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katrinagk71

Joined: Apr 2025
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General · How to BR an official test?

katrinagk71

Thursday, Dec 27 2018

I just BR the whole thing! Did it for Sept. and will be doing it for Nov. this week! :)

General · Just feeling stuck

katrinagk71

Saturday, Jul 21 2018

Don't bother with Kaplan! I wasted 3 weeks on it and although it did increase my score by a few points I didn't feel anymore prepared or confident during practice tests. Keep at it and don't be too hard on yourself! I know its not TONS of time, but you still do have time to improve a lot before September :)

LSAT · Anyone know when Nov2018 will become available?

katrinagk71

Tuesday, Dec 18 2018

Will we be able to purchase PT86 as an add-on like we were able to with PT85 if we don't have full access?

General · January LSAT Accountability Thread

katrinagk71

Monday, Dec 17 2018

This is awesome! Especially over this crazy season!

Last week: Tried increasing to two PT's per week & discovered its not a good idea for me. Good to know! haha. My score went down for mostly silly mistakes so I think I was just going too fast and not getting the most out of the previous test before moving on. Lesson learned. So I wrote two PT's last week and BR'ed both (Monday-Thursday). Spent Friday looking at weaknesses, drilling, going back to CC, etc. On Saturday I did a games intensive where I went back and ran every game I had ever done that I felt I hadn't really "owned" yet. I noticed myself getting rusty on reading chains in in out games so I drilled them hard. Then I sat down and carried out the tedious task of going through my journal notes from the last couple of months (I keep a journal while I'm BR'ing and watching the explanations of my PT's to see what I missed, any ah-ha moments, connecting dots I hadn't before, etc.) and organizing the notes into question types. I typed out a document in categories that I can refer to prior to taking a test to jog my memory. Yesterday I took a fresh PT and it went pretty well! Especially games (I had two sections since I write 5 section PTs), in one of the sections I had 8 minutes left to go back and check all of my answers! It was awesome. That drilling definitely paid off! I also took time to clean my apartment thoroughly and read a book for pleasure. Hadn't given myself that kind of downtime in awhile and I could feel myself burning out a bit.

This week:

Monday: Finish BR'ing yesterday's test (two sections left)

Tuesday: Foolproof Games & watch explanation videos

Wednesday: Day off

Thursday: I might write another PT because I will be driving 24 hours to get home for the holidays... my partner can drive most of it and I can use that time to BR. If I don't write a test I'll write one on Sunday!

General · How to go from a 148 (untimed) to 160

katrinagk71

Friday, Nov 16 2018

Mid July I took my diagnostic (timed) and got a 141. Posted a 152 on the September test and now my average is up to 158 going into the test tomorrow. Contrary to what most people say I took the Sept. test before I was where I wanted to be but it was hugely beneficial for me. Got my anxiety way down about the whole thing. I have just honestly followed the advice on here to a T. Studied with Kaplan books for a month before 7 sage and it did NOTHING. I have found that following the post CC webinar advice has been super helpful in guiding me through that "what" and "how" of tackling this. From someone who hasn't taken a timed multiple choice exam in 7 years and just finished a degree in Fine Arts I had a long way to go (and still have some to go before I really hit my goal of 165) but if I can do it ANYONE can (3 oh and this is with working full time!(/p)

You've got this!

Admissions · Canada Question! Should I use Nov or use upcoming Jan?

katrinagk71

Friday, Dec 14 2018

I don't think its true that they only leave a limited number of spots OPEN for January test takers. They just admit on a rolling basis, so some offers will already be out for those who have submitted final scores. The majority of people I know in Canadian schools across the country actually took in January and it didn't appear to hinder their success! I may also be biased since I am also writing in January for this cycle.

From my understanding, some schools will look at other parts of your application and wait for your final LSAT score, while others won't even open your file until you've reported your final score. So for the schools that begin the screening process, if they really like the rest of your application they are just sort of waiting on your confirmation with your LSAT. With schools like Osgoode they won't even look until you get your score in January, but because they take on a very holistic approach it sort of evens out that difference.

