JUNE 2013 Study Group / Study Partner Thread Forum

[patfeeney]

Took PT 53 today. I've plateaued over the past four tests at pretty much an exact 164 each time.
Results:
Sec. 1 LR -4
Sec. 2 LG -4
Sec. 3 LR -4
Sec. 4 RC -6

I'm improving slightly in LR, which I normally get -5 or -6 in.
LG I screwed up on the last four questions. I didn't structure the problems out properly and, though I didn't guess, I probably made some poor assumptions.
As usual, RC is all over the board.

I'm aiming for at least a 170 on a PT before June. Is this possible? Or should I perhaps give up on that goal and wait until October?
Not to sound like a conceited jerk, but I really want to get the test right the first time.

[wtrc]

Took PT 53 today. I've plateaued over the past four tests at pretty much an exact 164 each time.
Results:
Sec. 1 LR -4
Sec. 2 LG -4
Sec. 3 LR -4
Sec. 4 RC -6

I'm improving slightly in LR, which I normally get -5 or -6 in.
LG I screwed up on the last four questions. I didn't structure the problems out properly and, though I didn't guess, I probably made some poor assumptions.
As usual, RC is all over the board.

I'm aiming for at least a 170 on a PT before June. Is this possible? Or should I perhaps give up on that goal and wait until October?
Not to sound like a conceited jerk, but I really want to get the test right the first time.

Sounds like you might want to wait then. Very little reason not to wait, especially if you only want to do this test once. Or register for June and cancel if you aren't ready and are okay losing out on that money.

[patfeeney]

Sounds like you might want to wait then. Very little reason not to wait, especially if you only want to do this test once. Or register for June and cancel if you aren't ready and are okay losing out on that money.

Woops. Registered two months ago.

[0913djp]

Been killing it in every section this week with the exception of RC. I am doing much better at LR this week than the past few weeks. Drilling a lot of questions and have been doing much better. Out of ten or so LR questions, I get one or two max wrong.

I'll make my decision whether to register for June or not come May 1.

[wtrc]

Been killing it in every section this week with the exception of RC. I am doing much better at LR this week than the past few weeks. Drilling a lot of questions and have been doing much better. Out of ten or so LR questions, I get one or two max wrong.

I'll make my decision whether to register for June or not come May 1.

No idea where you live, but be careful with that. In a lot of places (like DC) many of the centers fill up well before then and you'd be stuck going to a shitty center or one far away.

[0913djp]

Just registered for the JUNE LSAT. Hoping the cost of the test will match the minimum I achieve on the LSAT.

More LR drilling today with some advanced linear games and grouping games. My LG is solid now, it's just a matter of reducing time in the diagramming. I don't make enough hypotheticals which leaves me with the time-consuming "plug and chug" on at least a question or two.

On average I am finishing games with 6 to 7 minutes. LR drilling the rest of the weekend for me. Until I get near perfect sections, I won't feel comfortable PTing again.

[Fianna13]

Although I don't post much, but I still feel this site takes away too much of my time. So I'm going to block myself until the waiting thread. Good luck to everyone. Keep grinding!

[ricekrispies]

I was hoping someone here could clear up some confusion I am having on PT24, Sec. 2, #1. The correct answer is B but I am not drawing that connection. The press release makes no mention of the body as a whole and only references the heart specifically. None of the answers seemed particularly appealing to me but I ended up going with A.

[CardozoLaw09]

I was hoping someone here could clear up some confusion I am having on PT24, Sec. 2, #1. The correct answer is B but I am not drawing that connection. The press release makes no mention of the body as a whole and only references the heart specifically. None of the answers seemed particularly appealing to me but I ended up going with A.

It's asking for a weakness in the reasoning so A wouldn't really work here; A is more of a flaw question type answer as it attacks the methodology of the review. The reasoning here is questionable because the evidence is about drinking coffee in normal amounts and its affect on the heart. But the conclusion shifts from talking about the heart specifically to coffee being safe in general - but is the connection between being safe for the heart and being safe in general warranted? That's what B is trying to get at by suggesting that the health of the heart is not identical to the health of the body ie) just because it's okay for the heart doesn't make it safe

[Ambitious1]

So inconsistent on LR. -2 the other day. -10 on a section yesterday..lol

I realize on LR that if you don't have the discipline to just MOVE past a question you are unsure of, it ruins the entire rest of the section.. Also learning that I can't take the same approach to questions 15-20 as I do on the first 15 questions. I realize I'm getting a lot of easy questions wrong but hard ones right.

I'm going to put aside timed sections for a while and focus on drilling for the next 2 weeks. After 3-4 practice sections and a PT I have a good idea of which question types I need to work on for LR.

[The-Specs]

Took PT 46 today:

RC: -2 34 min
LR1: -2 34 min
LR2: -0 33 min
LG: -0 24.5 min

Raw: 95
Scaled: 176

So, I got the timing under control it looks like. The two i missed on RC were ones that I had right and then i changed my answers...guess I need to trust myself a little more. +2 would have pushed me to a 179 but more importantly to a 97 raw score. It the back to back LR was rough but didn't seem to cause me any real problems. These games were remarkably easy. I had never finished in under 30 min before today. Maybe it is just the drilling that is paying off but i guess i will need a larger sample to know for sure.

So, the semester ends this next week for me so I will be starting my 3 test a week the following week and with the advent of May I am moving to 5 full sections with the break and everything. I feel like I am peaking exactly when I wanted to.

Here's the this thread, let's take this thing down!

