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blairped887
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blairped887
Sunday, Jul 31 2016

@ I ate a whole thing of brownie-filled chips ahoy.

Chocolate never disappoints! I miss chips ahoy :) Since I'm so burnt out (with muscle pain and whatnot) I'm going on a two week vacation to forget about this test for a while. Do you think I should still do some logic games and look at some LR questions during my precioussss vacation or completely ignore doing anything LSAT-related and come back with fresh mind? I have never taken a really long break from this exam so I would like some mentorly advice!

PrepTests ·
PT126.S3.Q8
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blairped887
Friday, Sep 30 2016

Would the answer choice (c) be correct if it said "It would be to the store's disadvantage to offer customers for free gift wrapping services"?

Admin edit: Please don't post full course questions! Instead, link to the question:

https://classic.7sage.com/lesson/quiz-on-drawing-valid-conclusions-with-translations-4-answers

But what if I change the question into: Geniuses do not date lazy people. Vesper is smart. (skip this useless sentence) Derek is extremely attractive and lazy.

Isn't it incorrect to conclude that Vesper will not date Derek because unlike the original question, you can't automatically equate Vesper being smart as being a genius? In the original question, being genius must mean one is smart, but being smart doesn't guarantee you are genius smart.

I'm trying to flip things around and see how different conclusions can be made and so on. Feedback would be much appreciated! :)

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blairped887
Wednesday, Jan 30 2019

FOR INTERNATIONAL TEST TAKERS (ASIA):

I had RC-LG-LR-LR-LG and both LGs were time-consuming and hard. I was so disappointed in myself for struggling with LGs that much.... The 3rd game on the second LG section had a really weird game that I had zero prep for..

I saw posts saying Assigning 5 people to 3 apartments (with and without pets) and Employee orientations on Wednesday afternoon, Friday Morning, and Friday afternoon

were the real games..but I can't recall whether it was the 2nd or 5th section that tested those games....

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blairped887
Friday, Jul 29 2016

@ The LSAT is designed not just to test your knowledge of logic, but also your strength and endurance. There are emotional highs and lows in preparing for this test, and how you manage the lows is a very real part of the test. The LSAT doesn’t really happen on test day, it happens in the months and years leading up to it. So you’re being tested right now, and how you respond to this really will be reflected in your score.

Oh wow. I completely agree with you. I am sooooo being tested right now! How I manage the lows is a very real part of the test. I think I will print what you wrote above to put it up on my wall and read it before I study for this freakin test. Haha. Thank you, thank you : )

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blairped887
Friday, Jul 29 2016

I changed the test date to Dec. Gosh I feel so sad and stupid for not being able to take it in Sept. I didn't see this coming and this test is way harder than I ever imagined it to be. Hopefully I will give you guys good news next year. Thank you all! (tears)

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blairped887
Friday, Jul 29 2016

Thank you everyone for responding to my question! :) I will think about it and make my decision...I can't wait till this whole LSAT phase is over and done with!

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blairped887
Tuesday, Nov 28 2017

My diagnostic was like yours too. I had to cancel my first exam because I had only one hour of sleep the night before. It was one of the most dreadful and awful experiences of my life. I felt like a failure.

This week I'm gonna do my best to not let fear get me and overwhelm me. I'm not going to complain anymore and compare myself to anyone. I got 160 last week and I will get a higher score in February. It is rare that someone can increase 30 points but I hope I can be a living testament that it is possible and doable as long as you keep pushing yourself and believing yourself. And I want everyone to remember this:

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Unfortunately, I have ALREADY registered for my Sept exam but I won't be able to get the score I want by Sept. Things didn't work out according to plan and I really don't know what to do.

