JUNE 2010 LSAT Countdown Thread: Good Luck Today Everyone! Forum

[honestabe84]

Question for anyone doing really well on Reading Comp, that may have not initially done so well, is there any strategies you would suggest? And i dont want to hear "read hard material" because 4 weeks wont change anything.
Im missing 0 on LG and 3 on arguments (all together), but 10 on RC :/ very frustrating

I started out -14 on RC on my diag. and i'm averaging between -4 and -6 now. I bracket each paragraph and after I read it, I summarize it in the margin in a handful of words. This method helps me keep track of who's saying what, how they feel about it, the flow of the passage, etc. Then before I start the questions I write down in some blank space what I think the main point and the author's attitude are, since they are more often than not in the first couple questions.

Hope this helps!

I would love to use this strategy, but I can't imagine being able to finish in time. I assume you're a pretty fast reader?

[Marionberry]

Took PT 57 today, June 2009 with the Dinos game. The games section tore me up pretty good, but I still managed to salvage a pretty good score. I thought that all the talk about the dinos games was just hyperbole, but it really had me stumped.

results were LG -5, LR-1, RC-2 For a raw 93, 173 scaled.

I'm on the tail end of a three day stomach bug, so considering that I was not in top condition I'm pretty happy with the results. But that game, man...anyone else taken that test yet?

[Knock]

Took PT 57 today, June 2009 with the Dinos game. The games section tore me up pretty good, but I still managed to salvage a pretty good score. I thought that all the talk about the dinos games was just hyperbole, but it really had me stumped.

results were LG -5, LR-1, RC-2 For a raw 93, 173 scaled.

I'm on the tail end of a three day stomach bug, so considering that I was not in top condition I'm pretty happy with the results. But that game, man...anyone else taken that test yet?

Not yet...but i'll let you know when I do haha. Already scared for it!

[makingwaves]

Question for anyone doing really well on Reading Comp, that may have not initially done so well, is there any strategies you would suggest? And i dont want to hear "read hard material" because 4 weeks wont change anything.
Im missing 0 on LG and 3 on arguments (all together), but 10 on RC :/ very frustrating

I started out -14 on RC on my diag. and i'm averaging between -4 and -6 now. I bracket each paragraph and after I read it, I summarize it in the margin in a handful of words. This method helps me keep track of who's saying what, how they feel about it, the flow of the passage, etc. Then before I start the questions I write down in some blank space what I think the main point and the author's attitude are, since they are more often than not in the first couple questions.

Hope this helps!

I would love to use this strategy, but I can't imagine being able to finish in time. I assume you're a pretty fast reader?

Well actually, when I was just reading through and jumping into the questions I was going TOO fast (I think that the whole column of text looks bigger than it really is and freaks some people out.), thinking I wasn't going to have time to finish. This method slowed me down, but not enough to put me in jeopardy of not finishing the passage. If you try it, you don't have to do the whole section -- just try one or two passages and time yourself at like 8 mins 30 secs and see whether you think its too much of a time crunch for you.

[slax]

Took PT 57 today, June 2009 with the Dinos game. The games section tore me up pretty good, but I still managed to salvage a pretty good score. I thought that all the talk about the dinos games was just hyperbole, but it really had me stumped.

results were LG -5, LR-1, RC-2 For a raw 93, 173 scaled.

I'm on the tail end of a three day stomach bug, so considering that I was not in top condition I'm pretty happy with the results. But that game, man...anyone else taken that test yet?

Took this test Friday with an added logic games section as experimental. Scored 168 -4 LR -2 LG -7 RC. Got the dinos perfect. The guy sitting next to me started talking on his phone during RC passage 2 and didn't end til the second LR section. Murdered me. I've never done so horribly on RC. Took the Sep 09 test today and back to 173. The dip scared me but I'm chalking it up to the phone gabber. Definitely don't want to dip this close to game day.

