Split90 wrote:+ is there any recommended approach to go through LSAT Trainer and Mlsat together to really create the best synergy of the two books?
Hi --
I think the danger (and I get the sense you are already thinking about this) with using both the trainer and the mlsat lr book is
time -- you've got a limited amount of time and you've got to get stuff done --
Here's a gross oversimplification--for the purposes of planning your prep, I think that on a very basic level it's helpful to think that --
1) the instructions/reading/lessons in the books show you
how to be good at solving problems.
2) drill work in the books / drill work on individual q types is where
you get good at solving problems.
3) pt's are where you firm up your habits and ensure that your skills translate to test day.
All three components are critical, but you want the first and third to service the second.
I don't suggest you read both books completely, especially with your time crunch -- I think that'll be somewhat inefficient.
Instead, I suggest that you spend a couple of hours getting to know the two books, then select a primary option and a backup option. (Obviously I think the trainer should be your primary option, but I understand why the Manhattan book might appeal more and if you choose that as your primary I won't hold it against you
). Use that one primary option as your main learning resource, then go to the secondary option when you feel you need a bit more.
For example, if you choose to use Manhattan as your primary, maybe you study necessary assumptions, but don't quite feel you have a grasp on them -- go read about it in the trainer. Or, you feel good at nec. assumption but go into a question drill set and realize you aren't as good as you'd hoped -- go to the other book and see what you can find. And, for the lot of situations, you should also find you just needed one of the resources, rather than the other.
As far as skimming (and you are right - of course I would prefer you not skim, but...) -- I do think the trainer is an extremely skimmable book -- there are no key ideas that are "hidden" in paragraphs -- all key ideas are emphasized with asides, pull quotes, etc., making it very easy to go through a chapter fairly quickly to see what the main points are and what you want to focus on.
Having said that, you'll also see that the trainer is, in large part, a workbook, and it's the drills in it that do end up taking a significant amount of time. The drills (and a few other things) are what make it so that, I believe, the more time you spend w/the trainer, the more you get out of it -- you'll get in better shape going to the gym three days a week instead of one, and you'll get in better LSAT shape by spending more time using the trainer -- same situation. Of course, you are in a time crunch, so you'll want to focus more on the drills that relate to any weaknesses you feel you have.
If you do go with the trainer, do not skimp on the first set of LR lessons in order to rush to the lessons on q types -- that first set of LR lessons (which shouldn't take you very long to get through btw) has key instruction that relates to a variety of q types, and will hopefully make everything that follows markedly easier to master.
Finally, this doesn't relate directly to your question, but I strongly recommend that from the get-go you focus on thinking about a) what's most important to know, as opposed to simply the breadth of stuff you are supposed to know; b) especially during your review, always think about the actual processes you use to solve problems, rather than simply whether you understand a problem or not.
To that end, one specific suggestion I have is to create a single notecard for each LR q type (I mention this advice a lot elsewhere as well). On one side, list the steps you should take to solve that q type. On the other side, list just a few important things to remember about that q type. Create this card after reading/learning about a particular Q type, then look at it before and after you do your drill work. Continually expect to
modify it based on what you learn.
I think the notecards are obviously helpful for keeping you on point, and for helping you prioritize. They are also helpful in terms of keeping track of what you learn and how you evolve --
HTH and sorry for the length -- best of luck, and let me know if you have any other q's or follow up -- Mike