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Hey, guys (and gals). I need some help with formulating a re-take schedule for June 2012. Here's a quick recap of my past: I prepped from about mid-February '11 to the June '11 LSAT administration. I was naturally pretty good at the LSAT, and I scored a 161 on a diagnostic test at the beginning of my prep. By the time test day came, I was averaging about a 170. My highest PT was a 174 and my lowest PT in the last few weeks of my prep was a 166 or 167. I was feeling confident - probably a bit arrogant even. I took the June test and had some difficulties which I had not typically experienced in my prep: feeling pressed for time, being unsure of my LR answers, having to re-read the stems two or even three times, and some distractions which really through me off (beeping construction truck, girl next to me repeatedly dropping her extra pencils off her desk). Aside from the distractions, I feel like the problems I experiences came down to not focusing enough both during practice and during the real exam. I did not feel particularly stressed or nervous before test day, so I think some of these things just came from not properly preparing for the test day atmosphere. I also was really thrown off by the June '11 RC. Figuring I got about a 160ish, I canceled my score. I was planning on taking a year or two off anyway, so I figured I would wait a little bit to re-take. I didn't want to rush back into it. For better or worse, I wanted to put some space between me and the test.

For prep, I used the Bibles in the early part and then checked out the Manhattan LSAT books. I found both, particularly the latter, useful. I took a good bit of the PTs, and always reviewed my answers (although, admittedly, at times I was kind of lazy going over some of the questions). For a time I used pithypike's method for drilling games, which helped, but then I became so consumed with trying to get near-perfect RC and LR sections, I let my LG suffer. This was stupid. RC was my best (-1/-4), followed by LR (-2/-6 (combined)), then LG (-2/-4). I didn't take a class or even study with a partner.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to attack the LSAT one more time. Although I feel my original prep prepared me fairly well for the actual test questions, I did not feel very well prepared for the test day atmosphere. Also, since I am taking some time off before LS and re-taking the LSAT and do not want to have a similar experience to June '11, I am willing to go the extra mile to prep harder and better than last time. Also, I am graduating from a school with a decent GPA (~3. and some decent to good softs. What can I do differently in my prep? I considered taking some kind of class, if only to get little test hints and tricks. Any suggestions? I know this is long, but I hope some of you can help me out. I'm looking to begin prep in February or March of next year. Does that sound reasonable? If anyone has had similar experiences, what did you do for the second (or third) time you took the test?

Thank you all so much.

First off, I think the key to success and understanding the material for what it is begins with understanding the type of question and what they are asking of you. Also, if it's an argument, what is the author's main point or reason for writing the stimulus. Once you can do this for every question, you should have a good base for the next part.

Second, it seems like you are doing pretty well and just have a few things that may need to be addressed, such as reviewing the questions you got wrong (and/or had trouble with) and writing down why each of the wrong answer choices are wrong and why the correct answer is right. You might also want to try and figure out why the answer was appealing to you and then pick out (from that answer) what exactly makes it wrong.

If you are like me, you can narrow tough questions down to two answers and then have a tough time deciding what answer to choose. This link was provided to me by Dave Hall, which is very helpful in this sort of dilemma.

--LinkRemoved--’m-trying-decide-between-two-answer-choices-i-have-left

Last but not least, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. The key to this test is repitition and learning from your mistakes.

I hope this helps!

Flyer32 wrote:Hey, guys (and gals). I need some help with formulating a re-take schedule for June 2012. Here's a quick recap of my past: I prepped from about mid-February '11 to the June '11 LSAT administration. I was naturally pretty good at the LSAT, and I scored a 161 on a diagnostic test at the beginning of my prep. By the time test day came, I was averaging about a 170. My highest PT was a 174 and my lowest PT in the last few weeks of my prep was a 166 or 167. I was feeling confident - probably a bit arrogant even. I took the June test and had some difficulties which I had not typically experienced in my prep: feeling pressed for time, being unsure of my LR answers, having to re-read the stems two or even three times, and some distractions which really through me off (beeping construction truck, girl next to me repeatedly dropping her extra pencils off her desk). Aside from the distractions, I feel like the problems I experiences came down to not focusing enough both during practice and during the real exam. I did not feel particularly stressed or nervous before test day, so I think some of these things just came from not properly preparing for the test day atmosphere. I also was really thrown off by the June '11 RC. Figuring I got about a 160ish, I canceled my score. I was planning on taking a year or two off anyway, so I figured I would wait a little bit to re-take. I didn't want to rush back into it. For better or worse, I wanted to put some space between me and the test.

