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taschasp823

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LSAT · Need help identifying irrelevant content in SA/PSA questions

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 29 2020

For PT52S1Q17, before looking at the ACs, there's actually nothing in the stimulus that's irrelevant to the argument. It seems like the argument is saying that if you make decisions after cautiously waying evidence -- aka if you are prudent -- then you will be resented. And then it says that people want to be "instantly and intuitively liked", and from that it concludes that you shouldn't be prudent. If we assume that being resented implies not being instantly and intuitively liked, we could draw out the argument like this:

Prudent -> Resented

Resented -> /IILiked

People Want -> IILiked

Prudent -> Imprudent

In other words, linking the premises together, we have:

A -> B -> /C -> /D

A -> X

Most often, the answer will be /D -> X or /X -> D. This time, they went with B -> X. They just jumped over the first sentence and linked being resented directly to imprudence.

Sometimes, sufficient assumptions will do that, because it's logically valid, even though it makes part of the argument structure completely irrelevant. But there's no way to predict it. Just try to understand the entire argument and find the answer choice that makes it valid -- or, just as much, knock out the other four that don't!

General · Newcomer looking for advice. I want to reach a score of 175-180.

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 29 2020

Also, I err on the side of excessive optimism, and I'd be a hypocrite to dissuade anyone from aiming for 175+, so I won't do that--and I'm sure you've done your research into the odds of scoring that high--but just know, it's no easy feat.

Feel free to DM me if you have more specific questions for recommendations and guidance!

General · Newcomer looking for advice. I want to reach a score of 175-180.

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 29 2020

Hey @, have you taken a diagnostic? If not, you can take on on Khan Academy for free: https://www.khanacademy.org/prep/lsat/intro

That's a good first way to gauge how much work it's going to be to get to a 175-180. The best way to study depends a lot on both your diagnostic and your learning style. Are you more comfortable with self studying, or do you feel like you need something more hands-on (like a tutor or course)?

Either way, you'll want some way to cover the fundamentals (e.g. going through the CC on 7sage, using prep books, etc.), and then do lots of practice tests with solid review. In my own journey to score a 179, I found that the reviewing part was the most important. You can do loads of practice and it means very little if you don't challenge yourself to work through harder problems on your own and try your best to figure them out, and internalize lessons for future questions.

But, that's all a ways ahead. You should start with taking a diagnostic and figuring out what would be best for you to get through the fundamentals. I'm sure everyone on here will tell you that 7sage is a fantastic resource for that (it was for me when I was studying!), if you're willing to sign up for a subscription.

General · Is this achievable or am I insane?

taschasp823

Wednesday, May 27 2020

I agree with others that for the most part, you should focus on taking and reviewing PTs. But in terms of the CC, for each subject I'd just recommend watching the initial video plus a few example videos to see if there's anything new for you to learn.

E.g. for Parallel Method of Reasoning, watch the "How to Approach Parallel Method of Reasoning Questions" plus several of the first "PM Question" videos. Don't watch every single PM Question video, and don't do all the drills -- maybe skip to one of the middle problem sets if you want to practice them if you think the videos helped you consider a different way to approach the problems than you had before.

Granted, if you discover through that process that--let's say--you were doing sufficient assumption questions completely wrong and you need some more practice, then sure, you can always watch more videos and do more drills (i.e. do more of the CC).

General · Average Score on 7sage

taschasp823

Thursday, May 21 2020

@ said:

I am asking because even on the lowest difficulty questions where 96%+ people get them correct, the average score for the answer choice is typically around 167.

@ said:

This kind of reads like an RRE question. I think I'm starting to get LSAT in the brain...

Well, let's see if we can resolve the apparent discrepancy.

If you look at the June 2007 LSAT, the average scores are in the lower 150s, which makes sense since most people take it as a diagnostic.

On the other extreme, if you look at PTs like the LSAT C2, you find the very high average scores that you're talking about.

