--Doing Okay on RC and LR, LG a Serious Issue Forum

[The Jackal]

Hello everyone--first post, long time lurker, more canned statements, etc.

I'll cut right to the point:

I currently get:

-2 to -4 on RC
-4 to -7 on LR (total for both sections)
and...
-8 to -12 on logic games.

My equated scores end up being from 164-169, depending on the curve of that test.

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Here's how I've prepped for logic games so far: I've worked through the Logic Games Bible and have taken a dozen or so prep-tests which I then coupled with the 7sage video reviews. I have about fifteen prep-tests left (including those most recently administered).


My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?
I can dedicate as much time as is necessary to work this out.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?


What do the TLSers think my best course of action here is?

[Rigo]

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Wrong.

My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?

Drill LG. Over and over again.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?

Cram logic games. By drilling. Over and over again.

[The Jackal]

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Wrong.

My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?

Drill LG. Over and over again.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?

Cram logic games. By drilling. Over and over again.

Are you confident that significant--significant meaning I can regularly score -3 or -4 on logic games--gains can be made in ten days, even with 5+hours of drilling per day?

If you are, then this is probably going to be my best bet. They are the most learnable, I suppose...

[Rigo]

Are you confident that significant--significant meaning I can regularly score -3 or -4 on logic games--gains can be made in ten days, even with 5+hours of drilling per day?

If you are, then this is probably going to be my best bet. They are the most learnable, I suppose...

I have no reason to be confident in your abilities, but I am confident that it is possible.
10 days is a short amount of time, and spend it however you wish. Working on LG is just the most prudent path.

[downbeat14]

.

[splittingheadache]

Hello everyone--first post, long time lurker, more canned statements, etc.

I'll cut right to the point:

I currently get:

-2 to -4 on RC
-4 to -7 on LR (total for both sections)
and...
-8 to -12 on logic games.

My equated scores end up being from 164-169, depending on the curve of that test.

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Here's how I've prepped for logic games so far: I've worked through the Logic Games Bible and have taken a dozen or so prep-tests which I then coupled with the 7sage video reviews. I have about fifteen prep-tests left (including those most recently administered).


My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?
I can dedicate as much time as is necessary to work this out.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?


What do the TLSers think my best course of action here is?

Sorry to sound snarky, I hope you know this is coming from a good place.

Keep your hard work on LR/RC but you will most likely not go -0 or -2 on them. It's good you know that LG are your weakness, but you should have started drilling LG at the beginning of your prep. It is the easiest to learn and it is the one section you must get -0 on. By getting -0 on LG, you are able to give yourself some leeway on getting some wrong in LR/RC.

I don't like "cramming logic games" because cramming cancels a lot of drilling's purposes. Do you have Cambridge packets or any method of splitting games into their categories (3 ordering types, 3-4 grouping types, miscellaneous/other games) and working on your weaknesses there? You'd have to master around one game type a day at this rate. There are about 152 games from PTs 1-38 as of right now. Then there are PTs 39-71 each of which has 4 more games. The more games you see and practice with the better. Many games require multiple rounds of drilling.

I don't know how long it might take you to get LG down but 10 days is a really really short amount of time. I got LG down to -2 to -0 in 3 months (granted I didn't spend like 6+ every single day and had a lot of interruptions in between) and I am still drilling at this point as I'm starting to make dumb reading mistakes and still need to tighten my time. I didn't get a lot wrong in the first place, when they were not timed. But yes drilling is the only way. Whether or not it is possible in 10 days, I really don't know.

If you do decide to retake, please start with LG.
Good luck!

[hopeboaltberkeley]

Your current section scores and goals are so similar to mine!

Average about 3 wrong on each LR and RC and totally bomb the LG's -- like -11. I've also done the PowerScore . I'm reading Manhattan's guide now (because my local bookstore carried a copy and it can't hurt). A decent amount of games and explanations included in the book.

Their relative ordering method is much, much better than PowerScore's in my opinion. Just got to their grouping games though and they seem a little weirder. I'm also drilling and I think the above poster is right -- I think (am counting on?) it helping incrementally. Don't be afraid to redo games! I find that I can redo a game a second tim not too long after finishing it the first time, and still learn something new from it.

[The Jackal]

Hello everyone--first post, long time lurker, more canned statements, etc.

I'll cut right to the point:

I currently get:

-2 to -4 on RC
-4 to -7 on LR (total for both sections)
and...
-8 to -12 on logic games.

My equated scores end up being from 164-169, depending on the curve of that test.

