@ Thank you so much for your comment! So are you saying you usually get to Q25 or 26 in 20 minutes? How do you usually score in LR sections with such pacing?

> @ said:

> @ said:

> Doing a grammatical breakdown of the stimulus was an essential part of my BR process

>

>

> Actually I second that statement. I started doing the same thing during my BR on @'s recommendation and it has done wonders! Another thing I do is I draw my own parallel argument based on the logic of the stimulus. These are of course done only during the BR and should help your brain start recognizing the structure at a faster rate during timed PT.

>

> And yes, I highly recommend writing down the explanations because its easy to lie to ourselves why we actually eliminated something after JY has already explained it in a video, but if you have it written down you are forced to see your own bad reasoning and evaluate how you should handle it better the next time.

Hi Sami,

By breaking down stimuli grammatically, do you mean dissecting sentences into subject/verb/object? I've never tried this method of BR but definitely going to try from today and just wanted to make sure if I have a correct understanding of what you mean :)

@ said:

I think you're asking two very different questions with two very different answers.

@ said:

Is this helpful for scoring into the high 160s, and high 170s?

high 160's?

Yes.

high 170's?

I would argue that it is not only unhelpful but actively destructive.

Until you get into about the mid 160's, you've got to be suspicious of your confidence. You're going to be falling for trap answers and you're going to be making mistakes. At this stage, it's important to guard against these things. You have to play defense. Once your BR is consistently into the mid - high 170's though, you have to shift tactics and go on offense. The things that get you into the mid to high 160's are very different from the things that will get you out the other side. That's why so many people plateau at this level: They keep doing the same things that got them there, and those things are 160's strategies, not 170's strategies. You might think that confidence follows from a high 170's average, and that's not entirely wrong. Confidence is certainly reinforced by seeing your average score rise deep into the 170's, but it is also a precondition. I've seen too many students, myself included, jump from the 160's plateau into the 170's just from learning to take the test confidently. If you read ac A and you think it's correct, you have to trust yourself, choose it, and move on confidently. Mark the question number with a slash, and if there's time at the end come back and double check yourself. If not, you probably got it right anyway, but more importantly, it means you allowed yourself the discretion to put that time to better use.

Just to clarify,does your advice also applies to RC? I had several tutoring sessions with Nicole Hopkins and she said she always read all 5 chocices in RC. I guess aggressive pacing in RC depends on question types (infer vs identify details) ...?

Also, for the hardest LR questions, test writers often place really, really attractive choice (those tricky ones that trap even 170+ scorers when they dont consider other ACs) before a rather less attractive right answer. But since the trap answer looks really good, isnt it quite likely that you feel very confident about your choice and thus eventually fail to catch the mistake as you'd rather come back to circled and double circled questions?

@ Thanks so much for posting this and congratulations!!! Do you mind sharing how long do you usually spend reading each RC passage and how do you manage the section timing? Also, although you said you don't go back to the passage for every single question but do you refer to the passage for the vast majority of questions?

@

I strongly agree with your point on practicing test taking skills. But would you mind sharing more how you specifically worked on those little test taking habits when drilling sections? Drilling is still a practice and I am not sure how I can address my test taking weaknesses because I can't really "fake" my anxiety when taking sections/PTs. How did you simulate the pressure and anxiety on the test day? Thank you so much and happy holidays! (3(/p)

Thanks everyone for wonderful insights!!!!

Is the next meeting today?

@ @ That's great!!! I just took my 1st PT in 70s (71) and got 170...I never hit 170 in 60s. I think the generous curve for 71 (-14) probably accounts for but I am sure I should aim for at least -10 for every PT if I want to get 170+ in the real thing. Do you mind if I ask you what your best PT score in 70s before your test day?

@

Thanks for a wonderful advice. I am currently living outside the states so although I can't really visit my top choice schools anytime soon, I might actually visit and tour if waitlisted!

@ said:

Yes. Always try to avoid work when you can. Work isn't inherently bad, it just takes time. You need to avoid giving the section time whenever you can. By skipping a convoluted AC, you give yourself a chance to take charge. Of course, you may need to return to it. It may be the right answer. In that case, you'll simply use the time you would have used on your first time through anyway, nothing lost. But if it is just an AC that's designed to be a time sink, and the right answer is the next one down, great: You've just saved a lot of time hashing out nonsense.