For prep, I used the Bibles in the early part and then checked out the Manhattan LSAT books. I found both, particularly the latter, useful. I took a good bit of the PTs, and always reviewed my answers (although, admittedly, at times I was kind of lazy going over some of the questions). For a time I used pithypike's method for drilling games, which helped, but then I became so consumed with trying to get near-perfect RC and LR sections, I let my LG suffer. This was stupid. RC was my best (-1/-4), followed by LR (-2/-6 (combined)), then LG (-2/-4). I didn't take a class or even study with a partner.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to attack the LSAT one more time. Although I feel my original prep prepared me fairly well for the actual test questions, I did not feel very well prepared for the test day atmosphere. Also, since I am taking some time off before LS and re-taking the LSAT and do not want to have a similar experience to June '11, I am willing to go the extra mile to prep harder and better than last time. Also, I am graduating from a school with a decent GPA (~3. and some decent to good softs. What can I do differently in my prep? I considered taking some kind of class, if only to get little test hints and tricks. Any suggestions? I know this is long, but I hope some of you can help me out. I'm looking to begin prep in February or March of next year. Does that sound reasonable? If anyone has had similar experiences, what did you do for the second (or third) time you took the test?

Thank you all so much.

Flyer32 wrote:Hey, guys (and gals). I need some help with formulating a re-take schedule for June 2012. Here's a quick recap of my past: I prepped from about mid-February '11 to the June '11 LSAT administration. I was naturally pretty good at the LSAT, and I scored a 161 on a diagnostic test at the beginning of my prep. By the time test day came, I was averaging about a 170. My highest PT was a 174 and my lowest PT in the last few weeks of my prep was a 166 or 167. I was feeling confident - probably a bit arrogant even. I took the June test and had some difficulties which I had not typically experienced in my prep: feeling pressed for time, being unsure of my LR answers, having to re-read the stems two or even three times, and some distractions which really through me off (beeping construction truck, girl next to me repeatedly dropping her extra pencils off her desk). Aside from the distractions, I feel like the problems I experiences came down to not focusing enough both during practice and during the real exam. I did not feel particularly stressed or nervous before test day, so I think some of these things just came from not properly preparing for the test day atmosphere. I also was really thrown off by the June '11 RC. Figuring I got about a 160ish, I canceled my score. I was planning on taking a year or two off anyway, so I figured I would wait a little bit to re-take. I didn't want to rush back into it. For better or worse, I wanted to put some space between me and the test.

For prep, I used the Bibles in the early part and then checked out the Manhattan LSAT books. I found both, particularly the latter, useful. I took a good bit of the PTs, and always reviewed my answers (although, admittedly, at times I was kind of lazy going over some of the questions). For a time I used pithypike's method for drilling games, which helped, but then I became so consumed with trying to get near-perfect RC and LR sections, I let my LG suffer. This was stupid. RC was my best (-1/-4), followed by LR (-2/-6 (combined)), then LG (-2/-4). I didn't take a class or even study with a partner.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to attack the LSAT one more time. Although I feel my original prep prepared me fairly well for the actual test questions, I did not feel very well prepared for the test day atmosphere. Also, since I am taking some time off before LS and re-taking the LSAT and do not want to have a similar experience to June '11, I am willing to go the extra mile to prep harder and better than last time. Also, I am graduating from a school with a decent GPA (~3. and some decent to good softs. What can I do differently in my prep? I considered taking some kind of class, if only to get little test hints and tricks. Any suggestions? I know this is long, but I hope some of you can help me out. I'm looking to begin prep in February or March of next year. Does that sound reasonable? If anyone has had similar experiences, what did you do for the second (or third) time you took the test?

Thank you all so much.

Hmmmm those are some pretty high scores. Are you sure the problem wasn't anxiety, or something about your mental state? My thoughts are that if you're scoring that high under non-stressed conditions, you probably know everything those books can teach you.

Logical reasoning is a skill, which means it improves mostly through practice. If you feel like you didn't understand a question (which I doubt is the case, with scores of 174 and whatnot), more book time could be the answer. What you should actually probably do is work on relaxing and not letting the adrenaline get to you on test day.

