The Official June 2016 Study Group Forum

[R. Jeeves]

Worst case scenario for me is an experimental RC and the real RC in section 5 aka when I'm tired, uninspired, and want to GTFO.
ALSO, what is everyone's morning of routine going to be for Monday? :3

oh lol wow for some reason i thought june 6th was a saturday until just now

[R. Jeeves]

I'm at the mall to cop a new laptop. You fucks got to my head:

omg YAS the pretzel propaganda campaign is working. how was it?!

DANK

You scoring above 175 on the test for sures now.

[ayylmao]

PT 75:

169

LR: -4
RC: -3
LG: -5

I wanna die : )

[nerdylsat]

PT73

RC -4
RC -2 (Experimental - PT A)
LR1 -4
LG -2
LR2 -2

Overal -12 for a 170.

Really surprised, only my second time breaking into the 170s. Took this test like 7 months ago for the December test and didn't remember more than 1 or 2 questions.

I thought the RC and LR2 really wrecked me and it actually turned out fine, which is weird. Could've sworn I got like a 166 on this, but was pleasantly surprised. If I get 169+ on the real one I'd go crazy.

Back to back RC, omg.

Yeah I know, that was weird, although not as hard is it seems.

I didn't have it planned because this was a random Cambridge packet. The experimental old RC was noticeably easier.

[pretzeltime]

Idk how any of you study at night after work. It causes my scores to drop significantly. PT scores used to drop at least 10 points compared to weekends and I just tried to do an RC drill and had to stop in the middle because I read an entire passage without absorbing any information

I absolutely can't and don't study after work! I too admire those who can

[ponderingmeerkat]

Shitpoast alert: Rise and Grind everybody! It's fucking Saturday!

Today I'm conducting a scientific experiment. How many points off my average does it cost me from being hungover after mixing Haitian Prestige beer, Robusto malt liquor and Barbancourt rum on a Friday night? I've made bad decisions and I could go for a good pretzel. Womp (is the sound my brain makes right now.)

[pretzeltime]

Shitpoast alert: Rise and Grind everybody! It's fucking Saturday!

Today I'm conducting a scientific experiment. How many points off my average does it cost me from being hungover after mixing Haitian Prestige beer, Robusto malt liquor and Barbancourt rum on a Friday night? I've made bad decisions and I could go for a good pretzel. Womp (is the sound my brain makes right now.)

Womp. Let us know how it goes!! Ha

I will be PTing on my standard mild white wine hangover.

But first, making a delightful breakfast quesadilla.

[pretzeltime]

Worst case scenario for me is an experimental RC and the real RC in section 5 aka when I'm tired, uninspired, and want to GTFO.
ALSO, what is everyone's morning of routine going to be for Monday? :3

oh lol wow for some reason i thought june 6th was a saturday until just now

Eek that's a good thing to realize!

[Mikey]

Idk how any of you study at night after work. It causes my scores to drop significantly. PT scores used to drop at least 10 points compared to weekends and I just tried to do an RC drill and had to stop in the middle because I read an entire passage without absorbing any information

I absolutely can't and don't study after work! I too admire those who can

I can relate, but I don't work at the moment, I just go to school still. This past semester I had 2 days that I was in school from 9 A.M to 8: 30 P.M, and I would come home sometimes and attempt to do at least some drilling for the LSAT and I would feel fatigued so quick.

[ponderingmeerkat]

Shitpoast alert: Rise and Grind everybody! It's fucking Saturday!

Today I'm conducting a scientific experiment. How many points off my average does it cost me from being hungover after mixing Haitian Prestige beer, Robusto malt liquor and Barbancourt rum on a Friday night? I've made bad decisions and I could go for a good pretzel. Womp (is the sound my brain makes right now.)

Womp. Let us know how it goes!! Ha

I will be PTing on my standard mild white wine hangover.

But first, making a delightful breakfast quesadilla.

Sounds like betchy lunch turned into betchy dinner. Proud of you!

[ponderingmeerkat]

Oh and while we are all discussing breakfast...fresh as fuck mangos off the mango tree in front of my house.

[pretzeltime]

Shitpoast alert: Rise and Grind everybody! It's fucking Saturday!

Today I'm conducting a scientific experiment. How many points off my average does it cost me from being hungover after mixing Haitian Prestige beer, Robusto malt liquor and Barbancourt rum on a Friday night? I've made bad decisions and I could go for a good pretzel. Womp (is the sound my brain makes right now.)

Womp. Let us know how it goes!! Ha

I will be PTing on my standard mild white wine hangover.

But first, making a delightful breakfast quesadilla.

Sounds like betchy lunch turned into betchy dinner. Proud of you!

TBH it's basically just a betchy lifestyle

[pretzeltime]

Oh and while we are all discussing breakfast...fresh as fuck mangos off the mango tree in front of my house.

um I am VERY JEALOUS OF YOUR LIFE.

literally my aspiration in life is to live somewhere where I can have an avocado tree, a lime tree, etc.

but MANGO is next level

[Mikey]

Oh and while we are all discussing breakfast...fresh as fuck mangos off the mango tree in front of my house.

:O

[ayylmao]

Here's my anecdotal evidence that the 70s PTs are harder (or at least different) from earlier modern PTs.

PTs 54-59, 61, 62, 65, 66 (Not cherry picking, these are just the tests I've done from these series):

Avg. score: 174.5 (high 177 [thrice], low 170 [once])
Avg. RC: -2.3
Avg. LR: -2.4
Avg. LG: -2.6

PTs 70-77 (excluding PT 76):

Avg. score: 171.1 (high 174 [once], low 169 [twice])
Avg. RC: -2.7
Avg. LR: -4.8
Avg. LG: -2.9

For me at least, this is clear evidence that the LSAT has evolved. For me, that evolution has made the test noticeably harder.

