JUNE 2013 Study Group / Study Partner Thread

[The-Specs]

How does everyone here notate RC? It's killing me that my scores in RC are still inconsistent and not perfect, and I still have to rush through each section. I think my problem is that I spend too reading and annotating the passage; I get stuck staring at the trees, and by the time I've seen the forest, it's time to move on to the next forest. I've been spending the morning doing RC passages without taking notes (/taking the bare minimum). Seems like the time I'm making up reading just gets converted into time spent working on the questions..

Blergh. Wish I could feel as confident about RC going into game day as I do about LR (and to a lesser extent, LG).

The two things that for me were game changers in RC were the Manhattan Guide and how I order the passages. I do the first passage first them of the next three I do the passage with the most questions then the one with the second most all the way to the least. I can't really explain how it sped me up but instead of taking anywhere from 35-40 min to finish a section and missing 4-6 I finish in about 32 or 33 min at -1 or -2.

[The-Specs]

Yeah, but mainly just because it's fun, it's not like I'm tall or extremely good. But if there's three people or more and we're playing 21 or knockout, I'm not easy to beat.

Fair. I am pretty tall but that that certainly doesn't translate to actual ability. I just love to play pretty much whenever I can get my hands on a ball and get enough people together to run the court.

[objection_your_honor]

I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys!

I booked the June LSAT a looonng time ago. Then I ended up having a medical issue come up through April which stopped me from studying for the LSAT. Other things came up as well and I'm nowhere close to the score I want to get on the LSAT. In all honesty, I've studied for about a week now. I took my first timed test ever (PT 65) and scored a 151.

LR: -17
LG: -14
RC: -12

I'm planning on still writing the test next week as "practice" since I already paid for it, then writing again in October.

What should I focus on over the next week? I've been doing LG sections for practice since I've read that is the easiest to improve on, but I feel like I'm leaving a lot of easy marks on the table with LR. I don't have time go to through the entire PS bible so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I should add that I've gone through the entire PS LG bible, albeit extremely quickly. I understand the concepts for the games I'm just not fast enough yet. The moderate difficulty ones take me between 11-12:30 minutes usually. I'm hoping with practice this will drop.

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

[TripleX]

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

I did 2 LG sections separately after the PT and scored -10, -9. I think I'll be able to aim for -2/-3 by test day.

Is it that bad to take the test twice? I figured since I had already paid for it I may as well write it. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference.

[Daily_Double]

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

I did 2 LG sections separately after the PT and scored -10, -9. I think I'll be able to aim for -2/-3 by test day.

Is it that bad to take the test twice? I figured since I had already paid for it I may as well write it. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference.

Out of curiosity, why do you think you'll be able to aim for -2/3 on test day? Or is there a difference between what you are aiming for, and what you think will happen? Because based upon experience, LG errors don't just disappear.

And to answer your question, it may or may not be bad to take the test twice. However it is bad to take the test if one is lacking sufficient preparation. I suppose the question here is, "Sufficient for what score?" I'd probably answer a 165 or higher. You're lacking preparation, thus, you should not test in June.

[objection_your_honor]

There is just no benefit to taking this test when you're that underprepared. I can understand taking the test to rid yourself of nerves, but only if you have a chance of actually hitting your target.

A bad first score will do you 0 favors in admissions and use up one of your takes (limited to 3 in 2 years).

[RhymesLikeDimes]

Re-takes aren't generally a big deal, but if there is a huge jump (150 --> 170) it will raise red flags and probably hurt you at the better schools

[The-Specs]

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

I did 2 LG sections separately after the PT and scored -10, -9. I think I'll be able to aim for -2/-3 by test day.

Is it that bad to take the test twice? I figured since I had already paid for it I may as well write it. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference.

So what's the secret? I would love to know about this superhuman study method that gives you a 6 to 8 point jump in LG in less than a week. I definitely could have used that a couple months ago.

There isn't anything "wrong" with taking it just to take it per se but you can only take it 3 times in a two year period and I am with Objection, a one-fifty-anything is not worth using up one of those takes.

[SteelPenguin]

I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys!

I booked the June LSAT a looonng time ago. Then I ended up having a medical issue come up through April which stopped me from studying for the LSAT. Other things came up as well and I'm nowhere close to the score I want to get on the LSAT. In all honesty, I've studied for about a week now. I took my first timed test ever (PT 65) and scored a 151.

LR: -17
LG: -14
RC: -12

I'm planning on still writing the test next week as "practice" since I already paid for it, then writing again in October.

What should I focus on over the next week? I've been doing LG sections for practice since I've read that is the easiest to improve on, but I feel like I'm leaving a lot of easy marks on the table with LR. I don't have time go to through the entire PS bible so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance!

Just study and take in Oct. If a school sees a 152 and a much higher LSAT, they might question your decision-making. This is a serious test with lifelong implications and worth tens of thousands of dollars in potential scholarship money. Don't take it because of $150. Study 3-5 months, then try in October.

[isuperserial]

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

I did 2 LG sections separately after the PT and scored -10, -9. I think I'll be able to aim for -2/-3 by test day.

Is it that bad to take the test twice? I figured since I had already paid for it I may as well write it. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference.

The fact that you think this is possible only demonstrates how far you have to go. Push back to October, and study from this second on like it's a full time job, or until you get above 170.

[SteelPenguin]

A little off topic, but does anyone else love all the ridiculous topics on the front page now that the LSAT is so close?

[mvonh001]

A little off topic, but does anyone else love all the ridiculous topics on the front page now that the LSAT is so close?

Ya, like how much water to drink the day of the exam... If you don't know how to control your bladder I fear for your safety in life.

[jas1503]

Just went 15 for 20 ( question #19 was removed) on the first 21 questions from LR 1, PT 60...Then continued down that path of destruction and missing the last 5 questions.