My originally plan was to take about 20-30 PTs before my first actual exam, but as of now, I'm only able to drill by section to increase my speed. I miss about 5-6 questions in LR and have 6 minutes left before the last logic game. I'm not able to read all 4 RC passages and even the ones I do get to read, I get 1-3 wrongs per passage. RC is my worst nightmare and I don't know whether keep drilling it will increase my speed. But when I redo all of the above sections untimed during my BR, I get 85%-100% right. They are not really hard to solve and understand when I don't do them under timed conditions (except for the hardest RC passages) but I get stressed out, nervous, and rush through questions during timed conditions that I don't get to understand some sentences and overlook some key words. For instance, there is always at least one weirdly worded rule in logic games that makes me freeze and hurt my confidence to solve questions accurately. That disappointment and fear have psychological impact on my performance and makes me keep doubt whether I indeed translated the rest of the rules accurately. Overall, it frustrates me that there are many questions that are solvable but I just can't do them properly and accurately because I THINK I don't have enough time and I ACTUALLY don't have enough time. So I came to the conclusion that it's more practical of me to raise my LR and LG speed & score to compensate for my weak RC skills given the amount of time I got.

With these timing issues to overcome, I need to begin my PTing phase next week. I don't think doing about 15 PTs will be enough of practice before the actual test. Ideally, I want to take about 35-40 PTs, but realistically, it's unfeasible by Sept. I'm pretty sure I won't reach in the low 160s by Sept (especially due to this huge timing issue with RC) but I need at least high160s to apply to my dream schools. So I'm thinking of taking the Sept test to just get the experience of taking the exam with many people under stressful conditions and cancelling the score right after the test to not leave any record of unwanted score. I will keep on studying after the first exam, and hopefully by Dec, I will get enough practice with all of my 3 sections (especially RC) to reach my target score and take the Dec exam with no plan of cancelling the score. And by Jan/early Feb, I will be ready to send my applications to my dream schools. Even if I really screw up my Dec exam, I will be able to take one last exam in Feb. I also don't intend to apply for 2018 admission and take any more exams after Feb. I must apply for the fall 2017 admission.

So I'm not sure whether postponing the test date (by paying $90) is a good idea because that would mean losing money and the chance to experience what it's really like taking the exam at the test center. Similarly, if I get a refund, I only get $50 back and I lose the chance to practice under actual test conditions. In my country, I'm not able to even enter the classrooms where the test will be taken because I'm not one of the school's students, doors are closed, classes are being held, and etc. I won't have the opportunity to practice at the test center like some people can abroad. I actually went to the test center in June to check out and get some info on the test center and one of the people who are in charge of administering the exam explicitly told me that I can't enter any of the rooms to practice. She asked me why I'm being so sensitive about the exam. Um...ok. I may be a sensitive person but I mean isn't this supposed to be a serious exam? Haha.

Anyway, the only concern I have about cancelling the score is what if it in anyway hurts my application? If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

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Wednesday, Apr 26 2017

blairped887

PT62.S4.Q25 - cities with healthy economies

Hi. I'm not sure how to translate "those in search of jobs should move to a city with high-tech businesses" into lawgic. I thought the word "should" might be a necessary condition, but JY didn't put an arrow to connect JOBS and HIGH TECH. Whereas in Manhattan forum, one of the instructors translated it as "if you want JOBS, go to HT" which would require the use of an arrow. So I'm not sure which is the right approach to take..

Also, is it even a valid argument?

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-62-section-4-question-25/

Hello. I was wondering if I fail to cancel LSAT registration by tonight 11:59pm, the schools will get to KNOW that I withdrew from Jan exam. I want to make a decision tomorrow morning depending on my physical/mental condition....so I don't want to cancel it tonight in case I do want to take the test for the last time.

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Friday, Feb 26 2016

blairped887

"Few are" means?

As I was reviewing my old notes, I've noticed that I wrote the definition of "few are" as some are/SOME ARE NOT but "few not" as most are/some are not.

Shouldn't "few are" mean some are / MOST ARE NOT?

I can't believe I'm still confused about this concept..wow. English.

Do all method of reasoning questions contain flawed arguments? Or are there some valid arguments out there? I'm getting confused whether I'm suppose to look for the flaw or just how the argument functions as a whole or even BOTH. I'm not sure what kind of mindset to have for attacking method of reasoning questions.

When do I know I should rely on intuition before attempting to diagram everything?

When do I know this formulaic A->B method 100% works?

I don't know how to be selective about which approach to take with complete confidence without wasting precious minutes!

PrepTest 22 - Section 4 - Question 13 illustrates my point.

