the deductions and figure out a quick way of answering the questions that I might have missed the first time around. Obviously I don't mean doing a game again immediately after doing it the first time. But if you wait 1 or 2 weeks, then the particular answers and deductions should have faded from your mind so you can attack it once again. I almost always improve on my second try. And then I apply the same habits to new games of the same type. Honestly, I considered myself a mess at games about a month ago, and now I never get more than 2 wrong a section, with most sections coming in at -0 or -1 if I make one dumb mistake. The key for me was mastering the easy game types. I can do linear games very quickly, and grouping games have become much more comfortable to me during my prepcourse. So I knock those 2 off in about 10 minutes. This leaves me with a ton of time to tackle the harder games that I might not be too comfortable with.

+ elevendy billion

This is precisely what I did and it helped enormously.

[solotee]

Yea so I have no choice but to take a hit on my RC. I remember in 6th grade I was testing at a 4th grade reading comprehension level and had to have special sessions with a tutor during class :/ (I'm an ESL)

PT 54 Results
RC: -9
LR1: -2
LG: -0
LR2: -3
RC (exp): -9

Raw: 87 Scaled: 166 (I would settle for this on test day )

For the 1st RC, I just tried to read 3 passages accurately and guess on the last one (guessed 2 right out of 5)

For the last RC, I read all 4 passages. Now I'm just confused about which strategy I should implement on test day

[Sandro]

I am beginning to think I am royally screwed for the 26th. I started prepping on earlier PTs and havent been able to start on the newer ones until recently (medical stuff).

I have been owned by both the newer LR and RC. In the 20's PTs i averaged around -4 LR and -2/3 RC, before i really did a lot of my prep stuff.

PT 47 I missed -8 and -6 LR. RC i went -3
PT 55 i just took cause it was laying out - 1st LR -10, RC -7.

Would taking more recent PT's help me get better acquainted? Its really frustrating to be at a place where I thought i could make small improvements to my LR and be getting towards 170... then switch to new PT's and miss 17 question on 1 LR and 1 RC section alone.

[Jacques]

Right on the cusp with the rest of you here...

Been running steady 169s for about two weeks now, but I crashed my way through PT 49 (June 06) this afternoon -- total wipeout. Some of my mistakes were just remarkably silly, and I barely made it to the 4th logic game. I'm chalking it up to fatigue and hoping that I can rebound tomorrow.

For those of you working full-time (like me: 7 AM - 5 PM), what has been your PT schedule? I find, after three months of studying while working 10 hours a day, that fatigue is becoming a major factor as the 26th nears; that being said, I hate taking time off (or even doing light days) at this point. Still, it seems listening to one's body and mind and seeing what they need is the best approach for me right now.

Ah, well. Tonight, it'll be time to review some core concepts and take care of myself; I think a long shower and an early bedtime will be on the agenda.

[hypermeganet]

I am beginning to think I am royally screwed for the 26th. I started prepping on earlier PTs and havent been able to start on the newer ones until recently (medical stuff).

I have been owned by both the newer LR and RC. In the 20's PTs i averaged around -4 LR and -2/3 RC, before i really did a lot of my prep stuff.

PT 47 I missed -8 and -6 LR. RC i went -3
PT 55 i just took cause it was laying out - 1st LR -10, RC -7.

Would taking more recent PT's help me get better acquainted? Its really frustrating to be at a place where I thought i could make small improvements to my LR and be getting towards 170... then switch to new PT's and miss 17 question on 1 LR and 1 RC section alone.

Welcome to the land of hypermeganet. I went from -2/-3 LR per section to -5/-7 LR per section and 0/-2 (max) RC to -3/-5 RC on the newer exams. Not everyone seems to adjust like this, though. Unfortunately, there's not as much in the way of exams with the newer material (especially since I want to save 5 or so for the next 2 weeks for strict timed exams with 1-2 extra sections).

I've found that I spent WAY too much time prepping on the "old" stuff. It helped me with LG for sure but I feel I should have spent more time acclimating to the newer LR.

[Mark 165]

hey just started taking the kaplan courses, and after having registered for them started to hear some bad things about them . I am now starting to realize that more people are informing me that power score and testmasters are better i was wondering has anyone taking kaplan and powerscore and which one helps better inprove your score.

[02082010]

hey just started taking the kaplan courses, and after having registered for them started to hear some bad things about them . I am now starting to realize that more people are informing me that power score and testmasters are better i was wondering has anyone taking kaplan and powerscore and which one helps better inprove your score.

Got a 154 diagnostic with a 150 being my lowest PT score ever and I took the Kaplan course and using their strategies along with a lot of self-study I scored 168 in Oct 08. I'll be retaking in two weeks and I am scoring in the 170-177 range on PTs right now after going through the LGB and LRB and lots of self-study.

[legallybrunette16]

ahhh!! reading comp is my killer!! i don't know how this is happening!!!

june 2007 today:
LG -1
LR -4
LR -4
RC -8

Raw: 84 Scaled: 163

if i can hit 166 on the 26th i'll be happy... comeee onnn RC!!!!

any advice?!

