October 2010 Test Prep Forum

[CGI Fridays]

aleighp, so sorry.

[catsparka]

I just went and bought a five-hour energy drink. Going to try it tomorrow morning before I take 60.

I've never had one of these before, so I'm thinking maybe I should take half a bottle before I start, and finish the other half during my break. Is this a good idea?

[lsatextreme]

I've been preparing for this test for months - got my best practice score ever on Sunday and was feeling on top of the world. I also got engaged over the weekend, so I was pretty much on a high for a few days and was feeling super confident about this test. Yesterday afternoon I got a call that my dad died suddenly, yesterday also happened to be my birthday. I'm taking the test on Saturday, and flying out the next day to go clean out my dad's apartment/deal with closing accounts/funeral arrangements for the next week. I HAVE to take this test on Saturday, and somehow have to relax and focus. My dad was behind me 100%, and I know he would want me to rock this test.

I guess, no matter how much you prepare and how ready you think you are, life happens - just gotta chug along and make the best of it!! If you're feeling stressed don't give up, you can do this!!

i am sorry for your loss and i am happy that you are able to stay strong amidst the tragedy.

If you want some encouragement, maybe watch that one european figure skater in this past winter olympics who got a bronze or silver medal just after her father passed away.

[Pleasye]

I've been preparing for this test for months - got my best practice score ever on Sunday and was feeling on top of the world. I also got engaged over the weekend, so I was pretty much on a high for a few days and was feeling super confident about this test. Yesterday afternoon I got a call that my dad died suddenly, yesterday also happened to be my birthday. I'm taking the test on Saturday, and flying out the next day to go clean out my dad's apartment/deal with closing accounts/funeral arrangements for the next week. I HAVE to take this test on Saturday, and somehow have to relax and focus. My dad was behind me 100%, and I know he would want me to rock this test.

I guess, no matter how much you prepare and how ready you think you are, life happens - just gotta chug along and make the best of it!! If you're feeling stressed don't give up, you can do this!!

Very sorry to hear about your father. Best of luck on Saturday <3

[hokie]

anyone taking a PT on Friday? I know everyone says relax, lounge around the day before the test but I think it would be more beneficial (for me) to take a pt or at least do a few problems. Anyone else with me-thoughts?

[EK14]

i took an entire 5 hour energy, after eating a bowl of cereal, before taking a PT. I got the highest score i've ever gotten, and i must have been in the "zone" or something because i literally can't remember a single question on the PT... interesting... also i think it effected my respiratory system... awesome stuff!!

[catsparka]

anyone taking a PT on Friday? I know everyone says relax, lounge around the day before the test but I think it would be more beneficial (for me) to take a pt or at least do a few problems. Anyone else with me-thoughts?

I don't think I'll take an entire PT, but I will definitely be studying for at least a couple of hours. Nothing too hardcore, just mild drilling, maybe untimed sections.

[catsparka]

i took an entire 5 hour energy, after eating a bowl of cereal, before taking a PT. I got the highest score i've ever gotten, and i must have been in the "zone" or something because i literally can't remember a single question on the PT... interesting... also i think it effected my respiratory system... awesome stuff!!

How did it affect your respiratory system? I'm undecided as to whether I should just chug the entire thing at the beginning or save half of it for the break.

[jets098]

Well, with 2 days left I am feeling a little less nervous. My goal has always been to get above 160 and I finally have some consistency. After my test today my last 6 were:

166
163
161
161
162
162

I am a little closer to 160 than I would like ( I wish my average was up near 164 or so) but I really can't complain since I am finally finding some consistency. Going to take one more logic game section tonight (why the hell not) and then PT 59 tomorrow. Gonna review the wrong answers on that, relax/have fun tomorrow night and do mild logic games on friday before the test. Good luck everyone!

[emseeaych]

i took an entire 5 hour energy, after eating a bowl of cereal, before taking a PT. I got the highest score i've ever gotten, and i must have been in the "zone" or something because i literally can't remember a single question on the PT... interesting... also i think it effected my respiratory system... awesome stuff!!

How did it affect your respiratory system? I'm undecided as to whether I should just chug the entire thing at the beginning or save half of it for the break.

I've experimented with 5-Hour Energy and Red Bull during my prep. (Never consumed either of them before this.) In my experience, both are better than coffee, but 5-Hour Energy works the best, hands down. Didn't have any respiratory issues -- just a little stomach discomfort. I'm drinking a 5-Hour Energy the morning of the test for sure. You should definitely try it out tomorrow or Friday, though, to make sure it's compatible with your body and whatnot, since the last thing you want is to be jittery or messed up during the test.

Edit to add: Just want to note that I wouldn't want to consume 5-Hour Energy long term. The ingredients list scares me. But as a one-time thing, I'm pretty sure it's safe, at least for me.

[northwood]

I didn't intend to take a prep test today... I was just going to do a timed section of LR, RC, and LG. Got in the rhythmn and flow of doing it and decided to do one more- then one more, then one more: result:6 hours in the library.( I might be addicted to lsat prep- oh man-) Ended up doing 2 LR sections, 3 RC sections, and 4 Lg sections ( pt 48, 32, 33, 34, 37)

LR -6 and - 4 respectfully ( both came from pt 48)
RC - 6, - 3, - 4 (-3 is my best score ever)
LG - 1, -3, - 3, -2: Ill take it

Totally flying high, really excited. I dont have pt 60, so I cant do the beloved mulch game, or the RC section. I dont know if I should take tomorrow off, since im in a good groove right now, but I dont want to tire out my cognitive abilities, eeh, I guess ill just have to wait and see how I feel tomorrow.

