For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic: Forum

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zephyr36

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For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by zephyr36 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:44 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score

2. How long did you study?

3. Did you take a class?

4. What books did you use?

5. What was your study routine like?

6. Misc. Suggestions

I know that this is a thread very similar to the sticky, but I got a cold diag of 154 and I want to break 170 (I have a 4.0 and would really like an LSAT score to match it).

Thanks.

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Captain Jack

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Captain Jack » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:48 pm

1. 137
2. 3-4 months
3. No
4. Powerscore, Powerscore, Powerscore
5. Wake up, study for 3 hours, lunch, study for 3 hours, workout, dinner, study for an hour, sleep.
6. Keep practicing. Look for patterns in questions. Don't give up.

P.S.-I score a 164 on my actual LSAT.

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Always Credited

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Always Credited » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:51 pm

zephyr36 wrote:1. Diag Score/LSAT score

149 -> 170

2. How long did you study?
300+ hours
3. Did you take a class?
Kaplan
4. What books did you use?
All of 'em that come with course, + powerscore LG bible
5. What was your study routine like?
Take test - go over test - study areas of relative weakness - repeat
6. Misc. Suggestions
Bust your ass, know success.
I know that this is a thread very similar to the sticky, but I got a cold diag of 154 and I want to break 170 (I have a 4.0 and would really like an LSAT score to match it).

Thanks.

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catharsis

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by catharsis » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:54 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score- My diag was a 147 and I went up significantly.

2. How long did you study? Over the course of a year.

3. Did you take a class? Powerscore Full-Length and Weekend courses. I wish I would have skipped the Weekend one though. I feel the full-length was criitcal to my success.

4. What books did you use? Everything Powerscore minus the Reading Comp. Bible, all of the Real LSAT books..

5. What was your study routine like? lol it was hardcore and very sick. i dont recommend it. best study routine is to keep things in perspective, study hard, but maintain a balance with your life and studying.

6. Misc. Suggestions- try your hardest and never give up. sounds cliche but there will be times when the LSAT seems like it will beat you but you have to pick yourself up and keep fighting.

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gilagarta

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by gilagarta » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:01 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score - 158 --> 171

2. How long did you study?
10 weeks

3. Did you take a class?
Princeton Review

4. What books did you use?
All the books that came with the Princeton Review class, plus additional packets of logic games and diags (gotten for free from a friend)

5. What was your study routine like?
Class was from 10-1 on Sat (this time was used to take a diag every other week) and 10-6 on Sun. I work full time but M-F I would study 2-4 hours each night when I got home from work. Studying consisted mostly of doing the Princeton Review "homework" at the end of each section - pages and pages of arguments, games and RC questions and timed sections. As I got closer to the test I spent more time doing my own studying off of additional logic games (my weak section) and timed diags/sections and stopped doing the RC homework in the book because it was my best section.

6. Misc. Suggestions
Sounds obvious, but tailor your studying to how you're scoring - if you are doing well on RC but not on games, focus more on games. Do lots of timed sections but take breaks - don't try to do too many full diags in a row or you'll burn out and see your score start to artificially drop. Don't be discouraged if you hit a wall - I was consistently scoring 164-167 weeks 6-8 and only broke through into the 169-171 range the last two weeks before the test. Good luck!

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Mr. Smith

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Mr. Smith » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:05 pm

Congrats on the kickass GPA, man.

1. 157 or 158 (don't remember precisely)/ score in 170s

2. How long did you study? prolly 500+ hours

3. Did you take a class? No

4. What books did you use? Powerscore LG Bible/LR Bible, Kaplan 180 for practice material, every PT I could buy

5. What was your study routine like? Went through the Powerscore books, did a million LGs, then did every PT, on non-PT days, I would review and try to understand my mistakes. Would then type up in a Word Document.

6. Misc. Suggestions

Dude, I would prolly say best thing is to do PTs, timed, and then review your ass off on any mistakes or things that you were not sure about. I believe it's the best way to train your mind to better think logically and to identify your weaknesses to eliminate.

Also, Stanley Otto Swift went from 154 diag to 179. He also has a good method to review your PTs. See here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =6&t=83117

mrm2083

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by mrm2083 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:06 pm

1. 159 --> 171
2. 2 months
3. Tutor (but did all the meaningful work myself
4. Poswerscore bibles and lots of old LSATs
5. Pretty much 3-4 hrs per day 5 days a week
6. Don't burn yourself out

lawschoolgiant

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by lawschoolgiant » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:08 pm

zephyr36 wrote:1. Diag Score/LSAT score

2. How long did you study? 6 weeks

3. Did you take a class? yes powerscore online (not worth it)

4. What books did you use? Powerscore class materials

5. What was your study routine like? About 12 hours a week

6. Misc. Suggestions-timed Pt's and work logic games if you dont know. It really helps.

I know that this is a thread very similar to the sticky, but I got a cold diag of 154 and I want to break 170 (I have a 4.0 and would really like an LSAT score to match it).

