It just dawned on me... was there even a substitution equivalence question? I can't seem to remember if there was. Maybe it was just the anxiety that clouded my memory.
I ran out of time for one question on the first LR section @ because despite warming up, I think nerves got me. Thank you for your suggestions.
@ I'm speechless. I re-did the sections today under proper conditions and made significantly less errors than I had the day of the test.There were a bunch of really silly mistakes I made on NA questions. I am suspecting the pressure forced me to misread in some way. If I usually have a pre-phrased answer (as was the case today), I specifically remember being blindsided on the test and being unable to come up with a single possibility. I know I went wrong by diving in head first out of fear for wasting time during the test. Thing is, I am really good about writing my PT's in test-style conditions and I wasn't overly anxious on test day either.
Hey everyone!
Decided to write in February again. Thought I was doing well with the BR method prior to writing in September. Managed to get down to about -4/5 per LR section (which is okay for my goal score) however I ended up losing several more points per LR section than expected on PT79.
Was hoping to get input on additional prep materials for this section? (I will continue to use the BR method in the meantime).
The LSAT gave me yet another reason to hate computer viruses... as if I needed another one.
Hi Everyone!
I've been doing a lot of work recently with memorizing valid inferences that can be made from conditional and inter-sectional statements. I find that when I have a few extra minutes during blind review, I have no issue drawing the correct inferences. Unfortunately, during my practice tests I am unable to do the same. Guessing this means I need more timed practice. I was wondering if anyone had gathered a practice set of questions similar to PT 43, Section 3, Question 9, beginning "Most lecturers"? I've noticed mapping isn't strictly limited to most strongly supported questions/inference questions. Perhaps there is a filter I didn't know about in the question bank that would help me isolate more questions like these (specifically ones that incorporate diagramming).
Would greatly appreciate any/all advice or help.
Hi everyone,
In the process of trying to create a summary of invalid vs. valid argument forms, I stumbled across a form that I noticed hadn't been identified as valid or invalid in the curriculum.
A ---> B
B --m-> C
---
A --s-> C
List method:
ABC
ABC
ABC
AB
AB
I know that if I were to conclude that A -m-> C it would be considered invalid (this is invalid argument form 4). I tried using the list method to check whether the "some" conclusion could be drawn and it seems valid but I'm starting to doubt I did it correctly. The closest we have in the curriculum is valid argument form #5: A--m-->B-->C. Would greatly appreciate any help in clearing this up. Don't have any background in lawgic beyond 7sage so this section of the lessons seems to be giving me the most trouble.
The September test is fast-approaching. I've been getting mixed messages online with regards to prep in the last two weeks before the exam. I had a couple questions that I thought I'd put up for discussion. I realize a lot of this might be up to personal preference but wanted to see what you guys would have to say.
1) Do you write any *new* PT's in the final week?
2) If yes, is it really worthwhile to write the most recently published one. (I.e. PT 78 before September 2016 exam?) Wouldn't this limit your chances of reviewing and possibly affect your confidence if you write poorly considering it's most likely to reflect what the actual test would look like?
3) Assuming you are in a position to clear your schedule the week before the test, would it be better to do light review (i.e. drills and timed sections) or try to take time off of the lsat and relax (seeing as how I find frequently mentioned - you are unable to change little if anything in the last week anyways)
Perhaps it's some kind of quasi-Stockholm syndrome situation, but I'm actually feeling kind of excited about tomorrow! Wishing everyone writing tomorrow the very best of luck!
Hi guys,
Was hoping to get some feedback on effective ways to get into the right frame of mind prior to attempting PT's. I wrote PT 37 and scored 10 points below what I usually average. This was quite a huge hit to the confidence. That being said, I woke up early, had breakfast, and just jumped into the test cold. I can't say I ever had a "warm-up" prior to my other PT's, but I did write them later on in the day and found it easier to get into the tests. What are your Pre-PT rituals? I'd love some advice on this.