[tomwatts]

Question for anyone doing really well on Reading Comp, that may have not initially done so well, is there any strategies you would suggest? And i dont want to hear "read hard material" because 4 weeks wont change anything.
Im missing 0 on LG and 3 on arguments (all together), but 10 on RC :/ very frustrating

I started out -14 on RC on my diag. and i'm averaging between -4 and -6 now. I bracket each paragraph and after I read it, I summarize it in the margin in a handful of words. This method helps me keep track of who's saying what, how they feel about it, the flow of the passage, etc. Then before I start the questions I write down in some blank space what I think the main point and the author's attitude are, since they are more often than not in the first couple questions.

Hope this helps!

I would love to use this strategy, but I can't imagine being able to finish in time. I assume you're a pretty fast reader?

I'm not a fast reader, and I do this. Writing more speeds me up, because if I have to refer back to the first or second paragraph to figure out the main point, I can just read my 3-5 word summary, instead of having to re-read the whole paragraph. Having the main point of the whole passage already also helps in answer the first question most of the time, because the first question is almost always a main point question, and having this already down means that you can eliminate faster.

My students always make this objection, and then they try it for a little while, and then they realize that I'm right.

[honestabe84]

Question for anyone doing really well on Reading Comp, that may have not initially done so well, is there any strategies you would suggest? And i dont want to hear "read hard material" because 4 weeks wont change anything.
Im missing 0 on LG and 3 on arguments (all together), but 10 on RC :/ very frustrating

I started out -14 on RC on my diag. and i'm averaging between -4 and -6 now. I bracket each paragraph and after I read it, I summarize it in the margin in a handful of words. This method helps me keep track of who's saying what, how they feel about it, the flow of the passage, etc. Then before I start the questions I write down in some blank space what I think the main point and the author's attitude are, since they are more often than not in the first couple questions.

Hope this helps!

I would love to use this strategy, but I can't imagine being able to finish in time. I assume you're a pretty fast reader?

I'm not a fast reader, and I do this. Writing more speeds me up, because if I have to refer back to the first or second paragraph to figure out the main point, I can just read my 3-5 word summary, instead of having to re-read the whole paragraph. Having the main point of the whole passage already also helps in answer the first question most of the time, because the first question is almost always a main point question, and having this already down means that you can eliminate faster.

My students always make this objection, and then they try it for a little while, and then they realize that I'm right.

I guess I'll have to do several RC sections to experiment with the strategy.

[Moomoo2u]

I'm testing at about 81-83 raw atm (halfway through a Princeton review "hyperlearning" course). I'm getting hammered on both the Games/LR sections. What's annoying is that sometimes ill get like -2/3 on LR and then get -5/6 on the next one, I'm averaging like -5 on ea section.

Does anyone have any decent tips for speed on the games? Of the ones I finish on time I get about 95% right, but I almost always am left with at least 8-9 questions that I have to guess on.


What's the score range for a 166-167? It seems to vary by like 3-4 points depending on the test.


good luck in June everyone

[Marionberry]

I'm testing at about 81-83 raw atm (halfway through a Princeton review "hyperlearning" course). I'm getting hammered on both the Games/LR sections. What's annoying is that sometimes ill get like -2/3 on LR and then get -5/6 on the next one, I'm averaging like -5 on ea section.

Does anyone have any decent tips for speed on the games? Of the ones I finish on time I get about 95% right, but I almost always am left with at least 8-9 questions that I have to guess on.


What's the score range for a 166-167? It seems to vary by like 3-4 points depending on the test.


good luck in June everyone

Score range for a 166-177 on the December 09 test was 82-84, probably a little bit higher on other tests as this one had a relatively generous curve(-14). As far as the games go, the only thing I can really suggest is to do more games, I started in late March doing a game section every day, at first untimed but as I got my technique down I began timing them. In addition to that one section, i would just make tons of copies of games and just do them throughout the day, untimed. This really helped me become familiar with all the different game types. If you're not polished on your diagramming, that's definitely a big thing if you want to do -1, -0 on the games sections, for me at least.