Thanks again for your comment and it'd be really great if you can share your thoughts on this particular MSS Q (PT 66 S2 Q22). So I always approach a MSS Q with POE but when I first read (A), I wasn't quite sure if it's really wrong so I held any judgement and skipped it. When I got to (D), I felt very confident it was the right answer. Based you what you said, do you think I should pick (D) without reading (E) and going back to (A) to see why it's wrong? Doesn't LSAT always try to screw us with attractive trap ACs? Lastly, do you mind sharing for how many questions per section you choose to do POE? Thank you so much!!!

@

Thanks so much!!! I will definitely keep this in mind and try it out in my drill :)

is this going to be recorded?

@ said:

@ said:

Thanks for posting Sami. Are you writing the exam this weekend?

Yes I am :). Hopefully it goes well. lol

Are you taking it this weekend as well?

Yes!!! I am taking it as well. Let's rock the test this weekend!!!!!! Good luck :smile:

Thanks for posting Sami. Are you writing the exam this weekend?

@ said:

Don't POE unless you have to, and don't do any work that you may not have to do. Just as it's important to be able to skip whole questions, it's important to be able to skip ACs. A blatantly obvious right answer may be (and often is) sitting right below one that is specifically designed to be confusing as hell and takes a minute or two to figure out it's complete nonsense.

By skipping ACs, do you mean outright skipping (not reading at all)? or just quick scanning after picking the right answer? Should I do that even for Qs in 15-25? For now, I pick the right answer and move on without looking at other choices for Q1-10, but I read every ACs for Q15-25 even if I think I have the right answer because it might be a really tempting trap AC. I believe your last sentence means I shouldn't dig into one confusing AC before I look at every other AC?

Thank you so much everyone for your helpful insights! I will definitely try what you guys suggested :)

thank you SO much guys for all the advice and encouragement. I genuinely appreciate it. Now, I need to go CRUSH this exam!!! :)

@ , @

I would LOVE to join the session but I'm not sure if I found this post too late...Can I still join you guys? (3(/p)

@ Congrats!!! You deserve that score! I am actually in the exact same position as you were...I am stuck in 166-168 and it seems like I can't break the 170 no matter what I do...the highest score I got from the most recent tests is 170 but that was the only time I hit 170 (except fo PTs in 40s). Can you please specify what exactly you did to break the plateau? Also, did you get 173 in your first take?

@ Thanks for your comment. But then why do people stress importance of pre-phrasing so much? Don't you think pre-phrasing is the KEY to 170+?

@ thanks so much!

@ do you think that all LR Qs ask us about THE main logical flaw (most obvious) of a stimulus and just give the correct answer in expressions/words that are sometimes different from what we expect?

@ congrats!!!! was it your 3rd take?

@ Your comment is incredibly helpful and thank you so much! So based on what you said, I assume you attempt (not solve) every single question during your 1st round? Do you have any specific Q type that you skip without even attempting? I always skip Pardox Qs and and Principle Qs in the first round because those question types usually takes longer and are harder than other types. But the problem is when I do skip those Qs, I have too many questions skipped when I reach Q25 or 26.

Also, how long does it take you to decide to move on for difficult questions? 30 secs? 45 secs? Lastly, do you move on without reading the rest of answer choices once you find the right one for easier questions?

@ said:

@ said:

Hi

should I use past or present tense to describe my current job in resume?

It depends. Anything that has been completed should be in past tense. Anything that is ongoing as a recurring part of your job description should be in present tense.

Examples:

"Organized, recruited for, and ran the 35th annual [Insert Conference] with a record-250 attendees"

vs.

"Organize daily phone banks and canvasses for teams of volunteers and fellows"

Keep in mind that you list the dates of each of your professional experiences. If your most recent experience lists "April - Present," then the reader will know that you are in that role currently. This understanding conflicts with the past tense, unless you are referring to one-time events within that role.

So do you suggest I go with present tense even if that doesn't make the resume "consistent"?

Thanks!