Newbie in NEED Forum

[Lawless2011]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum. I actually overheard someone talking about this forum during the break at the February 2011 lsat. I have taken the lsat twice before and (I'm sad to say) my highest score was 141. I plan on taking the test again in October and so far I have purchased all three powerscore bibles and I now desire 165 or even better. I'm here to get any and every type of suggestions/advice to help me get there. And I'm devoted every waking moment to this test. Thanks in advance to any form of help.


And just to give a little background. Like many others here I have time issues (I usually don't finish a section) also I've taken the kaplan extreme course and plan on retaking it this month on the 28th of this month along with studying the powerscore bibles.

[Sean1269]

That's a pretty vague post. Post back when you have practiced a bit and are identifying you weakest sections, then you'll get some real feedback. For now, just do you LSAT prep materials. If you're still having trouble later in life, I would say try writing out a small paragraph answer to all the LSAT questions you do, this is time consuming but I have heard it helps.

Good luck.

[Lawless2011]

Thanks for replying. I have studied a great deal and my main issues besides not being able to complete a section are LG and LR. As far as LR goes certain questions I'm able to immediately answer such as paradox, parallel, flaw but the other questions such as if/than I have issues with. LG I'm good with matching but the other question types I'm at a lost. RC is my strongest section.

[Kurst]

1. Do not retake the Kaplan course: Kaplan is garbage.
2. Read the stickied "Great Advice" thread.

[IvanFK]

try taking practice tests/sections with 32 mins or something shorter like that...that may help with your time issues

[Jack Smirks]

try taking practice tests/sections with 32 mins or something shorter like that...that may help with your time issues

I wouldn't recommend this sort of practice this early in the game. If OP isn't retaking until October he has plenty of time to go back and relearn the basics; he should really only be taking one practice test a week under timed conditions (if any at all).

I understand that you're retaking but I really think you need to go back to square one. Try the lsatblog 7 month study guide or something along these lines.http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/7- ... edule.html

[aspire2more]

I disagree that Kaplan is garbage. I took most of an online course after doing 3 months of self-prep and boosted my score 5 points from my highest practice test. However, I studied the Powerscore Logic Games Bible first and found that I liked their method much better for LG. You may find that self-study with the bibles will help you improve your score. Other than that, it sounds like you primarily need to drill individual sections. This should only be done AFTER you are more comfortable with answering questions and have mastered the basic material. Time drills will not be that difficult to do inexpensively. If you took a Kaplan course, I assume you have all of the released LSAT questions? Do a few individual games and set your timer for 9 minutes. Then start practicing with individual sections and time yourself with an alarm clock or a kitchen timer. You will also need to do timed full-practice tests, but that should come a little later in your prep.

Edit to add that you should also learn better test management skills. If you can identify the LR questions that you are able to answer correctly consistently, go through the section and do those first. Then go back and answer the more difficult questions. If you can narrow down choices, do so, circle the question in your test book, and you'll be able to find it easily later. There is no reason to lose points by agonizing over certain questions and taking the test questions in order. Be disciplined and mark your answers in your book with a quick circle around the letter in addition to marking your test booklet. Jumping around will cause you to misbubble if you're not paying enough attention and you want to be able to get the right answers in without rereading questions if you make a mistake.

[Jeffort]

try taking practice tests/sections with 32 mins or something shorter like that...that may help with your time issues

Forcing yourself to 'churn and burn' by trying to work problems even faster does not help improve ones reasoning skills since it doesn't put any focus on learning/knowing and mastering what constitutes valid reasoning vs. what constitutes flawed reasoning.

The LSAT is all about testing and putting a score to how well one can reason logically. Going faster and pounding out a bunch of practice tests isn't going to correct whatever misconceptions/misunderstandings someone uses in their reasoning process that leads them to select incorrect answer choices.

Timing is not the main issue. Learning and knowing the concepts of logical thinking/reasoning the LSAT tests is, and with better understanding of it comes timing. When you know what you are doing and analyze things properly using sound logic it is much easier to solve the questions in less time and with better accuracy.

OP: You need to really buckle down and learn the fundamental logical concepts that the LSAT revolves around and tests your ability to apply, and then ingrain that into your thinking and decision making.