You have three weeks left, which really isn't a lot of time. If you can, I would suggest getting the powerscore games bible and going through it asap, if you haven't already. If you feel like you're not close to what you're capable of right now, you might want to consider postponing if you can. If not, you have 20 days to bust your ass and make some improvement.

[Marionberry]

What is everyone's plans for the week prior to the test? I'm trying to figure out how much I need to keep myself sharp while still being completely fresh on test day. I think I'll be doing a PT on that monday and that Friday, as I have both of those days off. The days in between those tests I will probably do a lot of games, and maybe one timed rc and lr section . Saturday, 6/5, I am gonna do a games section, have a massage and probably go see a movie or something, maybe take the dogs to the park. Sunday I am gonna hit the gym and play call of duty, and probably not much else. I'm starting to get pretty pumped/anxious, and I feel like at this point my mindset on test day is gonna be the biggest difference in a 170 and 175+.

[makingwaves]

I would love to use this strategy, but I can't imagine being able to finish in time. I assume you're a pretty fast reader?

I'm not a fast reader, and I do this. Writing more speeds me up, because if I have to refer back to the first or second paragraph to figure out the main point, I can just read my 3-5 word summary, instead of having to re-read the whole paragraph. Having the main point of the whole passage already also helps in answer the first question most of the time, because the first question is almost always a main point question, and having this already down means that you can eliminate faster.

My students always make this objection, and then they try it for a little while, and then they realize that I'm right.

I guess I'll have to do several RC sections to experiment with the strategy.

Let us know how it works out for you!

[Marionberry]

Took PT 54 today: RC:-2 LR:-0 LG:-2 LR:-3 Raw 94/101 Scaled 173

Last pt scores have been 179, 174, 173, 174, 173

I was not feeling it today. I actually felt angry at the test beginning in the second section, I'm just so tired of this crap and tired of answering these awful fucking questions. I'm happy with my scores, they're good, but I definitely feel like I'm not performing up to my potential. I got hungry, was in a bad mood when I started this test, stomach hurt, etc etc. I'm gonna take a week off.

I know it seems kind of risky to take a week off now, but I'm just not making any progress and actually feel like I'm doing worse, ability wise. I don't think I would improve any in the next couple of weeks, but if I continue to exhaust myself with this stuff I may actually do worse. The week before the test I will do some light prep, games to keep me polished and maybe a couple lr and rc sections, but nothing big.

When I'm in the zone, or doing one passage at a time, I can easily do 175+ scores. It's just that in these most recent practice tests I can actually feel a cognitive resistance of some sort to the material, like my brain is just saying "No thanks, I've had enough." I think I'm going to heed its protestations, and give myself some time to recoup.

[honestabe84]

Took PT 54 today: RC:-2 LR:-0 LG:-2 LR:-3 Raw 94/101 Scaled 173

Last pt scores have been 179, 174, 173, 174, 173

I was not feeling it today. I actually felt angry at the test beginning in the second section, I'm just so tired of this crap and tired of answering these awful fucking questions. I'm happy with my scores, they're good, but I definitely feel like I'm not performing up to my potential. I got hungry, was in a bad mood when I started this test, stomach hurt, etc etc. I'm gonna take a week off.

I know it seems kind of risky to take a week off now, but I'm just not making any progress and actually feel like I'm doing worse, ability wise. I don't think I would improve any in the next couple of weeks, but if I continue to exhaust myself with this stuff I may actually do worse. The week before the test I will do some light prep, games to keep me polished and maybe a couple lr and rc sections, but nothing big.

When I'm in the zone, or doing one passage at a time, I can easily do 175+ scores. It's just that in these most recent practice tests I can actually feel a cognitive resistance of some sort to the material, like my brain is just saying "No thanks, I've had enough." I think I'm going to heed its protestations, and give myself some time to recoup.

+1000000

June 7th could not come sooner.

[jdstl]

I can't believe this bastard is only two weeks off. I'm glad we have the TLS forums to commiserate on, since no one in "real life" cares about our travails on LSAT practice tests.

