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ri264

Joined: Apr 2025
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General · LSAT Trainer 2015 Edition Changes?

ri264

Thursday, Aug 20 2015

The Trainer Twitter account said there's no need to replace your old editions: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLSATTrainer/status/589214575188316160

LSAT · Favorite Logical Reasoning Resources?

ri264

Monday, Aug 17 2015

I found it really helpful to read the LR explanations on lsathacks.com

General · Confused about test day

ri264

Sunday, Aug 16 2015

My proctor said we couldn't bubble in answers for a previous section. To be safe, I would bubble in guesses right before time is called.

LSAC website: Blackening of answer spaces on your answer sheet must be done before time is called for any given section.

General · Confused about test day

ri264

Saturday, Aug 15 2015

There is no pause between sections. As soon as one ends, the proctor reads the instructions for the next one and starts the clock again.

General · What do you use to time yourself on test day?

ri264

Saturday, Aug 15 2015

I used a regular Casio watch that I bought off Amazon. I reset it to 12:00 at the beginning of each section and the break.

General · RC - Combining methods from 7Sage & The Trainer

ri264

Saturday, Aug 15 2015

Hey I like what you did with your username! Haha.

For RC, I started with the Trainer. I absolutely recommend it if RC isn't clicking yet. It was the toughest section for me, so I supplemented it with 7Sage (really liked Story of Science, never used the Memory Method) and Manhattan RC (just a quick read through of their techniques, never did their drills).

I probably could have used the Trainer alone and been fine. I liked how it emphasizes reading for structure and categorizes question types.

Oh and don't worry too much about confusing yourself with too many different prep resources, if that's what you were getting at. You can always throw out something that's not working for you.

General · 5-Section and 6-Section PTs necessary?

ri264

Saturday, Aug 15 2015

I did only 5-section tests as well. Those were the only scores I considered part of my PT average, bc they were an exact reflection of test day.

One thing I practiced for was getting my worst section (RC) back to back, right when my brain started to get tired (which it did at the third and fifth sections).

And I would make a different section of an older PT the experimental in four PTs in a row. Then I would score all four experimentals as an entire PT. That way I didn't slack on the experimental (can't slack on the experimental on test day bc you won't know what it is).

General · MBTI Type

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

@ haha (not) unfortunately I'm a girl. And the search continues...

General · Help. Me.

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

@ No there isn't! Haha and that was why it was so bad for me to waste time thinking about it. There are a few different "test forms" given out on a given test day. The test forms have different experimental sections and in different orders. For example my test form was LG LR LG RC LR with the first LG as the experimental. But other people taking the same test might have had a test form that went LR RC RC LR LG with one of the RCs as the experimental.

Best not to think about it. Just give every section your best effort.

LSAT · General Logical Indicator Question

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

On my first pass through an LR section, I only diagrammed when the question looked very useful to diagram... That's something you'll get a feel for. I wouldn't have diagrammed the particular question you highlighted because it only asks for the role of an argument part. An example of a helpful-to-diagram question that I remember for some reason is PT40 S1 Q24 about flowers.

On my second pass through an LR section to review questions I wasn't sure about, I would sometimes diagram them to illuminate relationships between premises and conclusions. But it would have been a time-suck to diagram them on the first pass.

General · Help. Me.

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

I'll echo @ about taking care not to hype up test day too much.

You have taken standardized tests, and you have taken a timed LSAT in a public setting, so you do know what the real thing is like. And I think people underestimate their *reaction* to the pressure, not the actual conditions. Maybe that distinction doesn't mean much to you, but it helps to think of your test day experience as something you can control. Be as prepared as you can be and take it seriously... but don't let it own you. Because you are going to own it.

I will add that one unexpected (I should have expected it) difference between PTing and the real thing was taking the LSAT around other people taking the LSAT. A week out from the test, I took a free proctored test at a local prep company. I was thrown off because I would be distracted when I noticed people flipping pages really fast, or being at the end of a section when I was still in the middle, or being on a completely different section. I'd be like, "Am I on the wrong section?! Am I behind time?! What is my experimental?!" But I realized I had to totally ignore what everyone else was doing, and I did that on test day.

If you're planning for December, you have plenty of time to get really good at this test and own it on test day.

General · MBTI Type

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

INFJ, last time I checked.

@.hopkins I'm pretty pleased to be the same type as Daenerys Targaryen; thank you for making my day.

General · Help. Me.

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 12 2015

Welcome! If this were a text, I would send the one-humped and two-humped camel emojis.

PTing around 170 usually involves (1) finishing most sections with at least a few minutes left and (2) flying through most questions with near certainty that you got them right. Going back to the basics could help with both those things. You might find a new way of thinking about a section or question type that clicks.

I don't know where your problems are exactly -- you would take a different strategy if your problem was not finishing the sections, for example, as opposed to finishing but getting a lot of questions wrong.

Generally, here's what helped me in the last couple months of my prep. I did a lot of timed sections, usually one LR, one RC, and one LG via foolproof method every day. I kept a log of every question I got wrong, including an explanation of why I got it wrong and why the right answer was right. Seeing the patterns in that log helped me figure out where my problems were. I also watched all the course videos that covered fundamentals. They kind of tell you different things once you've been PTing for a while. Finally, I know I'm in the minority here, but I didn't BR. I am not saying you should stop doing this! Personally, I found that it took up a lot of time and energy that I instead used to work on my weaknesses. Plus not BRing kind of gave me confidence in my intuition, in a way, which gave me the confidence to speed past questions I was good at and get to questions that I needed more time on.

