TLS1776's Thoughts on the LSAT Forum

[Thethoughtcounts176]

It took me till "March 1st" to figure out what sth meant.

I still don't get it. It would make a great RC question, something along the lines of "Which one of the following, if used in place of sth,…"

Haha, yeah i agree it would make a great RC question. Now you got me thinking as I just read it. What the hell is that? lol. Could somebody please enlighten us as to what "sth" means?

it means something

Ok, that makes sense. Seems completely unnecessary to abbreviate the word something though.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

Starting to have caffeine withdrawal lol. Reminded me of TLS1776's great guide here. Also might not be good for people with poor blatter control due to its diuretic proprieties. I'm pissing every 15 minutes right now, lol.

[M.M.]

Starting to have caffeine withdrawal lol. Reminded me of TLS1776's great guide here. Also might not be good for people with poor blatter control due to its diuretic proprieties. I'm pissing every 15 minutes right now, lol.

Something I recently realized I should've done when I took the LSAT the first time: caffeine pills, not coffee. Not sure if caffeine has the same diuretic properties, but at least you remove the excess liquid. Having to piss constantly during the LSAT definitely threw me a little bit.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

Starting to have caffeine withdrawal lol. Reminded me of TLS1776's great guide here. Also might not be good for people with poor blatter control due to its diuretic proprieties. I'm pissing every 15 minutes right now, lol.

Something I recently realized I should've done when I took the LSAT the first time: caffeine pills, not coffee. Not sure if caffeine has the same diuretic properties, but at least you remove the excess liquid. Having to piss constantly during the LSAT definitely threw me a little bit.

Yeah, I'm weaning myself off caffeine entirely before I take the test starting yesterday. i usually drink tea. i have coffee when I'm out studying at the library or in Starbucks or something, but they're all diuretics to my knowledge. I'm planning on taking off for a week and a half leading up to the test. Then I'll just sleep as much as possible and hopefully recuperate in time for test day.

[Jeffort]

Starting to have caffeine withdrawal lol. Reminded me of TLS1776's great guide here. Also might not be good for people with poor blatter control due to its diuretic proprieties. I'm pissing every 15 minutes right now, lol.

Something I recently realized I should've done when I took the LSAT the first time: caffeine pills, not coffee. Not sure if caffeine has the same diuretic properties, but at least you remove the excess liquid. Having to piss constantly during the LSAT definitely threw me a little bit.

Yeah, I'm weaning myself off caffeine entirely before I take the test starting yesterday. i usually drink tea. i have coffee when I'm out studying at the library or in Starbucks or something, but they're all diuretics to my knowledge. I'm planning on taking off for a week and a half leading up to the test. Then I'll just sleep as much as possible and hopefully recuperate in time for test day.

Be careful with this idea, caffeine withdrawal can be a serious issue if you are used to having it everyday and then go cold turkey or if you are used to a lot of it every day and then suddenly cut it back significantly. The main problems during caffeine withdrawal include trouble concentrating, sluggish/slow thinking, fatigue, irritability and headaches, all of which spell trouble on the LSAT under timed conditions.

Unless you are only an occasional caffeine consumer (not everyday), going for total abstinence is, IMO, a mistake since it takes a good amount of time for your brain to recover and adjust to get back up to functioning at full speed without caffeine, more than just a few weeks. In the next month up to the test one of the big things you need to be focusing on is speed and endurance under timed conditions, removing caffeine during the period you are trying to speed up the functioning of your brain and increase its endurance is counterproductive to getting better at taking the test under timed conditions when you have to go fast and last long.

Try moderating caffeine intake and managing fluid intake to minimize the risk of having to go to the bathroom during the test instead of trying to totally quit a drug you are regularly used to for functioning to some degree right before a really important test.

It's generally a bad idea to make significant lifestyle changes shortly before the LSAT that affect your body and brain, namely drugs/medications/substances/supplements/diet/etc. The general rule is don't pick up any new habits shortly before test day and/or don't try something new on or right before test day for the first time. If you are going to experiment, try it at least two weeks before test day and try it a few times to see if doing whatever works or not for you.

The corollary is don't try to quit or radically change current habits you currently have with whatever substances, whether it be caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs since withdrawal always includes bad effects and/or changes no matter what the substance. You don't want to put your system into shock and force it to change and adapt physically/chemically/biologically/mentally shortly before test day. Moderating use of certain recreational things is not a bad idea, just don't suddenly go cold turkey or make radical usage changes right before the test that could put your system in shock or off balance.