Thanks.

waxloaf

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by waxloaf » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:08 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score
160/170s
2. How long did you study?
3 months or so
3. Did you take a class?
TM
4. What books did you use?
TM materials
5. What was your study routine like?
Few hours a day
6. Misc. Suggestions
Do full section sizes of practice questions, so do a minimum of 4 rc passages in a row, minimum 4 games, etc.

Don't stress too much.

Don't try and teach logic games to your friends, they won't appreciate it. Might make you a better at games though, so maybe give it a try.

edit: Also, read test center reviews and sign up for your test center early. You do not wanna get stuck somewhere with tiny desks when you have been doing all your PTs on a big table, it makes a big difference.
Last edited by waxloaf on Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by psandl01 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:09 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score

157 -> 172

2. How long did you study?

A little over two months for a few hours a day

3. Did you take a class?

Yes, TTTestmasters

4. What books did you use?

Just the ones from the course

5. What was your study routine like?

Testmasters gives you a bunch of logical reasoning questions sorted by question type so I went over all of those, then did full sections of LG, RC and LR. Then, I took all the full exams that they provided me. Stopped going to the class by the end though cuz I didn't have enough time.

6. Misc. Suggestions

Relax and you'll do fine.

am060459

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by am060459 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:10 pm

i havent taken the acutal LSAT yet but feel some may learn from my input

1. Diag Score/LSAT score 134 -> 159 (average PT)

2. How long did you study? 6+ months (on and off)

3. Did you take a class? took a PR course but wasnt satisfied so i took a TM course

4. What books did you use? course books, all three LSAT books, all powerscore bibles

5. What was your study routine like? tackled LR by doing question types (accuracy first), read WSJ and the Economist to develop better reading skills, drilled LG to near perfection (LG should be freebies).

6. Misc. Suggestions dont give up. also look over your wrong answers throughly and understand why you got them wrong.

alabamabound

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by alabamabound » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:12 pm

Same diagnostic. Got a 171.

I took Kaplan and supplemented it with PS Logic Games Bible. I spent at least a couple of hours studying every day during the course and through test day. Looking back, I wish I had worked more full practice exams into my schedule (many in the 99% percentile seem to have taken lots of these). But I did take 5 or 6 full practice exams and am happy w/ my score.

Misc suggestions: don't burn out early.

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Bert

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Bert » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:12 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score - 148 --> 163

2. How long did you study?
10-12 weeks

3. Did you take a class?
Kaplan

4. What books did you use?
All the books that came with the Kaplan class.

5. What was your study routine like?
Weekdays: wake up, go to work until 6, study 6-10, go back to work until 2, go home, go to bed. [biglaw paralegal here]
Weekends: wake up, study, lunch, go to work, go home, go to bed.

6. Misc. Suggestions
(1) When you hit a wall, back off the LSAT, and (2) be sure to leave some time to yourself in the process.

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DoubleChecks

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by DoubleChecks » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:16 pm

1. 160 -> 175

2. 10-12 weeks

3. Princeton Review, though I stopped going halfway through and self-studied after I got the basic strategies down

4. Only PR provided materials from the course

5. When still going to the course, I just did the HW they assigned for every class. After I stopped (about a month-month and a half in), I just did 1-2 practice tests a week till the week of my actual LSAT, where I took 3 PTs prior to the Saturday exam (in total I took 12 PTs, treating my real exam as a normal '13th' PT)

6. After you get the strategies down, make sure you stick within the time limit, maybe even shaving off a minute or two...also, PRACTICE bubbling in so you dont make bubbling mistakes on game day (that and bubbling in actually takes time). I'm a pretty natural test taker, so I didn't have nerves, but I would recommend getting VERY good sleep the night before...my apt had a frat party till 3 am the night before and it threw me off a bit. Oh and for some people, taking a lot of tests right before the real one burns them out rather than pumps them up -- see what works for you.

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gilagarta

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by gilagarta » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:17 pm

lawschoolgiant wrote:Don't try and teach logic games to your friends, they won't appreciate it. Might make you a better at games though, so maybe give it a try.
Haha yes I second this. DON'T. For some reason I consistently thought everyone around me would be as fascinated and obsessed with LG as I was if I could just sit them down and explain it. They weren't. They seem to incite rage, actually.

Which brings me to another tip, actually - do you know anyone else prepping for the LSAT? If you do, make them your LSAT buddy. This forum helps, but having a real-life friend who's as obsessed as you are and willing to talk over individual questions made a big difference for me. No one else understood the pain I was going through except for her!

Z3RO

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Z3RO » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:32 pm

zephyr36 wrote:1. 162/180

2. ~3 months

3. No

4. LG bible. Crappy Kaplan/Princeton review books. Real LSAT test books

5. Come home from work, eat dinner, take a timed test. Review mistakes with explanations. Next day, spend the time looking over past mistakes and doing some games sections. Repeat. Also do a section every once in a while when you have some spare time rather than reading for pleasure. You should eventually time yourself, but the idea is to get familiar with this stuff so that LG is free points and the rest of the test is an arena where you have a damn good chance at success.

