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I have noticed that my first section is almost always my worst. I know that some people burn out by the end of the test, but I seem to have the opposite happen to me. For instance, I took a PT (56) yesterday and added the RC from PT 45 as an experimental section because I am trying to work on RC. I did the experimental section first and went -12, and then my actual reading comp section was my fifth section and I went -7. I know -7 isn't necessarily good, but it is significantly better than -12.  The way pt 56 is set up also may have helped my real RC section, because there are two LR sections right before the RC. 

My question is: What different methods do the members of this forum use to warm up before PT's/ the real test? Would you do a reading comp passage or a logic game before going into a test? 

Bonus question: How do you place the experimental section in the test? Obviously you will know which section is the experimental section, because you picked it out, and the numbers/letters at the top won't usually match up. I have been doing my experimental section first to make sure that I have the endurance to finish off my fifth section strong, but should probably start off with real sections now that I am noticing my first sections always being the worst. 

Thanks in advance! 

I've been told to warmup with the type of section you dread being first. For me it's equally RC and LR but I'm also having trouble with one type of LG so I made my own warmup which was a game of that type to just wake my mind up if LG is first, a RC passage, and 15 LR questions. Prior I had noticed in previous practices via a prep course that I always warmed up with LR and did better when LR was the first section. There's always going to be about 15-30 minutes of downtime after you finish warming up and check in that you won't be able to do anything so I wasn't worried about doing the equivalent of a LSAT section across the questions I did from an exhaustion standpoint.

Still working on perfecting what to do for warmups but this seems to be working for me.

Experiment626 wrote:I've been told to warmup with the type of section you dread being first. For me it's equally RC and LR but I'm also having trouble with one type of LG so I made my own warmup which was a game of that type to just wake my mind up if LG is first, a RC passage, and 15 LR questions. Prior I had noticed in previous practices via a prep course that I always warmed up with LR and did better when LR was the first section. There's always going to be about 15-30 minutes of downtime after you finish warming up and check in that you won't be able to do anything so I wasn't worried about doing the equivalent of a LSAT section across the questions I did from an exhaustion standpoint.

Still working on perfecting what to do for warmups but this seems to be working for me.

Thanks a lot! Since reading comp is the one I usually dread being first (and I bet doing a passage will help get my mind into reading LR stimuli), I think I might try out doing one game and one passage before my next test and see how that goes. I will also put my experimental section later into the test to see how that goes as well.

I keep a stack of missed or hard LR questions that I cut from previously taken PTs and do 3 or 4 four of those, then either one random old LG game or one reading passage. When I warm up I usually do this one or two hours out. Personally, it helps me out a lot! Hopefully this helped.

Barry grandpapy wrote:I keep a stack of missed or hard LR questions that I cut from previously taken PTs and do 3 or 4 four of those, then either one random old LG game or one reading passage. When I warm up I usually do this one or two hours out. Personally, it helps me out a lot! Hopefully this helped.

I have been cutting out and keeping hard LR questions as well, but didn't think about using them for a warm-up so I will definitely try that! Thanks a lot.

GnarMarBinx wrote:

Experiment626 wrote:I've been told to warmup with the type of section you dread being first. For me it's equally RC and LR but I'm also having trouble with one type of LG so I made my own warmup which was a game of that type to just wake my mind up if LG is first, a RC passage, and 15 LR questions. Prior I had noticed in previous practices via a prep course that I always warmed up with LR and did better when LR was the first section. There's always going to be about 15-30 minutes of downtime after you finish warming up and check in that you won't be able to do anything so I wasn't worried about doing the equivalent of a LSAT section across the questions I did from an exhaustion standpoint.

Still working on perfecting what to do for warmups but this seems to be working for me.

Thanks a lot! Since reading comp is the one I usually dread being first (and I bet doing a passage will help get my mind into reading LR stimuli), I think I might try out doing one game and one passage before my next test and see how that goes. I will also put my experimental section later into the test to see how that goes as well.

So, with the analogy of warming up being muscular in nature, you might be suggesting that one would warm up for a fartlek by sprinting—no experienced runners I know of advise this. Are you sure you should be warming up with the most challenging aspect of the task ahead, be it brain or otherwise? Anyway, I advise warming up with a half of whatever section you find easiest.

conker wrote:

GnarMarBinx wrote:

Experiment626 wrote:I've been told to warmup with the type of section you dread being first. For me it's equally RC and LR but I'm also having trouble with one type of LG so I made my own warmup which was a game of that type to just wake my mind up if LG is first, a RC passage, and 15 LR questions. Prior I had noticed in previous practices via a prep course that I always warmed up with LR and did better when LR was the first section. There's always going to be about 15-30 minutes of downtime after you finish warming up and check in that you won't be able to do anything so I wasn't worried about doing the equivalent of a LSAT section across the questions I did from an exhaustion standpoint.

