Hey,
I'm new ish on here... I'm writing June 2014. I'd be available for e-mail, text and possibly skype for a study buddy. I am a shift worker so I have odd hours but discussion is always helpful :-)
My email
Kehoe.gina@.com
Happy Prepping!
@ If you click on the practice tests you will see that the actual exam portion is 3 hrs, the blind review, scoring and marking is 9 hours.
If you use the 7sage method and do a proper blind review it should take ~7-9 hours.
Hope that helps...
Honestly, I don't think it matters... Personally I work full-time and had a week vacation earlier this year so I did all my applications and submitted them so it was done.
There is likely little gained advantage (if any) to having them submitted, I just did it because between shift work and LSAT prep, it was easier.
@ ...
Lots of schools in the US (I'd argue MOST) have the option when you are filling out your application to have you select which LSAT you have written or are going to write.
They then process your application if you submit it before writing the December LSAT and then mark it as either: incomplete (awaiting LSAT score), complete (on hold for review after all LSAT score available) or mark it as hold (awaiting LSAT score).
The application will ask you and guide you through.
This is in my experience... I am currently in the application cycle and I am writing the December LSAT.
Hope this helps....
Answers are definitely going to vary... I personally started with the oldest (PT 36) and worked my way forward. I wanted to ensure I had solidified my basics before "ruining" newer test. I think it is best to leave the newer tests for closer to when your write. I feel the overall test hasn't changed but specific nuances have, ex: comparative reading passages in newer tests, necessity of reading both speakers in LR stimulus (in newer tests), more intricate grammar in newer tests and possibly a shift in games from "easier" to "medium-medium/hard."
This is just my opinion, but if you intend to get the most out of prep testing don't just generate semi random 3 digits numbers (as in, don't just write a test to see what you score) write the tests with a focus on timing and elements you don't know, then blind review like it is your job, create a concrete foundation and then move to the next test.
Good luck!
-G
I have no academic references because of when I graduated from University (2009). If you read most schools requirements for letters of recommendation they would like an academic reference if it is relevant.
If you have to call people up from 5 years ago and be like "umm...hey... do you remember me? I need a reference" how strong do you think that reference will be?
I personally chose to do what most schools ask for, if you do not have a relevant academic reference choose 2 references that are able to speak to your skills: employer, manager, supervisor at a volunteer position etc. It sounds like you are going to do the same, and they sound like very strong references.
[And this was a successful strategy for me :)]
Good luck!
Contact us at: Orders@.com $59.99
They will do rush orders and international.
http://www.180watch.com
Might be quicker to do it this way, rather than wait for someone to sell?
I have one... I love it. I will sell after the June LSAT, but I am assuming most people want it for June 9th.
G
@ 180 Bro... Good Call.. I will add that in :)
4. Causation and Phenomenon Hypothesis Questions:
Causation:
- Type of Logic
- Employed in LR
- Causal Relationship
- Causation Theory: (as the LSAT understands it)
1) Causation implies correlation: if you have no correlation then you have no causation
2) Causation implies chronology: If A--> Then A must have come first
3) Causation strongly suggests there are no competing causes
- Correlation Theory:
~~ Empirically observes co-variance: CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSATION
**Empirically Observed: Out in the world..data we see/observe/find
** Covariance: Change that happens together
Example: Fire Fighters (A) and Fire (B) (correlated)
** Just because A and B are correlated, it does not mean (A) fire fighters causes (B) fires.
*~*~* If you are given a correlation you cannot assume causation, but causation DOES imply correlation
4 Possible Explanations:
When we observe that A is CORRELATED or CO-INCIDENTAL with B there are 4 possible " situations"
1. A caused B
2. B caused A
3. C caused both A and B
4. There is no relationship at all (alternative cause)
We Use Causation Strategy:
1. Stimulus: Premise gives us either correlation or coincidence and then the argument proceeds to assume causation or concludes causation
2. Answer Choices: Check for the following
A) Competing Explanation: the intro or denial of an alternative cause
B) Chronology: causes MUST precede effects
C) Third common cause: Maybe there is a third cause that is causing both 1 and 2 and both effects are the effects of a 3rd common cause
D) Data Sets: Look for competing or corroborating data sets.