Just putting all this out there. Take what you want :)

General · Goodbye

ri264

Tuesday, Aug 11 2015

Lol this is kinda mean. Part of me wanted to be happy for this person too.

General · Recommendations for mental warm-up on test day?

ri264

Thursday, Sep 10 2015

I would recommend a warm-up that gets you ready and pumped to take the test. Ready, as in switching your brain on to critical reading/thinking mode, and pumped, as in feeling great about your abilities.

For me, that meant doing a favorite LG section, a favorite RC passage, and the first 10 questions of an LR section.

I spent the rest of the morning before the test getting my head in the game -- eating well and thinking positive thoughts. I went into the test with a better mindset than I'd ever had before a PT.

General · More time

ri264

Monday, Aug 10 2015

I think delaying makes sense for some people, and refusing to delay makes sense for other people. Only you know what makes sense for your life.

General · Do you snack during the 15 mins break?

ri264

Sunday, Aug 09 2015

@ lol that reminds me of this suggestion from Blueprint:

"A raw egg. Just imagine the looks on your fellow LSAT test-takers’ faces as you crack one against the water fountain and slurp it down. Plus, it’s rich in protein."

LSAT · Who's coming with me?

ri264

Saturday, Aug 08 2015

Your PT consistency is great! Just goes to show that all questions in all sections are worth the same, and when one section is a little bumpy, all is not lost. Studying for this crazy test comes with a lot of ups and downs, but they're all part of the process.

General · Do you snack during the 15 mins break?

ri264

Saturday, Aug 08 2015

On test day I had a ziplock bag with almonds, M&Ms, and cough drops bc I had a cold haha. Also nibbled on a Clif bar and sipped Vitamin Water to get an energy boost.

LSAT · Who's coming with me?

ri264

Friday, Aug 07 2015

@ I've concluded that on test day: If logic games go smoothly ----> my test will go smoothly.

I know you didn't ask for my advice, so take this or leave it... but don't get too hung up on LG determining the whole experience. Though I was counting on going -0 on LG, it ended up being my worst section on the June test. Both the first and last games threw me for a loop. It was exactly that nightmare scenario where you start to feel yourself losing your grip on the section. But the entire rest of the test went smoothly and I ended up making up for the bad LGs on the other sections. But anyway, good luck in these final weeks. :)

General · What are your career goals?

ri264

Friday, Aug 07 2015

I'm not sure! I hope to have a better idea by the time I'm done!

In my fantasy, I am in-house counsel at a fun and socially responsible company that gives me great benefits and a flexible schedule. On the side, I represent children and single parents in custody disputes.

I studied environmental, communication, and criminal law in undergrad but I'm not committed to any one of those.

General · LSAT Superprep for LR and RC training

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 05 2015

@ Honestly you're better off buying all the 1-35 LGs and then just using the free videos here on 7Sage to master LG.

Very excellent point. I used the Powerscore Bible at first and some of their notations are like "wtf this is a big waste of pencil strokes and brain power." When I finally felt comfortable with LG, it was because I picked up JY's style from the videos.

General · LSAT Superprep for LR and RC training

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 05 2015

I didn't find the Superprep book particularly helpful. I think 7Sage and other solid prep sources (I recommend lsathacks.com) have just as good an understanding of LSAC's logic as LSAC does, but a better way of explaining it. For drilling I would echo that you should just get a bunch of tests and do sections.

If you're looking to deepen your understanding of LR and RC too, I would recommend the LSAT Trainer. It has some exercises that hone in on fundamentals.

General · PT62.S4.Q08 & 10 - storytelling / europa, a moon of jupiter

ri264

Wednesday, Aug 05 2015

Question 8: I see what you're saying about C seeming overreaching, but this is only a MSS question. The answer doesn't have to be airtight. C concludes something about all of the world's cultures based on an analysis of extremely different and separated cultures, making it the smallest leap in logic out of all the answer choices.

Question 10: I would rephrase the flaw here as the speaker assuming that water is *the only* necessary condition for life. The speaker says that (1) there is water and (2) water is necessary for life so (conclusion) there is life. B identifies the flaw as the speaker failing to consider that there are other necessary conditions for life, i.e., that water is not by itself a sufficient condition for life.

Hope that helps, but let me know if it doesn't and I'll try again.

General · The right answers

ri264

Tuesday, Aug 04 2015

I also had (but tried to get past) that "must get my money's worth" mentality. You'll get your money's worth when you get your great LSAT score. Whatever you need to do to get that, do it. If you're too rigid in how you use your resources, it might be to your detriment.

But to answer your question, no I didn't usually watch the explanations for questions I got right, only questions I truly didn't understand even after I found out I got them right.

General

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Monday, Aug 03 2015

ri264

"So You Want to Go to Law School"

So I was reading a blog post on personal statements by the Yale Dean of Admissions, and she linked to this video as a "law school reality check:"

I know we have all heard these critiques about going to law school before, but watching it in the context of what not to do in my personal statement made me second guess everything I was planning on writing.

I'm hoping to get thoughts from you guys (because posting this on TLS would likely make me cry) regarding the video. How have you convinced yourselves that you're not whom this video is making fun of, and how will you prove that to law schools in your applications?

Thank you and I apologize if this is old news.