If I just straight up went with my intuition, I would've chosen D with a good feeling because it looks pretty much like what the whole passage is saying while the rest of the answer choices look pretty off, but because I attempted to solve this question like a math problem, I couldn't FIND THE EXACT ANSWER I was looking for.

I wonder how other students feel about this. Advice much needed and appreciated.

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blairped887
Saturday, Dec 23 2017

I'm taking the exam in February. Count me in!

PrepTests ·
PT128.S1.P4.Q22
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blairped887
Saturday, Sep 17 2016

This passage ate me alive.

PrepTests ·
PT127.S3.Q20
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blairped887
Monday, Oct 17 2016

Although I was able to eliminate all the other answer choices, I was a little hesitant to pick (D) due to the word "slightly". If the sentence didn't contain the word "slightly" I think it would've been much stronger answer choice. I feel like the creator of this question intentionally put that word to confuse people like me. What do you guys think?

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Saturday, Apr 16 2016

blairped887

How "OR" functions in In/Out games

I need confirmation whether my understanding of OR rule is correct.

There is a rule in the last game of PT24 that says: G cannot be prescribed if both N and U are prescribed.

N & U -->/G

Contrapositive= G --> /N or /U

So there are 3 possibilities if the contrapositive is triggered: 1) N is out 2) U is out or 3) N and U are both out.

If I CHANGE the rule to G --> N or U, would 3 possibilities be 1) N is in 2) U is in or 3) N and U are both in?

Is it correct to consider OR in the above examples as inclusive(and/or), not exclusive?

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blairped887
Monday, Jan 16 2017

Got it. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much! :)

I really don't like the way answer choice (E) is worded. It's too ambiguous and abstract that I was not able to wrap my head around it during timed conditions and made me go for easier sounding wrong answer choice even though I knew it was descriptively incorrect!

Can someone explain to me what (E) is even saying?

And do recent tests have answers like this?

Thanks in advance!

I know answer choice B is not supported but I can't explain to myself WHY it's wrong.

Is it wrong because the terms "apple" and "citrus" should be switched places? Could it be a right answer choice if the answer choice actually read:

[McElligott's citrus juices are less likely to contain infectious bacteria than is McElligott's apple juice]

Because McElligott's citrus juices HAVE NOT BEEN LINKED TO ANY BACTERIAL INFECTIONS, can't I assume that they contain less infectious bacteria than M'S apple juice?

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-52-section-1-question-24/

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Thursday, Apr 14 2016

blairped887

Does "more often than not" mean most?

One of the RC videos that I watched mentioned that when something (call it X) happens more & more frequently, it does not mean that X happens most of the time. But I read it from one of the PowerScore posts that "more often than not" means MOST. They sound quite similar to me, so I'm not sure how to make a distinction between them. If I change it to "X happens more & more frequently THAN NOT" would it equate to most?

PrepTests ·
PT120.S3.Q4
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blairped887
Tuesday, Sep 13 2016

I thought D is wrong because it doesn't focus on "developing good character." D just talks about gambling. The author's conclusion is not that children shouldn't gamble. He's against children being raised in an "atmosphere" that can be detrimental to the development of good character.

PrepTests ·
PT127.S2.Q10
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blairped887
Thursday, Oct 13 2016

(E) directly contradicts the statement in the stimulus: Comedy and tragedy...require that the moral qualities of MAJOR characters change during the course of the action.

Be careful of the shift from MAJOR to MINOR.

From Columbia's website:

Can I submit an addendum or additional written materials along with my application?

Yes. The Admissions Committee believes that candidates should be able to expand upon aspects of their candidacy that are otherwise not represented in the required materials. Some examples include diversity statements, statements of strong interest in Columbia Law School, explanations of undergraduate and/or LSAT performance, etc. We strongly suggest that applicants use their best judgment, in terms of content and length, when considering the submission of supplemental materials.

So the question is do I treat it like a Why X essay? I'm not sure if writing one is a good idea...

This is a sufficient assumption question but one of the forums I read to understand answer choice (A) explained that NEGATING (A) would demonstrate it to be a sufficient assumption. I totally see that negating (A) would weaken the argument, but I thought we use negation test for necessary assumption questions ...or am I not aware of some exceptions? I know that for some flaw questions that contain "takes for granted/assumes that" language, you can negate the answer choices, but I never heard of using negation test for sufficient assumption questions.