June 10th, won't end well...

[mqt]

A little off topic, but does anyone else love all the ridiculous topics on the front page now that the LSAT is so close?

Without looking, I'm going to guess there is at least one thread about ticket photos, two or more asking for urgent advice on how to go from 150 to 170 this week, one of Dr. Dre's troll shit-fests, and someone asking something incredibly stupid like if they'll get kicked out for breathing too loud or something like that.

[TripleX]

You will be leaving LR on the table, sure. But that's temporary. This is a lengthy process. 60% of your answers in LG are mistakes. Fix that first, and then you can shift your focus to the more nuanced sections of LR and RC.

I'd encourage you not to take on June 10. There is absolutely no reason to waste a take on a guaranteed 150-something.

I did 2 LG sections separately after the PT and scored -10, -9. I think I'll be able to aim for -2/-3 by test day.

Is it that bad to take the test twice? I figured since I had already paid for it I may as well write it. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference.

Out of curiosity, why do you think you'll be able to aim for -2/3 on test day? Or is there a difference between what you are aiming for, and what you think will happen? Because based upon experience, LG errors don't just disappear.

And to answer your question, it may or may not be bad to take the test twice. However it is bad to take the test if one is lacking sufficient preparation. I suppose the question here is, "Sufficient for what score?" I'd probably answer a 165 or higher. You're lacking preparation, thus, you should not test in June.

Most of my errors are from going too quickly. It's not that I can't do the work. I can't do it in the set amount of time. I anticipate the speed will increase as I do more tests. I've already seen progression from 18-11 minutes in this past week (I track every problem separately).

I here what you guys are saying. I'd love nothing more than to hold off until October. I didn't want to "give up" on the June one so to speak. I didn't realize that a 150-170 jump would be looked down upon. That being said I'm confident I could hit 160 by the test. That's much lower than what I want though.

Is there a date that I have to cancel by? I would like to keep studying up until the test and see where I am PTing.

[objection_your_honor]

Midnight (EST) before the test date.

[mqt]

Most of my errors are from going too quickly. It's not that I can't do the work. I can't do it in the set amount of time. I anticipate the speed will increase as I do more tests. I've already seen progression from 18-11 minutes in this past week (I track every problem separately).

You think your problem with LG is that you're going too quickly?

More importantly, it's taking you 11 minutes a game, and your plan was to take it in a week?

[TripleX]

Most of my errors are from going too quickly. It's not that I can't do the work. I can't do it in the set amount of time. I anticipate the speed will increase as I do more tests. I've already seen progression from 18-11 minutes in this past week (I track every problem separately).

You think your problem with LG is that you're going too quickly?

More importantly, it's taking you 11 minutes a game, and your plan was to take it in a week?

Yes, my problem is that I'm trying to go too fast. Once you understand the mechanics of the game isn't speed the remaining factor?

I know that if I take the test my score will not be amazing. I booked this test at the beginning of March and then had some unfortunate circumstances arise. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. I'm just trying to make the best of the situation.

EDIT: maybe we aren't understanding each other. I can do the games perfectly in 11-12 minutes (moderately hard) on the PTs I only have 8.5... so in order to make up that 3 minute gap I have to go faster and that's when the errors are made.

[mqt]

EDIT: maybe we aren't understanding each other. I can do the games perfectly in 11-12 minutes (moderately hard) on the PTs I only have 8.5... so in order to make up that 3 minute gap I have to go faster and that's when the errors are made.

That makes more sense. I thought you were going -9/-10 in 11 minutes, which would have been a horrifying place to be if you're intending to take in June. As it stands, you should still wait until October, because it's just not likely to click in a week, let alone the gains you need to make in RC and LR.

[patfeeney]

I think this has been brought up before, but would a school consider, say, a 165 and a 170 to be poor? Versus a 150 and a 170?

[objection_your_honor]

I think this has been brought up before, but would a school consider, say, a 165 and a 170 to be poor? Versus a 150 and a 170?

Most schools do not care. Supposedly YSH average your scores, and a few other T14 claim a "holistic" approach to evaluating LSAT scores, so take that for what it's worth.

The main thing to consider is it is neutral at best. It confers no advantage at all to have a low score on the record, and given the three test restriction, it robs you of a take.

[SteelPenguin]

I think this has been brought up before, but would a school consider, say, a 165 and a 170 to be poor? Versus a 150 and a 170?

I think the first pair would be viewed more favorably. The first example, it looks like you either underperformed on test day or slightly underestimated the difficulty of the test. The second time it looks like the first test was taken without much thought or effort.

[MKX]

I think this has been brought up before, but would a school consider, say, a 165 and a 170 to be poor? Versus a 150 and a 170?

Write an addendum on why the first score was so low, ex: family problems, sick, stress, unforeseen event, and that the second time there were no distractions.

[mvonh001]

I think this has been brought up before, but would a school consider, say, a 165 and a 170 to be poor? Versus a 150 and a 170?

Write an addendum on why the first score was so low, ex: family problems, sick, stress, unforeseen event, and that the second time there were no distractions.

TITCR

[dubster101]

Took PT 64 this morning:

LR1 -1
LG -0
LR2 -1
RC -4

Raw: 95 --> Scaled: 176

Both the LR questions I missed were ones that I had circled as having trouble with during the test. Went back and reviewed but am still iffy and chalked it up to misunderstanding the wording. I found RC Passage #3 to be a bit tricky (missed 3 of my 4 RC points on questions from that passage); question 14 I could see being either B or D (I originally had B, the correct answer, but switched to D).

Remaining schedule: 65 Wed, 66 Thu, 67 Fri, 68 Sun. Might shift up the order a bit as I have a paper due Friday and a final on Saturday.