@kevinjameslin834 said:

I think it has to do with the language "counts as … if at least". That statement is conveying a definition, and definitions can be seen as bi-conditionals. Being interpreted in a national tradition is defined as doing any one of 3 things: X, Y, Z.

Right @kevinjameslin834 ! I was thinking something along those lines... That's just not something that I would have known had the correct answer not relied on a biconditional relationship. But next time I'll know if there's some kind of definition, I'll be more open to the idea that bi-condi is implied!

To add a little more, I also found a similar question in PT 57 where the stimulus talks about "THE law" so we have to assume that's the only conditions given, and thus bi-conditional. LSAT is sneaky..!!

@jhaldy10325 Thank you so much - super helpful! I'm going to sit down and really think about my action plan! :smiley:

@jsohn0305774 yeah.. I don't know what I was thinking. I just felt like I had to go through every single PT. BAD idea! hahah. Gonna take a day off today!

@jhaldy10325 Thanks for sharing great tips! I woke up this morning with a more positive mindset, telling myself that this opportunity really is a gift. I quickly went over the LR questions I got wrong, and with the exception of 1 or 2 per section, the rest were ones I could have easily gotten right with few more seconds of clear thinking and applying strategies I've learned in the past 2 years.. GAH!

Your tips on pausing and resuming after moments of panic seem really helpful - how do you recommend I practice such mechanism before the real thing? I ask because one side of me always kind of knew that I can't afford to panic, but on the real thing I just seem to go back to my instinctively panicky self.

@jsohn0305774 I wasn't cramming full timed PTs because I simply didn't have any left but yeah I think I was experiencing burn out for different reasons :( I studied an average about 6~8 hours per day for straight 2 weeks and perhaps my body is telling me to take a break..! I really do hope the drop in score was an anomaly.. I just keep having doubts that it may be my lack of understanding . For RC especially, even though I felt quite OK (though not fully confident) with the passages, questions, I ended up bombing one of them. That was a real blow. When I'm rushed, I think I have this really bad habit of justifying my way OUT of correct answer choices, somehow having this bias (supplementing it with my outside knowledge/biases) that the answer choice is wrong..? Writing this I realize that that may be one area I could work on before the exam!!

@52240 Thank you so much! It does help to hear from someone else that I can do it! Next step, I've really got to convince myself!!

@suhbk3 Thank you for sharing your experience Brian! Yes I'll definitely focus in the next few weeks on calming myself! While taking PT 83 I was even aware that I was starting to lose pace, thinking "oh my god I'm panicking" but didn't take the next step to breathe and re-focus.

I do realize that the eliminating the root cause of my problems, becoming too anxious and influenced by pressure is the best approach. (it's horrible.. I SKIP, as opposed to skim, sentences, misidentify conclusions, PARTIALLY read answer choices) @kevinarlius313 I've tried repeating to myself that there are no longer limits on the number of retakes but honestly having spent almost 2 years on LSAT, I can't get rid of the thought that I want (need) to make this (it's my fourth..) my last!! I really don't know how to mentally train myself :/

Thank you guys for the advice!! I really could use some positive thinking :sweat: @52240 you mentioned focusing on my strengths before my exam but wouldn't it also be helpful to really dissect this PT 83 and work out specifically what mistakes/bad habits emerge under high pressure situations? And to make sure that during my real test.. I will avoid them? I feel like a 10 point reduction is not merely a matter of luck, but demonstrates my rather low comfort level with the LSAT way of thinking (Or is it too late now..)

@leahbeuk911 said:

@jhleejenny15 said:

Thank you so much everybody for sharing your thoughts :) Loving the fruitful discussion!

@leahbeuk911 your explanation in terms of "at least 1" really cleared things up ! Really helps since I was struggling to explain the lawgic in words..

But I have one question - reading @acsimon699 's post about the little caveat confused me a little because he says that "some" requires "skilled-artists" to be non-empty. I understand that "some" does indicate number starting from 1, but isn't the case different from "some... not"? Just a little clarification would be tremendously helpful! :)

I believe @acsimon699 was looking at it from a different perspective, and in one of those phrasings, there wouldn't even have to be any skilled artists at all. But we aren't talking here about the existence of skilled artists, but whether or not they are famous.

I understand the point he was making there, but also I don't think that LSAT writers really go to that level.

ah righty ho that clears things up! Thank you so much. Now that I understand the logic behind it, I can now comfortably memorize that "not all" and "some.. not" are the same! :D

Thank you so much everybody for sharing your thoughts :) Loving the fruitful discussion!

@leahbeuk911 your explanation in terms of "at least 1" really cleared things up ! Really helps since I was struggling to explain the lawgic in words..