[SteelPenguin]

Are any re-takers here concerned about reusing old material? I've been PTing around a 172 average, but I'm concerned some of that is from seeing old material. It's been several months since I've seen the questions, but I still think it could be artificially inflating my score. I think the best thing for me to do would be to plan to finish in less than allotted time, which would account for familiarity with questions.

[Chambo]

Are any re-takers here concerned about reusing old material? I've been PTing around a 172 average, but I'm concerned some of that is from seeing old material. It's been several months since I've seen the questions, but I still think it could be artificially inflating my score. I think the best thing for me to do would be to plan to finish in less than allotted time, which would account for familiarity with questions.

Familiarity can inflate scores. It's hard to put an exact number on its effects. Just keep it in mind when you're assessing a PT. When you're actually taking the test, use it as an opportunity to logically justify all of your answers and really nail down the decision making process. Also mark any questions that trip you up in the slightest and review them. Not much you can do but keep plugging along and have faith that you're still reinforcing your training.

[Chambo]

Took PT 46 today:

RC: -2 34 min
LR1: -2 34 min
LR2: -0 33 min
LG: -0 24.5 min

Raw: 95
Scaled: 176

So, I got the timing under control it looks like. The two i missed on RC were ones that I had right and then i changed my answers...guess I need to trust myself a little more. +2 would have pushed me to a 179 but more importantly to a 97 raw score. It the back to back LR was rough but didn't seem to cause me any real problems. These games were remarkably easy. I had never finished in under 30 min before today. Maybe it is just the drilling that is paying off but i guess i will need a larger sample to know for sure.

So, the semester ends this next week for me so I will be starting my 3 test a week the following week and with the advent of May I am moving to 5 full sections with the break and everything. I feel like I am peaking exactly when I wanted to.

Here's the this thread, let's take this thing down!

Jeez dude. Finishing with 10+ minutes left on LG? Keep up the good work!

[itachiuchiha]

I started off with LR in the +13 range, now I am in the +18 - +20 range

[ricekrispies]

I was hoping someone here could clear up some confusion I am having on PT24, Sec. 2, #1. The correct answer is B but I am not drawing that connection. The press release makes no mention of the body as a whole and only references the heart specifically. None of the answers seemed particularly appealing to me but I ended up going with A.

It's asking for a weakness in the reasoning so A wouldn't really work here; A is more of a flaw question type answer as it attacks the methodology of the review. The reasoning here is questionable because the evidence is about drinking coffee in normal amounts and its affect on the heart. But the conclusion shifts from talking about the heart specifically to coffee being safe in general - but is the connection between being safe for the heart and being safe in general warranted? That's what B is trying to get at by suggesting that the health of the heart is not identical to the health of the body ie) just because it's okay for the heart doesn't make it safe

Thanks for explaining this. I see how it all works now. Wow that one really threw me for a loop!

[patfeeney]

Just a quick tally, what are your opinions on the individual preptests, 61-68? Is it worth paying for those, or do you think just having 10 New Actual, Official Preptests would be enough?

[SteelPenguin]

Just a quick tally, what are your opinions on the individual preptests, 61-68? Is it worth paying for those, or do you think just having 10 New Actual, Official Preptests would be enough?

I would really urge you to get the new tests. You have chance to look at the eight of the most recent administered tests. Why wouldn't you do that? I believe the past Oct and Dec LSAT tests are very valuable because of the LGs in these sections. The zones in Oct, and last two in Dec gave me more trouble than usual.

In addition, although it may just be unique to me, those two tests were my lowest scores (165) since I finished my first two months of studying. I could attribute the Dec to nerves, but the Oct I took at home without distractions, so I have no excuse for that performance. I'm actually planning on retaking those and spending significant time reviewing those soon.

[SteelPenguin]

Are any re-takers here concerned about reusing old material? I've been PTing around a 172 average, but I'm concerned some of that is from seeing old material. It's been several months since I've seen the questions, but I still think it could be artificially inflating my score. I think the best thing for me to do would be to plan to finish in less than allotted time, which would account for familiarity with questions.

Familiarity can inflate scores. It's hard to put an exact number on its effects. Just keep it in mind when you're assessing a PT. When you're actually taking the test, use it as an opportunity to logically justify all of your answers and really nail down the decision making process. Also mark any questions that trip you up in the slightest and review them. Not much you can do but keep plugging along and have faith that you're still reinforcing your training.

Thanks for the reply. I think after the next two LSATs I take, I'll look at my lsatqa breakdown and spend two days drilling the 3-4 LR types that are tripping my up the most.

[mqt]

Edit: I'm a big dummy. Thank you to Cambridge LSAT for the response. Excellent customer service.

[SteelPenguin]

If my question type packets don't get here this week, I'm going to rage at Cambridge.

Wait, they aren't digital?

[mqt]

If my question type packets don't get here this week, I'm going to rage at Cambridge.

Wait, they aren't digital?

Oh, I am that kind of idiot. Disregard my ramblings, the downloads were sitting right in my spam folder.

[SteelPenguin]

If my question type packets don't get here this week, I'm going to rage at Cambridge.

Wait, they aren't digital?

Oh, I am that kind of idiot. Disregard my ramblings, the downloads were sitting right in my spam folder.

I should have told you I received mine with 48 hours and encouraged you to write an angry e-mail. I am planning on buying them tonight, but you got me worried that I should have bought them earlier.

[objection_your_honor]

My first PT 180 today. Keep fighting the good fight.

[SteelPenguin]

My first PT 180 today. Keep fighting the good fight.

Congrats.

I just finished PT 40,

My score was a 169.
LR: -1
LG: -2
LR: -2
RC: -6

I feel like I still have a ton of work to do, and RC is starting to become a concern. Maybe I'll crack down on RC exclusively for the next week and see if I'm making any progress.