December 2012 Re-takers Forum

[zniha]

Thanks, so you don't recommend as much diagraming for these games?

If I were you, I would buy the PS LG bible now (Or apparently the Manhattan LG book) and go through it very intently. This will be a very good use of your time, pay attention.

Then worry about these issues afterwards.

Do you guys think studying while tired (aka right now at 1:15AM) is worth it? One one hand I think it really helps, because if I can force myself to stay focused while tired, any bizzaro circumstances on test day shouldn't phase me. On the other hand, I wonder if it's really even helping me at all or just going in one year out the other. I just ask cause I really have no other choice but to study late at night and on the weekends...

Maybe going over your old tests and doing untimed drilling, but I wouldn't do anything that requires a lot of focus.

+1

Thanks, I purchased it tonight should be here in two days.

[Sugar Lumps]

If bitsy comes up with new terms for our bet, so i'm no longer in a tar bet with her... i'll take the bet if tie goes to me. The LSAT has made me so masochistic...

what do you want from me? i came up with your half. alternatively, in case of your loss, instead of a full shave, you could let the chats determine the course of your facial hair. im voting fu manchu.

I want you to carve artful designs and swirls into your beard.

I know that I'm late to this party, but...

[CR2012]

Yeahh... I think I will use the Manhattan LSAT ladder method instead

[Alorain]

Yeahh... I think I will use the Manhattan LSAT ladder method instead

Yeah, when I first saw this "explanation" in the PSB, I was like, fuck you power-score.

[Adam Banks]

The worst part about not doing so well in October, is the mass spam from st Thomas thinking I am a sucker, and will attend their shit hole.

[bitsy]

The worst part about not doing so well in October, is the mass spam from st Thomas thinking I am a sucker, and will attend their shit hole.

im getting stuff from university of st thomas and st thomas university. wat. both of them are automatically disqualified for being stubborn and clinging to their confusing-ass names.

[bitsy]

Yeahh... I think I will use the Manhattan LSAT ladder method instead

would you mind giving the gist of the manhattan ladder method in non-copyright-infringing terms? i used PS, but have been considering making the switch

[totoro]

LR Help?

Hey, another Dec retaker here. For those who are scoring very high on your PT's - how did you consistently get down to -0-2 on LR? Any tips? I've taken 40+ PT's and gone through the LR Bible twice now, but still going -3-5 which prevents me from PTing consistently in the 170's. (Also, -4-5 is where I started, so I haven't improved much on LR period lol).

I seem to have trouble on the questions that you can't really pre-phrase (weaken, strengthen, infer, resolve the paradox) and also on ones with abstract answer choices (flaw, method of argument). I guess I get pulled into over-interpreting an incorrect answer, or otherwise over-interpreting a correct answer and finding something wrong with it.

[sinfiery]

Yeahh... I think I will use the Manhattan LSAT ladder method instead

I actually liked this.

When I first got to it, doing all that monotonous inferencing helped me get a really good grasp for everything you can learn from a basic rule.

Then as I practiced with the method, I started condensing the rules I wrote down. Now I write the initial rule, and it's initial counter inference.

A game with a ton of these rules is almost non-existent nowdays, but if it was, it get's solved really easily.

But you use these small in/outs and this particular diagramming as part of many games so it's nice to have a good initial grasp on what the rule tells you and it's possibilities and then you develop an efficient amount of inferencing you do.

Not sure about manhattans method tho

[chadbrochill]

For anyone interested in Manhattan's Logic chain, it looks something like this:



Left side being in, right side being out. The base of the arrow being the given piece of information, the end of the arrow tip being the inference.

Its kindof fun for some games, but can get really complicated with "and/or" conditionals. It used to be very difficult to diagram because of limited space, but luckily we get 2 pages per game now. Also I found it less useful in recent games where numerical inferences became really important.

I personally agree with what sinf said, and I just stick to writing out the rules.

[Lenahan3]

For anyone interested in Manhattan's Logic chain, it looks something like this:



Left side being in, right side being out. The base of the arrow being the given piece of information, the end of the arrow tip being the inference.

Its kindof fun for some games, but can get really complicated with "and/or" conditionals. It used to be very difficult to diagram because of limited space, but luckily we get 2 pages per game now. Also I found it less useful in recent games where numerical inferences became really important.

I personally agree with what sinf said, and I just stick to writing out the rules.

Simpler games will be destroyed by Manhattan's tree. I find that the more complex games require you to draw a huge diagram, which though it isn't as big a deal now that games are on two pages, it's still time-consuming. I use a mix of this and PS, personally, depending on how I read the game.

[teiswei]

LR Help?

Hey, another Dec retaker here. For those who are scoring very high on your PT's - how did you consistently get down to -0-2 on LR? Any tips? I've taken 40+ PT's and gone through the LR Bible twice now, but still going -3-5 which prevents me from PTing consistently in the 170's. (Also, -4-5 is where I started, so I haven't improved much on LR period lol).

I seem to have trouble on the questions that you can't really pre-phrase (weaken, strengthen, infer, resolve the paradox) and also on ones with abstract answer choices (flaw, method of argument). I guess I get pulled into over-interpreting an incorrect answer, or otherwise over-interpreting a correct answer and finding something wrong with it.