I looked at a bunch of random PTs, though, and for most of them--the ones people typically take throughout a regular course of LSAT studying--the average scores for correct ACs tend to hover around the lower 160s. So I'm inclined to think that the average scores for ACs on a given PT depend a bit on how often people take that PT early in their studying v.s. later in their studying v.s. never unless they're someone who takes virtually every PT. And the sample you used was therefore probably unrepresentative of typical PT scores :wink:

Also, we've been saying "average score" but, though I'm not positive, I think they're more likely to be median scores, since the median would be a more useful metric.

Anyway, that would make me guess that the median score is probably somewhere around 159-162, but either way definitely lower than 165. We should have a guessing contest!

Admissions · 3.96 vs 4.0

taschasp823

Tuesday, Apr 21 2020

I doubt it'd be a determining factor. Kind of like differentiating between a 177 and a 178 on the LSAT.

Admissions

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Friday, Sep 20 2019

taschasp823

Selecting Letters of Recommendation (academic v.s. professional)

Here's my dilemma. Most schools I'm applying to allow for a maximum of 4 letters of recommendation, but I have 6 and don't know which to select.

I am 1 year out of undergrad (i.e. will be 2 years out going into law school) and majored in History. I have FOUR history professors who have told me they will write me letters and who I know will write exceptionally strong letters for me (of the "one of my best students" kind). I also have a music theory professor who would write me a fantastic letter, which would be from a different perspective (though music, while a deep passion of mine, isn't directly related to my pursuing law). But since my post-college work experience is definitely relevant to my decision to go to law school, I also asked my former work supervisor to write me a letter. I'm fairly confident his letter would be positive, but if my professors' letters were 10s, I'm guessing his would probably be a 7 or an 8.

Just weighing them individually, I would definitely prioritize the ones from my history professors, but as a whole package I don't know if it would be better to mix things up a little. Thanks for reading this and I would really appreciate any thoughts/suggestions :)

LSAT · How do I improve on Sufficient Assumption and Must Be True questions?

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

Yay! I guess this is what the forum is for :smiley:

LSAT · How do I improve on Sufficient Assumption and Must Be True questions?

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

Yes! You are given scrap paper that you can use for the entire test.

LSAT · How do I improve on Sufficient Assumption and Must Be True questions?

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

@ said:

Problem is on the actual LSAT I can't write down anything.

What do you mean? Why not? Writing a few things down on a difficult SA or MBT question isn't a bad idea.

LSAT · Marking Up Reading Comprehension Passages

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

When I was studying for the LSAT, the most impactful singular change that I made to my test-taking habits was ceasing to do any markups in RC. No highlighting, no notes, nothing. Just read and think.

At first, it sounded kind of crazy to me. I'm so used to taking notes and highlighting when I read, because I go back to those notes days later and want cues to remind me of what I read without having to re-read an entire book again. But the LSAT doesn't care if you remember the passage a week later. It cares if you remember the passage 3 minutes later.

For short term memory, I really find that marking and highlighting is an utter waste of time. Instead of highlighting a sentence you think is important, connect it to the rest of the passage in your head, ask yourself why its important, ask what the author thinks about it, ask what it reminds you of in your life... do something that can help you connect the sentence within a web of ideas in your mind and thus make you more likely to recall it later, rather than highlighting it. You'll save time and have better retention.

A small caveat -- I think taking notes via the memory method is useful as "training wheels" in studying, but you eventually want to throw those wheels out and just do the same thing in your head.

LSAT · How do I improve on Sufficient Assumption and Must Be True questions?

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

Have you tried diagramming the questions out? Are you able to get them right if you diagram them?

LSAT · passage order

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

TL;DR: there is no universal strategy; for most people you should just go in order, but it depends on your specific circumstances.

