Studying for retake after exhausting test materials :< Forum

[Sloth Hero]

1st round prep: LRB/LGB and Manhattan RC. Prep tests 20-64 + games from 1-20.

The week before the June 2012 LSAT I was prepping 175-177. An unfortunate testing center irregularity lead me to cancel my score.

So what should I do now? Drill games everyday and work through PTs again? I don't want to waste my time, but I need to at least maintain my current level of proficiency or hopefully increase it (capping out at 177 was a bit disheartening but w/e).

If I do a test every other day + games repeats on off-days, I could re-work through all the material a second time. I'm sure my mental approach to working through the LSAT is drastically different than when I first started, and maybe I'll be able to gain some insights or whatever.

Not really sure what to do, just looking for advice.

And I have the endurance of an ox, so no burn-out comments.

[dowu]

Damm, and I was following your thread a while back and thought you had it in the bag. I'm sorry that you had to cancel brother.

Here is a thread that I found for people in your exact position. Hope it helps.

Good luck!

[Psib337]

I didn't cancel my score but mentally I'm prepared for a retake (I figure it's better to be pleasantly surprised than incredibly disappointed) but I know I'm going to wind up using some things again. I took Testmasters the first time ad if I have to retake I was going to use the powerscore bibles and some of the workbooks they have and then get all the preptests so I know I'll see questions again. Even when I did Testmasters I had a book of preptests that I had bought before the class started and I was using it after class started and I saw questions twice and I only really rememebered a handful and even then it was mostly the ones we spent 45 minutes going over.

I don't think this is a test where it makes sense one day and the next time you go over it you're completely lost so doing everything again will probably just help you. It sounds like you were only missing a few questions, maybe you missed something the first time around that you'll catch this time and wind up getting a 180 or close to it (or closer than you already were). I'm actually kinda hoping that I get a score where I'll retake because there are definitely things I would do differently if I had the chance.

[maxmartin]

1st round prep: LRB/LGB and Manhattan RC. Prep tests 20-64 + games from 1-20.

The week before the June 2012 LSAT I was prepping 175-177. An unfortunate testing center irregularity lead me to cancel my score.

So what should I do now? Drill games everyday and work through PTs again? I don't want to waste my time, but I need to at least maintain my current level of proficiency or hopefully increase it (capping out at 177 was a bit disheartening but w/e).

If I do a test every other day + games repeats on off-days, I could re-work through all the material a second time. I'm sure my mental approach to working through the LSAT is drastically different than when I first started, and maybe I'll be able to gain some insights or whatever.

Not really sure what to do, just looking for advice.

And I have the endurance of an ox, so no burn-out comments.

if you are consistently PTing between 175-177, i don't think you need to do too much for your retake. Maybe two PT per week, plus a few games. All you need to do is just maintaining the level. And if you are planning to retake in Oct, i would suggest you don't touch anything of LSAT in July, restart in Aug. For 175 level, you don't really need that much time to prepare and also give your brain some time to forget questions. So next time you PT, you don't feel you already knew the answer to each question.

[RodionRaskolnikov]

1st round prep: LRB/LGB and Manhattan RC. Prep tests 20-64 + games from 1-20.

The week before the June 2012 LSAT I was prepping 175-177. An unfortunate testing center irregularity lead me to cancel my score.

So what should I do now? Drill games everyday and work through PTs again? I don't want to waste my time, but I need to at least maintain my current level of proficiency or hopefully increase it (capping out at 177 was a bit disheartening but w/e).

If I do a test every other day + games repeats on off-days, I could re-work through all the material a second time. I'm sure my mental approach to working through the LSAT is drastically different than when I first started, and maybe I'll be able to gain some insights or whatever.

Not really sure what to do, just looking for advice.

And I have the endurance of an ox, so no burn-out comments.

If you're PTing in 175-177, unless you know for sure you completely bombed the test, I wouldn't cancel. Schools apparently take the highest score now so even if you haven't gotten a 177, it's still cool. You might've gotten a 168 or something, which is still very good. I say this because if you're planning on applying this upcoming cycle, August and October is when the early apps go in. Taking the LSAT in October, then waiting 3 weeks for the LSAT results, and then sending the apps in would get them in in mid to late November, which isn't really that early. So if your only score is in October, then the earliest you can apply is November. And, this isn't to mention that maybe something goes wrong in October and you mess up again, which is a real possibility. Then you have to go in with that score and wait till Feb to maybe retake the third time.

