The Official December 2017 Study Group Forum

[dietcoked]

Is anyone here trying to work on apps and study for the LSAT? I'm having a really hard time juggling both with a full-time job. Any schedules you guys recommend?

[littlewing67]

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[Mikey]

reviewing a PT afterwards always makes me feel like an idiot. I have the tendency to try to read faster than I'm capable of on timed tests, which makes me miss questions I really shouldn't have.

any tips on how to not be a complete dumb fuck? in life as a whole, not just the LSAT. thnx

[AvatarMeelo]

Is anyone here trying to work on apps and study for the LSAT? I'm having a really hard time juggling both with a full-time job. Any schedules you guys recommend?

I always have my laptop with me to work on apps during my lunch hour. I finished my PS and DS a couple of weeks ago so thankfully I only have the additional essays to write. I’d say work on your apps on your designated days off from studying. Other than that, if you’re planning on submitting when the December score drops, work on those apps after the exam. If you want to submit it nowish, definitely at least give yourself a few hours a week to solely apps.

[MercW07]

reviewing a PT afterwards always makes me feel like an idiot. I have the tendency to try to read faster than I'm capable of on timed tests, which makes me miss questions I really shouldn't have.

any tips on how to not be a complete dumb fuck? in life as a whole, not just the LSAT. thnx

This is me right now. Already came across 2 questions this morning that I got wrong yesterday, but should have been easy points. Just gonna hope that when it comes to test day I find another level of focus and don't miss any easy questions.

[littlewing67]

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[Mikey]

reviewing a PT afterwards always makes me feel like an idiot. I have the tendency to try to read faster than I'm capable of on timed tests, which makes me miss questions I really shouldn't have.

any tips on how to not be a complete dumb fuck? in life as a whole, not just the LSAT. thnx

This is me right now. Already came across 2 questions this morning that I got wrong yesterday, but should have been easy points. Just gonna hope that when it comes to test day I find another level of focus and don't miss any easy questions.

Same BRing the PT I took the other day and got a main point question wrong..... JFC

I got a main point question wrong and it was an easy one and was number 2

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. to be fair, i didn't actually read the whole stimulus because I'm a cocky little fuck who thought I could get away with a 10 second question

[littlewing67]

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[MercW07]

reviewing a PT afterwards always makes me feel like an idiot. I have the tendency to try to read faster than I'm capable of on timed tests, which makes me miss questions I really shouldn't have.

any tips on how to not be a complete dumb fuck? in life as a whole, not just the LSAT. thnx

This is me right now. Already came across 2 questions this morning that I got wrong yesterday, but should have been easy points. Just gonna hope that when it comes to test day I find another level of focus and don't miss any easy questions.

Same BRing the PT I took the other day and got a main point question wrong..... JFC

I got a main point question wrong and it was an easy one and was number 2

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. to be fair, i didn't actually read the whole stimulus because I'm a cocky little fuck who thought I could get away with a 10 second question

HAHAHA I got a main point question wrong too! Mine was number 8 and also extremely easy upon review.

[Mikey]

reviewing a PT afterwards always makes me feel like an idiot. I have the tendency to try to read faster than I'm capable of on timed tests, which makes me miss questions I really shouldn't have.

any tips on how to not be a complete dumb fuck? in life as a whole, not just the LSAT. thnx

This is me right now. Already came across 2 questions this morning that I got wrong yesterday, but should have been easy points. Just gonna hope that when it comes to test day I find another level of focus and don't miss any easy questions.

Same BRing the PT I took the other day and got a main point question wrong..... JFC

I got a main point question wrong and it was an easy one and was number 2

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. to be fair, i didn't actually read the whole stimulus because I'm a cocky little fuck who thought I could get away with a 10 second question

HAHAHA I got a main point question wrong too! Mine was number 8 and also extremely easy upon review.

we suck

[King of the North]

Any predictions on what the curve will be?

