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vxsinha96118
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Monday, Apr 29 2019

vxsinha96118

Any advice on how to proceed?

I know I've reached out to a few of you over the last few months as I've been struggling in my prep (thank you to those of you who replied with great advice), but I seem to have hit a wall and could use any advice I can get. Sorry in advance, it's a bit of a long post!

I started my LSAT journey in Feb 2017, where I took a diagnostic test a scored a 140. Over the next 10 months I used Powerscore but I didn't really see any improvements and joined the 7Sage community in March 2018. I've been studying full-time since November 2018

  • I spent around 4 months completing the CC and doing the practice drill sets.
  • From there I took about 4 tests and began to identify my weakness, so I went back and drilled those LR question types while typing out explanations for why I got questions wrong.
  • I then moved on to fool proofing LG (1-50) and began to practice my low/high res summaries for RC with a mix of timed and untimed drills (35-60).
  • I continued drilling weak areas, recorded myself taking tests and sections, listened to all the 7Sage podcasts and webinars, started to be more active on the forums and answer people's questions, pretty much anyway to get my score up
  • I even changed my diet and exercise and incorporated the meditation into it and took breaks to avoid burnout
  • In between all this, I took about 9 tests more and my average was sa 158 and my BR was a 168. My section breakdown for the test is usually LG -2, LR - 7, RC -11 and my BR breakdown is LG -0, LR - 5 and RC - 8.
  • I took my first test this past March as a litmus test and scored a158 (as expected).
  • Since then, I took about 3 days off and started again, doing retakes and practice tests and drilling sections. I identified my weak areas as being in LR where I needed to really engage with the stimulus and and in RC where I had to make sure I was taking in what was being said (Because in untimed practice I was fine, it was in a timed situation where nothing I was reading seemed to be retaining) and I did drills and figured out strategies to improve. I also read Ellen Cassidy's book and the LSAT trainer because I know these target weak areas such as mine. I'm hesitant to take any more PT's because I don't just want to burn through them.

    I've done my best to focus on the learning and inculcating good habits, rather than chasing the score, but I am still stuck on a 158 and my BR is still a168. My aim is to get to a 170+ and I am registered for the June and July exam. I have already put over a year's solid work into this and I don't want to just give up because I know people score 170+ all the time. I know my diagnostic is much lower that the average (that I have seen) and I've realized I take much longer than most people to understand things - but I don't think of myself as dumb or anything, I just have not been able to get my learning to where it needs to be to get my dream score.

    Clearly I'm doing something wrong, I'm just not sure what. Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated :)

    1
    PrepTests ·
    PT132.S1.P4.Q22
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    vxsinha96118
    Saturday, Apr 27 2019

    Low Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Issue/Concession/Difference 1 and 2

    Paragraph 2: Concession/Different conceptions 1 and 2

    Paragraph 3: Expands on conception 2 - context, implication and = should be given more weight

    MP: Can see why Jewett would be aligned with domestic novelists of the previous generation, but should not be

    Tone: For Jewett, but understanding

    Viewpoints: AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT132.S1.P3.Q15
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    vxsinha96118
    Saturday, Apr 27 2019

    A

    Paragraph 1: Relation

    Paragraph 2: Evidence

    Paragraph 3: Execption

    MP: Usually more agricultural dependence, more decays

    Tone: Scientific

    B

    Paragraph 1: Population that HG to DA

    Paragraph 2: Decay may be from increased carbs or alterations in tooth wear

    Paragraph 3: Diet

    Paragraph 4: Do not conform to generalization

    MP: Do not conform to generalization

    Tone: Scientific

    Viewpoints: Slight surprise

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT132.S1.P2.Q9
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    vxsinha96118
    Saturday, Apr 27 2019

    Low Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Issue/-CMMI1+2

    Paragraph 2: -CMMI3/+CMMI1

    Paragraph 3: -CMMI4/+CMMI2+3, Ex

    Paragraph 4: +CMMI4

    MP: CMMI have a legitimate place in courtrooms

    Tone: For use of CMMI in court

    Viewpoints: Some opponents of the general use of CMMI, AP, Some lawyers

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT132.S1.P1.Q1
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    vxsinha96118
    Saturday, Apr 27 2019

    Low Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: M1 - radiocarbon dating

    Paragraph 2: M2 - lichenometry

    Paragraph 3: Evaluation = M2 is better than M1 (AP)

