trannkb83

Joined: Apr 2025
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Discussions

General · 146 —> 180 (Thank you 7sage!) Very tired Mom edition

trannkb83

Wednesday, Sep 22, 2021

Hi @dk415827 : Great job! Thank you so much for the inspiration. I love how you said you are your child were doing it together. I'm sure she would be very very proud of you.

I have some questions for you :)

I was a bit surprised to hear that you didn't come close to finish all PT. Did you redo previous PTs you did? It sounds like you prioritize the later PTs (80s)? Did you drill? How did you refine your strategy for each question type?

Could you also walk us through ineffective tutoring vs. effective tutoring? What made you realize the earlier tutoring was ineffective to switch to effective tutoring?

Finally, I wonder if it's possible to get accommodation for being pregnant.

Thank you so very much!

LSAT · Need Advice on RC/LR.

trannkb83

Thursday, Jul 8, 2021

Are you currently finishing the sections? Could you provide some stats on how many questions you attempt and how many you get correct among the ones you attempt?

I recognize that the following strategy won't apply for people at all level. However, I think it applies for most people in the 150s. I saw improvements from 150s to 160s when I SLOW WAY DOWN and do less for more points.

If you do 2 RC passages and make sure all of them 100% correct, then randomly guess on the rest, you will have 15+ points (-12). You getting -14 make me think that you are rushing through and compromise your understanding.

Same for LR, if you are finishing the whole section now, there may be room for improvements if you slow way down and make sure to get all the easier questions (tend to be earlier in the section) 100% correct.

I don't have a full understanding of your performance, so my inputs may be partial. Please feel free to provide more information and ask questions, if you'd like.

Study Groups

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Thursday, Jul 8, 2021

trannkb83

Get below -5 on RC | Looking for a Drilling Partner

I'm currently in the low 160s, looking to improve my RC performance. I'm looking for a RC Drilling partner to help practice active reading and other good RC habits:

Familiar with the test content (question types, strategies, etc.)

Reliable: show up on time and communicate if your plan changes

Comfortable with tackling the harder RC passages (4-5 stars)

Available to drill (via Zoom) at least once a week in at least one of the following time frames: 7-9am EST or 5-8pm EST (M-F); after 5pm EST on Sat or Sun

No prior preparation needed. We will:

Pick a couple of passages on spot

Take turn to read each paragraph

Practice reacting to the information and making predictions (main points, tone, etc.)

Take turn to answer the questions: reason out loud why you eliminate/choose answer choices.

Please message me your availability to study (date/day/time), some facts about your LSAT journey (current level, how long you've been studying, your goal, etc.) and your email.

I will send an invite and we'll conquer RC from there!

PrepTests ·

PT111.S1.Q9

trannkb83

Tuesday, Apr 27, 2021

Not necessarily! Sometimes, the argument would go: Hypothesis A said that XYZ. But, they are wrong. Here is why: ABC.

In those cases, the main conclusion is that hypothesis A is wrong. The mention of hypothesis A is for the argument to refute it.

PrepTests ·

PT101.S3.Q8

trannkb83

Monday, Apr 26, 2021

I don't think "within a year after ownership" is the problem here. That is just to paraphrase the period in the contract.

Agree that the problem is with 'whoever else' though. What if Smith has insurance or what if the bank owns part of the house?

PrepTests ·

PT21.S4.P1.Q2

trannkb83

Saturday, Apr 24, 2021

@Rockthistest:

For E, let's us read the first sentence again to see how it is a good paraphrase of this sentence:

Musicologists concerned with the "LPS," ..., have long encountered a formidable obstacle in the general unavailability of music of this "school" in modern scholarly editions.

The text explicitly referred to 'modern' and the answer choice as JY pointed out has cleverly used 'has been'. This is the boring and conservative restatement of the first sentence which makes it factual correctly.

Another reason to not choose B is that in the same sentence where "Gradus ad Parnassum" was mentioned, right before that is "the sonatas". If we use your logic, then we have to include the sonatas in the "best well-known". If the answer choice says "was among the best well-know", then yes, so much more provable!

Hope it helps!

PrepTests ·

PT21.S4.P4.Q23

trannkb83

Saturday, Apr 24, 2021

@Sbsimmss: Let's analyze B and E:

(B) Some of the programs' attempt to improve the earning power of the immigrants cut them off from potential sources of income.

--> Notice how the language in this AC is much easier to prove: 'some', 'attempt to improve.' If I attempt to do something, it doesn't mean I have to succeed in doing it. 'Improve the earning power' doesn't mean I have to be rich or make a lot of money. If I don't have any income and I get a job that pay $1/hour (terrible!), my earning power is already improved (even though not great!).

Now pair this with what the passage says about the center wants immigrants to have jobs immediately which leads to them finding mostly low-paying jobs, meaning that they forgo opportunities for higher-paying jobs. The text says 'business opportunities afforded by the immigrant community' (potential sources of income). Match really well!

