@ yeah I'm also kinda curious to see how much admissions are gonna change when I get back in 2 years. Both with the GRE and if this years competitive cycle is an anomaly or the beginning of a trend.

@ I felt like I managed my stress a lot better the second test, but I've underperformed my average by a few points on both takes so I feel a little bit worn down by the prospect of that happening a 3rd time.

@ I'm going to be in rural Benin, and I dont know how reliable my access to the internet will be. And the nearest test site is in Nigeria, so it will probably require at least 2 days to travel there. Not insurmountable odds but not ideal either. I'd certainly at least bring the Powerscore books and work through those, but since I dont know exactly what my living situation will be, I'm not comfortable relying on that time for quality studying.

I write reeeeally low resolution summaries next to each paragraph. Like one or two words. And it's generally the same 20 or so buzzwords (i.e. "hypothesis", "argument 1", "criticism", etc) for every passage. It definitely helps me to write something down because my memory is not great. Those nonspecific summaries help me formulate the structure and I find that they're generally enough to jog my memory about what info the paragraph contains for the questions. Like everyone else has said you just have to figure out what works best for you! I spent about a week drilling RC passages untimed just to try out what method I was most comfortable with.

I definitely think you're overdoing it on the PTs! I also work full time and I can't imagine cramming that many in one week. I think the general consensus is that they're more of a marker for how you're doing and a great way to pinpoint weaknesses, but not a great way to fix those weaknesses. Honestly this close to test day, the best thing to do is let your brain REST and absorb the info you've already learned rather than try to cram as much as possible in before test day. Try only doing one or two timed sections in a night and really give them a thorough review, and write out your reasoning for any Qs you struggle with (this has helped me tremendously).

I also saw a drop in my RC scores after I focused on LG and found that most helpful for me was practicing RC passages untimed and really focusing on the structure of the passage. I figured out what works best for me is to make margin notes about the structure/role of each paragraph. I practiced it for a few nights untimed so I could really drill in that way of thinking without the pressure of time constraints.

It feels counter-intuitive but I think our best strategy in the next 2 weeks is to chill out and focus on helping our brains absorb the information and strategies we've learned over the past months.

Good luck! We got this.

Would it be alright if I join? I probably won't be a part of study sessions until mid January (when I anticipate finishing the CC).

Hi! Just FYI the spreadsheet title says PT 70, but the questions/sections are for 72.

I'm hoping to join the call tonight, but have something that may come up this evening so I'm not 100%. Looking forward to it!

Just scored this test and got my first ever 179 on BR. Thanks, of course, to some teamwork, but it still feels good!

I'm not an ultimate+ user, so not sure about being able to find a packet. I have all of the "Actual, Official" books so I've just been working my way through those.

Not sure if I have specific tips, but I'll give you my experience. RC used to be my worst (and thus least confident) section. I DREADED it. Was averaging around -10 trying different timing strategies until I decided to dedicate a couple weeks to RC. I started off practicing the memory method totally untimed. I wouldn't "dissect" each paragraph but I would make sure to come up with a low resolution summary for each one. Eventually I found that lowest resolution works best for me. i.e. P1: Background Info P2: Introduction of issue P3: First viewpoint / 2nd viewpoint P4: Author's Reaction or something along those lines. Then I'd make sure I wrote out what I thought the main point was, flip it over and rewrite all the summaries and the main point.

I did that for just a few PTs worth of sections and then I started timing myself with a stopwatch (just to see where I stood) and I was pleased to see I could do all of this in under 40 minutes. From there I started practicing passages just writing the low-res summaries and taking a second at the end of a passage to formulate a MP in my head before going into the questions. I go around -2 a section now. For me the biggest few things have been: 1. writing low-res summaries that focus on the structure rather than the content (I think this also helps direct you to the right place in a passage when you need to return to it during questions and 2. Knowing when I'm sinking too much time into one question, skipping it and moving on. I'll come back to it at the end of the passage, give it another read and if I can't figure it out, circle an answer and move on.

I think just getting a number of passages under your belt to practice the low res summaries helps you see "patterns" and I generally use the same buzzwords for my summaries passage to passage.

If I'm not working on RC one night, I'll still do one passage untimed and write everything out to hammer in that way of approaching passages. I also read a few articles in The Economist before bed and have an app (Vocabulary Builder i think?) to learn new and unfamiliar words.

Good luck!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I also watched J.Y.'s explanation videos for all passages in the beginning and now just passages/questions that I struggle with.

This was my Sunday, pre-test activity. Perfect balance of taking my mind off things and motivating me for Monday! And I don't think you have to blame the emotions on preggo hormones... I maaaay have teared up a time or two.

@ @

I had 3 LR also. According to Reddit, the first LR section was experimental and the two 25 question sections were the real ones!

I'm hoping this info is accurate, which would be great because I definitely got a little psyched out during that first section.

@ i also had 3 LR! Didn't think they were too bad either but definitely got a little psyched out on the first one (all I remember is that it had like 5 point of disagreement questions which I thought was a little unusual).

I would honestly try meditation! I started doing a quick 5-10 minute meditation before studying every day and I think it's helped me during testing to take a second to stop and "reset" my brain so I can refocus.

I just downloaded the Headspace app and use the free version.

Awesome, thanks y'all! Just needed some confirmation while I overthink every step of this process.

I'm gonna try to hop on halfway through if I can make it! Learned so much last week.

@ said:

FT worker here as well. Thanks for this. I usually try to get a couple of hours in after work. I'll need to bump it up a few hours. Will you be working FT once you're in law school?

I'm definitely still a work in progress when it comes to focusing for the full 4 hours after work! Sometimes if I get home and my brain isn't working at full capacity I'll have a cup of tea and work as long as the tea does and then call it a night. I find I just get more stressed out by studying when my brain is too tired for full (or mostly full) comprehension.

I have kind of a weird path. I'm taking the LSAT then joining the Peace Corps in September, so I won't be attending law school until Fall 2021 at the earliest. I plan on being a student full-time and perhaps picking up a side hustle after 1L.

I'm working full time so not quite what you're looking for, but I am curious how other FT working people are planning to spend their time. I'm PTing in the high 160s/low 170s which is my goal score so I'm hoping to push that score up a few points on my PTs so I feel more comfortable walking into the real thing. Doing this by focusing on getting my LG consistently at -0/-2 (currently average -3/-4) and there always seem to be one or two easy questions I miss in LR so I'm trying to figure out what's going wrong there.

Right now its:

Wake Up 7

Work 8 - 4:30

Drive home, eat a snack, lay in bed for 10 minutes: 4:30 - 5:30

Meditate 5:30 - 5:40

Study 5:40 - 9:30 ish

I usually take a quick break somewhere in there to eat dinner (I try to meal prep on Sundays so I just have to pop it in the microwave and eat it)

Then I shower, clean up my room a little, maybe chat with my roommates for a bit and try to be in bed around 10:30 to read The Economist until I fall asleep.

On the weekends I PT on Saturday and BR on Sunday. I try to take off one night or day per week, but that changes depending on what my outside obligations are that week.

Things that I don't do as much of: hang out with my friends, go to the gym, play sports.

Not going to the gym kills me the most. I try to make it on the weekends but I used to go 4-5 days a week plus play rec league ultimate. I try to walk on my lunch break at work so I don't go totally insane.

Luckily I live with my best friend so we at least see each others faces on a regular basis. And on the weekends I switch off hanging with friends or visiting my parents for a few hours.