10 weeks to a 180 Forum

[ExecDirect]

3. My time could be better spent drilling questions... If I intend on doing the drilling, all the while I'm taking PT's, what's the problem?

You need to drill the same question types over and over. Just doing a few strengthen questions, out of 50 or more on the PT, won't help you reach your goal of -0 on that question type. Time constraints during a PT make things even worse.

While the same process for drilling RC doesn't exist like it does for LR, the timing constraints of the practice test remain. Make sure you spend at least some time working through those passages without timing yourself just to make sure you have the fundamentals down. Glancing through this thread it sounds like you've developed a comfortable strategy for RC, but use the drilling process to experiment with any new ideas.

Protip for RC: Try ripping through a few of the passages in five minutes. Don't worry about getting them all right, but you may be surprised at how well you end up doing. This method should help you speed up on all of the passages, but it also can be necessary on the real test. During my PTs I typically finished RC with time to spare. On the real thing I was just getting through passage number 2 (Kate Chopin) when more than 20 minutes had passed. Having prepared to motor through an RC passage or two proved invaluable.

I really don't think your PT schedule is a big problem as long as you are spending the appropriate time on other days drilling specific LR question types, game types, and RC passages. If you are PTing two days a week, reviewing those PTs two other days, and taking one rest day, then you need to change your schedule. But if you can do all that and still get lots of drilling in then go for it.

I had a question about how you drill LR...did you just go through a bunch of tests and make a list of 25-30 problems or did you order like the Cambridge books? Also, did you time yourself while drilling question types or just go through them to nail down your process of answering them? I'm having some problems with timing, so I'm hoping drilling will help.

Sorry to hijack your thread!

Go to cambridge LSAT prep and they have questions by type and difficulty

[Tiago Splitter]

I had a question about how you drill LR...did you just go through a bunch of tests and make a list of 25-30 problems or did you order like the Cambridge books? Also, did you time yourself while drilling question types or just go through them to nail down your process of answering them? I'm having some problems with timing, so I'm hoping drilling will help.

Sorry to hijack your thread!

PM'd

[180asBreath]

LR1: -2
LG: -0
RC: -2!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, 180asBreath must have gotten like a 175! That's so exciting for him!!!

LR2: -11 :'(''''''

-15 for a 166 on PT #47.

While there was a huge distraction in the section (got a phone call), I will take this as a cheap lesson that I need to stop slacking off and start drilling like a decent, God-fearing TLS'er would.

[imjustjoking22]

I didn't really read this entire thread, but the parts of it I read made me want to say this:

I think you really should listen to the advice of these people. Taking PTs, when you are where you are at right now, is the wrong approach. You have sort of ignored this advice 5 or 6 times by now, so I don't think that you will take mine any more seriously than you have taken the others. I just figured I would post this here to try one more time.

FWIW, I drilled for the first 3 months of my prep, studying individual question types and sections. When I took my first full practice test, I was scoring where I wanted to score on test day. You need to learn the test first, and then you can work on actually sitting down in one full swing and saying, "ok, i got this." We would all love to sit down and take practice tests and just kill them every time... but you probably won't see that happen unless you take the advice you have been given.

Anyways, good luck with your studying.

Me too. I took my diagnostic, 2 other PTs (similar scores), took a course, then took PTs in the last month only and had a very steady score a solid 15+ points from my starting score. Taking tons of PTs just wastes them.

[180asBreath]

PT 48: -13 for a 166

LR1: -6 (guessed on 5)
LG: -0
RC: -5 (guessed on 4)
LR2: -2
LGX: -4

I started using a new strategy for LR, where I eliminated each wrong AC by a specific phrase in the AC that made it wrong. I had some timing problems, but it felt great. As for RC, I went with the "less is more" notation strategy and - other than a bit of a timing issue - it went really well.

I learned that I should go back to tough LR questions where I'm between two choices, instead of wasting time by beating my head against the wall trying to answer it; if I come back to them, I'll have an easier time "seeing" it.

The new LR technique will take some getting used to, but I feel I'll be a lot better for it.