(E) The programs' curricula should be redesigned to include greater emphasis on the shared values, beliefs, and practices in the United States

--> Be ultra careful here! In RC, we want to 'recite/interpret' what the author actually says in that any inferences must be backed by textual evidences. In the last paragraph where you would go to find Tollefson's suggestions, there is no statement to emphasis on the shared values, etc. Yes, Tollefson did point out the problem with the program using Western values, beliefs, and practices. However, he didn't necessarily advocate for shared values. This is a typical example of an answer choice that goes too far.

A: A problem with the LSAT is the registration fee is too expensive.

B: Then we should lower it!

A: Huh? No, not necessarily. We can just give fee waiver to those in needs.

Hope it helps!

PrepTests ·

PT108.S1.P4.Q25

trannkb83

Friday, Apr 23, 2021

The passage says that we use language to describe our knowledge. Language is rather inexact, relative, etc. We know a statement is true, not necessarily because it's definitely true, but because we collectively agree that it's true since there is no better alternative. When I said, this paragraph that you are reading is shown in black font. Everyone agrees because we collectively agree that the color is called black. If everyone collectively agree that we should call the color 'bakala' instead. Then I would be right to say, this paragraph that you are reading is shown in 'bakala'.

That is where the truth is just a matter of convention. How you name the color you are reading here and how I agree with the truth of what you saying is just a matter of us two (and the world) agree on a common system.

General · Need Advice | I've been studying 4-6 months and seeing little improvement

trannkb83

Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021

Hey babyspice, just want to thank you for posting. I was in similar spot as well and I was even scared to talk about it. Thanks to everyone for who has their experience as well.

As a lot of ppl have pointed out focusing on ACCURACY is very important. I saw improvements once I DON'T try to finish the whole session, but instead focus on getting every question I do attempt correct. After aiming to get the first 10 correctly, I try to reach for 11, 12,... It's a slow process I understand, but the reality is that we learn how to walk before we can run.

Have you noticed the question types that you usually miss on LR? When I first started, I have no idea how sufficient vs. necessary questions are different, I jumped straight to that part and grind those for a while. What's important

right now is not the fact that you missed questions, but why? how do you prevent similar mistakes in the future? When I shifted my perspective from scoring to learning, it makes the world difference!

For RC, the same problem/tactic applies, I tried to read 4 paragraphs while I should be doing 2 or 3 and get them solidly correct. Imagine you are in front of a judge who asks you why you pick this answer and you need to be able to present the evidences which are right in the passage. That may mean you spend 5 minutes on the passage. And that's it's okay. Once you have a solid process, you can improve on efficiency.

I work full-time so I'll have to accept that I may need more time than some other people, but hey! It's not even about other people. It's your journey! It's your story! In this chapter, the progress is slow, but the next chapter there may be a big progress.

I listened to the Thinking LSAT podcast and the method that Nathan and Ben advocates for (accuracy + understanding over speed) really resonates with me. I will be honest that while some explanations on 7Sage is very helpful, some just are not. I think understanding why you miss a question is very important!!! I use other resources such as LSAT Hacks, PowerScore, and Manhattan Prep forum to make sure I truly understand and can explain the question to the satisfaction of someone's else (your study partners').

Regardless of what strategies/books/prep programs you use, at the end of the day, I don't think you can score high without understanding what the test is asking of you and have a solid process to respond to that ask ACCURATELY! Remember you don't get points by attempting a question, you get point by getting it right.

Hope it helps!

PrepTests ·

PT102.S1.P3.Q18

trannkb83

Saturday, Apr 17, 2021

Agreed! I eliminated B for the same reason as your second. There was no indicator of negativity.

PrepTests ·

PT23.S3.Q14

trannkb83

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021

if you know what stray animals are, trust your instinct and guess :)

PrepTests ·

PT111.S1.Q15

trannkb83

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021

The reason is that this is a strengthening question. We're trying to make the argument stronger, not necessarily perfect. In your example about Sally, it should be: well Sally has been wrong about other things previously, so it's likely that she’s wrong here, too.

And that's what A does for the argument: suggesting the likelihood of the survey being wrong, not guarantee the conclusion that the survey is definitely wrong.

Hope that helps!

PrepTests ·

PT106.S1.Q26

trannkb83

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021

In this case, the conclusion is "modern aircraft navigation systems are being put at risk by the electronic devices." So anything that shows the conclusion below is more likely to be true than not, would be supporting the argument. Please note how the language in the conclusion is "being put at risk", a much softer, easier to support than something like will be destroyed, will interfere with the functionality of...

Hope that helps!

PrepTests ·

PT141.S2.Q13

trannkb83

Monday, Apr 12, 2021

I think the reason C is wrong that the stimulus already said per 100,000 people, so it's using average and percentage as opposed to absolute numbers.

PrepTests ·

PT141.S2.Q6

trannkb83

Monday, Apr 12, 2021

I think what you were trying to say is that: any criticisms against a film that is successful within its genre are misguided. And I don't think that is necessary true!

If I have an example that one critic made a criticism about a film and that criticism is misguided, then this information would not allow me to generalize the conclusion of this one case to say any criticism all successful within its genre is misguided. In other words, I don't necessarily need to make the assumption about any criticisms in order to pick D.