    MP: lichenometry is better than radiocarbon dating

    Tone: Pro lichenometry

    Viewpoints: AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S2.P4.Q21
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Report/What is said

    Paragraph 2: Specifics of what it said/Aim/Conditions

    Paragraph 3: AP does not like it 1

    Paragraph 4: AP does not like it /reasons hold for all clients

    MP: These fees have issues associated with them

    Tone: Not liking it

    Viewpoints: AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S2.P3.Q15
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    I totally get you! I could not figure out q15 at all and I felt like I missed something super obvious as well, but it's a hard question

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S2.P3.Q13
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Start of C political activism/Grape boycott/theatre

    Paragraph 2: Inspo for valdez/how acto worked/aim/effect

    Paragraph 3: No tonly valdex/acto collective effort = valdex + carpas

    MP: Teatro Campnes was part of Chicano political activism as led by Valdez, but was a collective effort

    Tone: Not only valdez effort

    Viewpoints: Valdez, AP, Yolanda

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S2.P2.Q8
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    A

    Paragraph 1: Aristotle finding/Von Frisch pattern/specific mechanism?

    Paragraph 2: Wenner and Esch sounds/Many scientists thought bees had no hearing/Wenner said the smell

    Paragraph 3: Gould said not smell/Kirchner and Michelsen said sounds

    MP: Bees communicate through sound to other bees to tell them about a good food source

    Tone: For the sound of bees

    Viewpoints: Many as said above, AP

    B

    Paragraph 1: All animals communicate/some symbolically/Seyfarth et. al. Vervet study

    Paragraph 2: Von Frisch - bees dance/Wenner - smell, but not so

    Paragraph 3: Do not follow ANY information, Gould

    MP: Some animals communicate symbolically

    Tone: Neutral

    Viewpoints: Many as said above and AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S2.P1.Q1
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    Low Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: What is SS/NU - no SS 1

    Paragraph 2: NU - no SS 2-4/NU suggestion

    Paragraph 3: Opponents of NU/AP defends NU against their opponents

    MP: NU does not like SS and believes development should be done based on early 20th c urban neighborhoods

    Tone: Side of NU

    Viewpoints:NU, Opponents of NU and AP

    1
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S1.Q17
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    vxsinha96118
    Monday, Apr 22 2019

    I'm not sure if this is the correct way of thinking, but if we have already figured out the contrapositive of the second principle (I'm ignoring the first principle as it is much easier) - can't we just look for a conclusion that matches either - Retool/ or [legally required or long term substantial savings] instead of combing through each answer choice under timed conditions?

    #help

    1
    PrepTests ·
    PT140.S1.Q20
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    vxsinha96118
    Sunday, Apr 21 2019

    The way I eliminated D was to say that - "less favorable position" doesn't necessarily mean that their prosperity was impacted one way or another, it requires us to make a lot of assumptions in order to get the answer to fit

    1
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S4.P4.Q23
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    vxsinha96118
    Thursday, Apr 18 2019

    Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Experiment

    Paragraph 2: UG/how it often played out/Puzzling according to economics

    Paragraph 3: Some theorists - prehistoric ancestors need for support of a strong group

    Paragraph 4: AP - Years of living in small groups and evolution favored angry responses to low offers

    MP: Response in UG to reject low offers probably stems from the evolutionary response that favored angry responses to low offers

    Tone: "Compelling explanation"

    Viewpoints: AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S4.P3.Q16
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    vxsinha96118
    Thursday, Apr 18 2019

    Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Who/Characteristics/Ex

    Paragraph 2: CB mentor/Led to thinking that sculptors relied only on a negative light

    Paragraph 3: Returned to the US to work for BF where he started to use chrome steel

    Paragraph 4: Fundamental invisibility of surface + analogy - communicated through reflections of images surrounding them

    Paragraph 5: Natural evolution

    MP: IN brought about the use of positive light reflections and fundamentally invisible surfaces

    Tone: Likes IN

    Viewpoints: AP

    1
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S4.P2.Q9
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    vxsinha96118
    Thursday, Apr 18 2019

    Low Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: False impression

    Paragraph 2: Reality/Skill 1

    Paragraph 3: Skill 2

    Paragraph 4: Counterargument and response

    High Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: What/Problem/ False impression 1 and 2

    Paragraph 2: Reality/Example/Interpretation

    Paragraph 3: Synthesis - able laws as a whole and synthesize other areas

    Paragraph 4: Regionally different/Skills acquired in mastering statutes important

