The Official December 2014 Study Group Forum

[Motivator9]

Guys, I just had a huge brain fart. Some help please.

Can you take the contrapositive of Some A is B (A <--s-->B)??

Would it be Some ~B are not ~A (~B<--s-->~S)

This is driving me crazy!!!

[mist4bison]

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[nlee10]

Guys, I just had a huge brain fart. Some help please.

Can you take the contrapositive of Some A is B (A <--s-->B)??

Would it be Some ~B are not ~A (~B<--s-->~S)

This is driving me crazy!!!

No, you can't take the contrapositive of a some statement.

+1, but you can reword it as Some B is A.

[Motivator9]

Guys, I just had a huge brain fart. Some help please.

Can you take the contrapositive of Some A is B (A <--s-->B)??

Would it be Some ~B are not ~A (~B<--s-->~S)

This is driving me crazy!!!

No, you can't take the contrapositive of a some statement.

ETA: I was trying to write an example of why not, but it really gets confusing. I'll give it a go anyway:

Say, for instance, you know that some boys like food. (B-s->LF) Well, this could mean that only one boy in the world likes food or it could mean that every boy in the world likes food. Could we reverse this? Well, we could say that some people who like food are boys. (LF-s->B) We know for a fact that at least one boy likes food, so we know at least one person who likes food is a boy. Could we take the contrapositive: Some people who don't like food are not boys? (~LF-s->~B) Well, do we really know this? Do we know anything about people who don't like food. I mean, lesbehonest, who doesn't like food? What if no people don't like food? then the contrapositive wouldn't work, since it would contradict that everyone loves food. I don't know if that actually helps at all...

That was actually great! Thanks guys.

[LSATneurotic]

PT 25
overall score: 179!
rc -0
lr -2
lg -1
lr -0

I am super excited. I have had a breakthrough over my last three tests. granted this was an older test, but a 179 is difficult no matter what test you pick.

i am starting to learn to look for one word in LR answers that indicates that it is too broad or too narrow.

if I don't score 173 or higher in december, I am retaking, no question.

[jw316]

PT 25
overall score: 179!
rc -0
lr -2
lg -1
lr -0

I am super excited. I have had a breakthrough over my last three tests. granted this was an older test, but a 179 is difficult no matter what test you pick.

i am starting to learn to look for one word in LR answers that indicates that it is too broad or too narrow.

if I don't score 173 or higher in december, I am retaking, no question.

Hell yeah! Congrats! This is what I like to see!

[nlee10]

PT 25
overall score: 179!
rc -0
lr -2
lg -1
lr -0

I am super excited. I have had a breakthrough over my last three tests. granted this was an older test, but a 179 is difficult no matter what test you pick.

i am starting to learn to look for one word in LR answers that indicates that it is too broad or too narrow.

if I don't score 173 or higher in december, I am retaking, no question.

Congrats!!

This has been happening since taking the BP class. I feel as if I turned on a cheat mode. By POE, I used to always narrow down to the two tempting AC's and pick the wrong one.

[mist4bison]

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[GreenTee]

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[Hand]

if I don't score 173 or higher in december, I am retaking, no question.

Confirmed LLH alt.

Eta: Are you cute like your tar?

Diggin' the new tar, GT. Also: welcome back LLH!

[GreenTee]

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[mist4bison]

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[nlee10]

I'm going to start doing suicide drills for RC. My biggest issue is timing with RC, I've realized. I can do well on most passages, but I need 12 minutes. Obviously can't work on the test. MY TM instructor suggested I start doing sections with higher time limits and then slowly decrease. So, I'd do a couple sections in 45 mins. Then in 43. Then in 40. Then in 38, etc etc.

RC is totally bumming me out. I'm starting to think maybe I should just go for only finishing three passages and getting them all right rather than rushing through and screwing it all up. Ugh. I'll see how the drills go and if they help me come Dec.

Good luck....lmk if you find the magic solution...I would love to score 22+/27 on game day. LOL

[PeanutsNJam]

Idk if what works for me works for you all, but I had a ton of issues with RC and one way I improved my score was to approach the section like LG, and just go ham on short-term memory. I'd read the passage in ~4 minutes, identify everything significant that might be questioned, note their locations, and go through the questions. I'd treat the easier questions (most of them) like matching questions, and save the time for slightly more challenging inference questions.

Although seriously, reading the Economist helps a lot. It's age-old advice on TLS but it helped me gain comfort and familiarity with the writing style, so my reading speed improved.

Granted, I don't think I did too hot on RC. Can't know for sure since it was undisclosed. (misread a rule so -1 on LG, maybe -4 on LR combined, so I got like at least -3 on RC). That said, we had two really hard passages. The content floored me. One confusing feminist writer one, and an egyptian hieroglyphics one.

[JackelJ]

I'm going to start doing suicide drills for RC. My biggest issue is timing with RC, I've realized. I can do well on most passages, but I need 12 minutes. Obviously can't work on the test. MY TM instructor suggested I start doing sections with higher time limits and then slowly decrease. So, I'd do a couple sections in 45 mins. Then in 43. Then in 40. Then in 38, etc etc.

RC is totally bumming me out. I'm starting to think maybe I should just go for only finishing three passages and getting them all right rather than rushing through and screwing it all up. Ugh. I'll see how the drills go and if they help me come Dec.