@ The LSAT tests your perseverance, don't give up! It's possible. Spend lots of time getting to know the basic foundation and then drill, drill, drill. You will develop your own "style" (example: which questions to skip, when you fill in answers, how you diagram etc.) for the test with practice :)
Hi @.a,
It's better if you drill this so that you have a more intuitive understanding of what you're reading. It is relative to the individual and their familiarity with difficult reading. For instance, if you do find that you're struggling to understand more verbose or complex passages it can come in handy to break them down. That being said, when you're under the pressure of a time limit you have to ask yourself whether or not your time would best be spent on parsing the grammar. Hope that helps.
@ Really appreciate you taking the time to explain that. Shifted my thinking entirely. I think I'll be trying this out on the harder questions - going at it by asking what assumptions I have to create to make the answer choice work (assuming I hopefully have the time) and seeing which assumption is the weakest. There's something more liberating about knowing it's not flawless. Many thanks.
Hi all,
Find that I'm having a very difficult time coming to terms with the right answer choice for this question. I find that B makes too large of an assumption (in assuming that the tools didn't come to the possession of prehistoric ancestors who did not stand upright by some other means) to be effective in weakening the argument. I've tried to see the fault in the other answer choices so that I could at least learn to get to the answer by process of elimination and find myself stuck on D. I've watched the video with J.Y.'s explanation, and I don't know if I'm misreading the way that answer choice is framed, but to me "first" doesn't imply they had JUST stood up. I read it as they were the first individuals who managed to do it. Been stuck on this question for a couple days now. I would love to have a discussion about this question with you guys to see it from a different perspective. I can't help but see D as a more effective answer choice than B, and I know there is no point in arguing with the test.
https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-49-section-2-question-14/
Thank you @. I understand, just feels like too big of an assumption to comfortably accept C.
You're welcome @. Best of luck!
If I understand correctly, you mean you've been having trouble with strengthening questions in LR?
It's somewhat a two part process. You have to find possible assumptions, yes, but you also have to ensure those assumptions cannot be made by blocking them with an answer choice and hence strengthening the relationship between premise and conclusion.
If you mean sufficient assumptions alone, they generally look like:
A
___
B
To bridge them, you simply have to show that A (fill it in with existing premise) can lead to B (fill it in with existing conclusion). Quite literally A ->B. Pay attention to any mismatch between terms in premise and conclusion - they are sometimes filled in by a sufficient assumption.
I hope I answered your question? Please let me know if I misunderstood it.
I think it's important to step back and analyze which games scare you and try to sort them into a general category. For me, it was in-out games. The second I processed that two group grouping games were in-out games, I felt more confident in recognizing them later on. It's important to be able to recognize how the test makers can disguise a "game type" you know and are very familiar with. If you are like me, it's generally the anxiety alone of not being able to recognize the game type because of some minor detail that gets you. Be flexible, they are lately really loving their hybrid games. Also, if there is an acceptability question - glance there for a quick hint as to how the set up may look (even if it's a partial). This doesn't always work, but has helped me in the past.
Also,
I would really recommend exhausting a game of all possible solutions. What I mean by that, is that there are generally different approaches to solving a game. I.e. splitting game boards, brute force, solving for all possibilities etc. Try to focus on the games that really got you. Solve them in every way possible. It'll help you see the inner workings of the game and then give you a better idea why the testmakers had to ask the questions they did - if that makes sense.
https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-71-section-1-question-20/
In theory, I understand why A, B, D, and E are incorrect answers.
However, C is a challenge for me to accept. Just because there are other products that constitute the full income of a sheep farmer both locally and internationally, it's not like we know how much of their prior business depended on sales in those areas.
For example,
Income:
2% domestically and internationally - muttton
2% domestically and internationally - sheepskins
2% domestically and internationally - "other products"
4% domestic - wool sales
90% internationally - wool sales
I'm no expert in sales, but hypothetically wouldn't an increase in the biggest portion of your income cover and possibly still leave you with profit in the event that the lowest portions of your income decreased? I would love for someone to point out what I'm not seeing.