Like others, Logic Game timing is my final hurdle. My last tests have gone 176, 172, 174, 172, 177, 170 (these all through tests from the late 90's). I can consistently do -0 to -2 on LR/RC, but LG ranges from -3 to -10(!) on my latest test. If I can my LG section consistently to -0 to -3 I should be able to score over 175, which is my goal (though I won't retake unless I go below 170). I think the timing key for me on LG's is forcing myself to think about the setup/inferences more at the beginning of each game. I have a bad habit of starting in on the questions to soon, plugging and chugging. I can get most right, but almost never make it to the final game.

The plan: taking one practice test each weekday (five from "The Next 10" next week, five from the more recent individual tests the week leading up to the test), and doing LG sections from older tests on the weekends (I'm doing these weekend Logic Games un-timed to force myself to take the time to draw real inferences) .

Godspeed.

[PlugInBaby]

Well I was right on track with my revised version of the Pithypike method. Took timed Preptests A, B, and C...and got a 170, 173, and 172 on the respectively.

Now everything seems to be going to hell. I took PT 50-52: 167, 167, 166 -_-. I believe this shift has more to do with the curve being less forgiving and the test just being more difficult overall. As reported by most people LG are much easier and RC is much harder. Case in point I added the RC from PT 21 along with the entire PT 52. Got a perfect score on the experimental RC....and seven wrong on the actual one. What is additionally frustrating is that I can't seem to narrow down what exactly I am weak at...all I suppose I can do is try new approaches.

I suppose one reason why my performance may not be nearly as good is that last Saturday my mother broke her arm and now I have the additional responsiblity of being her caretaker at her beckon call as well as doing all the housework. I didn't expect this heapload of responsibility to be dumped on me and I feel really disjointed. Nonetheless I feel it is expected of me to perservere.

If there are any pointers on how I can diffuse this extra stress and/or try to discern my weaknesses as I take this test I'd appreciate it. Most of all I wanted to vent.

[CryingMonkey]

I know it seems kind of risky to take a week off now, but I'm just not making any progress and actually feel like I'm doing worse, ability wise. I don't think I would improve any in the next couple of weeks, but if I continue to exhaust myself with this stuff I may actually do worse. The week before the test I will do some light prep, games to keep me polished and maybe a couple lr and rc sections, but nothing big.

When I'm in the zone, or doing one passage at a time, I can easily do 175+ scores. It's just that in these most recent practice tests I can actually feel a cognitive resistance of some sort to the material, like my brain is just saying "No thanks, I've had enough." I think I'm going to heed its protestations, and give myself some time to recoup.

I've definitely gotten there - I've noticed I've stopped double-checking answers and started getting just careless. I think it's a bit of familiarity breeding contempt. I've been missing questions that I'd usually get, but I'm just not paying enough attention to get there. I feel like I need someone to slap me around and be like "FOCUS MAN!" before I go in over-relaxed and eff it all up.

[absolutazn87]

Took PT 54 today: RC:-2 LR:-0 LG:-2 LR:-3 Raw 94/101 Scaled 173

Last pt scores have been 179, 174, 173, 174, 173

I was not feeling it today. I actually felt angry at the test beginning in the second section, I'm just so tired of this crap and tired of answering these awful fucking questions. I'm happy with my scores, they're good, but I definitely feel like I'm not performing up to my potential. I got hungry, was in a bad mood when I started this test, stomach hurt, etc etc. I'm gonna take a week off.

I know it seems kind of risky to take a week off now, but I'm just not making any progress and actually feel like I'm doing worse, ability wise. I don't think I would improve any in the next couple of weeks, but if I continue to exhaust myself with this stuff I may actually do worse. The week before the test I will do some light prep, games to keep me polished and maybe a couple lr and rc sections, but nothing big.

When I'm in the zone, or doing one passage at a time, I can easily do 175+ scores. It's just that in these most recent practice tests I can actually feel a cognitive resistance of some sort to the material, like my brain is just saying "No thanks, I've had enough." I think I'm going to heed its protestations, and give myself some time to recoup.