[SabermetricFan]

ahhh!! reading comp is my killer!! i don't know how this is happening!!!

june 2007 today:
LG -1
LR -4
LR -4
RC -8

Raw: 84 Scaled: 163

if i can hit 166 on the 26th i'll be happy... comeee onnn RC!!!!

any advice?!

is it a time issue? if you find yourself not being able to finish the 4th passage in time, concentrate on just getting a perfect score for the first 3 passages and then on the 4th answer the questions that are line specific without even reading the passage at all, just jump to those lines. Maybe you want to scope out before you start reading which passage has the most line specific questions and save that for last. Say it has 2-3 of these types. You nail the first 20 questions and out of the 7 on the 4th passage, you get the 2-3 correct that are line specific in no time flat. That's a -6 to -4. Little things like that.

[legallybrunette16]

ahhh!! reading comp is my killer!! i don't know how this is happening!!!

june 2007 today:
LG -1
LR -4
LR -4
RC -8

Raw: 84 Scaled: 163

if i can hit 166 on the 26th i'll be happy... comeee onnn RC!!!!

any advice?!

is it a time issue? if you find yourself not being able to finish the 4th passage in time, concentrate on just getting a perfect score for the first 3 passages and then on the 4th answer the questions that are line specific without even reading the passage at all, just jump to those lines. Maybe you want to scope out before you start reading which passage has the most line specific questions and save that for last. Say it has 2-3 of these types. You nail the first 20 questions and out of the 7 on the 4th passage, you get the 2-3 correct that are line specific in no time flat. That's a -6 to -4. Little things like that.

i normally have about 2 minutes left over. but i think i'm scared about time so i go faster and make errors... I'll try getting through the first 3 solidly before i move to the 4th... thanks!

[keg411]

Highest score yet on June '09 with a 166 .
Would have done better if I didn't go -5 on the last LR section.

I didn't find Willa overly difficult (ran out of time on the fractals, but it didn't kill me), and the other passages were pretty easy (especially the FCC one). Saved the dinos for last and went -3 overall on LG's. The dinos actually reminded me of an awful photos game that I bombed the other night, so it made me laugh a ton (did much better on the dinos than I did on the photos).

Anyway, it's probably a bit of an overly optimistic score because I was aware of the "traps", but I'm still pretty happy about it. I'm inching up to you, 170!

[sayan]

I took PT 50 and ironically got 0 wrong on basins of attraction but 1 wrong on each of the other 3 passages. :p

[SabermetricFan]

ahhh!! reading comp is my killer!! i don't know how this is happening!!!

june 2007 today:
LG -1
LR -4
LR -4
RC -8

Raw: 84 Scaled: 163

if i can hit 166 on the 26th i'll be happy... comeee onnn RC!!!!

any advice?!

is it a time issue? if you find yourself not being able to finish the 4th passage in time, concentrate on just getting a perfect score for the first 3 passages and then on the 4th answer the questions that are line specific without even reading the passage at all, just jump to those lines. Maybe you want to scope out before you start reading which passage has the most line specific questions and save that for last. Say it has 2-3 of these types. You nail the first 20 questions and out of the 7 on the 4th passage, you get the 2-3 correct that are line specific in no time flat. That's a -6 to -4. Little things like that.

i normally have about 2 minutes left over. but i think i'm scared about time so i go faster and make errors... I'll try getting through the first 3 solidly before i move to the 4th... thanks!

yeah if you have 2 minutes left over, that still should be enough time to answer all the specific line questions. By no means do I advocate only focusing on 3 passages, you should do everything possible to guess on the fewest questions, but if you know halfway through a section you wont finish, save the passage with most specific line questions for last. Let me know how this works out for you and GL!

[keg411]

I took PT 50 and ironically got 0 wrong on basins of attraction but 1 wrong on each of the other 3 passages. :p

Looking at the list from that LSAT blog link, the hardest was that Ronald Dworkin passage. That thing was awful.

[sayan]

I took PT 50 and ironically got 0 wrong on basins of attraction but 1 wrong on each of the other 3 passages. :p

Looking at the list from that LSAT blog link, the hardest was that Ronald Dworkin passage. That thing was awful.

Really? I thought basins was the hardest.

[SabermetricFan]

PrepTest 35 (October 2001), Passage 4 - Ronald Dworkin and Legal Positivism vs. Moralism = -1
PrepTest 45 (December 2004), Passage 2 - Hippocratic oath = -0
PrepTest 49 (June 2006), Passage 4 - Maize = -4 (Im glad this one is on the list because it made me throw the prep test booklet against the wall)
PrepTest 50 (October 2006), Passage 4 - Riddled Basins of Attraction = -1
PrepTest 55 (October 2008), Passage 3 - Maxine Kingston and the Chinese talk-story = taking this test late next week

For some reason my brain wants to memorize all the facts in the science passages even though I know you shouldn't try to memorize facts and just understand main points and paragraph structure. Not all of the recent PTs have a science passage, I'm hoping the Sept test doesn't. I'll take a detailed passage about a histroic and evolutionary look at something (ie. hippocratic oath) over an immensely detailed science passage. Out of everything that can pop up in any type of section, a science passage is what I fear the most.

[sayan]

Ahh dang. I got -1 on Hippocratic Oath :p

Talk story was a ton of crap. It was hard because it was so boring.

[keg411]

Oh my god, Maize was crappy. And the talk-story passage itself wasn't impossible, but the question made my head spin. The only one I don't recognize is Hippocratic Oath.

I think what helped me with the basins was that I had about 6 minutes left to do that passage, and I pretty much had to skim and just note the major points rather than try to figure out the details and for whatever reason I "got" the concept pretty quickly.

However, I did dream I was trapped in a logic game the other night, so I thinking this whole test is starting to make me a little nuts.