If you are having trouble getting through all 4 passages, and you're choosing to only do 3 of them, then it's a valid question and I think you should choose either based on topic (e.g. skip the science passage if that's not your cup of tea) or read a few sentences and skip the one that makes you go the most "uggggghh". Also, whatever you skip should ideally be one with less rather than more questions attached -- because you get more bang for your buck on passages with more questions.

But if you're getting through all four of the passages, which in the majority of cases is what you should be doing, then I would really say don't waste any time on the order. Instead, set limits for yourself on how long you should spend on each passage.

That being said, I actually sort of broke my own advice here, so I'll let you know what I did when I was studying in case it's helpful or it offers you some ideas for how you might actually want to choose the order of your passages in a strategic way. Keep in mind, I was going for -0/-1 in RC and science was usually the most challenging passage for me, so this strategy won't make sense for most people--if you do want to choose a specific order, it has to make sense for your circumstances.

Anyway, I realized when science passages were last or even second-last in order, I usually lacked adequate time to spend on them and they just took me more time to understand. So I started doing the science passage first: I'd just quickly flip through, find the science passage, and start with that. And I'd set a strict time of 11 minutes max to do it. 11 is much more than 1/4 of the time for the section, but I knew I needed it, and I'd bomb the science section if I didn't have enough time (while I could feasibly do other sections in a bit less time). Then for the other sections, I'd max out at 9min but ideally spend less than that depending on the difficulty of the passage and number of questions. Ideally, I'd spend 10 min on science, 8.5 minutes on a hard non-science passage, and 7 minutes on the two easier passages, with another 2.5 minutes to go back and check answers (which I think is roughly how much time I spent on test day).

Now, the caveats for why it wouldn't be a good idea to use this strategy, even if you also struggle with science passages: the only reason it made sense for me to do science first was because I wanted to make sure I had enough time for it, and if I left it for last, I wouldn't know how much time it would be worth it to spend on the other passages. If I was scoring significantly lower in RC, I would have probably done the opposite strategy--save science for last knowing that I'd get the least bang for my buck given it would take me longer to get through the passage and questions.

General · Lsat score

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

Totally normal, especially if you weren't feeling 100%. I remember in my studies, I once dropped by 10 points! Just be glad it's happening on a PT and not on the actual thing. See what lessons you can draw away about what you need to try to line up so you do feel 100% on test day (to the extent possible, obviously... some things are out of your control and you just gotta hope for the best and do your best with whatever happens)

General · Timing: How long did it take you?

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 19 2020

I definitely struggled with timing anxieties when studying for the LSAT and I know I wasn't alone and neither are you. I especially resonate with what you're describing--that really frustrating feeling of brain fog that kicks in with the anxiety, which makes it hard to focus and, as a result of realizing you can't focus, makes you more anxious, which makes it even harder to focus... it's an endless loop that can really destroy your game.

How many PTs does it take to get used to it? That depends a lot. And you probably won't suddenly feel 100% comfortable, and you might not ever even get to 100%--but surely, test after test, it'll start to feel more like a routine and your mind will feel increasingly at ease. That being said, if just the act of putting the timer on stresses you out (which is totally normal, it did the same to me), then you really want to try to recreate test-day conditions as much as you can later in your study. Normally, I'd recommend practicing in coffee shops or other public places with distractions, but that's obviously not possible with covid-19. But, if you live with friends or family, maybe you can take the test in the living room while they walk about and instruct them not to worry about distracting you (because you actually want them to). I had to practice under those kinds of conditions quite a few times until I really felt comfortable on the actual test and knew that I could get through it no matter how bad the anxiety got.

But no matter what, I can definitely say--four PTs is not enough. It'll take a lot more to get used to the timing. So, while it's good to stop and make sure you're doing things right, don't feel discouraged and just keep on going. Just make sure you blind review as effectively as possible and learn the most from each PT--and just be patient with yourself as you allow yourself to become more comfortable with taking the test under timed conditions.