Thank you for all help!
I would only add that it also depends largely on how much you trust your boards. In the past I have made errors during the set-up stage where I forgot to take into account an additional board. However, reading through all possible answers (specifically during CBT/MBF) made me realize I missed a variation and allowed me to quickly ammend.
@ It took me 9 months of arduous studying to birth this LSAT score. I am in labor.
Right there with you. No epidural either.
@.rizeq Nah, nothing will be investigated.
This is what happens when pre-score release anxiety kicks in. You have time to come up with all kinds of crazy scenarios. Good to know, thanks.
So just a hypothetical here, assuming your score is so high in comparison to your last score (wishful thinking) that it needs to be investigated... would your score be withheld? Has anyone had this happen to them?
What are the chances of it still being today? Is there a consistent "start" time they've released scores at in the past?
@ Surprisingly my score went up on this PT although I did unusually worse on the RC section. Might be nerves?
This question considers the idea of being more alert to a problem and thus being more likely to recognize it when it is prevalent. I'd actually recommend re-visiting PT 23, Section 2, Question 16. It hinges on a similar idea. I remember using POE to eliminate answer choices C, D, and E immediately. C and D felt fairly easy to eliminate and E weakened.
When left to answer choices A and B it's important to remember that a necessary assumption has to be accepted exactly as worded. I remember looking at A and toyed with replacing "soon" with "in the next decade". It immediately lost its appeal and I selected B. A quick negation test on B and I felt more secure in that answer. With harder questions, I've realized your best friend really is POE and you should trust the process.
Hi everyone,
Was hoping to get some advice. I'm planning on writing the LSAT in September. I wanted to register today and starting getting second thoughts. I am currently scoring in the low 160 range. I think if I scored a 160, I could potentially get into the school I wanted here in Canada. That being said, I've seen a lot of mentions of the "test day penalty", and I don't want to risk that 160 going down due to test day nerves. I decided the best way to avoid that would be to try to consistently break the 165 barrier.
I am currently writing about 2-3 prep-tests a week and spending a fair amount of time on blind review. I guess my question is, what are the odds that I'm able to bring my score up by 5+ points by September? And does anyone have any suggestions for what I should be spending my time on?
My best section is logic games where I usually average -2, Reading Comprehension I'm not too worried about, and Logical Reasoning is definitely my worst; specifically necessary & sufficient assumptions according to analytics.
Would really appreciate any personal experience stories and advice.
I believe the deadline is October 18th.
@ thank you for the suggestion. I'll try that out and see if I can make something work.
@ thank you so much for the input. Depending on my pending score from the September LSAT I'll (hopefully) be applying with a more competitive score. Planning on writing in December as well just in case. My character sketch has also been updated.
I'm applying this year in Canada to a specific law school I've applied to before. I have a bit of a dilemma. I still feel the answers I provided in part A and B of my personal statement before accurately and best reflect me now. However, I'm worried by submitting a next to identical statement it looks lazy on my part. If I re-wrote, it would feel forced and less genuine in a way. Anyone been in this situation too? What would you recommend I do?
@ thanks for confirming
Make sure to bubble carefully. So many crazy stories on reddit about bubbling mishaps. Very depressing. All that time and effort studying only to slip up by shifting all of your answers down by one line.
To relieve some Pre-September test tension and anxiety, I thought it might be fun to predict what we think some of the topics may be for Reading Comprehension. It'd be fun to go back after and see if anyone actually got it right.
I'm going to go ahead and suggest "human population/migration patterns" as a potential topic.
http://imgur.com/0Deu3ev
"Twas the night before the Lsat".
But seriously, I felt the same way. Wrote the September test with maybe a couple hours sleep at best. Thank you to everyone for all the valuable advice.
@ I knew it. I thought I was going crazy. Had 3 LR's sadly. Would've loved an experimental LG @