Either way, I don't think it would hinder your application to take in January unless you don't think you will be able to improve at all. I do understand the anxiety around this though, I have definitely felt it myself. Knowing that there are other people out there who took it and were admitted for that cycle makes me very confident that it won't hinder the process!

Admissions · Canadian Law School Admissions LSAT deadlines

katrinagk71

Thursday, Dec 13 2018

It is because of the rolling admissions, so there are just less spots to give out. I applied this cycle to only Canadian schools and am writing the January test. I think the rationale is that anyone who submits Nov. as their final score essentially is put in the same pool as the people who wrote earlier and already had their final score to report prior to the admissions deadline. I think it depends on your Nov. score and the rest of your application to evaluate whether it would be "worth it" or not. If you're already a strong applicant and want to make it stronger I wouldn't worry about it. I know a lot of people currently at Osgoode, U of A, and U of T who wrote Sept, Nov., and Jan. It definitely isn't a deal breaker or they wouldn't allow it.

I'm not sure which school you're hoping for, but I spoke to the admissions people at U of T and they say they only count an increase as "significant" if it is +5 or more. So if you think you will be able to score 5 points higher I would say for sure go for it. Like I said, I'm in the same boat, already submitted and am writing January.

LSAT

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Sunday, Jan 13 2019

katrinagk71

When to use chart in LG?

Hey friends! Until now I've been using charts for grouping games anytime the game pieces can be used more than once, but I just came across a game with those conditions where JY used a standard grouping setup. I was able to complete the game without errors with a chart when I wrote the PT, but after watching JY's explanation I think it would have been faster to use the standard grouping setup instead.

So my question is, should I be using a different criteria for deciding when to use a chart? Thanks in advance!

LSAT · Tips on Reading Comp

katrinagk71

Sunday, Oct 07 2018

I just recently boosted my accuracy by 40% on RC with a couple of additions to my regular studying process:

1. I googled speed reading and techniques. I found the most useful things were quite simple and intuitive... eliminating the need to "read out loud" in your head, using peripherals more by looking to the centre of each line first, and not going backwards mindlessly. These were things that seemed obvious afterwards, but I wasn't giving thought to at all.

2. I got a subscription to the Globe and Mail Monday-Saturday and spend time implementing my RC and speed reading strategies by engaging with the paper for at least 30 min. at the start of my study sessions. Bonus of this is that I also use the sudoku and kenko games in there to warm up my brain for LG's ;)

3. Honestly, just reading more in general. In a variety of topics. First thing in the morning and before bed everyday.

4. Making myself a "legend" for markings in the passage. For example, I circle timeline indicators and proper names of things, underline things that indicate the feeling or emotion, and use slashes to indicate transitions. I also clearly mark "A" beside parts that are in the author's voice, and use a different letter for other voices so there is a clear roadmap in the margins for who is speaking and when.

Hope this is helpful!

General · Life-Changing RC Tips? Help me friends.

katrinagk71

Monday, Nov 05 2018

I increased my accuracy by about 30% with these things:

I got a subscription to the Globe and Mail for a month and read the whole paper every day. I used this to practice the techniques discussed in the CC, plus as a bonus, the number puzzle games were great LG warmups :)

I just read more in general, before bed especially.

I googled speed reading and tried some of those strategies. I didn't go too heavy into it because if I did I would miss key points, but I did find two things most helpful. I had a bad habit of going back and re-reading things unnecessarily that I had no awareness of and I also didn't realize how much extra time I was taking to read everything "outloud" in my head as if I was hearing myself speak it. Stopping those habits and using peripheral vision on each line by looking at the centre first were most helpful for me.

I mixed up the order of the passages, starting with the first, then going to the last, then deciding whether to do the second or third next depending on the subject matter.

I was stuck in a rut for a long time not even getting to the last passage and completely guessing on the whole thing and now I consistently have time to spare to go back and review my answers. Hope this helps!