Yeah I know what you mean. I took PT 54 today too and got RC -3, LR: -3, LG: -1, LR: -2: 171. A few weeks ago I had gotten a 179 too and since then I've been going downhill, making careless mistakes. Sometimes I overthink. I guess maybe familiarity is leading to carelessness. The thing that's worrying me is that today I didn't feel out of the zone. I felt alright about the test and still managed to screw it up pretty badly in some places.

But I've actually been slacking off since my 179, so I may actually do the opposite of your approach and double down on more Kaplan Mastery drills and keep doing PTs. Trying to do one PT every 3 days til June 7.

[nycsoul87]

So I still haven't really started studying for my retake in June yet. I blatantly need to start at some point...
I have a 170 in the books from February and I already know my weakness (freezing and then bruteforcing in LG). This is what I plan on doing:

05/26: Skim through LG Bible, LR Bible
05/27: PT 52 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
05/28: PT 53 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
05/29: Break
05/30: PT 54 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
05/31: PT 55 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
06/01: PT 56 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
06/02: Break or LG sections all day (for fun)
06/03: PT 57 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
06/04: PT 58 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
06/05: PT 59 + LG Exp + 3 random LG sections
06/06: Break or LG sections all day (for fun)
06/07: Test Day

I decided not to apply to law school this yr so no pressure really. Still gunning for 173+ though...

[nycsoul87]

bump, how far along are all the June 2010 LSAT takers?

I'm struggling with my timing in LG so I decided to switch up my plan and going over LG Bible again/ drill games tomorrow.

PT tomorrow night

[Ragged]

My LSAT taking is like a broken circuit which can malfunction in any place at any time, but right now I'm working on getting the timing better on the RC sinnce I'm a pathetically slow reader. Today I did 4 RCs back to back with no breaks even to check answers, and came out -1, -3, -2, -5. The last section I was making good time after the second text but then I relaxed, lost focus and lost alot of time on the third text so that I had to rush through the last text missing 4 of the last 6 questions.

From here on out, I will probably take 4 or 5 tests in the next week making the very lastest PT my last one because its the only one I haven't seen before. I'll do nothing Sunday. I'm feeling alright, espessially since I also have a 170 in the bank which in any case should keep me afloat for the next cycle.

[lebob]

1 week kids, finish strong!

[bartleby]

Put in a lot of time today. Did RC from PT 14 and 48. LR from 49 and June. Games from June 2007 and PT 53.

Tomorrow, will look over June 2007 RC, RC53, RC59, and do PT54 under timed conditions.

[Entchen]

Ooh exciting! Well, exciting that it will be over soon.


I've taken 8 practice tests so far, ranging from 168 (first) to 180 (most recent). Really hoping I stay closer to the top of that range than the bottom. I have 2 more practice tests to take - 58 today, then 59 next Saturday, and then I'm done. I REFUSE to get unreasonably stressed out by going study-crazy. Taking 1 pt/weekend has been working for me so far, I'm going to keep doing that.

Day of, I'm driving over to the city where I'm taking the exam early, I'll first go find the test center, then go have black bean soup and a panini for lunch at my favorite lunch place with my mother, then go take the exam, and then, after, possibly get some of the best pizza on earth to celebrate (mmmm white clam).

[haro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

[OklahomasOK]

Hitting on all cylinders right now. Have a few more PT's to go, but my focus is pretty good when I can convince myself to take it seriously. My LR clicked about two weeks ago. Overnight I went from -10/-12 per test to about -4 per test, my scores shot up. LG was shaky until the last couple tests, then I shaved about two minutes off my total time, and accuracy is dead on now.

RC is my achilles heel. I can be anywhere from -1 (best) if I get articles I can force myself to be interested in, or -6 if I can't wrap my mind around some articles. Timing also depends on my focus. I'll be a couple minutes early if I can focus, right on time if I have to mechanically digest the article.