That being said, there may be other things you can do to help, like meditation (see https://classic.7sage.com/lesson/winning-the-psychological-battle/). I always found meditation really helpful for me, but I also know it doesn't work for everyone. You know yourself better than anyone else, so whatever helps you with anxiety for other things (e.g. taking exams at school, etc.), try to apply those same strategies to the LSAT!

LSAT · Older RC passages

taschasp823

Sunday, May 17 2020

There's probably more variance in difficulty between individual passages on a given test, and between all the passages on two given consecutive PTs, than there are between older and newer PTs. So it's not an astronomical difference by any measure. But, overall, a lot of people find the older RC passages somewhat easier, and perhaps more importantly, they're just a bit different. You don't get the comparative passages, for one thing.

So, make sure you are planning your PT schedule in a way that you won't end up with a bunch of newer PTs you haven't touched and a ton of older ones you've done, because that wouldn't be very efficient--since comparatively, the newer ones have more value (as they'll be more similar to what you'll encounter on your actual test). But doing older ones still has a lot of value.

General · Question on Flaw Types

taschasp823

Sunday, May 17 2020

Take the usual invalid argument:

A->B

You can say this is invalid in two ways. One is to say you're confusing sufficiency for necessity -- in other words, you're reading "A -> B" as if it were "B -> A"

The other is to say that you're assuming that nothing other than A could ever imply B, in other words that A is the only possible trigger (or "solution") for B.

Think about something like this:

If Samantha leaves town, she will have to look for a dog sitter. Samantha is looking for a dog sitter, therefore she must be leaving town.

You could say it's confusing sufficiency for necessity. But you could also just say that the argument assumes that leaving town is the only reason Samantha would ever look for a dog sitter. If nothing else would ever trigger her looking for a dog sitter, then that'd actually be fine.

If you think about it, formally, this is actually how a phenomenon-hypothesis argument (formally, abductive reasoning) works. The phenomenon is that Samantha is looking for a dog sitter, and we're trying to figure out why. A good guess would be that she's leaving town. If we can exclude other possibilities, then we might think that's a pretty good hypothesis. But without considering other possibilities, if we just immediately assume that she's left town, then we are assuming that leaving town (a possible solution) is the only solution to the question of why she's looking for a dog sitter -- hence confusing a possible solution for being the only solution.

General · LSAT Flex - do we have to like clean our room and make sure theres literally nothing on the walls?

taschasp823

Sunday, May 17 2020

Test takers may not access briefcases, handbags, or backpacks of any kind. Hats or hoods, except religious apparel, may not be worn. Sunglasses may not be worn. Books, printed materials, and any notes written before the start of the test may not be used.

Other nonelectronic prohibited items can remain in the room, but they must be put away and not accessed or referenced during the test.

It sounds to me like books are OK if they're just sitting there, e.g. a bookshelf behind you somewhere or on the side of the room--they won't expect you to move the bookshelf away. Just make sure you meet the requirements for what's permitted on your desk:

Generally, your desktop must be clear of anything not test-related and should only have:

Five blank sheets of scratch paper

Valid ID

No. 2 or HB pencils

A highlighter

An eraser (no mechanical erasers or erasers with sleeves)

A pencil sharpener

Tissues

Beverage in plastic container or juice box (maximum size: 20 oz/591 ml). Aluminum cans are not permitted.

https://www.lsac.org/update-coronavirus-and-lsat/lsat-flex

General · Quick Question about Conditional Statements

taschasp823

Sunday, May 17 2020

@ said:

thank you for your help!

Always glad to help, and I love the username--so fitting for the LSAT isn't it? I'm going on a Zeppelin listening spree now, it's been a while.

General · Quick Question about Conditional Statements

taschasp823

Sunday, May 17 2020

No -- if the sufficient condition is not met, or if the necessary condition is met, in both of those cases it doesn't affect the conditional statement. The statement doesn't become invalid; it just becomes irrelevant.