    MP: Statutory law should be there so that there is interpretation and synthesis

    Tone: Pro statutory law

    Viewpoints: AP and "counter argument" people

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S4.P1.Q1
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    vxsinha96118
    Thursday, Apr 18 2019

    A

    Paragraph 1: Recent studies/Problems

    Paragraph 2: Brute force explanation/Ex/available computers inadequate for the task

    Paragraph 3: Available computers capacity increasing and the task can be shared/public participation

    MP: New way of computers to compute trends via individual computers sharing the load

    Tone: Not happy with old way

    Viewpoints: AP

    B

    Paragraph 1: "Parallel"

    Paragraph 2: Ex of ants

    Paragraph 3: Pradigm shift from sequential to parallel

    MP: Pradigm shift from sequential to parallel as exemplified in nature

    Tone: Excited about new way

    Viewpoints: AP

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S1.Q12
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    vxsinha96118
    Wednesday, Apr 17 2019

    When I mapped these concepts out in lawgic, I found it much easier to eliminate. Since it's an MSS question all we have to do it take the premises offered to us and push out a truth based on some or all of them. I eliminated A because the conditional as I understood it was - Apologise sincerely --> acknowledge acted wrongfully, but A combines these concepts in an incorrect manner.

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S4.Q8
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    vxsinha96118
    Wednesday, Apr 17 2019

    I think this question has a lot to do with being able to suppress information. So:

    P1 - Medical specialist --> [let's represent the information about graduating as D]

    P2 - Medical specialist (recognised) --> complete evaluation

    C - So any who qualified to be a recognized Medical specialist is competent

    Now, why should I believe that? Well the recognized gives us a clue as to the assumption the argument is making - that if you complete the evaluation you are components and C states that.

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT139.S1.Q10
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    vxsinha96118
    Wednesday, Apr 17 2019

    Yep sounds about right!

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT150.S3.Q4
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    vxsinha96118
    Wednesday, Apr 17 2019

    So when I was breaking down the argument, the conclusion - Bach is remembered not because of his high ration, but because he was a prolific composer, which we are told means he composed a lot. The reason we are given for this is that - because he composed a lot i.e was prolific, of course, his ratio would be high.

    So we need to weaken the structure for this argument:

    (A) Correct - This directly weakens the support that because he was prolific and so his ratio was high, he was remembered as other composers who were prolific, should have also had a high ratio and been remembered by the same logic, but that is not the case.

    (B) Okay great, but irrelevant

    (C) Forgotten doesn't mean not included

    (D) Don't need exact because we are discussing ratios

    (E) Irrelevant

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT102.S2.Q23
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    vxsinha96118
    Wednesday, Apr 17 2019

    So the way I did it was to suppress the argument first and map out the logical relation which is Problem disappear ---> Only if (Gov steps in) --> Raise taxes. To conclude that "this" is the referential phrase for Gov and not Problem, you need to try and just parse out the argument to understand that the necessary condition for problem disappearing is government intervention and so it makes sense that the necessary condition for government intervention is raising taxes.

    I know it's very confusing, so I hope that helps even a little bit!

    2

    I'm not sure if anyone is in the same boat as me, but my rough plan has always been to get a US JD and then move to maybe Asia, Australia or London to practise law (I'm Australian by nationality). Does anyone have any insight into this process and the considerations or challenges that are associated with it?

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT131.S3.Q18
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    vxsinha96118
    Saturday, Apr 13 2019

    Not sure if this helps, but from "governments should not be prevented from allocating resources to projects whose intended consequences do not directly benefit most people", I didn't see how this was the principle because the stimulus did not discuss intended consequences do not directly benefit most people, but rather it talked about unintended consequences that have had a tremendous impact on daily life. So that's how I eliminated A.

    2
    PrepTests ·
    PT137.S4.Q21
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    vxsinha96118
    Friday, Apr 12 2019

    Because B doesn't adequately ID the flaw in the argument - the flaw is not "that is presumes without justification that being careful means avoidance", the flaw is that is doesn't address the central concern as AC C says.

    0
    PrepTests ·
    PT130.S2.P4.Q21
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    vxsinha96118
    Friday, Apr 12 2019

    B

    High Resolution:

    Paragraph 1: Expectations is a key determinant in musical emotions/About build up and release of tension

    Paragraph 2: Mismacth

    Paragraph 3: Familiarity and pleasure

    MP: Expectation is a key determinant in musical emotions

    Tone: Neutral

    Viewpoints: AP

    0

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