[180asBreath]

Day 16: Nothing
Day 17: I met with my tutor and did 4 practice RC sections and some strongly supported questions.
Day 18: Whole lot of nothing
Day 19: Took 47 and did pretty well despite bombing LR2.
Day 20: Nothing, again
Day 21: Met with my tutor and decided to employ RC strategy on LR to protect against forgetting to prephrase; from now on, I'm going to cover AC's until I have a prephrase and I'm going to eliminate each wrong AC by the word or phrase that is specifically wrong in the incorrect AC.
Day 22: New strategy worked well on 48; other than timing issues and having to guess on 9 questions, only missed my previous best by one answer.

[tonton]

Making progress! big fan! #team180asBreath!

A couple of us are silently rooting for you!

[180asBreath]

Making progress! big fan! #team180asBreath!
A couple of us are silently rooting for you!

Thanks, I really appreciate it! The biggest thing is getting over the mental aspect; I never really believed the quote 'we are not afraid of failing, but of being wildly successful' until now. Quite literally, I was surprised every time I answered a question correctly on LR - when I started. I'm starting to get to the point where I'm shocked if I miss one.

I really hope to get it all together and start preparing in such a way that does justice to my name; right now, that 180 is like food and I am pretty hungry - I need to get to the point where it is important as my next breath

I hope to make you all proud!

[calexhg88]

Hey guys,

I´ve been getting at it again lately. Feeling good! -2s and -3s on LR and RC, -0s on LGs. I'm still learning a lot second time through.

How's everyone else doing? 180, what happened to all those people who said they were going to study with us?

[180asBreath]

That's great, calex. Are you doing them timed?

I just took PT 49 today and, because of my new LR strategy, I had some timing issues on the first one - as well as another RC timing issue :-/

LR1: -7 (guessed on 5)
LR2: -2
RC: -7 (guessed on 4)
LG: -1 (botched a setup that wasted 7-10 minutes, recovered well - doing the last 2 games in 12 minutes)
RCX: -9 (guessed on 6)

-17 for a 164

I looked through all of my wrong answers and it seems like there is no one type that sticks out. It seems like my wrong answers are ones where I didn't really comprehend the argument, I changed a right answer to a wrong one, or I picked the wrong one of two contenders. However, since I have a timing issue, I definitely need to drill more LR in order to automatize it. As for RC, I need to just practice, practice, practice to get my speed up.

[bigtexmex]

Managed a 168 for the first time today after scoring in the low 160s for about 3 or 4 PTs. I took a few days to go through the LR Bible and LSAT Superprep to really examine what I was doing wrong on the LR section (my worst section, usually only getting 30-35 right out of 50). I still have to carefully go through the 168 PT, but I was definitely feeling good. I'll leave that for tomorrow morning. I need a good nights sleep.

Keep at it everyone. We're going to rock on December 3rd.

[tracy77]

Thanks caminante.

I do agree with tailoring approaches to your specific "skill-set". For RC, there was a point where I was convinced that my best approach was picking the test booklet up and sitting back so I could truly focus on reading the passages; it worked for awhile, but I ended up going back to marking the passage because - while the other approach yielded better comprehension - I wasn't able to locate specific information in the passages as well. I'm at the point where I feel the biggest thing is having a good understanding of the passage, but a great mental image of the structure of the passage - and sense of where every argument was located.

I actually approached a friend of mine (who has tutored for the GRE and the LSAT for years) about working on my reading comprehension. We're meeting tomorrow; I just felt that I could come a long way on my own, but I wouldn't develop the ability to get -0 on RC without a great coach. My friend scored in the 1500's on the GRE, a 176 on a practice LSAT without ever studying it, and spent a few years as a teacher; they're now getting their PhD in education, and when we previously spoke about RC on the GRE/LSAT - they demonstrated a true understanding of the underlying skills required to do well. With their help, I feel that I can become just as strong on RC as the other sections.