[Sandro]

So i'm done with all my PTs. I think for the next day or so I will just drill/analyze the most recent tests - get a feel for their overall tone/tricks/structure. I think this could help me a lot.

[shanshan333]

Is P58 hard or is it just me? I took P57 and got a 167 and then took P58 for a 163. Have been in the 165s and 166s, took P60 and got a 166, and was really hoping to say consistent before the exam. I don't know why I struggled with this one but I did. I got -5 on every section. Weird.

[lamentable]

Is P58 hard or is it just me? I took P57 and got a 167 and then took P58 for a 163. Have been in the 165s and 166s, took P60 and got a 166, and was really hoping to say consistent before the exam. I don't know why I struggled with this one but I did. I got -5 on every section. Weird.

It could have been a fluke. I did horribly on PT57 and I was around the high part of my average on PT58.

[catsparka]

i took an entire 5 hour energy, after eating a bowl of cereal, before taking a PT. I got the highest score i've ever gotten, and i must have been in the "zone" or something because i literally can't remember a single question on the PT... interesting... also i think it effected my respiratory system... awesome stuff!!

How did it affect your respiratory system? I'm undecided as to whether I should just chug the entire thing at the beginning or save half of it for the break.

I've experimented with 5-Hour Energy and Red Bull during my prep. (Never consumed either of them before this.) In my experience, both are better than coffee, but 5-Hour Energy works the best, hands down. Didn't have any respiratory issues -- just a little stomach discomfort. I'm drinking a 5-Hour Energy the morning of the test for sure. You should definitely try it out tomorrow or Friday, though, to make sure it's compatible with your body and whatnot, since the last thing you want is to be jittery or messed up during the test.

Edit to add: Just want to note that I wouldn't want to consume 5-Hour Energy long term. The ingredients list scares me. But as a one-time thing, I'm pretty sure it's safe, at least for me.

Yeah, I'm going to try it out tomorrow before PT60. Thanks for the input!

[Hedwig]

Got a -0 on LR 42 (2nd) today. Reassuring. I CAN GET A -0! I also had to use the washroom really badly but I held off to simulate test conditions. So it's nice to know I can get a -0 on LR like that, haha. It's also nice to know how crazy I am... anyways!

I need to just go slow, focus on question type, and stop overthinking LR, yup. I also went -1 on RC #42.

[Pleasye]

Re: 5-hour energy.

I am not a shaky/jittery person who is highly affected by caffeine and sugar. I can drink a large coffee and still go take a nap. However, I drank SIPS of 5-hour energy when writing a paper once and ended up all shaky with my heart beating way too fast. So NOT fun when you are trying to get something done and I'm sure it would NOT be fun if I was already shaky and nervous before taking the most important test of my life. I wouldn't drink one of these on test day, if you have never tried it make sureee that you try it beforehand.

[2014]

170 on pt59.

I am NOT pleased.

I have now gone like 6 tests in a row without -0ing LG. I can't afford to miss any on that section on test day since my RC blows so bad...

[sarahlawg]

170 on pt59.

I am NOT pleased.

I have now gone like 6 tests in a row without -0ing LG. I can't afford to miss any on that section on test day since my RC blows so bad...

you still did awesome though
This is where I'm at too. Fortunately I haven't missed any LG Qs in quite awhile, but my RC seems to get progressively worse...

[TheTopBloke]

It's actually so simple. Just do the opposite.

[ATR]

Just finished PT 57:

LG: -4
LR: -4
LR: -3
RC: -2

Raw: 88
Scaled: 168

I feel pretty good about this test, especially considering the mistakes I made. A decent amount of them were due to laziness, which I felt as I was working (and, knowing this, can correct on test day). Examples of carelessness:

RC#12 - picked wrong answer because I keyed in on "emotional" instead of reading the next line
RC#22 - used a heuristic to eliminate answers instead of reading carefully
LR#22 (1st) - didn't trust my instincts
LR#19 (2nd) - narrowed it down to two choices, picked the one which I felt less conviction about

The fractal passage was fine with me - I've read a book on chaos theory so I understood Koch curves beforehand. The dinosaur passage did give me problems, though.

Still deciding whether or not to take PT 58 tonight. Feeling good about my progress... after hitting a low of 164 on 50's PTs, I've gone 167/168 on the last two.

[ND'10]

170 on pt59.

I am NOT pleased.

I have now gone like 6 tests in a row without -0ing LG. I can't afford to miss any on that section on test day since my RC blows so bad...

Do Logic Games section 53 to help boost your confidence if you haven't taken it yet.

Definitely helped mine, I -0ed that section in 29 minutes (though RC kicked my ass on 53)

[sknight323]

170 on pt59.

I am NOT pleased.

I have now gone like 6 tests in a row without -0ing LG. I can't afford to miss any on that section on test day since my RC blows so bad...

Do Logic Games section 53 to help boost your confidence if you haven't taken it yet.

Definitely helped mine, I -0ed that section in 29 minutes (though RC kicked my ass on 53)

Heh, I was the exact opposite. Missed an easy, stupid inference in the criminal investigation game and got destroyed on LG, but crushed RC. I wish I could combine my RC scores with some posters LG scores here

[Hedwig]

Does anyone else get super amused in RC when you can spot what they're trying to do with the trick answer? Like, you look back to check in the passage cause you remember the phrase and you see it's being used in a way different way... but crafty LSAT is banking on you just remembering the phrase... and you're like I WIN THIS TIME LSAT. I WIN.

[acadec]

No, that doesn't happen to me. I pick the trick answer and the LSAT wins.

179 on PT 54 tonight; probably the last one I'll do before the test. Time to relax.