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blairped887
Sunday, Jul 09 2017

Hellllo. Am I too late to join this study group?? I've already done PT 64 and 65.. so I would like to join this group starting PT 69.

PrepTests ·
PT120.S2.P1.Q1
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blairped887
Friday, Sep 09 2016

Ahhh. First passage can be a really hard one. Just because a passage is easy to read doesn't mean its questions are going to be easy as well. Bait and switch!

PrepTests ·
PT120.S1.Q19
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blairped887
Friday, Sep 09 2016

If you were able to see the significance of the first sentence, this question could've been a lot easier to solve. I didn't pay attention to the word "naturally" and so could not understand the relevance of answer choice A. Now that I know the crucial point at matter is "naturally occurring polio" vs. "vaccination-caused polio" the answer choice makes total sense.

PrepTests ·
PT140.S2.Q14
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blairped887
Saturday, Sep 09 2017

Perhaps another reason why A is wrong is that we are only told that these people "hear" the poems. I remember reading about epic poetry how during preliterate societies, poetry was transmitted to the audience and from performer to performer by purely oral means.

PrepTests ·
PT140.S2.Q9
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blairped887
Saturday, Sep 09 2017

Came up with a parallel argument.

I have been unfairly criticized for not studying hard enough for the upcoming LSAT.

Students who study hard are students who do all they can to improve their LSAT score.

My study methods have allowed me to improve significantly from my cold diagnostic score, and there currently are no methods that would allow me to get a perfect score on the exam.

LOL.

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blairped887
Monday, Jan 08 2018

I decided not to apply this cycle so I'm opting out of the study group. Good luck to you all!

PrepTests ·
PT129.S3.Q21
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blairped887
Wednesday, Feb 08 2017

I get that "the more technologically advanced a society is, the more aware its members are of technology's drawbacks" is a PREMISE but weren't we taught that explanation/hypothesis for a phenomenon is a CONCLUSION not a premise? Ex) PT 58 S.4 Q.3

I watched the video explanation for this, but I don't think I understood it 100%.

I think the author's logic is simplified as farther=brighter=younger but I don't quite understand how a brighter star is supposed to be younger. Is this true in real life? Ha..

Maybe I'm overthinking this problem..?

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-62-section-2-question-20/

PrepTests ·
PT123.S2.Q16
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blairped887
Friday, Oct 07 2016

The way this question stem is phrased is so confusing. I'm sure the test makers knew some ppl would suck up their time trying to figure out wth they are supposed to do with the question.

The Q stem is asking for us to find a statement that Sandra would disagree with Taylor about. It's not asking us to identify a statement that Sandra would disagree with.

PrepTests ·
PT123.S2.Q13
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blairped887
Friday, Oct 07 2016

Is the answer both necessary and sufficient assumption? Because when I negate it it hurts the argument.

PrepTests ·
PT120.S1.Q22
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blairped887
Monday, Sep 05 2016

This is the hardest weaken question I've ever seen. It requires you to use your "imagination" and make quite an assumption to choose the right answer. POE would be the best approach to take but even that was hard to do during BR. So indeed one of those WOW/WTF questions..

PrepTests ·
PT120.S1.Q26
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blairped887
Monday, Sep 05 2016

Does answer choice C establish a biconditional relationship between those whose composition skills had improved the most and those who had learned to write letters the most automatically?

This was my thought process during BR:

Premise: Composition Skills → Automatic

Conclusion: Automatic → Frees up mental resources

Gap: The answer choice needs to show that Frees up mental resources & Composition Skills are connected somehow. The author seems to be equating the two. He seems to commit reverse causality and thinks it's okay. Ex) CS → A and A →CS are the same thing and hence CS ↔ A.

So I need an answer that shows A → CS

Answer choice C: Automatic → Composition Skills

PrepTests ·
PT119.S4.Q23
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blairped887
Saturday, Sep 03 2016

This question is hard because one doesn't automatically equate "depends in part on one's preexisting state of health" with "sick less often."

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