Day 2:
-2 on #15 LG in 40:55 - I made a mistake on a rule where three things had to be in order, but I had a temporary lapse and treated it as the three in order with no other ones in-between. I also made a mistake on this strange game with overlapping radar detection areas where I thought that an item that was in an overlapping area, was the overlapping area.
-0 on 1/4 of #15 RC in 8:00 - I notated different things, I sub-vocalized, and I MADE SURE TO PRE-PHRASE BEFORE GOING TO THE AC's. This is something I messed up on, when I took #63, so I got led around by my nose. I have to remember that I need to go to the answer choices with the answer already in my mind.

I'm about to spend a few hours working through Velocity's RC to get ready for my tutor. I'm actually not 100% sure how to work through the Velocity course and how to practice, but I'll try to figure it out today.

Hi, would you like to share something of your friend's tips?

Thanks in advance.

[tronredo]

Hey guys. I'm glad to see that you all are pushing hard to get that 180. I'm pushing hard as well. We're 43 days to the december LSAT and i have exactly 43 LSAC practice tests on my desk. I generally do atleast one everyday.

My progress has been slow but i am developing new strategies everyday.

My highest score so far is 164.

I seem to be having a lot of trouble with RC. it is by far my hardest section. English is not my first language so i get lost trying to make inferences from long complicated texts. But, i have bough 4 hard novels, and i read the economist and scientific american daily. I hope to be acquainted with intricate reading by the time the tests swings by.

I have no problem with LR and LG. I do very good on them. I have mastered every possible method of attacking all types of LR questions. My only block here is time. But with 43 tests to go, i will get better.

The 180 is plausible. 43 days guys. Lets keep working.

[180asBreath]

Okay, all of the explicit tips I can share:

LR


Read the question stem, then the stimulus, prephrase, and then look for the right answer.
When you eliminate an incorrect answer choice, do not just "X" out the letter beside it - strike the word or phrase (in the answer choice) that makes wrong.
Drill questions by type, go to Cambridge LSAT for an LR package that separates the questions into types.
For parallel reasoning, diagram the argumentation and find similar argumentation in an answer choice.
For necessary assumption, use the negate test; if you think you have the correct answer, restate that answer in negative terms (if it is "A does B" make it "A does not do B") and then see if it attacks the argument. If it does, it's the right answer.

LG

They're not joking when they put "game" in the title.
You just need to get a good strategy (Velocity is the best, but I'm sure any major company will do) and then you need to practice your little heart out.
I have no clue how many games I've done, but I just keep doing them and I hope to do about 100 more before the test.

RC

Use some sort of notation system that isn't too burdensome (i.e. one that allows you to note key aspects of the passage without losing comprehension).
Instead of visualizing the story, I just comprehend the story and re-create a visual image of the passage in my mind; when I have a question about a part of the passage, I am able to find it right away (in the passage) - because of this.
Biggest thing is a good prephrase; like with LR, I actually cover the answer choices with my hand until I have a good prephrase. Again, don't just eliminate incorrect answer choices, note why they are wrong by striking the word or phrase. The benefit is two-fold: 1) it will cause you to really gain a more explicit sense of why something is wrong or why it is right, 2) it will cause you to skip over the correct answer, less often; whereas you may be apt to eliminate a whole sentence because of a feeling, if you are unable to specifically say why it's wrong - you will be less apt to mark a correct answer as incorrect. Also, sometimes I will strike out all five and instead of having to read each answer choice again, I am able to just look at the specific words and phrases and weigh them.

As for the whole test, you need to practice. I wouldn't necessarily recommend a PT a day until the test, but I do think it needs to be a weekly (if not semi-weekly) aspect of your prep.

As for dedication, you need to really ask yourself how much you want it. As a self-admitted TV/movie addict, I have actually unplugged my TV; for the first time in probably 15 years, I have not been watching TV in my place and I have not been falling asleep to it. I can't say that it has, as of yet, caused me to study more - but I do feel it will have a profound impact on the time I put into this.