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Here's how I've prepped for logic games so far: I've worked through the Logic Games Bible and have taken a dozen or so prep-tests which I then coupled with the 7sage video reviews. I have about fifteen prep-tests left (including those most recently administered).


My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?
I can dedicate as much time as is necessary to work this out.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?


What do the TLSers think my best course of action here is?

Sorry to sound snarky, I hope you know this is coming from a good place.

Keep your hard work on LR/RC but you will most likely not go -0 or -2 on them. It's good you know that LG are your weakness, but you should have started drilling LG at the beginning of your prep. It is the easiest to learn and it is the one section you must get -0 on. By getting -0 on LG, you are able to give yourself some leeway on getting some wrong in LR/RC.

I don't like "cramming logic games" because cramming cancels a lot of drilling's purposes. Do you have Cambridge packets or any method of splitting games into their categories (3 ordering types, 3-4 grouping types, miscellaneous/other games) and working on your weaknesses there? You'd have to master around one game type a day at this rate. There are about 152 games from PTs 1-38 as of right now. Then there are PTs 39-71 each of which has 4 more games. The more games you see and practice with the better. Many games require multiple rounds of drilling.

I don't know how long it might take you to get LG down but 10 days is a really really short amount of time. I got LG down to -2 to -0 in 3 months (granted I didn't spend like 6+ every single day and had a lot of interruptions in between) and I am still drilling at this point as I'm starting to make dumb reading mistakes and still need to tighten my time. I didn't get a lot wrong in the first place, when they were not timed. But yes drilling is the only way. Whether or not it is possible in 10 days, I really don't know.

If you do decide to retake, please start with LG.
Good luck!

Thanks for your input.

Quick update: I drilled all day yesterday and ended up going -2 LG on a practice test. I am going to see if I can replicate that performance again today.

It seems like I don't have trouble with common game types (sequencing, double-layer sequencing, grouping, in-out). What gives me trouble is when I get a novel game type--like a fucking chart game--and I just end up staring at the stem blankly.

The next nine days or so are going to be to re-enforce my knowledge of the standard game-types and increase my knowledge of the novel ones.

Lot of stress, though, knowing that the game mix on September 27th can decide whether or not I get a -2 or a -10.

[Rigo]

Quick update: I drilled all day yesterday and ended up going -2 LG on a practice test. I am going to see if I can replicate that performance again today.

Awesome! "Drill Baby Drill" always works, except for McCain-Palin.

Lot of stress, though, knowing that the game mix on September 27th can decide whether or not I get a -2 or a -10.

There will probably be one that will throw you for a loop. Just be confident in your tool box. Sometimes it's a question-driven game and you need to be prepared to power through rather than fret over making a ton of inferences up front.

[ilikebaseball]

Hello everyone--first post, long time lurker, more canned statements, etc.

I'll cut right to the point:

I currently get:

-2 to -4 on RC
-4 to -7 on LR (total for both sections)
and...
-8 to -12 on logic games.

My equated scores end up being from 164-169, depending on the curve of that test.

I think a lot of this has to do with my ignoring my weaknesses (logic games) and focusing on what are probably my natural strengths (RC). Stupid? Yes. Anything I can do to change this? No.

Here's how I've prepped for logic games so far: I've worked through the Logic Games Bible and have taken a dozen or so prep-tests which I then coupled with the 7sage video reviews. I have about fifteen prep-tests left (including those most recently administered).


My LSAT goal is a 168-170. With about ten days of prep left for this test, what is the best way for me to increase my score?
I can dedicate as much time as is necessary to work this out.

Should I double down on LR/RC and try to go -0 or -2?

Or should I cram logic games? If so, how?


What do the TLSers think my best course of action here is?

damn i fucking wish i had your problem

[The Jackal]

Quick update:

After two days of fairly heavy prep, I've seen marked improvements in my LG performance. -8~-12 has improved to -2~-8.

The distribution of the points I get wrong have also changed from being fairly evenly distributed across games to nearly all of my missed points coming from a single game.

The reason for this is strictly time management--I often find myself with about four minutes left on the clock for the last game. I usually get the set-up completed correctly, answer the acceptable situation question, get it right, guess on the remaining answers and promptly get those wrong (unless there's a couple Bs thrown in there, which may explain my -2 score).

How the hell do I squeeze an extra three minutes from the other games without sacrificing accuracy?