[lemon_lyman]

Is anyone here trying to work on apps and study for the LSAT? I'm having a really hard time juggling both with a full-time job. Any schedules you guys recommend?

Hey there! I work full-time as well and I completely understand how difficult it is to juggle both a full-time job. I think your schedule will ultimately depend on what time you get off of work each day, what sorts of obligations you may have outside of work, and so forth. As for me (and I don't necessarily think this is right for everyone), I'm really not a morning person, so I definitely struggle waking up before work and getting some studying in. As a result, I end up studying at nights for the most part. I usually get off of work at around 6:00 PM (on good days). Once I get home, I cook a quick dinner (I bake usually so I can do other things) and on several days of the weak, I go to the gym. By 8:00 or 8:30PM, I start studying until around 11 or 11:30PM from Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, I'll either do some light studying (no more than 1.5 hours) or take a break because I don't want to burn out. Because I've noticed this to be more effective, I generally study in-depth one of the three sections each day. For example, on Mondays, I'll go through reading comprehension, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll drill Logic Games. I'll also try to fit some studying in at work (during my lunch breaks) Most of my Saturdays and Sundays mornings and afternoons are dedicated to studying. Saturdays are full drill/review days, and on Sundays, I take a practice test and do blind review. I leave some time at night so I can go socialize/relax so I don't go stir-crazy from studying.


As for apps, I finished my personal statement back in September, but am still working on my Diversity Statement/Why Statements. It's hard, but I try to slip in 20-30 minutes if possible a day to brainstorm, or to write. I try to commit a couple of hours on the weekends to working on those portions of the app. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate that to my already busy schedule, but that's what i've been doing so far.

It's rough a lot of the time, but I think ultimately it's doable, and it's a small price to pay to get a great legal education Good luck!!

[Tavorak]

Anybody got a good technique for NA questions? I'm solid at bridging the logical gaps but when the answer shields the argument I tend to struggle. Maybe I just need to get better / more consistent at negating answers.

Have you tried Manhattan Prep LR book? That pretty much did it for me. My issue was that I would first try to negate every answer choice (looking back on it now, that was so stupid). Now I just treat it like how I would treat a SA question: by coming up with a few assumptions before looking at the answer choices. Then I eliminate any out of scope questions, questions that reversely represent the assumption you had in your mind, etc. I'm left with two possible answer choices and I try to negate both and usually end up picking the right one. Just remember that in contrast to a SA question, the NA only has to deal with at least part of the premise, resulting in the author's conclusion (SA must solve for all). When stuck between two likely answer choices, go for the one that isn't doing the most but is the bare minimum of what must be assumed for the author's argument to hold true. This is what Manhattan Prep taught me and since then I've gotten every NA question that's level three or higher difficulty correct, so I think if you can, definitely check it out.

Sorry if I went off on a tangent. Hope this helps.

This does help, thanks. I recently read that when you negate the correct answer and negate the conclusion, they'll match. I've only tried that once, though.

[Experiment626]

Is anyone here trying to work on apps and study for the LSAT? I'm having a really hard time juggling both with a full-time job. Any schedules you guys recommend?

Yea, but I did the bulk of my app work in July/August so that I only had to work on school specific stuff from Sept on.

I agree with either trying to do a little here and there on lunch breaks/commutes if you use public transit. Outside of that, LSAT day off or you're going to have to build it in around your LSAT studying.

[Experiment626]

Any predictions on what the curve will be?

No idea until I've seen the test. June was -9 but Sept was -11.

I'm hoping for a -12...

[King of the North]

Any predictions on what the curve will be?

No idea until I've seen the test. June was -9 but Sept was -11.

I'm hoping for a -12...

Wouldn't that mean the test is more difficult?

[littlewing67]

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[littlewing67]

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[Experiment626]

Any predictions on what the curve will be?

No idea until I've seen the test. June was -9 but Sept was -11.

I'm hoping for a -12...

Wouldn't that mean the test is more difficult?