[Helicio]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

[Sloth Hero]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

Section 5 was my games. Halfway through my third game the fire alarm went off and the proctor had no idea what to do, so she made us take the exam with the fire alarm blaring for a few minutes, didn't get much done. Finally time was stopped and exams were collected, and we had to wait for about 30 minutes in a classroom full of flashing lights and sirens until finally we got to start again. I wasted a lot of time once we started again trying to 'get back into the game', i.e., remembering my mentalized deductions etc., and ran real short on time at the end.

Had to guess on the last 4 questions.

This time I'll find a nice desolate war-torn country to practice in and wait for air raids to begin my prep tests so as to be prepared.

[hereyago]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

Section 5 was my games. Halfway through my third game the fire alarm went off and the proctor had no idea what to do, so she made us take the exam with the fire alarm blaring for a few minutes, didn't get much done. Finally time was stopped and exams were collected, and we had to wait for about 30 minutes in a classroom full of flashing lights and sirens until finally we got to start again. I wasted a lot of time once we started again trying to 'get back into the game', i.e., remembering my mentalized deductions etc., and ran real short on time at the end.

Had to guess on the last 4 questions.

This time I'll find a nice desolate war-torn country to practice in and wait for air raids to begin my prep tests so as to be prepared.

I'm also re-taking and I've used up pretty much most of the material like you.

I don't really know what to do. I think I'm going to re-read LRB/LGB and just do PTs + review till test date...

[Nova]

Just start busting out 177-180s on redos.

[dowu]

Just start busting out 177-180s on redos.

+1, Solidify the concepts and the logic behind the questions. This cannot hurt you.

[Sloth Hero]

I have a lot of free time between now and October. I'll be an undergrad senior and all my difficult coursework is done. Just a few dumb required courses to take care of.

I can see doing a test every other day, using tests 1-20 for experimentals from now till then. I did it before, and it wasn't so bad, so I guess I can do it again.

Anyone have any motivating stories about NYU scholarship funds at high LSAT scores? my GPA will be around 3.7

[princeR]

Dude, that fucking sucks about the fire alarm. Did you notify LSAC?

[Sloth Hero]

Yes -- and all the proctors filled out test center irregularity forms or whatever and my dad bought me ice cream because i was crying

[RodionRaskolnikov]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

Section 5 was my games. Halfway through my third game the fire alarm went off and the proctor had no idea what to do, so she made us take the exam with the fire alarm blaring for a few minutes, didn't get much done. Finally time was stopped and exams were collected, and we had to wait for about 30 minutes in a classroom full of flashing lights and sirens until finally we got to start again. I wasted a lot of time once we started again trying to 'get back into the game', i.e., remembering my mentalized deductions etc., and ran real short on time at the end.

Had to guess on the last 4 questions.

This time I'll find a nice desolate war-torn country to practice in and wait for air raids to begin my prep tests so as to be prepared.

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

[fronkman]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

Section 5 was my games. Halfway through my third game the fire alarm went off and the proctor had no idea what to do, so she made us take the exam with the fire alarm blaring for a few minutes, didn't get much done. Finally time was stopped and exams were collected, and we had to wait for about 30 minutes in a classroom full of flashing lights and sirens until finally we got to start again. I wasted a lot of time once we started again trying to 'get back into the game', i.e., remembering my mentalized deductions etc., and ran real short on time at the end.

Had to guess on the last 4 questions.

This time I'll find a nice desolate war-torn country to practice in and wait for air raids to begin my prep tests so as to be prepared.

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

Plus it have him extra time to figure out how to deal with all that extra space.

[PDaddy]

Why not go back to the basics and go slowly? Drill yourself again without timing, just to stay sharp. Use the same materials again. You'll be surprised at how helpful this exercise can be. If you aren't getting 180's, it will help.

Go through each test and break apart each and every question, identifying why each wrong answer is wrong. Write out the reasons using words and acronyms like "Scope", "I" (for "irrellevant"), "Opp" (for "opposite answer"), "RR" (for "reverse relationship"), "SP" ("statistical problem"), "S" ("strengthens when asked to weaken"), "W" ("weakens when asked to strengthen"), "NNT" (for inference & must be true questions = "not necessarily true"), "NI" ("not inferable"), etc.

[RodionRaskolnikov]

Fill us in on why you canceled?

Section 5 was my games. Halfway through my third game the fire alarm went off and the proctor had no idea what to do, so she made us take the exam with the fire alarm blaring for a few minutes, didn't get much done. Finally time was stopped and exams were collected, and we had to wait for about 30 minutes in a classroom full of flashing lights and sirens until finally we got to start again. I wasted a lot of time once we started again trying to 'get back into the game', i.e., remembering my mentalized deductions etc., and ran real short on time at the end.

Had to guess on the last 4 questions.