For me, I know I need to do daily RC sections from here on out (I really need to practice to get quicker, as my biggest problem is being unable to get to the last passage), I need to drill all questions by type and get to a point where - even if I don't fully understand the argumentation - I can still have a strategy for solving it, and - lastly - I just need to keep my games tight with constant practice. I can definitely see myself waking up, doing my daily LG (like most do a crossword) and then doing a nice RC (as if I am reading the paper). I need to make this second nature.

Hope some of this was helpful!

[calexhg88]

Hey everyone,

How do you guys triage LR? I was doing pg 1-2-4-3, but the other day I switched to 10-end, 1-9. The latter seems like it definitely works better for me. On the section I just did, I missed 2 and I had like 9 minutes to do the final 12 problems (22-24), (1-9) and I only missed two (1 and 23). When I hurry through page 3 I miss like every one of them.

Though I haven´t taken a full-length in a while, I think I am finally over that mid-160s hump. I think if I took one now I´d be low 170s. I have benefitted A LOT from slowing things down, figuring out what´s right about the right answer and what´s wrong about the wrong ones. I´m also going back and getting rid of some old bad habits. Postponing until December was DEFINITELY a good idea

[180asBreath]

That's good, man. I have an inkling that I may benefit from some LR strategy like that, but I'm a bit hesitant to try one.

I will start doing warm-ups the morning of PT's, tomorrow. I created a PDF of 10 LR questions, 1 game, and 1 RC passage.

I think it do worse on the first LR, so I hope to warm-up a bit and start strong.

Things I'm thinking about:
1. Practicing back to back RC's, as this can be brutal on the test if I am not used to it.
2. Practicing back to back to back LR's for the same reason; if I can do well on 3 straight LR's, I'd never worry about the order of sections.

6 weeks from tomorrow, hope I'm willing to put all my effort into squeezing - because I know the juice will be worth it

[bigtexmex]

Hey guys. I'm glad to see that you all are pushing hard to get that 180. I'm pushing hard as well. We're 43 days to the december LSAT and i have exactly 43 LSAC practice tests on my desk. I generally do atleast one everyday.

My progress has been slow but i am developing new strategies everyday.

My highest score so far is 164.

I seem to be having a lot of trouble with RC. it is by far my hardest section. English is not my first language so i get lost trying to make inferences from long complicated texts. But, i have bough 4 hard novels, and i read the economist and scientific american daily. I hope to be acquainted with intricate reading by the time the tests swings by.

I have no problem with LR and LG. I do very good on them. I have mastered every possible method of attacking all types of LR questions. My only block here is time. But with 43 tests to go, i will get better.

The 180 is plausible. 43 days guys. Lets keep working.

That's good. RC is easy for me since I went to graduate school. Reading multiple, dense books and academic journal articles every single week prepared me pretty well for the RC section.

Keep reading to improve your ability to take texts apart and to study them in depth. After a while, the RC stuff will feel really easy.

[xChiTowNx]

Hey guys. I'm glad to see that you all are pushing hard to get that 180. I'm pushing hard as well. We're 43 days to the december LSAT and i have exactly 43 LSAC practice tests on my desk. I generally do atleast one everyday.

My progress has been slow but i am developing new strategies everyday.

My highest score so far is 164.

I seem to be having a lot of trouble with RC. it is by far my hardest section. English is not my first language so i get lost trying to make inferences from long complicated texts. But, i have bough 4 hard novels, and i read the economist and scientific american daily. I hope to be acquainted with intricate reading by the time the tests swings by.

I have no problem with LR and LG. I do very good on them. I have mastered every possible method of attacking all types of LR questions. My only block here is time. But with 43 tests to go, i will get better.

The 180 is plausible. 43 days guys. Lets keep working.

That's good. RC is easy for me since I went to graduate school. Reading multiple, dense books and academic journal articles every single week prepared me pretty well for the RC section.

Keep reading to improve your ability to take texts apart and to study them in depth. After a while, the RC stuff will feel really easy.

I agree. After doing 15 RC in a row RC is not as intimidating for me anymore. I almost look forward to that section now...

[180asBreath]

15 RC in a row in one sitting?

[180asBreath]

163 on 50, I'd kind of like to cry; but instead, I'm going to go ahead and take this as a valuable lesson.