Are you identifying the conclusion of the argument? For weaken and strengthen questions this is key. Also I find it helpful to have an idea of what I am looking for entering the answers. Every one of these questions have a flaw and with most of them, it's pretty obvious. Knowing the flaw (they use the same flaws over and over) will help you have a good idea of how to bridge the gap. For example, if they have a exclusivity flaw "it's a or b, and because b isn't likely, it must be a" the answer for strengthen questions is likely to be elimination of alternate causes. Conversely, weaken questions will either poke a hole in the original "b isn't likely" claim or add a entirely new variable or alternate cause.

Resolve and paradox questions, for me, are pretty intuitive. You are essentially problem solving. Usually you can predict these exactly. If the prompts is something like, "A recent polls shows Romney has the lead by a 70-30 margin. Obama wins the election." For resolve questions, the correct answer will always bridge the gap. So in this situation, the answer is most likely going to be about the poll. Maybe the poll was of exclusively white, Mormon voters from Utah and related to Romney. Well that would be a pretty terrible poll wouldn't it? Perhaps that isn't available. In this case, you would probably look for something giving Obama a boost at election time. Maybe Obama save an orphaned baby from a burning building the day before the election. Or maybe a sex scandal was leaked about Romney. Really, the main point is that you are just trying to solve the problem. You should be relieved when you see these questions, not terrified. Be more worried about Parallels and the like.

[Lenahan3]

Thank God, I finally got my Cooley e-mail! I thought this day would never come.

[Adam Banks]

Thank God, I finally got my Cooley e-mail! I thought this day would never come.

High five. Very nice.

[sinfiery]

UT just rejected me for solicited fee waiver. In-state too.

bastards.


but that cooley email.

[Lenahan3]

Yeah. I'm skipping to and from all my classes today.

[bitsy]

UT just rejected me for solicited fee waiver. In-state too.

bastards.


but that cooley email.

why the crack did they do that? apparently, i qualified for one "as a Texas resident and subscriber to LSAC’s Candidate Referral Service (CRS)"-- they didnt have my scores or official gpa.

[sinfiery]

UT just rejected me for solicited fee waiver. In-state too.

bastards.


but that cooley email.

why the crack did they do that? apparently, i qualified for one "as a Texas resident and subscriber to LSAC’s Candidate Referral Service (CRS)"-- they didnt have my scores or official gpa.

well they said they only give merit waivers to a select few and that you have to be registered for CRS to get them. I already mentioned I was registered so they just threw me under the bus with their individualized automated response.

[CR2012]

Getting trolled by Cooley motivates me so much.


Also, fun fact, after dinner I am going to do a RC and LR section by candle-light because my living room light just burned out.

[Lenahan3]

Getting trolled by Cooley motivates me so much.


Also, fun fact, after dinner I am going to do a RC and LR section by candle-light because my living room light just burned out.

Props.

[NYCgirl3]

Hi all, this is my first post on TLS. I'm still dealing with the disappointment of my October score (166), but registered for the December test. I had been scoring in the 170's for the two months leading up to the test, and was totally shocked by my score. I think it may have had to do with the fact that I barely slept the night before (due to stress) and was feeling run down. I missed 4/5 of the last questions in section 5, and when I looked over my test this weekend, realized that I had chosen answers when I knew what the right ones were.

I just took my first PT since before the October test and I got a 176, which felt great. Is anyone else in a similar situation, where your score was way below where you had been PTing? I work 50+ hours a week so I try to get an hour or so of studying in a night and then take 1-2 PTs on the weekends.

I could use any suggestions or advice!

[Lenahan3]

Hi all, this is my first post on TLS. I'm still dealing with the disappointment of my October score (166), but registered for the December test. I had been scoring in the 170's for the two months leading up to the test, and was totally shocked by my score. I think it may have had to do with the fact that I barely slept the night before (due to stress) and was feeling run down. I missed 4/5 of the last questions in section 5, and when I looked over my test this weekend, realized that I had chosen answers when I knew what the right ones were.

I just took my first PT since before the October test and I got a 176, which felt great. Is anyone else in a similar situation, where your score was way below where you had been PTing? I work 50+ hours a week so I try to get an hour or so of studying in a night and then take 1-2 PTs on the weekends.

I could use any suggestions or advice!

Most of the people on this thread are the same situation, including myself.

Edit: I didn't notice your last sentence.

I don't want to type all the advice that has been given so far, but if you go through this thread starting on page 1, you'll find that's it's composed of nearly nothing but advice. That's your best bet, at least to start with.

[Cobretti]

Hi all, this is my first post on TLS. I'm still dealing with the disappointment of my October score (166), but registered for the December test. I had been scoring in the 170's for the two months leading up to the test, and was totally shocked by my score. I think it may have had to do with the fact that I barely slept the night before (due to stress) and was feeling run down. I missed 4/5 of the last questions in section 5, and when I looked over my test this weekend, realized that I had chosen answers when I knew what the right ones were.

I just took my first PT since before the October test and I got a 176, which felt great. Is anyone else in a similar situation, where your score was way below where you had been PTing? I work 50+ hours a week so I try to get an hour or so of studying in a night and then take 1-2 PTs on the weekends.

I could use any suggestions or advice!

Lots of us. Just keep at it and work on whatever weaknesses you showed on test day.

[Cobretti]

NorthEastern just trolled the shit out of me...

[bitsy]

NorthEastern just trolled the shit out of me...

lol i like how you classify them sending any email to you as trolling