The Official September 2014 Study Group Forum

bondja · Post by **bondja** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:26 am

akechi wrote:Hey there,

Are any of you interested in the idea of creating a group PTing review schedule? I know a lot of past high scorers on TLS did this and suggest it as a study tool. We can all download Elluminate or Skype and someone who is highly organized can be the one to distribute review room links, determine dates, etc.

Let me know what you guys / girls think.

I'd be interested as well. Not sure what my schedule would be to be frequent on PT review but I would like to try!

Learn_Live_Hope · Post by **Learn_Live_Hope** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:38 am

bondja wrote:
akechi wrote:Hey there,

Are any of you interested in the idea of creating a group PTing review schedule? I know a lot of past high scorers on TLS did this and suggest it as a study tool. We can all download Elluminate or Skype and someone who is highly organized can be the one to distribute review room links, determine dates, etc.

Let me know what you guys / girls think.
I'd be interested as well. Not sure what my schedule would be to be frequent on PT review but I would like to try!

....

Louis1127 · Post by **Louis1127** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:38 am

Does anyone else get a bad gateway when trying to access 7sage? I hope this is fixed soon. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to study logic games

mornincounselor · Post by **mornincounselor** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:46 am

Post removed.

Straw_Mandible · Post by **Straw_Mandible** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:52 am

h3jk5h wrote:
Straw_Mandible wrote: As for RC, I don't fear getting too caught up on the details because I'm reading with a purpose. The purpose is to understand the argument(s)/main points and to know the structure of the passage inside and out, so that I can quickly and easily find any tidbit the questions may ask about. And don't be fooled by the idea of "background information"--every word is relevant, and every word is fair game. You just have to be able to make a quick assessment of the relative centrality of what you're reading at any given time (in relation to the main points), in order to properly understand the overall reasoning structure. But any amount of time invested in getting a clearer understanding of reasoning structure is going to pay out huge dividends on the questions. The better you know the passage, the faster you can rule out wrong answers and zero in on the relevant information to confirm correct answers. So trying to speed through and gloss over details to get a snapshot of the "main point" is going to do you a severe disservice. Spending time on the details helps you develop a stronger understanding of the passage as a whole.

My father had a professor in London who said to him, "You Americans are always trying to discover what's relevant. What you fail to discover is that the whole f**king world is relevant."

Were your gains mainly from understanding the reasoning structure more thoroughly, or being more able to do the detail questions (or both)?

I think when I read a passage I get a rough understanding of the main arguments (I maybe wrong), but I have the most trouble doing local questions where I have to find the details. In those questions, I spend a large amount of time going back and forth on my contender choices and the text, and a lot of times I get them wrong nevertheless.

What are your thoughts on this?

Congrats on your breakthrough

Yeah, if you're wasting any time searching through the passage for details, that means you didn't spend enough time on your initial read.

I'm going to play with semantics for a minute here, and emphasize the fact that every passage is nothing more than a collection of details. To understand "reasoning structure" means that you understand how these details interact with one another to form a central argument, position, or purpose.

So the answer to your question is right here:

Spending time on the details helps you develop a stronger understanding of the passage as a whole.

Provided that you're able to do a little bit of high-level analysis and make an accurate assessment of how each detail fits into the passage as a whole, you'll realize that none of the 'minutiae' are unworthy of your time. Every word is relevant. Your task is to figure out in what way it is relevant. If you're able to read with that purpose in mind, the section should go very smoothly.

Louis1127 · Post by **Louis1127** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 12:37 pm

mornincounselor wrote:
Louis1127 wrote:Does anyone else get a bad gateway when trying to access 7sage? I hope this is fixed soon. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to study logic games
That's happened to me before, I emailed him about it. He responded:

"Sorry about that.

. . .

Have you tried accessing the site on a different browser? Chrome or Firefox?

Additionally, try a hard refresh on the browser by holding down the "shift" key and clicking "refresh". That should fix it.

If that doesn't work, try to clear your browser's cache. . .

Thanks for the suggestions, Mornin. I'll try those.

mornincounselor · Post by **mornincounselor** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 4:31 pm

Post removed.

sashafierce · Post by **sashafierce** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 5:42 pm

Completed PT37 a few days ago:

RC -4
LR1 -8
LG -6
LR2 -5

Even though this is going to be my third take I am ashamed to say that I have never actually drilled LR. I have the Cambridge packets and have done a few drills here and there but for the most part I have not really drilled LR.

I knw that I have to devote alot of prep hours to drilling LR this time around BUT I am so demotivated at the moment. The mere fact that I quit my job to study for this damn test should be motivating enough BUT it isn't.