Try this: retake some tests you've already taken, but haven't memorized (especially recent ones). Take them timed, and focus on "spotting" the concept they're assessing before you even look at the answer choices. Some people call that "prep phrasing." For example, if they're trying to assess whether you're aware of subtle equivocations between premises and a conclusion, make a note of it, then determine what would fix the argument. Since you're using a somewhat familiar test, the pressure is relieved, and you can focus on really grasping the skill behind the content.

Do that many times, THEN move on to more untaken tests. You'll find that when you're comfortable with your skills, you'll be less stressed. Knowing/memorizing something from a book is probably not going to help you.

3v3ryth1ng wrote:

Flyer32 wrote:Hey, guys (and gals). I need some help with formulating a re-take schedule for June 2012. Here's a quick recap of my past: I prepped from about mid-February '11 to the June '11 LSAT administration. I was naturally pretty good at the LSAT, and I scored a 161 on a diagnostic test at the beginning of my prep. By the time test day came, I was averaging about a 170. My highest PT was a 174 and my lowest PT in the last few weeks of my prep was a 166 or 167. I was feeling confident - probably a bit arrogant even. I took the June test and had some difficulties which I had not typically experienced in my prep: feeling pressed for time, being unsure of my LR answers, having to re-read the stems two or even three times, and some distractions which really through me off (beeping construction truck, girl next to me repeatedly dropping her extra pencils off her desk). Aside from the distractions, I feel like the problems I experiences came down to not focusing enough both during practice and during the real exam. I did not feel particularly stressed or nervous before test day, so I think some of these things just came from not properly preparing for the test day atmosphere. I also was really thrown off by the June '11 RC. Figuring I got about a 160ish, I canceled my score. I was planning on taking a year or two off anyway, so I figured I would wait a little bit to re-take. I didn't want to rush back into it. For better or worse, I wanted to put some space between me and the test.

For prep, I used the Bibles in the early part and then checked out the Manhattan LSAT books. I found both, particularly the latter, useful. I took a good bit of the PTs, and always reviewed my answers (although, admittedly, at times I was kind of lazy going over some of the questions). For a time I used pithypike's method for drilling games, which helped, but then I became so consumed with trying to get near-perfect RC and LR sections, I let my LG suffer. This was stupid. RC was my best (-1/-4), followed by LR (-2/-6 (combined)), then LG (-2/-4). I didn't take a class or even study with a partner.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to attack the LSAT one more time. Although I feel my original prep prepared me fairly well for the actual test questions, I did not feel very well prepared for the test day atmosphere. Also, since I am taking some time off before LS and re-taking the LSAT and do not want to have a similar experience to June '11, I am willing to go the extra mile to prep harder and better than last time. Also, I am graduating from a school with a decent GPA (~3. and some decent to good softs. What can I do differently in my prep? I considered taking some kind of class, if only to get little test hints and tricks. Any suggestions? I know this is long, but I hope some of you can help me out. I'm looking to begin prep in February or March of next year. Does that sound reasonable? If anyone has had similar experiences, what did you do for the second (or third) time you took the test?

Thank you all so much.

Hmmmm those are some pretty high scores. Are you sure the problem wasn't anxiety, or something about your mental state? My thoughts are that if you're scoring that high under non-stressed conditions, you probably know everything those books can teach you.

Logical reasoning is a skill, which means it improves mostly through practice. If you feel like you didn't understand a question (which I doubt is the case, with scores of 174 and whatnot), more book time could be the answer. What you should actually probably do is work on relaxing and not letting the adrenaline get to you on test day.

Try this: retake some tests you've already taken, but haven't memorized (especially recent ones). Take them timed, and focus on "spotting" the concept they're assessing before you even look at the answer choices. Some people call that "prep phrasing." For example, if they're trying to assess whether you're aware of subtle equivocations between premises and a conclusion, make a note of it, then determine what would fix the argument. Since you're using a somewhat familiar test, the pressure is relieved, and you can focus on really grasping the skill behind the content.

Do that many times, THEN move on to more untaken tests. You'll find that when you're comfortable with your skills, you'll be less stressed. Knowing/memorizing something from a book is probably not going to help you.

THIS response is well put together for you.