Sorry about that guys! Kind of long but I didn't even realize I had forgot to add it in!
G
I think this is a great discussion. Technically I am already doing my Plan B. I am a Registered Nurse and after 6 years of high intensity, high acuity intensive care at a level 1 trauma/transplant centre I am wanting to obtain my JD to become involved in health law.
I think sometimes having a plan B can actually enlighten you to what type of law you want to practice... As in my case, I knew I didn't want to be an RN forever but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. Now, I am very interested in Health Law and have experience in a related field.
I'm sure whatever you choose you will do well!
Cheers!
I am putting together my law school application and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good quality CV editor. I have a great deal of professional experience as well as extracurricular activities and I just want it to be streamlined for a law application.
Any recommendations would be fantastic!
Thanks!
LR Question Types:
1. Main Point/Main Conclusion Questions
- The most fundamental skill on the LSAT. Take a label and slap it on the sentence that you think is the main point
2. Most Strongly Supported Questions
- They are similar to MP/MC questions in that you must locate the conclusion then find the answer choice that provides support
- The “fine” difference is that in MP/MC questions the conclusion is in the stimulus and you just need to identify it and in MSS questions the conclusion is removed from the stimulus and placed into the answer choices.
- If you properly understand support then you will be able to identify the displaced conclusion among the answer choices
3. Assumption and Weakening Questions
- Assumptions are the weakness of the argument; they are premises that the author has left out.
- Assumptions are subtle: they are hard to detect but you must be sensitive to them as assumptions determine the strength of the argument
- When looking at the answer choices consider answer choices that support the conclusion
o ** Note, arguments are good and bad. An argument is considered “good” insofar as the premise support the conclusion
- The more assumptions the argument makes, the weaker the argument
- How to weaken an argument?
o It is very abstract and subtle
o You must remove the support
• What support? The support the premise provide to the conclusion
- Weakening questions test you on:
o YOU DO NOT ATTACK OR CONTRADICT a PREMISE, EVER
o YOU DO NOT CONTRADICT OR DENY a CONCLUSION, EVER
• An answer choice will strip the existing premise of its strength.
• A correct answer choice will show, despite the premise being true, with the consideration of the additional premise (correct answer choice) the existing premise(s) are now, way less supportive
- Ask yourself?
o Why is it, that despite the fact the I accept the premises I no longer accept the conclusion
• The correct answer choice will give you a reason
4. Causation and Phenomenon Hypothesis Questions
- Causation Theory:
5. Strengthening Questions
- The answer choice you choose will introduce a new idea that increases the support from the existing premises to the conclusion
- You are tasked with exposing and affirming and assumptions made by the author
- You make the premise(s) more supportive of the conclusion
6. Sufficient Assumption Questions
- You are looking for the answer choice that provides the stimulus with the missing information that will help the argument to reach the holy grail status of validity
- Your goal is to bridge the gap between the premise
- Ex.
o Here is my premise A and here is my conclusion B, you must provide the “if then”; If A, then B. With this additional premise you have a VALID (MBT) argument.
- These question types rely heavily on conditional logic and diagramming/mapping
o If you understand validity, sufficiency and necessity relationships these questions should be “gimmies” on the LSAT
7. Pseudo-sufficient Assumption Questions:
- Very similar to sufficient assumption questions in that they rely heavily on logic. The difference is, they LSAT writers are leaving a small window that says the answer choice may not make the argument valid but it is ALMOST valid.
8. Must Be True Questions
- Validity is the strongest most special relationship between premises and the conclusion, it is an argument which makes zero assumptions so therefore, it is valid.
- The definition of a valid argument: If the premises are true, then the conclusion must also be true. So choose the answer choice that considering the info provided, MBT
9. Must Be false Questions
- Rare on the LSAT, are the opposite of must be true.