Like, if I tell you that all the apples in my fridge are rotten (apple -> rotten). So you open the fridge and you see a pear. I didn't tell you anything about any non-apple things in my fridge, so my statement about apples is useless to you.

Similarly, based on the same conditional, if your friend came and pulled something out and told you it was rotten, you don't know if it was an apple or not, so the conditional statement isn't helpful there either. It could be an apple that's rotten, but it could also be something else that's gone bad, since I didn't tell you about whether apples were the only thing in my fridge that is rotten (if I did, that would have been rotten -> apple)

That's it. If I told you that all apples in my fridge are rotten (apple -> rotten) and you open my fridge and find an apple that isn't rotten, then you've proved my conditional statement to be false. You always do this by showing that you can meet the sufficient condition while denying the necessary condition -- in effect, it shows that the necessary condition (being rotten, in this case) wasn't necessary (for apples) after all! And it also shows that the sufficient condition (being an apple) wasn't sufficient (to be rotten).

General · Technical Difficulties--Help, Please! #help #admin

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 15 2020

Although I tried reconstructing the URL to what should be explanation videos for older questions and I get "page not found"

Does this show up as an explanation video for you? https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-11-section-4-question-15/

General · Technical Difficulties--Help, Please! #help #admin

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 15 2020

Thanks for looking into it! I should have been less ambiguous--it's not that they don't load, but that the links themselves are gone.

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat-explanations/

When I click on any PT between 1 and 16, the LR video explanation links aren't visible.

Similarly, at https://classic.7sage.com/problem-sets/, if I try to search for LR questions between PT 1 and 16, instead of "explanation" it says "discuss"

I can send screenshots by email if that'd help.

General · Technical Difficulties--Help, Please! #help #admin

taschasp823

Wednesday, Apr 15 2020

Hm, I'm not sure if it's just me, but a lot of the old LR explanation videos don't show up anymore.

Admissions · For Those Willing to Share

taschasp823

Sunday, Apr 12 2020

@ said:

Hey, you might want to check out https://www.lawschooldata.org/

Maybe you're looking for more personalized stats, but there are just way more data points on there for exactly what you are asking.

Cool website how'd u find out about this? Also may I DM you regarding your LSAT experience and getting into Harvard? That and Stanford are my dream schools. Thanks!

LSD (yes I know, the acronym is hilarious) was created by an active user on reddit/lawschooladmissions, which I used to follow a lot. I wish more people knew about it outside of reddit because it's really cool!

And yes of course, please send me a message!

General · Those who got official 17x, how do you manage looking back-and-forth between paper and computer?

taschasp823

Saturday, Jul 04 2020

Keep in mind, all of this is countervailed by the fact that you also save time not having to bubble in answer choices. I think LG is the only section where the back-and-forth is more than trivial, but for that, all you can really do is practice and get comfortable with it.

General · Remote Testing and Student Privacy

taschasp823

Saturday, May 02 2020

I don't know where you're getting the information that LSAC is using some sort of automated eye-tracking software, but even if they are, while they haven't told us exactly what's going to be flagged, you can kind of assume that LSAC is going to try to run their programs in a way as to avoid flagging normal behavior... otherwise it'll just create an insane amount of work for the reviewers to go through tons of video footage knocking out all the false positives. But, that's for LSAC to figure out. Furthermore, that was never an issue with LSAT writing---we did not see thousands of people getting flagged just because of normal eye movements---so, topped with the fact that I don't think LSAC would run themselves into that big of a disaster, I think you can rest assured that's an extremely unlikely possibility.

Even if you are flagged for some normal behavior, what's the issue? They'll waste their time, review your file, and realize you didn't do anything wrong.

I'm not sure what you're referring to with regards to personal information. They do state that the software won't access any other files on your computer. Do you mean in terms of, let's say, the video recording of you in your room? Just genuinely asking, as I can't read your mind: what exactly are you worried about?