I also agree with the other posters, where is everybody? This thread has been sooo dead lately

sashafierce · Post by **sashafierce** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 5:49 pm

One more thing, a friend of my suggested that maybe I should try leaving the house and going somewhere public to study like the library or a nearby college. What do you full time people think?

Maybe my lack of motivation maybe a simple case of "inside blues" I recently moved into a new apt/neighborhood and I basically don't ever go outside. Studying at home is so convenient though...sigh decisions decisions decisions

h3jk5h · Post by **h3jk5h** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 7:06 pm

sashafierce wrote:One more thing, a friend of my suggested that maybe I should try leaving the house and going somewhere public to study like the library or a nearby college. What do you full time people think?

Maybe my lack of motivation maybe a simple case of "inside blues" I recently moved into a new apt/neighborhood and I basically don't ever go outside. Studying at home is so convenient though...sigh decisions decisions decisions

I find studying at home to be more demotivating than in a library setting, although I'm usually alone during the day. There are more distractions at home (computer, TV, etc..), whereas in the library you are surrounded by people who are also studying; and if there are external distractions in the library (i.e. kids talking), I find that an excellent opportunity to practice concentration skills.

P.J.Fry · Post by **P.J.Fry** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 7:40 pm

I wrote once back in 2007 and after a long hiatus from academia, I'm looking into writing again. I've ordered the Powerscore LGB and LRB, the Manhattan package, and 4 different sets of 10 actual prep tests (I think they contain 19-38 and 52-71 or something like that). They should arrive by the end of the month, so I will have about 3 months of prep for the September sitting. I'm shooting for a 170+ (I was 165 in 2007 with about 1 month of misguided prep).

Couple quick questions:

1. Are there any other resources that would be essential or highly recommended given my time frame? Any of what I've ordered considered to be poor or not recommended?

2. I see a lot of people have taken "diagnostic" tests to start and get an idea of where they are at. What is everyone usually using for those - just one of the past prep tests or something else?

Louis1127 · Post by **Louis1127** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:28 pm

Scotty. wrote:I wrote once back in 2007 and after a long hiatus from academia, I'm looking into writing again. I've ordered the Powerscore LGB and LRB, the Manhattan package, and 4 different sets of 10 actual prep tests (I think they contain 19-38 and 52-71 or something like that). They should arrive by the end of the month, so I will have about 3 months of prep for the September sitting. I'm shooting for a 170+ (I was 165 in 2007 with about 1 month of misguided prep).

Couple quick questions:

1. Are there any other resources that would be essential or highly recommended given my time frame? Any of what I've ordered considered to be poor or not recommended?

2. I see a lot of people have taken "diagnostic" tests to start and get an idea of where they are at. What is everyone usually using for those - just one of the past prep tests or something else?

Scotty, I remember before I even started studying seeing some threads with you in them. for some reason, I remember your name and avatar very vaguely. I'm about to TLS stalk you

For your second question, alot of people (including me) use June 2007 as their diagnostic because it's somewhat recent and it's the one LSAC gives you for free on their website.

Edit: I think your posts might be archived or something, I can only find like 9 of your 256 old posts using the advanced search tools. I swear I remember reading some really, really old LSAT threads with you in them. I'm not sure why, could you have posted some motivating things in there perhaps? Haha. I swear I remember you for some noteable reason though.

Anyhow, good to see an old TLSer back again.

P.J.Fry · Post by **P.J.Fry** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:44 pm

Louis1127 wrote:
Scotty, I remember before I even started studying seeing some threads with you in them. for some reason, I remember your name and avatar very vaguely. I'm about to TLS stalk you

For your second question, alot of people (including me) use June 2007 as their diagnostic because it's somewhat recent and it's the one LSAC gives you for free on their website.

Edit: I think your posts might be archived or something, I can only find like 9 of your 256 old posts using the advanced search tools. I swear I remember reading some really, really old LSAT threads with you in them. I'm not sure why, could you have posted some motivating things in there perhaps? Haha. I swear I remember you for some noteable reason though.

Anyhow, good to see an old TLSer back again.

Hahaha, well I'm flattered. I would assume they would be archived as I haven't been active here in probably 6-7 years barring a couple posts here and there.

I honestly don't remember what the content of my older posts would be, so let's just pretend they were incredibly insightful and motivating. I do remember getting very much distracted by the Off Topic forum and probably posted plenty in there. I refuse to even open that until October this year though

After 6 years of traveling the world and bartending, it's time to get serious again. Thanks for the re-welcoming!

ultraman · Post by **ultraman** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:25 am

Finished doing level 1&2 from Necessary assumptions.