I have the exact same problem. I've heard some advice saying that you should do the 3 passages slowly and answer all the questions right and then blindly guess the last passage, but I refuse to do that, it would kill my score! So suicide drilling it is. I've started "diagramming" the passages where I would just very quickly label what each paragraph is. For example: P1- Prob Civ Rights, P2- Crit (critics view), P3-AA (authors attitude, usually conclusion here), P4- Ex (example supporting conclusion)

I just use quick notation and in parenthesis is what my notation means. I've found that doing this lets me look back in the passage quickly and helps me understand the purpose, main point, etc. I've tried all the methods -speed reading, reading slowly, memorizing, they didn't really work for me. Probably because I just can't focus on the actual reading haha.

[santoki]

anyone have a problem with making some dumb mistakes on the test? mistakes that when you see them you absolutely got them wrong by rushing or being careless.

i took pt 64:

LR1: -4
LG: -3
LR2: -1
RC: -8

LR i can feel myself getting better at it so im satisfied.

LG i got 2 BLATANTLY easy questions wrong on accident. the third was one of those weird rule substitution questions that can throw me off.

freaking RC....i felt as if i did so well on the section and heres what happens. at least i can try to pinpoint where my thinking is off?

[Big Red]

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[Smallville]

anyone have a problem with making some dumb mistakes on the test? mistakes that when you see them you absolutely got them wrong by rushing or being careless.

i took pt 64:

LR1: -4
LG: -3
LR2: -1
RC: -8

LR i can feel myself getting better at it so im satisfied.

LG i got 2 BLATANTLY easy questions wrong on accident. the third was one of those weird rule substitution questions that can throw me off.

freaking RC....i felt as if i did so well on the section and heres what happens. at least i can try to pinpoint where my thinking is off?

once you get to that upper tier of scoring I feel like those are the bigger issues causing a lower score than your potential

[LSATneurotic]

anyone have a problem with making some dumb mistakes on the test? mistakes that when you see them you absolutely got them wrong by rushing or being careless.

i took pt 64:

LR1: -4
LG: -3
LR2: -1
RC: -8

LR i can feel myself getting better at it so im satisfied.

LG i got 2 BLATANTLY easy questions wrong on accident. the third was one of those weird rule substitution questions that can throw me off.

freaking RC....i felt as if i did so well on the section and heres what happens. at least i can try to pinpoint where my thinking is off?

I also have this issue where RC occasionally punches me in the mouth, but I feel just as confident after I take it as the sections that go well. Am I wrong to just call those bad days and move on?

I think that some RC material can be easier/harder depending on your familiarity with the subject. For me, some of the really obscure discussions of literature throw me off: Who reads about latina autobiographers from the 1970's?

ETA: conversely, I felt more confident with the passage on Dostoevsky because I've read some of his work.

[secadc11]

LSATNeurotic, congrats on that 179! I'm feeling a little deflated now but...

PT 54
Raw Score: 95
Scaled Score: 175

RC: -2
LR1: -3
LG: -0
LR2: -1
Added fifth section, RC from PT 67: -4

So definitely a little fatigue creeping up in that 5th section. However, if I took that -4 as my 'real' RC score, I'd still be at 173 which I'm happy with.

It also makes two 175's in a row for me which is a new high.

[Smallville]

anyone have a problem with making some dumb mistakes on the test? mistakes that when you see them you absolutely got them wrong by rushing or being careless.

i took pt 64:

LR1: -4
LG: -3
LR2: -1
RC: -8

LR i can feel myself getting better at it so im satisfied.

LG i got 2 BLATANTLY easy questions wrong on accident. the third was one of those weird rule substitution questions that can throw me off.

freaking RC....i felt as if i did so well on the section and heres what happens. at least i can try to pinpoint where my thinking is off?

eh that RC killed me a bit more than you last weekend so dont be too mad lol but yeah I did the same thing on LG, got -2 from stupid overlooks

[Shakawkaw]

22 days.

[sfoglia]

I think that some RC material can be easier/harder depending on your familiarity with the subject. For me, some of the really obscure discussions of literature throw me off: Who reads about latina autobiographers from the 1970's?

English majors.

I've noticed that almost all content they pull for literature is from the non-traditional (read: non-white male) canon. It's clear that they like to be inclusive.

My liberal arts heart appreciates it.

[LSATneurotic]

LSATNeurotic, congrats on that 179! I'm feeling a little deflated now but...

PT 54
Raw Score: 95
Scaled Score: 175

RC: -2
LR1: -3
LG: -0
LR2: -1
Added fifth section, RC from PT 67: -4

So definite a little fatigue creeping up in that 5th section. However, if I took that -4 as my 'real' RC score, I'd still be at 173 which I'm happy with.

It also makes two 175's in a row for me which is a new high.

You're probably much more consistent than I am yet. I'm actually jealous of you. I've only broken 173 twice, and it was in the last three tests I took: 177, 169, 179...

I've got plenty of work to do before I am in your stratum.

[Shakawkaw]

I've noticed that almost all content they pull for literature is from the non-traditional (read: non-white male) canon. It's clear that they like to be inclusive.

This. Coupled with that section in the PS RC bible that said on passages that talk about non-traditional/minority topics or persons, the answers will be positive. So if you had to make an educated guess, you're alright.