June 2016 Advice

ethaaaan

First off, my apologizes for posting twice in such a close time period, but wanted to get some advice on my personal situation.

I began studying for the June 2016 date in mid-January using the Powerscore LR & LG Bibles, which I finished a couple of weeks ago. I have skimmed through the RC Bible, but I know it's pretty much regarded as worthless, and I already have a pretty good section performance so I'm not planning on reading it fully or doing any of the exercises. My diagnostic in January was a 155, and in the first couple weeks of studying I regrettably took a couple more PTs scoring around the same; after realizing that this was a bad strategy I decided to wait until I had completed the core material before taking another PT. After finishing the LG Bible and while reading the LR Bible I took some practice LG sections to drill, which is when I discovered 7sage and found the LG video explanations. The 7sage LG video explanations helped me translate the raw skills I had learned into a mechanical game strategy. In retrospect I would have obviously rather just used the 7sage curriculum, but at this point I think it would do more harm than good. I recently took my first PT since finishing the LG & LR Bibles and scored a 166, followed by another the next day at 163, so I feel confident that I've made at least a 6-7 point improvement so far. With a little over 11 weeks till the June date and another 40 PTs to do, I feel pretty confident that my target score of 168 is within reach. I think the next few points of improvement will come from honing in my LG approach, and maintaining higher reading focus on LR & LG, which alone should yield a couple more raw points based on my review of my most recent PTs. Overall, I feel confident when approaching the test; obviously there are still many improvements to be made, but I don't have that "lost" or "hopeless" feeling with the fast approaching test date.

At this point, given my results and goal, should I just continue on my self-study method, take the remaining PTs and use BR between PTs? Or should I postpone my test date and do the 7sage curriculum?

Based on a couple of other advice threads I've read, a lot of people push delaying a test date, but a lot of those threads have been people on their 3rd attempt, or people that feel woefully unprepared for an approaching test date. So I'm curious to see if the consensus will change.

Thanks in advance!

Ron Swanson

First off, congrats on the score increase. It's funny how much confidence and satisfaction comes from seeing that number rise even slightly.

If your self-study method is working, stick with it. I'd say take a few more PTs to see where you're at though. If you're able to maintain a 165ish, your fundamentals are good and I'd only recommend going back to the curriculum for targeted lessons on your weaknesses (that's what 7sage analytics are for).

Some of the curriculum is real basic stuff, seems like you're beyond that and your time could be better spent refining an LG strategy or doing the other plans you mentioned.

You still have over 2 months until June, definitely not a bad position to be in.

Keep at it!

ethaaaan

Thanks for the response! I took another PT today and was in the same raw score range as the other two ~81, and am averaging a ~164 this week. I think I'm going to get the 7sage starter course so I can review some of the LR curriculum, since I felt that Powerscore's LR bible was way too complicated, making it difficult to transfer of the material onto a PT.

stepharizona

@ethan.ames said:
I've read, a lot of people push delaying a test date, but a lot of those threads have been people on their 3rd attempt, or people that feel woefully unprepared for an approaching test date.

I always tell people to not take the test until they are averaging at least their desired score consistently (basically take the last 5 tests you took under timed conditions and thats your average). People often experience around a 3 point drop it seems, so if you want to plan for that, ideally you test when you're averaging 3 points above your needed score. Now, that's a "perfect world scenario"

The reason why people encourage others to not take until they are ready, is for a few different reasons... a few I've listed here and I am sure others have ones to share.

1) Takes are precious. We only get 3 every 2 years.

2) Once you take the test, big point improvements (more than, 3-4 points) are usually rare. It is possible, and does happen, but you have to work very hard. Or ensure whatever through you off your game the first time doesn't happen again.

3) Many people rush into their first test, have their 2nd take after more prep and then realize they only have one more take available and would give anything to have not taken the first test when they really were not ready yet, they just wanted to get the experience.

If you want to go for June and think you will be ready go for it. If you realize you are not hitting your average, withdraw the night (or a few days before). You lose your money but not a take.

Its way to early, IMHO, to decide if you will be ready for June. So much improvement can be made, even in the final weeks before.

runiggyrun

I think the decision to go with at least the starter package is a very good one. For LR you can skip the basic stuff if you have it down pat, but JY has some very practical points he makes over and over that can really help eliminate trap answers a lot faster. His insistence on "don't strengthen the premise or the conclusion, strengthen the bond between them" is one that comes to mind, and there are excellent examples to go with it. I also think that JY's diagramming strategies blow Powerscore out of water. Again, he's very practical in his approach and will tell you repeatedly if you're hitting a key point (for instance the "always apart" that a lot of grouping games hinge on).
If you foolproof the games and keep it up with PT's and excellent BR, you probably have a good chance at another 4 points by June. If you're not there, withdraw and go for September instead, like @stepharizona suggested.

ethaaaan

@runiggyrun
Thanks for your advice! I actually just bought the starter course last night and began working my way through the LR material; first looking at the big-picture/strategy lessons, then moving into specific question types where I've been having issues. I've been doing ~30 hours a week, so I think that June may still be within reach. I'll make the final call in mid-May before the date change deadline.