This time I'll find a nice desolate war-torn country to practice in and wait for air raids to begin my prep tests so as to be prepared.

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

Plus it have him extra time to figure out how to deal with all that extra space.

Exactly!

[Sloth Hero]

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

I don't think you quite understand, nor do I think you have been in a similar situation. It's extremely difficult to idly speculate (reliably, for that matter) about a logic game after having the test ripped from your hands while there are still sirens and flashing lights going off in the testing room. Unfortunately for me, I was still in the process of internalizing the rules as my test was taken from me, so there wasn't enough for me to do.

I like how you use my misfortune and subjective handicap as an excuse to brag about yourself and fan a polemic -- pre-law kids are the greatest breed of people.

And to address said polemic: at least to my knowledge, law school will not require of me the ability to solve Sudoku during an air raid.

[Sloth Hero]

Why not go back to the basics and go slowly? Drill yourself again without timing, just to stay sharp. Use the same materials again. You'll be surprised at how helpful this exercise can be. If you aren't getting 180's, it will help.

Go through each test and break apart each and every question, identifying why each wrong answer is wrong. Write out the reasons using words and acronyms like "Scope", "I" (for "irrellevant"), "Opp" (for "opposite answer"), "RR" (for "reverse relationship"), "SP" ("statistical problem"), "S" ("strengthens when asked to weaken"), "W" ("weakens when asked to strengthen"), "NNT" (for inference & must be true questions = "not necessarily true"), "NI" ("not inferable"), etc.

I like this!

[RodionRaskolnikov]

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

I don't think you quite understand, nor do I think you have been in a similar situation. It's extremely difficult to idly speculate (reliably, for that matter) about a logic game after having the test ripped from your hands while there are still sirens and flashing lights going off in the testing room. Unfortunately for me, I was still in the process of internalizing the rules as my test was taken from me, so there wasn't enough for me to do.

I like how you use my misfortune and subjective handicap as an excuse to brag about yourself and fan a polemic -- pre-law kids are the greatest breed of people.

And to address said polemic: at least to my knowledge, law school will not require of me the ability to solve Sudoku during an air raid.

I was just wondering. Relax. The LG section is all about how you internalize the rules as you said and after the first minute, after diagraming the rules, you should have had them internalized to the point that you can think of them even with sirens, at least to come up with deductions. I was actually driving back home with the music blasting (a bit angry at my lackluster performance) and still came up with the rules and deductions in my head. I'm not tooting my own horn but I'm just saying I would have loved some extra time. I would have came back with most of it solved in my head ready to just fly through the questions.

[fronkman]

Whoa whoa whoa! You had EXTRA 30 minutes to think about the games before returning to them and you found this to be a disadvantage? (games were section 5 with me too) Within the 10 minutes following section 5, I managed to find the limited possibilities I missed on all the games, map them out in my head, and even start counting which ones I most likely got wrong. I still remember the rules of all the games, and can map out the possibilities and diagrams. You had 30 minutes of thinking time before going back to the games and that was a disadvantage? .... ..... good luck in law school.

I don't think you quite understand, nor do I think you have been in a similar situation. It's extremely difficult to idly speculate (reliably, for that matter) about a logic game after having the test ripped from your hands while there are still sirens and flashing lights going off in the testing room. Unfortunately for me, I was still in the process of internalizing the rules as my test was taken from me, so there wasn't enough for me to do.

I like how you use my misfortune and subjective handicap as an excuse to brag about yourself and fan a polemic -- pre-law kids are the greatest breed of people.

And to address said polemic: at least to my knowledge, law school will not require of me the ability to solve Sudoku during an air raid.

I was just wondering. Relax. The LG section is all about how you internalize the rules as you said and after the first minute, after diagraming the rules, you should have had them internalized to the point that you can think of them even with sirens, at least to come up with deductions. I was actually driving back home with the music blasting (a bit angry at my lackluster performance) and still came up with the rules and deductions in my head. I'm not tooting my own horn but I'm just saying I would have loved some extra time. I would have came back with most of it solved in my head ready to just fly through the questions.

IDK Rod, I think the people at this center getting extra time is going to contribute to the inappropriate curve. This along with all that extra space sure is stacking the deck against us good test takers.

[TomahawkChopper]

Rodya- stop hitting the axe on her head

[RodionRaskolnikov]

Rodya- stop hitting the axe on her head

It already happened. I hid everything under a rock no one is going to move for ages. I'm good to go.

[dowu]

Rodya- stop hitting the axe on her head

It already happened. I hid everything under a rock no one is going to move for ages. I'm good to go.

You are an objectively shitty poster.