- The Stimulus will provide you with a set of outlines/rules etc and then give you answer choices
- One of the answer choices will violate the outlined “rules” there for making it a must be false/cannot be true
10. Argument Part Questions
- The question stem will directly quote a section of the passage and ask you to identify what role that section plays in the stimulus.
- The role can be many things: Main conclusion, major premise, sub conclusion, context etc.
11. Method of Reasoning Questions
- This is a descriptive level question. You are being asked how the argument proceeds
- Method of reasoning questions will have repeat cookie cutter answer choices used over and over.
- These questions are key to dissection of the LSAT.
- You will see a large amount of referential phrases and abstract language
12. Principle Questions
- They are SA questions in reverse. You are provided with an argument with a gaping whole in them, but if you take the principle supplied in the stimulus and insert it you will have a valid argument
13. Parallel Method of Reasoning Questions
- Identify the method of reasoning used in the stimulus and then find the answer choice that parallels it
14. Flaw Descriptive Weakening Questions
- You are being asked to engage with the question and describe where the question is weak
- You don’t point directly out the flaw, you say the argument fails to do something, fails to account for something
- Can be considered a weakening question and you will likely be successful
- The wrong answer choices will be correct for other questions, make sure you understand what each answer choice is saying.
15. Parallel Flaw Questions
- Identify how the argument in the stimulus is flawed and then read the answer choices to find a similar flaw
16. Necessary Assumption Questions
- A valid argument encompasses every single NA you can think of. A necessary assumption does very little to help the argument, but without it—the argument falls apart
o If you say you are the best surfer in the whole wide world and it is phrased in a way that is valid, all NA included are: you are alive, you know the difference between surfing and hockey.
o If you deny any of the NA then you demolish the argument
17. Resolve-Reconcile-Explain Questions
- They give a set of statements that appear contradictory of one another. You are asked to use the 5 answer choices to show or provide a reason why they facts are not actually at odds
- It is an alternative explanation for why the contradiction is simply an appearance of a contradiction. You are granted some “wiggle room” to resolve and reconcile and explain the phenomenon you are presented with
18. Point at Issue/Disagree Questions
- It is almost always a dual speaker stimulus
- You are tasked with determining what the speakers agree or disagree on
- It is important to note that if a speaker has no opinion on it than you cannot say that they agree or disagree
Maybe not what you were looking for... but this is the sheet I made :)
-G
Mike Kim The LSAT Trainer... Excellent book, recommended by JY (in a previous post) and the book even gives a shout out to 7Sage. It has an excellent section on reading comp. I read it and applied it and have went from -6 to avg -1. It helps you prioritize "how you read" and it helps speed you up, at least in my case.
Grame Blackley is also a choice, I have read lots of positives but I have no 1st hand experience with his info.
Answers are definitely going to vary...
I think all tests are relevant... some are just "more relevant".
I personally started with the oldest I had access to (PT 36) and worked my way forward. I wanted to ensure I had solidified my basics before "ruining" newer test(as @ mentioned). I think it is best to leave the newer tests for closer to when your write. I feel the overall test hasn't changed but specific nuances have, ex: comparative reading passages in newer tests, necessity of reading both speakers in LR stimulus (in newer tests), more intricate grammar in newer tests and possibly a shift in games from "easier" to "medium-medium/hard."
This is just my opinion, but if you intend to get the most out of prep testing don't just generate semi random 3 digits numbers (as in, don't just write a test to see what you score) write the tests with a focus on timing and elements you don't know, then blind review like it is your job, create a concrete foundation and then move to the next test.
Good luck!
-G
So, it is a weaken EXCEPT. The conclusion is that prolonged exposure to sulphur fumes permanently damages one's sense of smell, they support it with that 10% of factory workers could identify the scent compared to 50% of the control group.
A) Correct. This answer choice does not weaken the argument at all because it provides no point of difference between the Sulphur group and the control group. The degree of "error" provided by the imperfect chemical composition is equal to both groups. You would have to say that the actual smells as they exist in nature are given to the control group and the chemically produced imperfect smells were provided to the factory workers for this choice to weaken the argument.