Missed 14 out of 149 Qs with serious blind review.

Move on to Flaw!

dasani13 · Post by **dasani13** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:32 pm

Hello, checking in! I took the June test but just in case I need to retake, I'll be studying for September. Any other retakers in here? I plan to take it easy this time, only PTing the last month or so and focusing on drilling LR and LG starting Monday.

flash21 · Post by **flash21** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:34 pm

would anyone like to drill LR together over skype? If so, PM me, preferably someone who is pretty decent at LR for the sake of being around the same level. I usually get about 20-21 correct per section

sashafierce · Post by **sashafierce** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:26 pm

dasani13 wrote:Hello, checking in! I took the June test but just in case I need to retake, I'll be studying for September. Any other retakers in here? I plan to take it easy this time, only PTing the last month or so and focusing on drilling LR and LG starting Monday.

I really hope that you get the score that you deserve when scores come out, I knw how hard you and a lot of the others worked

side note: I saw some of your food pics in the off topic forum OMG, gonna PM you for some of those pasta recipes as soon as I get off this damn diet

sashafierce · Post by **sashafierce** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:36 pm

I spent the day on TLS learning more about SCOTUS clerkships, LR, SEO and all sorts of law school related shit, I can honestly say that my day spent on TLS was worth it.

On a related note, have any of you started drafting your Personal Statement? I read somewhere that you should not wait until after the exam to start because it takes way more time and effort than you think. I already have my PS and LORs from a prior cycle but I am thinking about doing them over.

SickerThanYoAverage · Post by **SickerThanYoAverage** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:46 am

Checking in -

For those of you struggling on Logic Games: take about 1 week and drill logic games for 6-8 hours a day. Try all types of games untimed. Re-do games regardless of difficulty level. You are bound to run into inferences you didn't catch the first or second time around.

Remember: speed follows accuracy, accuracy does not follow speed.

Stay focused everyone.

- Rahul Saluja

chimera · Post by **chimera** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 7:46 am

Retaking after awful performance in December. LG skills are still on point. LR less so. RC skills need immediate triage. Will be doing every single Cambridge RC packet this week with heavy review, along with some Parallel Reasoning/Flaw.

Toby Ziegler · Post by **Toby Ziegler** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:27 am

sashafierce wrote:I spent the day on TLS learning more about SCOTUS clerkships, LR, SEO and all sorts of law school related shit, I can honestly say that my day spent on TLS was worth it.

On a related note, have any of you started drafting your Personal Statement? I read somewhere that you should not wait until after the exam to start because it takes way more time and effort than you think. I already have my PS and LORs from a prior cycle but I am thinking about doing them over.

I have all my LOR's in and I am in the editing process of my PS. I want to be able to send my app the day my score comes back. I probably put 20 hours into my personal statement. I don't think I ever spent that much time/effort on an 800 word undergraduate paper, so starting early is highly credited, IMHO.

Toby Ziegler · Post by **Toby Ziegler** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:32 am

I've been on a 10-day sabbatical, as it were. My wife had our second child and we've been recalibrating how we operate. Getting back at it tomorrow morning.

sashafierce · Post by **sashafierce** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 11:05 am

Toby Ziegler wrote:I've been on a 10-day sabbatical, as it were. My wife had our second child and we've been recalibrating how we operate. Getting back at it tomorrow morning.

Congratulations

Boy or girl (if you don't mind me asking)

A.Taarabt7 · Post by **A.Taarabt7** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:46 pm

Hi Everyone,

I just had a quick question regarding two question types. If you all or one of you all could help, I would greatly appreciate it. Now my currently understanding when approaching question stems such as " which of the following principles can most clearly be said to underlie authors argument" and " which of the following principles most conforms to the argument/statements above if true " is to typically treat the former as a Necessary assumption and the latter as a Must be True.

Is this correct? or do you guys treat the former as a Must be True and the latter as a parallel question? I don't use Manhattans terminology as principle support/example.

Thanks!

dasani13 · Post by **dasani13** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:52 pm

sashafierce wrote:
dasani13 wrote:Hello, checking in! I took the June test but just in case I need to retake, I'll be studying for September. Any other retakers in here? I plan to take it easy this time, only PTing the last month or so and focusing on drilling LR and LG starting Monday.
I really hope that you get the score that you deserve when scores come out, I knw how hard you and a lot of the others worked

side note: I saw some of your food pics in the off topic forum OMG, gonna PM you for some of those pasta recipes as soon as I get off this damn diet

heh of course! I have lots to share