But I have one question - reading @acsimon699 's post about the little caveat confused me a little because he says that "some" requires "skilled-artists" to be non-empty. I understand that "some" does indicate number starting from 1, but isn't the case different from "some... not"? Just a little clarification would be tremendously helpful! :)

Is there going to be a recording of this uploaded? Missed it :'(

Ahhh thank you so much @7sagestudentservices for your kindness and thank you to everyone who's given me tremendous support ! There really is nowhere else like 7sage :')

@jhleejenny15 I tried to simulate test day conditions as much as possible for my PTs but I'm starting to think perhaps always taking the test in the same spot (my room) made me feel more comfortable and relaxed than I had realized. I also usually took it in utter silence... which may not have been good practice for any distractions on test day.

As you suggested @leahbeuk911 I'll definitely try to change up my test taking spot. And start yoga classes too! I've been reviewing some questions for the past few days but it also seems like I have to fine-tune my LR skills because I keep misreading/interpreting the answer choices and choosing answers that appears clearly wrong to me on the BR. Such carelessness on my part must have played a greater role on the real test, coupled with anxiety, partially explaining the drop in my score. D:

@7sagestudentservices Thank you for such helpful advice!!! I do have my scrapbook listing all the questions I missed/didn't understand fully when I solved them for the first time. I'll try the flashcard strategy with some new questions and carry them around with me 24 hours! :smiley:

@parham1373475 Yes! I've selected the ones I didn't review for the December exam so I know that's somewhere to start :)

@jhleejenny15 I've actually tried to shorten my time when studying for the December exam, sometimes ending the LR section with about 8 minutes to spare... But then again, on the real exam I still had difficulty emulating such speed and had little time to review. Does this mean I should aim for even shorter time, like.. 20 or 25 minutes?

Ah so helpful @gregoryalexanderdevine723 !! Thanks again it's great to have such a concrete strategy I can follow for the next few days! Time for me to print out some fresh PTs!

@gregoryalexanderdevine723 Ah okay! Thank you so much. That's something for me to try then! After recklessly completing the section, I would have to BR it the same way as I would otherwise in standard BRs right?

PT A, B, C are those from the Superprep right? If so, I have unfortunately used them... haha and I solved C II when studying for the December exam. That leaves me with February 97'? Not sure where I can get hold of that but I'll definitely use it thank you!

Hi @gregoryalexanderdevine723 could you elaborate what you mean by LR confidence drills? Would it be redoing the questions under stricter time constraints? I've seen most of the stimulus multiple times that somehow my brain is fooling myself that I'm confident with the questions. :/

Hi @7sagestudentservices I wouldn't say 100% perfect, but it's usually my best section. In my optimal condition, I've managed -0 but most of the times I make silly mistakes (by filling out diagram wrong, misreading question/answer as such) to miss a question or two.

I've pretty much solved all games at least once, the challenging ones about +10 times, mediocre difficulty about +5 times... So I fear that I've run out of new challenges to throw me off and stimulate my thinking brain :(

@7sagestudentservices during the December exam, LG was easy (I heard was particularly easy this time) so I finished 5 minutes left to spare. I had two RC sections, both finished exactly on time but had to rush/make intellectual guesses on maybe 2/3 questions on each section. For my LRs I felt most chased by time, for one section I circled about 4 questions to come back later but in the end I had only about 2/3minutes left so I could only double check one of them. :( (I presume this is where I lost most of my points because for some LR stimulus, I had no idea what it was saying...)

Writing this I'm starting to realize pacing would also be something for me to work on...

Thank you @rebeccaliujing666 I'll definitely have to try a more thorough scrapbook. Just one more question, is there any specific reason why you chose to focus on PT 36-50 for your LRs? Did you find the LR questions in those PTs more useful than those in other PTs, or was it just random? :)

Hi @leahbeuk911! I cancelled my first attempt.. a good day to see how terribly anxious I could be on test day... then my next two scores were 166. :( Frustrating... I had changed my tactics from my 2nd to 3rd attempt and I wonder if that change just didn't work for me.

@uhinberg359 said:

For everyone struggling with LR right now, you can do it ! I took a step back and stopped thinking about learning each question type individually and looked more at what I was reading for each and every time.In one month, it’s made all the difference. This exam is all about the subtleties and it’s like a whole new world when that finally starts clicking.

@uhinberg359 Congratulations you deserve it!! :) I have a question for you though... I've been thinking that learning each question type was the key to mastering the LR section... but after seeing my December score as well as your story, I'm beginning to think that it may not be working for me. Could you elaborate a little more on how you switched tactics and what you are now looking for in each question? My LR section is so shaky... on good days I can get about -3 in two LR sections, but on other days can be about -7... I'd appreciate some words of advice! Thank you :)

@rebeccaliujing666 I'm so inspired by your story!! I wanted to ask you how exactly you worked on LR questions you had already solved/seen. My LR scores are completely unstable, which is probably why my actual test score was 6 points lower than my average...

Even though I told myself that I should look at old/solved questions with a critical eye, I couldn't help myself becoming comfortable with the answer choices, somehow fooling myself that I knew/mastered skills more than I actually had. I also made a scrapbook of sort which analyzed my mistakes and future tips for each type of question, yet.. seems like I was missing something given my December score :( When you re-did your PT LR questions, did you have a special technique/formula you could share?