Save giving up caffeine, cigs, the sauce, the juice, maryjane, the powder, the pills, the glue, the smack, whatever gives you kicks... for after the test. You can always go to rehab after scores are released, you might want to anyway if you drink away the time waiting for scores.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

Starting to have caffeine withdrawal lol. Reminded me of TLS1776's great guide here. Also might not be good for people with poor blatter control due to its diuretic proprieties. I'm pissing every 15 minutes right now, lol.

Something I recently realized I should've done when I took the LSAT the first time: caffeine pills, not coffee. Not sure if caffeine has the same diuretic properties, but at least you remove the excess liquid. Having to piss constantly during the LSAT definitely threw me a little bit.

Yeah, I'm weaning myself off caffeine entirely before I take the test starting yesterday. i usually drink tea. i have coffee when I'm out studying at the library or in Starbucks or something, but they're all diuretics to my knowledge. I'm planning on taking off for a week and a half leading up to the test. Then I'll just sleep as much as possible and hopefully recuperate in time for test day.

Be careful with this idea, caffeine withdrawal can be a serious issue if you are used to having it everyday and then go cold turkey or if you are used to a lot of it every day and then suddenly cut it back significantly. The main problems during caffeine withdrawal include trouble concentrating, sluggish/slow thinking, fatigue, irritability and headaches, all of which spell trouble on the LSAT under timed conditions.

Unless you are only an occasional caffeine consumer (not everyday), going for total abstinence is, IMO, a mistake since it takes a good amount of time for your brain to recover and adjust to get back up to functioning at full speed without caffeine, more than just a few weeks. In the next month up to the test one of the big things you need to be focusing on is speed and endurance under timed conditions, removing caffeine during the period you are trying to speed up the functioning of your brain and increase its endurance is counterproductive to getting better at taking the test under timed conditions when you have to go fast and last long.

Try moderating caffeine intake and managing fluid intake to minimize the risk of having to go to the bathroom during the test instead of trying to totally quit a drug you are regularly used to for functioning to some degree right before a really important test.

It's generally a bad idea to make significant lifestyle changes shortly before the LSAT that affect your body and brain, namely drugs/medications/substances/supplements/diet/etc. The general rule is don't pick up any new habits shortly before test day and/or don't try something new on or right before test day for the first time. If you are going to experiment, try it at least two weeks before test day and try it a few times to see if doing whatever works or not for you.

The corollary is don't try to quit or radically change current habits you currently have with whatever substances, whether it be caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs since withdrawal always includes bad effects and/or changes no matter what the substance. You don't want to put your system into shock and force it to change and adapt physically/chemically/biologically/mentally shortly before test day. Moderating use of certain recreational things is not a bad idea, just don't suddenly go cold turkey or make radical usage changes right before the test that could put your system in shock or off balance.

Save giving up caffeine, cigs, the sauce, the juice, maryjane, the powder, the pills, the glue, the smack, whatever gives you kicks... for after the test. You can always go to rehab after scores are released, you might want to anyway if you drink away the time waiting for scores.

yeah i feel you on that. I'm usually a moderate caffeine consumer. i limit it to once a day if at all most days. only like maybe once every week or 2 weeks do i really go nuts. like that other day when i was pissing like a race horse lol. but I'm not super dependent on it. So i think I'll be OK cutting it out all together.

[Jeffort]

yeah i feel you on that. I'm usually a moderate caffeine consumer. i limit it to once a day if at all most days. only like maybe once every week or 2 weeks do i really go nuts. like that other day when i was pissing like a race horse lol. but I'm not super dependent on it. So i think I'll be OK cutting it out all together.

Hopefully you'll be ok but if you start to notice any withdrawal effects or performance problems after several days in a row without any caffeine, you may want to revisit your idea. It can take up to a week for the full extent of withdrawal effects to appear after you stop. Even just having one soda a day most but not all days is enough to cause noticeable withdrawal effects when suddenly stopped. As long as you don't go nuts with it again like you did you shouldn't have to worry about having to pee issues. I wouldn't use your reaction of having to pee a lot from going overboard with caffeinated beverages a few times as a reason to completely cut out caffeine, but that's just me.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

yeah i feel you on that. I'm usually a moderate caffeine consumer. i limit it to once a day if at all most days. only like maybe once every week or 2 weeks do i really go nuts. like that other day when i was pissing like a race horse lol. but I'm not super dependent on it. So i think I'll be OK cutting it out all together.

