Hi all, happy studying and good luck to those of you taking the October test!
Anyway, I have a few questions I want to clear up:
1)How "weird" really is the experimental section? I'm worried about being thrown off by some of the LSAC's more creative endeavors in this section and getting flustered.
2)I know this will vary, but, when does the test usually start? 9-ish? I'm curious as to how to dose my ADHD meds (RX'ed of course)?
@: Sleep is pivotal for cognitive functioning! Depriving yourself of this very necessary state will physically prevent your brain from making new memories and hinder you from thinking sharply when you need to the most. I admire your dedication but realize what exactly you are expending when you commit to a study plan so draining. Ha ha sorry, I don't mean to sound patronizing...I just think your declining scores could possibly be the result of something very fixable.
Do any of you guys try "predicting the answer" after reading the stimulus and question stem on LR but before reading the answer choices? I recently started attacking the problems this way and have since found them more manageable. I think it's because one of the most challenging aspects of LR is parsing really convulted material in a short period of time...something so verbally taxing is only made worse when trying to juggle answer choices that are all designed to tempt you. I noticed that I started employing this method naturally over time but didn't see improvement until I did so actively. Granted, you can't always predict which angle they'll take but doing so will at least give you the advantage of understanding the parts of the argument more thoroughly.
This thread might be geared more towards the instructors... Anyhow, I was wondering if there are certain benchmarks one should meet with X amount of weeks left to expect X range in score. For example, if writing the October test (t-minus 4 weeks!) where should one be today if they were looking to score a 165 ? A 170? I guess it's reasonable to expect a steadily increasing score until test day if you haven't quite reached your potential yet. At the same time, I think it could be strategically better to set more realistic expectations. Any advice?
To clarify: "criticisms" made by Gluck's critics.
Attitude questions are always hard for me as well because they usually rely on evidence that is very nuanced. Somehow I managed to get this one right though and I think it's because I realized that the content the author used seemed biased in favor of Gluck's responses to critics. I don't have the test in front of me right now, but, if I remember correctly, the author seemed to present criticisms and then counterpoints that maybe undermined such criticisms beyond a point of neutrality.
I'm in the same boat! I've decided on writing the test this Saturday though and here's why: I read somewhere that a few years ago schools were granted the right to report only an applicant's highest LSAT score. I reckon this measure was introduced to cut stress from ranking obsessed schools faced with a smaller (and less competitive) applicant pool while making the admissions process a little more inclusive for students who would benefit taking the test a second time or so. I initially thought only mid Tier 1 schools downward would fully turn a blind eye to a lower test score but have read that really the only law schools that are still averaging are Harvard and Yale (sweethearts got that ivy swag and do what they want!). I guess the buying power is in our hands more now than it ever has been before. Knowing this, and knowing myself and personal anxieties, I figured it'd be best to have at least some sort of score this fall. I'm not in the financial position to take another year off school and betting it all on one day in December is too much of a risk. What if I got sick? What if I have a family emergency? What if the LSAC throws another Purple Dinosaur my way and I severely underperform? The small chance that the schools I'm applying to will hold a lower score against me does not outweigh what I think could be more probable events that would prevent me from performing on point in December. With that said, I'm neurotic as can be so maybe such ruminations won't speak to everyone. Ha ha!