Still working on perfecting what to do for warmups but this seems to be working for me.

Thanks a lot! Since reading comp is the one I usually dread being first (and I bet doing a passage will help get my mind into reading LR stimuli), I think I might try out doing one game and one passage before my next test and see how that goes. I will also put my experimental section later into the test to see how that goes as well.

So, with the analogy of warming up being muscular in nature, you might be suggesting that one would warm up for a fartlek by sprinting—no experienced runners I know of advise this. Are you sure you should be warming up with the most challenging aspect of the task ahead, be it brain or otherwise? Anyway, I advise warming up with a half of whatever section you find easiest.

Anyone else see the flaw in this weaken argument attempt?

I provided the advice that I was given from my tutor that got a 180. Take it as you will. I never said do the hardest, it's the one you dread. Dread does not equate to hardest of the type you're warming up with. So if you dread reading comp have an easy to medium RC passage then maybe a hard one. If you dread LR, make one with some easy, some medium, some hard to progress. If you hate LG, pick an easy/medium one and a hard one to attack afterwards.

Note even in my LG warmup I said the type that gives me the most challenge, not the hardest. I use an easy one of that type to get my brain ready for it.

Experiment626 wrote:

conker wrote: So, with the analogy of warming up being muscular in nature, you might be suggesting that one would warm up for a fartlek by sprinting—no experienced runners I know of advise this. Are you sure you should be warming up with the most challenging aspect of the task ahead, be it brain or otherwise? Anyway, I advise warming up with a half of whatever section you find easiest.

Anyone else see the flaw in this weaken argument attempt?

I provided the advice that I was given from my tutor that got a 180. Take it as you will. I never said do the hardest, it's the one you dread. Dread does not equate to hardest of the type you're warming up with. So if you dread reading comp have an easy to medium RC passage then maybe a hard one. If you dread LR, make one with some easy, some medium, some hard to progress. If you hate LG, pick an easy/medium one and a hard one to attack afterwards.

Note even in my LG warmup I said the type that gives me the most challenge, not the hardest. I use an easy one of that type to get my brain ready for it.

Oh oh I know I know! Bad/false analogy!

Experiment626 wrote:

conker wrote:

GnarMarBinx wrote:

Experiment626 wrote:I've been told to warmup with the type of section you dread being first. For me it's equally RC and LR but I'm also having trouble with one type of LG so I made my own warmup which was a game of that type to just wake my mind up if LG is first, a RC passage, and 15 LR questions. Prior I had noticed in previous practices via a prep course that I always warmed up with LR and did better when LR was the first section. There's always going to be about 15-30 minutes of downtime after you finish warming up and check in that you won't be able to do anything so I wasn't worried about doing the equivalent of a LSAT section across the questions I did from an exhaustion standpoint.

Still working on perfecting what to do for warmups but this seems to be working for me.

Thanks a lot! Since reading comp is the one I usually dread being first (and I bet doing a passage will help get my mind into reading LR stimuli), I think I might try out doing one game and one passage before my next test and see how that goes. I will also put my experimental section later into the test to see how that goes as well.

So, with the analogy of warming up being muscular in nature, you might be suggesting that one would warm up for a fartlek by sprinting—no experienced runners I know of advise this. Are you sure you should be warming up with the most challenging aspect of the task ahead, be it brain or otherwise? Anyway, I advise warming up with a half of whatever section you find easiest.

Anyone else see the flaw in this weaken argument attempt?

I provided the advice that I was given from my tutor that got a 180. Take it as you will. I never said do the hardest, it's the one you dread. Dread does not equate to hardest of the type you're warming up with. So if you dread reading comp have an easy to medium RC passage then maybe a hard one. If you dread LR, make one with some easy, some medium, some hard to progress. If you hate LG, pick an easy/medium one and a hard one to attack afterwards.

Note even in my LG warmup I said the type that gives me the most challenge, not the hardest. I use an easy one of that type to get my brain ready for it.

Pardon my confusion. Should have turned my A-game on for your convoluted writing. To clear things up for others: he suggests warming up with relatively easy questions within your most dreaded of the three section types. I actually think this is good advice, albeit micro-managed.