Also, I think D works in this case because the abstract nature of PSA questions. I agreed that using the word 'successful' is a bit of a stretch, but (1) I think the word 'successful' in this case is figurative, describing the quality of being good, right, etc. (2) there is no other answer choice that is better to paraphrase the idea that: the critic looks at the wrong areas to pick on. If I say John succeeded in the Paralympic because he broke his past records. And someone says, no he looks very ugly.

You would go: What?!? Really?!? Is that relevant to the Paralympic? This is not a beauty contest! Your analysis is totally misguided. You look at the wrong criteria! You should judge John based on his speed. If he ran faster, then he's good/successful/etc. and this is how we should judge him.

This question confused me as well, so feel free to respond and continue the discussion to foster our understanding!

PrepTests ·

PT102.S4.Q11

trannkb83

Wednesday, Apr 7, 2021

I usually take the structure and apply on one that I understand. For example, of the 2,000 books that were recommended on the TV, most of them didn't make a lot of sales compared to the whole market....

PrepTests ·

PT110.S1.P3.Q13

trannkb83

Sunday, Mar 14, 2021

Yes, after reading 3 examples in the passage and especially with the last passage, we now know that there are two ways for a gene to be passed on: horizontally and vertically. Therefore, we can conclude that biologists no longer thought that all genes were inherited vertically (because they now know there are two ways...)

PrepTests ·

PT110.S1.P3.Q15

trannkb83

Sunday, Mar 14, 2021

The passage would need to say something along the line of Lamarck's hypothesis help biologists/human understand x, y, z or create a, b, c. If I were to rephrase 'illustrate the significance of lamarcks hypothesis', I would say: show how important Lamarck's hypothesis is or show the contributions of Lamarck's hypothesis to the study of biology or something like that.

The last paragraph focuses on demonstrating how we could use the 3 examples to support Lamarch's hypothesis and conclude that if we understand the matter in that way, then Lamarch's hypothesis may be correct.

PrepTests ·

PT125.S3.P2.Q8

trannkb83

Tuesday, Mar 2, 2021

Hi @Rockthistest,

I'd encourage you to pay close attention to the language of the last sentence which seems to be where the trap is (I felt for it under timed as well). It says "His persistent use of comic-art conventions DEMONSTRATES A FAITH in reconciliation, not not only between cartoons and fine art, but between parody and true feeling."

Now, let's look at what E says "... is itself highly sophisticated in that it manages to reconcile pop art and fine art."

- The first problem is "sophisticated" --> The repetitive idea in the passage is that this artist, if anything, completely is against sophistication.

- The second problem is "it manages to reconcile" --> E states it as if it is absolutely the true, while the language that the author uses is ultra weak "demonstrates a faith" = show that he may be want to reconcile. "Manage to reconcile" and "believe that your work may be able to do so" is not the same thing.

Hope it helps!

PrepTests ·

PT125.S3.P2.Q14

trannkb83

Tuesday, Mar 2, 2021

For Q14, in addition to what JY pointed out, you can also look at line 43-48 which says: "... as a responses to the excess of sophistication he observed not only in the later abstract expressionists but in some other pop artists."

I think from here we can infer that he just doesn't like abstract arts in general, not just exclusively to abstractionism.

PrepTests ·

PT111.S4.Q13

trannkb83

Thursday, Feb 25, 2021

I wouldn't say that C attacks the premise. C was trying to point out what the argument potentially did wrong. However, the necessary/sufficient is not a problem in this argument here.

You would want to use the principle: 'don't attack the premise' on questions like: weaken, strengthen, etc. The flaw questions are usually descriptive of what is going on in the argument. They don't really attack anything...

Hope that helps!

PrepTests ·

PT103.S2.Q17

trannkb83

Thursday, Feb 25, 2021

Incomplete recollection means didn't remember everything clearly, while the stimulus says 'didn't study thoroughly.'

It is possible that the person in the stimulus only review page 1,10 and 11 of the proposal and remember everything in those pages perfectly but doesn't it make them less vulnerable to the criticism that the decision was prematurely? No, because the methodology lends itself to errors to begin with so whether they remember all, some, or nothing wouldn't affect the fact their methodology is wrong.

PrepTests ·

PT17.S3.Q23

trannkb83

Sunday, Feb 21, 2021

B is saying that: morally obligated --> there is a reason the passenger is forced to take a later flight other than the original flight's being canceled due to bad weather

If we look at Arnold's argument, 'a reason' in B is that the flight overbooked. Follow Arnold's argument, this would cause him to miss the meeting anyway. And we don't want this. We want 'NOT miss the meeting anyway'

PrepTests ·

PT140.S2.Q17

trannkb83

Saturday, Feb 20, 2021

I think so because:

Minnows --some = many->Lake Near By --> healthy fish

---------

Minnows ---some--> healthy

Without 'only' we won't be able to establish the necessary condition.

Admissions · Odds for T14?

trannkb83

Friday, Feb 19, 2021

@kostyaterekhov110 said:

This is the most competitive law school admissions cycle in 20+ years. How competitive? You could fill every single seat at the T50 with a 165+ scorer right now.

Hi Constantine, I'm curious where you find out this information. I'm interested in taking a look as well. Thank you!