I'm going to go ahead and be honest with myself - I admit that I've wasted the last 4 weeks.

I will not waste the next 6.

[bigtexmex]

163 on 50, I'd kind of like to cry; but instead, I'm going to go ahead and take this as a valuable lesson.

I'm going to go ahead and be honest with myself - I admit that I've wasted the last 4 weeks.

I will not waste the next 6.

What Qs did you struggle with most? Might want to isolate those and do several practice Qs (Cambridge LSAT has been mentioned here before) on that specific question or game type.

Don't lose hope. Just keep working at it. It will pay off in the end.

[180asBreath]

163 on 50, I'd kind of like to cry; but instead, I'm going to go ahead and take this as a valuable lesson.

I'm going to go ahead and be honest with myself - I admit that I've wasted the last 4 weeks.

I will not waste the next 6.

What Qs did you struggle with most? Might want to isolate those and do several practice Qs (Cambridge LSAT has been mentioned here before) on that specific question or game type.

Don't lose hope. Just keep working at it. It will pay off in the end.

I looked at all my missed LR's and there really isn't a pattern, other than me missing a lot of questions in the 20-26 range due to timing; I did have some problems with parallel reasoning, early on, but I don't have any one question I'm weak on. Other than timing issues, I seem to miss questions when I don't fully grasp a stem or I am in-between two AC's because there is a relevant aspect I'm missing.

I know I just need to conquer RC and LG through practice, and I need to go through Velocity's LR book and drill each question by type until I've really become consistent.

I've had flashes of brilliance, but I need to really make those moments permanent so I can be ready for December.

[the_pakalypse]

While I applaud your ambition, I think getting to 180 is more of a marathon than a sprint. Once you reach 170+ (which you will, no doubt), it becomes increasingly hard to improve. There is definitely a diminishing returns factor you have to take into account. Improving 5 points from 160-165 is equivalent to the same amount of studying you will have to do to improve 1 point from 174 to consistently hitting 175. If getting 180 was easy, everyone would be doing it. There is a reason why it's so exclusive, so coveted - because it's so damn, utterly ridiculously hard. This, of course, discounts the individuals who are just naturally gifted and get 170+ cold scores. But for the rest of us, it is a battle which requires a lot of patience, a lot of endurance, a lot of hard-work and a lot of time.

I think you may have all the prerequisites except the time.

[the_pakalypse]

163 on 50, I'd kind of like to cry; but instead, I'm going to go ahead and take this as a valuable lesson.

I'm going to go ahead and be honest with myself - I admit that I've wasted the last 4 weeks.

I will not waste the next 6.

What Qs did you struggle with most? Might want to isolate those and do several practice Qs (Cambridge LSAT has been mentioned here before) on that specific question or game type.

Don't lose hope. Just keep working at it. It will pay off in the end.

I looked at all my missed LR's and there really isn't a pattern, other than me missing a lot of questions in the 20-26 range due to timing; I did have some problems with parallel reasoning, early on, but I don't have any one question I'm weak on. Other than timing issues, I seem to miss questions when I don't fully grasp a stem or I am in-between two AC's because there is a relevant aspect I'm missing.

I know I just need to conquer RC and LG through practice, and I need to go through Velocity's LR book and drill each question by type until I've really become consistent.

I've had flashes of brilliance, but I need to really make those moments permanent so I can be ready for December.

That's not true. There is a pattern. You just aren't looking hard enough, or perhaps you are using the wrong classifications for mistakes. If you have any hopes of improving, you need to be able to categorize the mistakes precisely, especially at the stages you are at. The challenge is when you are getting 5-6ish wrong per LSAT, without any discriminate pattern - you have to analyze until you can find some. If you don't find patterns, you aren't learning anything from 1 test to the next.

[180asBreath]

"If you don't find patterns, you aren't learning anything from 1 test to the next."

Not to sound cliche, but thank you for saying what needed to be said. You're right, I'm going to put in the necessary effort to start learning from my mistakes.