Additional question: How worried should I be about the score drop I am currently experiencing due to my getting deep into the 2000's? The switch to -10 being a 170 is dragging my average down to about 166-167. This curve change is because of the increase in the quality and amount of students taking the LSAT during this time, and not a result of changing test difficulties or my own problems--right?

Additional Additional Question: The 'easier' curve of the current LSATs being administered--with the -12 or so curve--can be explained by the precipitous drop in test takers, and not any change in the difficulty of the test, correct? If that's so, would the tests from the late 90's with the -12 curves be most comparable to the LSATs being administered in 2014?

[Rigo]

How the hell do I squeeze an extra three minutes from the other games without sacrificing accuracy?

Drilling. Were you expecting a different answer?

Additional question: How worried should I be about the score drop I am currently experiencing due to my getting deep into the 2000's? The switch to -10 being a 170 is dragging my average down to about 166-167. This curve change is because of the increase in the quality and amount of students taking the LSAT during this time, and not a result of changing test difficulties or my own problems--right?

The number of people taking the test doesn't determine test difficulty.
Many people say that the more recent tests have harder RC, trickier LR, and easier LG.
Are you missing more questions in RC and LR than you did in earlier tests? Your scores may just simply be reflecting the gradual changes in difficulty of the LSAT over time.

Additional Additional Question: The 'easier' curve of the current LSATs being administered--with the -12 or so curve--can be explained by the precipitous drop in test takers, and not any change in the difficulty of the test, correct? If that's so, would the tests from the late 90's with the -12 curves be most comparable to the LSATs being administered in 2014?

The curve ONLY REFLECTS the difficulty of the test. The PT's that will most likely reflect the September 2014 test are the most recent PT's. The tests from the late 90's will not be as similar to the LSAT you're sitting for as the most recent tests are.
The LSAC technically "equates" rather than "curves" each test. The difference in terminology is not important to get into when it comes to your prep, but with equating, you should score the same from test to test. A -12 curve is a harder test than a test with a -10 curve, but it all evens out when it comes to scoring

[vracovino]

Id recommend taking a very modern test. There is always the free test you could take (I think it's June 07). I have a lot more trouble with the new tests- particularly RC passages. If the -10 curves you are referring to are the tests in the 40s those were actually my favorite tests. I would definetly try a new one- maybe you'll do even better, but you might need some time to adjust to the new RC.

Not to scare you or anything! I just don't want you to be shocked on test day.

[RobertGolddust]

For what its worth, I was always solid in LR and RC. Everyone told me I would lock the games down, so I dident stresst, but to be honest it never came toghether. Now I'm studying for a retake.

Moral of the story.. Don't do what I did. Make sure you cut hard into the games.

LG is a fierce opponent despite what some may say.

[hopeboaltberkeley]

what are you doing differently this time RobertGoldust?

[RobertGolddust]

Relax, focus on games.

[The Jackal]

Brief update:

So I drilled like fucking crazy and managed, in 12 days, to go from -10 LG to -3. I regularly scored 170-172 in PTs the week before the exam.

Yay! Great news, good for me!

Except not really. I took the LG today and, due to a multitude of factors, was forced to half-guess (you know what I mean) on no less than five questions.

I also totally forgot to apply one rule for an entire game, but upon re-checking it appeared that it was only tested one time. I hope.

My LR+RC scores have been consistently -8 total (for both LRs and RC) and I expect I did about the same on this particular LSAT. It's insane that with those LR+RC numbers I can't get a 170 on the exam.

Am I the only one that thought the LG section was overly difficult? (note: the LG containing families owning buildings is the credited LG)?

My score depends on curve and how many of my half-guesses were true, but it seems very unlikely to me at this point that I got a 170.

I'll wait until I get my score back to decide whether or not I want to re-test in December. Shit, with medians falling like they are a 168 means money at the T-14 (right?).


Also, does someone want to comment on the hyper easy 25 question LR section? Wtf was that about?

[Skywalker001]

Hey,

I'm in the same boat. LG was the hardest section for me. Drilled like crazy and still messed up the section today. Cancelled my score.
English isn't my first language and getting to -2 on RC and LR was unbelievably hard for me. I was flying through the first few sections today nonetheless. Messed up the last one completely.


Worst day of my life. Not even sure if I wanna retake. So frustrating.

[Rigo]

So I drilled like fucking crazy and managed, in 12 days, to go from -10 LG to -3. I regularly scored 170-172 in PTs the week before the exam.

That's awesome!

Am I the only one that thought the LG section was overly difficult? (note: the LG containing families owning buildings is the credited LG)?