Hopefully you'll be ok but if you start to notice any withdrawal effects or performance problems after several days in a row without any caffeine, you may want to revisit your idea. It can take up to a week for the full extent of withdrawal effects to appear after you stop. Even just having one soda a day most but not all days is enough to cause noticeable withdrawal effects when suddenly stopped. As long as you don't go nuts with it again like you did you shouldn't have to worry about having to pee issues. I wouldn't use your reaction of having to pee a lot from going overboard with caffeinated beverages a few times as a reason to completely cut out caffeine, but that's just me.

Yeah, I've been OK this far but it hasn't been very long since i stopped, so I'll definitely be vigilant as to how I'm feeling. You're right though. It's dumb to start making any drastic changes so soon before the actual test. I'll go another week or so but if I'm feeling off, I'll go back to my typical one or so a day like you said.

[jmjm]

this is a great guide!

I found op's suggestion in his post of marking wrong answers in LR useful. But it's not clear if tls1776 continued with it or dropped it for the test as the uploaded PT image shows markings and paraphrasing. Also, not sure if tls1776 read stimulus first or question first in LR. It'd be interesting to know as the op is very detailed.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

this is a great guide!

I found op's suggestion in his post of marking wrong answers in LR useful. But it's not clear if tls1776 continued with it or dropped it for the test as the uploaded PT image shows markings and paraphrasing. Also, not sure if tls1776 read stimulus first or question first in LR. It'd be interesting to know as the op is very detailed.

PM him and report back with your findings lol.

[Nyclawyer618]

So what do you think about the LSAT?

[axel.foley]

this is a great guide!

I found op's suggestion in his post of marking wrong answers in LR useful. But it's not clear if tls1776 continued with it or dropped it for the test as the uploaded PT image shows markings and paraphrasing. Also, not sure if tls1776 read stimulus first or question first in LR. It'd be interesting to know as the op is very detailed.

PM him and report back with your findings lol.

Agreed. I'd like to know this too.

[Veda]

Thank you so much for this guide. I don't know how late I am in reading this but, it was very useful nonetheless. I will be remembering a lot of these tips in the next 5 months I have to prep for the test. I created a blog to chronicle my progress, and I plan on sticking to it.
mylsatretakejourney.tumblr.com

[Onomatopoeia]

yeah i feel you on that. I'm usually a moderate caffeine consumer. i limit it to once a day if at all most days. only like maybe once every week or 2 weeks do i really go nuts. like that other day when i was pissing like a race horse lol. but I'm not super dependent on it. So i think I'll be OK cutting it out all together.

Hopefully you'll be ok but if you start to notice any withdrawal effects or performance problems after several days in a row without any caffeine, you may want to revisit your idea. It can take up to a week for the full extent of withdrawal effects to appear after you stop. Even just having one soda a day most but not all days is enough to cause noticeable withdrawal effects when suddenly stopped. As long as you don't go nuts with it again like you did you shouldn't have to worry about having to pee issues. I wouldn't use your reaction of having to pee a lot from going overboard with caffeinated beverages a few times as a reason to completely cut out caffeine, but that's just me.

You need a solid month before your test to safely drop caffeine entirely. As someone who performed much better after dropping caffeine, I think it is worth the risk. It takes 4-7 days to completely become independent from coffee regardless of how long you have been taking it. Figure a week down the drain and figure a steady climb as your mind slowly gets accustomed to thinking without the rush of adrenalin. I dropped caffeine 1 month exactly before the test and things went swimmingly. If you drop caffeine now, I think it may be worthwhile. If you go back on it, it will probably be too late and it's such an important factor that you should probably postpone

[IWantToBeAFarmer]

Thank you, thank you. &, thanks.

+1 & Wow!

[93tarheel]

Thank you ! Tag

[AimingHigher]

Wow! This is an incredible post. Even though you wrote it a few years ago, the information is clearly still relevant. Thank you for creating this masterpiece! It will definitely be of great use as I look to increase my score. *Tag!*

[Llaima]

Hi Nathan! Thank you for your post. It is very helpful. I saw the youtube video where you use visualization to read and understand RC passages. This is exactly what I have been trying to do. I use a memory palace (a mental device to anchor images) so I can have a sequence of the passage. It works extremely well. However, I struggle with coming up with images for very abstract/dense concepts in a short amount of time, concepts like: "tangible-object theory of copyright", "organism's social and mental complexity', just to give two examples, take me a long time. Do you have any suggestions to speed up the conjuring up of images? I have been practicing for two weeks and I am already getting faster. But maybe you have some suggestions??? Thank you in advance for your time.