A couple interesting data points:
[*] I once got three consecutive -0 RCs in the 50s. Haven't gotten a single one since.
[*] I'm now getting twice as many questions wrong on LR. I think it's because they're using less formal logic and more complex grammar forms and/or extremely subtly wrong trap answer choices.

Anyone else seen a similar trend? I found this exercise simultaneously interesting and depressing.

[forum_user]

Shitpoast alert: Rise and Grind everybody! It's fucking Saturday!

Today I'm conducting a scientific experiment. How many points off my average does it cost me from being hungover after mixing Haitian Prestige beer, Robusto malt liquor and Barbancourt rum on a Friday night? I've made bad decisions and I could go for a good pretzel. Womp (is the sound my brain makes right now.)

The two times I've taken a practice test hungover I've scored 178+ soooo

[carasrook]

Sup y'alllll just finished PT 75. I just scored it on 7sage (for the sake of being able to honestly BR tomorrow) and scored a 171. I thought I bombed so I'm very pleasantly surprised. And I went -0 on my 5th section LG.

Another testament to the fact that old tests are easier - I consistently score better on my experimental sections than on my sections that count...and they're usually from the 40s/50s

Now I'm gonna go chill by the pool, bc my apartment's pool opened today and it's like 90 degrees!

[somethingElse]

The LSAC didn't decide, starting with PT 70, to all of a sudden make the test harder. That makes no sense. It is a completely arbitrary line to draw. The 60s PTs aren't any different from the 70s, which aren't any different from the 50s (aside from PT 54 on or whenever comparative RC started). Comparing the really old PTs (i.e. the first 20ish or whatever) to the latest 20 is a more valid comparison. But even then it is still the same old shit at the end of the day. "Well, team, now that our PT numbering system is about to creep into the 70s, it is finally time to make the test noticeably more difficult." Lol.

[lawpro82]

Did PT 73 yesterday- scored 166 with experimental and essay (<yes thought i should do one).

This score was a personal best for only have 2 lucky guesses:

LG -2
LR -11
RC -7

^^^ RC still screwing me. I spent 2 days this week doing nothing but RC and things just aren't clicking.

My worst QTs are role and organization, which should be easy. Does anyone have any tips??? Drills that worked for you or blog posts I should read?

I'm thinking I have time to do another 2-day RC binge next week along with balancing enough drilling of my other sections + 3 PTS

Happy MDW everyone!!! Hope we can all find time to have a drink and relax at some point

Your avatar...that wouldn't happen to be Colorado, would it?

[R. Jeeves]

The LSAC didn't decide, starting with PT 70, to all of a sudden make the test harder. That makes no sense. It is a completely arbitrary line to draw. The 60s PTs aren't any different from the 70s, which aren't any different from the 50s (aside from PT 54 on or whenever comparative RC started). Comparing the really old PTs (i.e. the first 20ish or whatever) to the latest 20 is a more valid comparison. But even then it is still the same old shit at the end of the day. "Well, team, now that our PT numbering system is about to creep into the 70s, it is finally time to make the test noticeably more difficult." Lol.

I wouldn't say "harder". But the style changed a bit and that is consistently thowing people off. The thing is, Im not entirely sure how to reconcile two facts: 1) This is a standardized test so they all have to be the same difficulty and 2) people ITT are consistently PTing lower on test 70 and up.

[Alive97]

173 on 77, -0 on RC. That's a confidence boost. Hope everyone here gets confidence boosts on their last PTs. Thinking I probably shouldn't study much from here on out. But probably won't stick to that.

[somewhatferal]

PT 74 (-1 LR, -0 LG, -3 RC) 178.

"Main point" questions on this RC were nonsense.

[ayylmao]

The LSAC didn't decide, starting with PT 70, to all of a sudden make the test harder. That makes no sense. It is a completely arbitrary line to draw. The 60s PTs aren't any different from the 70s, which aren't any different from the 50s (aside from PT 54 on or whenever comparative RC started). Comparing the really old PTs (i.e. the first 20ish or whatever) to the latest 20 is a more valid comparison. But even then it is still the same old shit at the end of the day. "Well, team, now that our PT numbering system is about to creep into the 70s, it is finally time to make the test noticeably more difficult." Lol.

I wouldn't say "harder". But the style changed a bit and that is consistently thowing people off. The thing is, Im not entirely sure how to reconcile two facts: 1) This is a standardized test so they all have to be the same difficulty and 2) people ITT are consistently PTing lower on test 70 and up.

Yeah, I said it's harder for me. My inherent and learned skill set doesn't work as well on the 70s tests as the 50s and 60s. Just a fact. I never said they're objectively harder.

But I'm far from the only one who's experienced this. Any cursory look around various forums will tell you that many people see a score drop with the newest tests. Unless there's some exogenous factor lowering my scores (doubt it) and the scores of lots of other people (really doubt it), there's solid evidence that the newest tests have evolved to be subtly but importantly different from even slightly older ones.

And I can't quite figure out what the differences are.

[somethingElse]

Here's a (possible) alternate explanation for why people tend to score worse on the 70s PTs: They are the last PTs that people take before the test, and that is when people are most likely to be burnt out and/or anxious.

[etramak]

I'm officially burnt out for this weekend. Anyone have tips to get back into proper testing mindset? I was gonna skip out on getting out of the house for memorial day but now I'm reconsidering