From people I've talked to, they said LG was easier than it's been the past few tests. What's done is done though. Don't feel overly anxious/disappointed.

I'll wait until I get my score back to decide whether or not I want to re-test in December. Shit, with medians falling like they are a 168 means money at the T-14 (right?).

Depends on your GPA, but 168 is pretty on the cusp. I wouldn't expect big money.
You should retake if you score below your average. You may have in fact gotten 170+.

Also, does someone want to comment on the hyper easy 25 question LR section? Wtf was that about?

It was probably balanced out by the harder LR section.

[Rigo]

Worst day of my life. Not even sure if I wanna retake. So frustrating.

It sucks, but you'll recover and be able to do better on your retake. Don't be so hard on yourself!
Please feel free to join the December prep thread. It's full of retakers who are doing much better than their first attempt (myself included).

[The Avatar]

Hey,

I'm in the same boat. LG was the hardest section for me. Drilled like crazy and still messed up the section today. Cancelled my score.
English isn't my first language and getting to -2 on RC and LR was unbelievably hard for me. I was flying through the first few sections today nonetheless. Messed up the last one completely.


Worst day of my life. Not even sure if I wanna retake. So frustrating.

You cancelled over one section?

I had two LG, first experimental was easy. Second left me rattled because it was super time-consuming and games is my best section. Everyone I spoke with also guessed on 4-5 questions because the games were not hard or novel, just really time-consuming.

[Skywalker001]

You cancelled over one section?

I had two LG, first experimental was easy. Second left me rattled because it was super time-consuming and games is my best section. Everyone I spoke with also guessed on 4-5 questions because the games were not hard or novel, just really time-consuming.

I cancelled over one section. I had left half of the LG answer bubbles blank. Completely paralyzed. First game was easy, finished in under 7 minutes. I should have just brute forced my way through the rest, but I panicked. Did exceptionally well on the first 4 sections (LR, RC, LR, LR), probably one or two -0's. I thought I'd get a 170+ for sure, until the LG paralysis. Literally felt like throwing my ziplock bag across the room.

[The Jackal]

Depends on your GPA, but 168 is pretty on the cusp. I wouldn't expect big money.

GPA is a 3.7.

I'm just worried I am going to come back with a mediocre--but still tempting to keep--score...like a 167. 167 and a 3.7 won't get me money anywhere, but it will probably get me admissions.

Fuck. I really want to be done with this test. Although, to be fair, I haven't prepped half as much as is the usual. Maybe I should stop whining.

[mr.plum]

You cancelled over one section?

I had two LG, first experimental was easy. Second left me rattled because it was super time-consuming and games is my best section. Everyone I spoke with also guessed on 4-5 questions because the games were not hard or novel, just really time-consuming.

I cancelled over one section. I had left half of the LG answer bubbles blank. Completely paralyzed. First game was easy, finished in under 7 minutes. I should have just brute forced my way through the rest, but I panicked. Did exceptionally well on the first 4 sections (LR, RC, LR, LR), probably one or two -0's. I thought I'd get a 170+ for sure, until the LG paralysis. Literally felt like throwing my ziplock bag across the room.

I felt exactly the same today! Thought I did pretty well on the first four sections and was in a really good mood. Then literally guessed almost ten questions on LG. When I think about it now the games were not particularly hard but it was time consuming, so I panicked, a lot, and then my brain just froze. Still debating whether I should cancel the score...maybe I should.

[Louis1127]

You cancelled over one section?

I had two LG, first experimental was easy. Second left me rattled because it was super time-consuming and games is my best section. Everyone I spoke with also guessed on 4-5 questions because the games were not hard or novel, just really time-consuming.

I cancelled over one section. I had left half of the LG answer bubbles blank. Completely paralyzed. First game was easy, finished in under 7 minutes. I should have just brute forced my way through the rest, but I panicked. Did exceptionally well on the first 4 sections (LR, RC, LR, LR), probably one or two -0's. I thought I'd get a 170+ for sure, until the LG paralysis. Literally felt like throwing my ziplock bag across the room.

I felt exactly the same today! Thought I did pretty well on the first four sections and was in a really good mood. Then literally guessed almost ten questions on LG. When I think about it now the games were not particularly hard but it was time consuming, so I panicked, a lot, and then my brain just froze. Still debating whether I should cancel the score...maybe I should.

Make that three of us. Hoping that my LR and RC propelled me into the 160s, which I think I did.

I would not cancel if I were you, though.