[TLS1776]

Thank you for your post. It is very helpful.

Thank you for the kind words!

I struggle with coming up with images for very abstract/dense concepts in a short amount of time, concepts like: "tangible-object theory of copyright", "organism's social and mental complexity', just to give two examples, take me a long time.

Yeah, those are hard ones. I haven't taken the test in years, but if my memory serves me correctly, sometimes you need to just visualize a best-guess at what the concept would look like, and then adjust your visualization as you get new information.

For the first one ("tangible-object theory of copyright"), I might visualize several examples of "tangible objects": basketballs, shoes, sweaters, people, rocks, boats. I would then visualize several examples of things that I associate with copyright: music, movies, novels. I would then guess, "maybe this is saying that in order to have copyright, the thing needs to be tangible", and I would try to visualize some things that are NOT tangible but that someone might want to copyright: a live performance of a song, a live reading of a book. Again, I have no idea if this is giving me a totally-accurate view of the idea, but it's at least making me more familiar with what the idea MIGHT be.

For the second one ("organism's social and mental complexity"), I would break it into two and try to visualize each one-at-a-time. So for "an organism's social complexity" I would first visualize some examples of organisms: worms, humans, dolphins. I would then visualize social situations among organisms: a flock of birds, people living in a town, a herd of elephants. And then I would try to visualize some kind of timeline-ish thing that you might see in a biology book, where on the left are organisms that have very simple social situations (eg spiders are all on their own AFAIK), and then as you moved to the right along the line you'd see more and more complicated social situations. And I would then do the same thing for "mental complexity", maybe visualizing organisms with bigger and bigger brains as the timeline moved from left to right.

[Llaima]

Thank you so much for your prompt response and the details you provided. It is very helpful. I agree that "chunking" the ideas may be faster and easier than trying to visualize an entire concept. Then, after capturing the idea(s), I could consolidate into one image, if necessary. I will try it!
Visualization if fantastic. One understands the concepts and memorizes the ideas and sequence of the passage at the same time.
Thank you for your video and kind response!

[Law2020hopeful]

A quick question on the warm up: I generally perform much better on the fourth and fifth sections of practice tests, for whatever reason. I was wondering if you also did practice sections on test day or if you only did practice sections before practice tests? I'm taking the December test so I'd have to be up around 4 if I wanted to be able to 1) eat a good breakfast 2) do practice sections and 3) make it to my test center by 8 AM.

[TLS1776]

I was wondering if you also did practice sections on test day or if you only did practice sections before practice tests?

Yep, I actually talk about this in the guide:

Before my actual LSAT (June 7th) I took 2 sections: an ACE LG section and a tough old RC section. The two sections did a great job of warming me up, and my real LG and RC sections felt much easier than my warm-up sections (which probably did a LOT to relax me).

The thing is, the June exam is later in the day than the other exams (or at least it was when I took it; IDK if it still is), and so it was easier for me to do those warm-up sections. I could see it being harder to do that if your test starts earlier in the day, but I still think it's well worth it if you're serious about shooting for a very high score. IIRC one guy who got a very high score actually reversed his sleep schedule to get around this problem.

[Law2020hopeful]

I was wondering if you also did practice sections on test day or if you only did practice sections before practice tests?

Yep, I actually talk about this in the guide:

Before my actual LSAT (June 7th) I took 2 sections: an ACE LG section and a tough old RC section. The two sections did a great job of warming me up, and my real LG and RC sections felt much easier than my warm-up sections (which probably did a LOT to relax me).

The thing is, the June exam is later in the day than the other exams (or at least it was when I took it; IDK if it still is), and so it was easier for me to do those warm-up sections. I could see it being harder to do that if your test starts earlier in the day, but I still think it's well worth it if you're serious about shooting for a very high score. IIRC one guy who got a very high score actually reversed his sleep schedule to get around this problem.

You know I feel dumb now because I definitely read that. I also read the part about switching sleep schedules but I have enough problems sleeping as it is. I'm wary about messing with it more. I will definitely do some problems though! A couple games, a passage or two and a handful of LR.