B) Incorrect. This answer choices weakens the question because it points out a flaw in the method, they lacked environmental control. So if you were standing next to a vent blowing fumes and I asked you to sniff the smelly marker and tell me what it smelled like you are likely being negatively influenced by the vent blowing smells at you.
C) Incorrect. This weakens the argument because we can assume the results are skewed because the control group are professional smellers (okay.. I made that word up) or at the very least they have practiced this skill.
D) Incorrect. This answer choices weakens the argument because it again shows a flaw in methodology. The "other noxious fumes" could in fact be the culprit for sensory loss not the sulphur.
E) Incorrect. This answer choice weakens the argument because perhaps they conducted the study in Cuba where trade embargo has limited the factory working population to smells available only in the US and then an American researcher brought those scents to Cuba (super sneakily and via a non direct flight) and asked the workers to identify them (they are now at an inherit disadvantage because they have never been exposed to these smells before so have no point of reference) and then we can say the control group are US citizens who are commonly exposed to the smells.
** And I lack creativity so the trade embargo is all I could come up with for why you have never smelled something..
I guess yeah... sorry. And McGill doesn't require on at all so it is another exception.
-G
Amazing. Seriously amazing.
Personally... I am keeping the forestry industry in business. But I do recycle :)
I prefer paper for 2 reasons:
1. Authenticity to test day. Flip the pages, have the material in front of you, no scrap paper, no extra room and the circling for the effectiveness of my blind review
2. I like crossing off, taking notes and margin writing.
I think paper is a better bet, but if you feel that it won't hinder you on test day and don't mind staring at your iPad, then I can't see why it is a terrible idea.
Most school websites tell you directly. It says on their admission pages that Feb LSAT sitting usually requires a more competitive application due to rolling admissions.
If you are applying to Canadian schools, December is the last accepted writing and for the US, they will accept February but they make sure to note that because your application will not be "complete" until Mid-march (once the scores are released) you would need a more competitive application because you will be applying for less seats.
Rolling admission dictates that the closer to the deadline for application closes, the less seats available.
"Want to make more money than your neighbours"--
Passage A: The author of passage A implies that it is misguided to make more money than your neighbour because as we make more money our "standards" or the "norm"increases and we are basically chasing an unattainable state of happiness because we will never be happy for long. So the quest to make more than your neighbour is MISGUIDED.
Passage B: The author says that it is the "success not the money per se that provides us with the happiness. We use material wealth to show not just that we are prosperous, but we are prosperous because we create value." The next paragraph implies that the desire to create value is not an "ignoble" characteristic but in fact an ADMIRABLE (totally implied) because the desire to create value benefits society as a whole.
Does that makes sense? This is how I read the authors opinions.
Stimulus Re-Written:
Premise: There are already more great artworks in the world than any human being could appreciate in a lifetime, works capable of satisfying virtually any taste imaginable.
Premise: All contemporary artists believe that that their works enable many people to feel more aesthetically fulfilled then they otherwise could.
Conclusion: Contemporary artists are mistaken.
A) Incorrect. We can’t negate a premise. It says ALL contemporary artists believe it.
B) Incorrect. We aren’t concerned with whether or not people actually take the time to appreciate art, as we care about is if they do take the time if they are aesthetically fulfilled with or without the contemporary art.
C) Incorrect. The argument doesn’t presume this. It tells us that there is inherent aesthetic value.
D) Correct. The argument overlooks that the mere presence of great artwork in the world means everyone has the access to it. It overlooks the possibility that even one contemporary artist has created a piece that has created an aesthetic fulfillment that would otherwise not be possible because the person did not have access to other art.
E) Incorrect. “Amount of aesthetic fulfillment” the amount of fulfillment is not in question, the amount of works in the world being enough to give everyone fulfillment is. And he provided justification for the statement “ that the number and variety of great artworks already in the world affects the amount of fulfillment derivable from any contemporary artwork.”
This is how I understood it.. hope this helps.
-G