First post and looking for advice Forum

[BrianP]

Hello. This is my first post on tls and I am just looking for some advice.

I did a practice test with an old Barron's book and got a 145. I guessed an entire section but I doubt I would have done any better had I just worked through the questions. I am looking for advice from anyone who can help, whether you started off poorly yourself or not. I never thought I was a genius but I did think I would do better.

How do I improve this score? Do I have a chance to improve or no hope in hell? Thank you.

[dowu]

Stop using that book. IIRC, that company makes up their own questions. Buy real practice tests. Fake material is awful awful dude. Report back to us when you have used real LSAC material.

[cinephile]

You absolutely can improve. Plenty of people start off poorly, myself included. I think I guessed all the games section the first time I took the LSAT because I had no idea how to approach them. I'm not a self-motivated person, so I took a course where I could just listen to an instructor explain things. But there are lots of people on this forum who improved solely using self-study. There are even study guides here, check the stickies in this forum.

[BrianP]

Stop using that book. IIRC, that company makes up their own questions. Buy real practice tests. Fake material is awful awful dude. Report back to us when you have used real LSAC material.

Ok, thank you.

[BrianP]

You absolutely can improve. Plenty of people start off poorly, myself included. I think I guessed all the games section the first time I took the LSAT because I had no idea how to approach them. I'm not a self-motivated person, so I took a course where I could just listen to an instructor explain things. But there are lots of people on this forum who improved solely using self-study. There are even study guides here, check the stickies in this forum.

Cool, thank you. I could sure use some study guides. Games are kind of crazy, I really need work on them.

[dowu]

Have you looked into buying the Powerscore Logic Games Bible for LG? Also, I recommend Manhattan's Logical Reasoning book. It seems to be more tailored for top scorers, whereas the book for LR made by Powerscore (Logical Reasoning Bible) is a book tailored for entry level test takers. I think it's safe for you to jump into Manhattans book, though.

Yes, its absolutely possible to improve. The sky is the limit dude!

[Nova]

Yes, its absolutely possible to improve. The sky is the limit dude!

I agree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcz_kDCBTBk

140s ---> 160s (and beyond) is absolutely possible. Many on TLS have done it.

[NYCLSATTutor]

I would throw out the Barrons book immediately and buy these:

Powerscore Logic Games Bible

Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible

Next 10 Actual Real LSATs

10 New Actual Real LSATs

[dowu]

I would throw out the Barrons book immediately and buy these:

Powerscore Logic Games Bible

Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible

Next 10 Actual Real LSATs

10 New Actual Real LSATs

I agree with this, with the exception that you use Manhattan for LR instead of Powerscore.

[BrianP]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

[dowu]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

Okay, so in the beginning of my prep I read the LRB, which is great to get you familiar with the concepts. I am now working though Manhattans book and it seems to be tailored to the nuances of the test, and helps you actually form a strategy and approach that too test takers take. I think you'll be fine starting out with this book, but you'll definitely be hitting the ground running. You seem like youre ready to tackle this thing straight on, so I feel like Manhattans guide is more beneficial in the long run.

[mindarmed]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

I can't comment on Manhattan's LR prep, but, Manhattan's RC prep is certainly more cogent in its explanations when compared to PowerScore. Manhattan's books can also be had a fraction of the cost of PowerScore. You also gain access to Manhattan's online library of information when you purchase their books, certainly a plus in my book. If you are willing to spend the extra money, however, I think PowerScore does an excellent job of categorizing each question and explaining conditional/causal reasoning.

[BrianP]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

Okay, so in the beginning of my prep I read the LRB, which is great to get you familiar with the concepts. I am now working though Manhattans book and it seems to be tailored to the nuances of the test, and helps you actually form a strategy and approach that too test takers take. I think you'll be fine starting out with this book, but you'll definitely be hitting the ground running. You seem like youre ready to tackle this thing straight on, so I feel like Manhattans guide is more beneficial in the long run.

This sounds good. Thank you very much.

[BrianP]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

I can't comment on Manhattan's LR prep, but, Manhattan's RC prep is certainly more cogent in its explanations when compared to PowerScore. Manhattan's books can also be had a fraction of the cost of PowerScore. You also gain access to Manhattan's online library of information when you purchase their books, certainly a plus in my book. If you are willing to spend the extra money, however, I think PowerScore does an excellent job of categorizing each question and explaining conditional/causal reasoning.

Very cool. Manhattan being a decent resource at a decent price sounds good. Perhaps I can start with that and move on to PowerScore if I need it. It can only help I'm sure. Thank you.

[Nova]

Very cool. Manhattan being a decent resource at a decent price sounds good. Perhaps I can start with that and move on to PowerScore if I need it. It can only help I'm sure. Thank you.

Dont forget to bundle

[dowu]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

I can't comment on Manhattan's LR prep, but, Manhattan's RC prep is certainly more cogent in its explanations when compared to PowerScore. Manhattan's books can also be had a fraction of the cost of PowerScore. You also gain access to Manhattan's online library of information when you purchase their books, certainly a plus in my book. If you are willing to spend the extra money, however, I think PowerScore does an excellent job of categorizing each question and explaining conditional/causal reasoning.

Very cool. Manhattan being a decent resource at a decent price sounds good. Perhaps I can start with that and move on to PowerScore if I need it. It can only help I'm sure. Thank you.

That would be backwards, IMO. I think, if you plan on using both of the books, you should be going from Powerscore to Manhattan. It would be like starting guitar hero on hard/expert, then moving to beginner. Powerscore's LR bible is really really elementary, man, whereas Manhattan's LR book is not.

[BrianP]

Thank you very much everyone. I totally appreciate it. I will be ordering these things, probably one each paycheck as money is tight right now.

nmop_apisdn, what is the advantage of the Manhattan over Powerscore for LR? Would you say it is more laymen's level language?

I can't comment on Manhattan's LR prep, but, Manhattan's RC prep is certainly more cogent in its explanations when compared to PowerScore. Manhattan's books can also be had a fraction of the cost of PowerScore. You also gain access to Manhattan's online library of information when you purchase their books, certainly a plus in my book. If you are willing to spend the extra money, however, I think PowerScore does an excellent job of categorizing each question and explaining conditional/causal reasoning.

Very cool. Manhattan being a decent resource at a decent price sounds good. Perhaps I can start with that and move on to PowerScore if I need it. It can only help I'm sure. Thank you.

That would be backwards, IMO. I think, if you plan on using both of the books, you should be going from Powerscore to Manhattan. It would be like starting guitar hero on hard/expert, then moving to beginner. Powerscore's LR bible is really really elementary, man, whereas Manhattan's LR book is not.

Oh, I see. Yes, when you put it like that...

[BrianP]

Very cool. Manhattan being a decent resource at a decent price sounds good. Perhaps I can start with that and move on to PowerScore if I need it. It can only help I'm sure. Thank you.

Dont forget to bundle

Appreciate the link.

[bbobby12]

Practice practice practice. Just keep at it, people have improved by 20, 30 points before

[sama]

Of course you have a chance to improve. I think many people on average improve 10-15 points, but others do improve much more than that