Yes, the test as a whole may be ranked more difficult but it gives you more wiggle room to make mistakes. I usually perform to section average regardless of the curve, 4 per LR, 0 LG, 4ish RC across my last 5 PTs. My PT71 was -11 and my PT 72 was -12. Scores were 173 and 170 respectively. See the difference 1 question wrong in raw score makes? Anything that keeps every score in the 170s possible is a good thing. You don't want it like June's where it was -9 for 170 and two scores in the 170+ range were impossible to achieve for that test.

I actually wish there was a hard games with one non-standard game at the end because that plays to my strengths with LG which usually means easier LR/RC.

[Experiment626]

PT 48
LR -3 (BR -1)
LG -1 (BR -0)
EXP LR
RC -3 (BR -3)
LR -2 (BR -1)
-9 (BR -5)
---------------------------
169 (BR 174)

Lol what a wack curve..... seriously surprised at RC score cause the RC was tough for me. There was an Eileen Grey-esk passage about some chick that liked to write in traditional poetry
Made some silly LR mistakes that I am not too proud of. I want to PT higher than 170 just so I can at least get a 168 test day

That's worse than the devastating -9 curve from June.

[littlewing67]

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[MercW07]

Anyone looking for some logic practice should check out PT63 Section 3 Question 22. Not the most difficult LSAT question Ive seen, but logically its a beast.

[Experiment626]

Anyone looking for some logic practice should check out PT63 Section 3 Question 22. Not the most difficult LSAT question Ive seen, but logically its a beast.

It's wordy, which makes it more unwieldy than it actually is, I'll give you that.

[King of the North]

Any predictions on what the curve will be?

No idea until I've seen the test. June was -9 but Sept was -11.

I'm hoping for a -12...

Wouldn't that mean the test is more difficult?

Yes, the test as a whole may be ranked more difficult but it gives you more wiggle room to make mistakes. I usually perform to section average regardless of the curve, 4 per LR, 0 LG, 4ish RC across my last 5 PTs. My PT71 was -11 and my PT 72 was -12. Scores were 173 and 170 respectively. See the difference 1 question wrong in raw score makes? Anything that keeps every score in the 170s possible is a good thing. You don't want it like June's where it was -9 for 170 and two scores in the 170+ range were impossible to achieve for that test.

I actually wish there was a hard games with one non-standard game at the end because that plays to my strengths with LG which usually means easier LR/RC.

I agree. I’ll take harder games over hard lr/rc any day.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Anybody got a good technique for NA questions? I'm solid at bridging the logical gaps but when the answer shields the argument I tend to struggle. Maybe I just need to get better / more consistent at negating answers.

Have you tried Manhattan Prep LR book? That pretty much did it for me. My issue was that I would first try to negate every answer choice (looking back on it now, that was so stupid). Now I just treat it like how I would treat a SA question: by coming up with a few assumptions before looking at the answer choices. Then I eliminate any out of scope questions, questions that reversely represent the assumption you had in your mind, etc. I'm left with two possible answer choices and I try to negate both and usually end up picking the right one. Just remember that in contrast to a SA question, the NA only has to deal with at least part of the premise, resulting in the author's conclusion (SA must solve for all). When stuck between two likely answer choices, go for the one that isn't doing the most but is the bare minimum of what must be assumed for the author's argument to hold true. This is what Manhattan Prep taught me and since then I've gotten every NA question that's level three or higher difficulty correct, so I think if you can, definitely check it out.

Sorry if I went off on a tangent. Hope this helps.

This does help, thanks. I recently read that when you negate the correct answer and negate the conclusion, they'll match. I've only tried that once, though.

Agreed. Just wanted to emphasize the MH LR book was a game changer for me as well. THe way it is organized (much like the trainer) makes much more intuitive sense. You start by learning the general stuff (What is the P&C, what is the Gap in the argument etc) starting with teh Assumption Family and as the book goes on it gets more in depth relevant to the harder q-types. Much easier to naturally KNOW this stuff then trying to remember gimmicks and a step by step approach per each question type like other books suggest.