6. You have to want a 180 with uncompromising lust. I'm not even flaming. I would get 178's on my practice test and get pissed that I had hit a glass ceiling. Never stop until test day. Scope out your test center a weekend in advance, just so that you don't have to panic and scramble lost through a strange campus looking for parking. Know that you're gonna kick this thing's ass, and when it's all over join in the TLS hysteria. That was half the fun.

I mentioned crappy Kaplan books above. These were worth it for the extra logic games sections, but do not rely on them. I noticed logical fallacies in the way that they set up their questions in both the Princeton Review and Kaplan books. If you relied on these, you would be woefully underprepared for the real test. Hell, you'd think that Denying the Antecedent was Modus Tollens.

tomwatts

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by tomwatts » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:20 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score 154/180 (though see below)

2. How long did you study? 2 months for real, but I didn't take the test for several years. Became an LSAT teacher in the interim. But my actual score improvement came from those 2 months.

3. Did you take a class? No.

4. What books did you use? Cracking the LSAT and a bunch of real LSATs.

5. What was your study routine like? Read Cracking the LSAT for technique, then applied it to a lot of timed sections. I did at least two sections each day. Games pretty much every day, and alternating RC and LR for the second section (because Games was my weakest section). Completed everything no matter how long it took but marked where I was after 35 minutes. Rechecked Cracking the LSAT from time to time for technique pointers. Reviewed my work carefully and rarely made the same sort of mistake twice.

6. Misc. Suggestions People often don't review enough or in the right way. Find something that works for you so that you don't keep messing up in the same way over and over again. Be consistent. The LSAT is standardized. You should be, too.

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scribelaw

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by scribelaw » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:30 pm

1. 159/173

2. 4 months...Most every night, 3-4 hours, plus weekend PTs

3. Yes. Not that helpful. I took it after I was already scoring 170+ and the advice was too basic.

4. LG and LR Bibles, the LG Bible Workbook, the Kaplan 180 book, and every previously administered test

5. I have a job, so I'd study every night after work, often from about 6-10 with a break for dinner. I did the Bibles and broke out sections. I'd mix them up. I might do 2 games sections and 2 LR sections on night, etc. And I spent a lot of time going over the questions, especially the ones I got wrong or was unsure on.

6. Don't do a shock and awe strategy -- don't start doing four full-length PTs per week or try to do an epic cram at the end. I think it's best to take a slow and steady approach; the goal is to increase your understanding of the question types and what the authors are going after. Over time, you build up speed and accuracy.

I think the key to a high score is the games. It's only 22 questions, but how well you do on that section affects your confidence for the rest. In addition, it's the most learnable section -- you should be consistently getting -0 if you prepare right, and that gives you leeway to miss some tricky LR or RC questions.

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by UrbanAchievers » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:46 pm

1. 160/173

2. 2 months

3. No

4. Spark Notes guide book and actual LSAT exams

5. Took a timed test every Saturday morning at the same time as the LSAT under the same conditions. On Wednesday or Thursday, went over what I did wrong and what I did right.

6. Don't try to do everything you read in a book as though it's some kind of formula. It will slow you down.

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by clevinger33 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:54 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score: 163/175

2. How long did you study? Perused the PowerScore Logic Games Bible the spring before I took it (in September), took the summer/fall off, and crammed for a week and a half before the exam.

3. Did you take a class? No.

4. What books did you use? PowerScore Logic Games Bible, Practice tests I illegally downloaded.

5. What was your study routine like? Took two or three PTs a day for the week leading up to the test, checked my answers and found out what I did wrong, and reread the relevant sections of the LG Bible for types of games I was having issues with. Honestly, LG is the only thing I "studied" for.

6. More important than how much you study is the mental approach you take to the test. Be relaxed, well-rested, and confident going into it. It's not the end of the world, it's just four hours of bullshit. You can retake if you mess up, and your life will not be over if you don't break 170. For the record, I outperformed my highest PT when I sat for the real thing, and I think a lot of that had to do with how relaxed and focused I was. I just kind of breezed through the PTs, so when I sat for the real thing and dedicated 100% of my mental capacity to it, it was much easier.

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by Fast_Fingers » Thu Apr 22, 2010 2:55 pm

1. Diag Score/LSAT score
157/169
2. How long did you study?
4 hrs a day, rested on Sunday
3. Did you take a class?
Kaplan Advanced Online
4. What books did you use?
Their stuff.
5. What was your study routine like?
When not taking a class, doing a random section or two (usually LR, since it's 50%). Occasionally do a full test (though those were done in class).
6. Misc. Suggestions
Your effort determines your grade the most. I actually did a LOT better than my practice tests (which hovered around the 157/162 range)...I'm pretty good under pressure.

zephyr36

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Re: For those who went up 12+ points from their diagnostic:

Post by zephyr36 » Sun Apr 25, 2010 3:49 pm

Sorry for the late response, but thanks for the great advice. I really appreciate the feedback.

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