The prep-work alone sounds laborious. I'd be interested to hear how you managed this? Did you open a few PTs you'd never taken, look them up in 7sage for question difficulty, and separate the easy questions from the hard? How did the leftovers fit into your study plans?

conker wrote: Pardon my confusion. Should have turned my A-game on for your convoluted writing. To clear things up for others: he suggests warming up with relatively easy questions within your most dreaded of the three section types. I actually think this is good advice, albeit micro-managed.

The prep-work alone sounds laborious. I'd be interested to hear how you managed this? Did you open a few PTs you'd never taken, look them up in 7sage for question difficulty, and separate the easy questions from the hard? How did the leftovers fit into your study plans?

Did it hurt when you sneezed out an entire thesaurus?

heyduchess wrote:

conker wrote: Pardon my confusion. Should have turned my A-game on for your convoluted writing. To clear things up for others: he suggests warming up with relatively easy questions within your most dreaded of the three section types. I actually think this is good advice, albeit micro-managed.

The prep-work alone sounds laborious. I'd be interested to hear how you managed this? Did you open a few PTs you'd never taken, look them up in 7sage for question difficulty, and separate the easy questions from the hard? How did the leftovers fit into your study plans?

Did it hurt when you sneezed out an entire thesaurus?

Someone is going to have to explain this bad joke.

conker wrote:

heyduchess wrote:

conker wrote: Pardon my confusion. Should have turned my A-game on for your convoluted writing. To clear things up for others: he suggests warming up with relatively easy questions within your most dreaded of the three section types. I actually think this is good advice, albeit micro-managed.

The prep-work alone sounds laborious. I'd be interested to hear how you managed this? Did you open a few PTs you'd never taken, look them up in 7sage for question difficulty, and separate the easy questions from the hard? How did the leftovers fit into your study plans?

Did it hurt when you sneezed out an entire thesaurus?

Someone is going to have to explain this bad joke.

Sounds like you should warm up with some RC then.

If you say so, man.

You, an idiot: warm up with the section that you dislike

Me, a vastly superior intellectual: Phoenicians are from Phoenix

MediocreAtBest wrote:warm up with the section that you dislike

Be careful...that's not exactly what he said. Besides, my post was about warming up with the hardest material, not material you dislike.

What a comeback...

Seriously though, regarding how to put together a good warm up section it really depends on how you prepare your study materials in the first place. I usually don't use new material to warm up (which I think takes the initial "difficulty factor" out of it). If there's a game I have on deck to re-do or a reading comp passage that I went more than -1 on, I'll revisit them as part of my warm up. Same goes for LR questions that tripped me up. It's a bit $$$ but the Fox Logic Game playbook and LR Encyclopedia are both set up by difficulty level with clean pages/lots of white space (so the pages are easy to scan or copy) -- I haven't tried it yet but if you want to get really particular about your warm up section, putting together packets that you scan out of those books might be a good starting point.

ITT a few oddballs who didn't do so well in June band together and start a judging contest?

Not to mention Experiment626—guy's a mess.

User has been warned not to get personally antagonistic over on-topic disagreements. Also don't send ageist PMs.

conker wrote:ITT a few oddballs who didn't do so well in June band together and start a judging contest?

Not to mention Experiment626—guy's a mess.

ITT: some people trying to be helpful and one person full of ad hominems

conker wrote:ITT a few oddballs who didn't do so well in June band together and start a judging contest?

Not to mention Experiment626—guy's a mess.

You're winning a lot of internet points today, buddy

.

Platy, that would be reasonable, but I didn't get very collegial vibes from these chumps, so I'm all for taking jabs. Call me a stooper, I'm not proud of it.

.

Platopus wrote:

conker wrote:Platy, that would be reasonable, but I didn't get very collegial vibes from these chumps, so I'm all for taking jabs. Call me a stooper, I'm not proud of it.

Having come from the June study group with them, I can assure you they are good people.

We love you too Plato!

Walliums wrote:

Platopus wrote:

conker wrote:Platy, that would be reasonable, but I didn't get very collegial vibes from these chumps, so I'm all for taking jabs. Call me a stooper, I'm not proud of it.

Having come from the June study group with them, I can assure you they are good people.

We love you too Plato!

+100000000

conker wrote:Platy, that would be reasonable, but I didn't get very collegial vibes from these chumps, so I'm all for taking jabs. Call me a stooper, I'm not proud of it.

People usually are not very friendly when your first few interactions with them involves attacking or trolling them across threads. Or PMing them things like this.

[+] Spoiler

Sorry, I don't see a similarity between us. You're the aggressor and are the one harassing people for no apparent reason. Anything that has happened to you today has been from you being the instigator.

EDIT: PLATY LOVE!