Another Question from the N00b!

melloish

I've noticed that reading the powerscore books have not really motivated or helped me significantly. Also how many times have you read these books? Are they even advised anymore? Sure there are some general concepts that help but overall barely any improvement.

So I want to know if it would be terrible to just jump into the PT's. Do one a day and review that PT later in the evening. I have done this today and it seems almost more useful than nonstop reading. (I also have the availability of a super genius who helps me with all of the problems I can't get right, even after looking back) I am used to overworking myself so that is not an issue and I have plenty of time.

TheCochranFirm

Strongly advise against jumping straight into PT's. I am certainly not the most experienced on this site, but I did make the mistake of beginning PT's long before I was ready. I read the Powerscore books and then jumped right into the deep end-- and boy did I drown. The result was that I burned through an entire book of 10 PT's and didn't improve as much as I should have. If I could start over again, I would begin with the 7sage curriculum and ease my way into PT's while drilling early LG/LR. It's great that you have a helpful resources, but unfortunately for you that resource is not allowed to sit next to you while you write the test. You need to ensure that you are the one that can find your mistakes and then correct them. If you have someone constantly telling you where you went wrong, how can you expect to fix that mistake the next time you come across a similar problem. In my opinion, keep working before you PT. Do your curriculum and prepare using early material. Once you start to see consistency in your approach, then start to PT. Best of luck!

Alex

@melloish said:
I've noticed that reading the powerscore books have not really motivated or helped me significantly. Also how many times have you read these books? Are they even advised anymore? Sure there are some general concepts that help but overall barely any improvement

Hey @melloish ,

I thought the Logical Reasoning Bible was pretty good. It was the first book I used before I found 7Sage. The Logic Games Bible gave me a decent foundation I would later build on, but I don't think either of these two books are sufficient study materials before moving onto PTs.

I feel like the LBG lacks strategy. It kind of taught me how to diagram games, but as far as answering the questions, it left me kind of how you are feeling; demotivated and lost.

I think they are still advised, but I don't think you will get much more than a good foundation out of them. A lot of people use them first and then move on to The LSAT Trainer or Manhattan Prep to shore up weaknesses.

@melloish said:
So I want to know if it would be terrible to just jump into the PT's. Do one a day and review that PT later in the evening

Yes, I think it would be terrible to jump into the PTs. Remember, there are only so many of these lil' treasures out there. I think you should make sure you have a really solid understanding of every question type you might see on the test first. I also think it is wise to drill or do problem sets of single question types. For example, reviewing a lesson on MBT questions and then doing 20 or so.

Overall, I would recommend trying something new if you think you have gotten all you're going to get out of the bibles. I might recommend going through the Logical Reasoning Bible again if you want. I thought it was pretty good. The LGB I thought was great for the basics, but really left me to my own devices for learning the nuances and technical aspects of certain questions. It basically sucked for grouping games, that much I remember. It certainly won't hurt to give them another try. You should at least be able to diagram most games after going through the bibles.

Try 7Sage or The LSAT Trainer. I and many people would recommend using both. That was what was the game changer for me after my time with the bibles.

@melloish said:
I am used to overworking myself so that is not an issue and I have plenty of time.

I kind of feel the same. Still, don't push it. Burn out is real and I never believed it until it happened. And it wasn't gradually, it was all of the sudden. I don't suggest over working yourself because honestly that won't help you. Prepping for the LSAT is like training for a marathon. (Yes, cliche, I know) You can run the 26 miles everyday. But at some point you are going to start damaging your muscles and running slower. Better to run 8 miles a day and practice technique (studying/drilling), and then run full marathons (practice tests) once or twice a week when you are at that stage.

On the contrary, if you rush into the 26 mile runs without the proper techniques learned, you are going to instill bad habits in place of the proper ones.

I hope this helps somewhat. Apologies for the long response, but I wanted to make sure I addressed all your questions.

Best of luck

blah170blah

Until you have an attack plan for each section and each question within each section, don't move onto PTs. Instead, drill by question type, then by section, and then take PTs.

Cant Get Right

Yeah, powerscore didn’t do it for me either. It’s great for little tricks with clever, trademarked names; but that really doesn’t get you very far, as you seem to have discovered. And LR is relatively okay compared to Games which is particularly lacking. If you’re struggling for motivation, it really is hard to beat the 7Sage curriculum. I would look forward to getting back to the lessons. When I needed to wrap up, I’d actually keep telling myself “just one more” like I was binging Netflix or something. Whatever you do though, I wouldn’t stay with powerscore as your only prep material. Among 7Sage folk, there seems to be a consensus that The Trainer is the best option among the books.

And definitely definitely don’t start PTing!

jknauf

I'm going to give you a bit of tough love here friend. The consensus is that burning through PTs with out a solid foundation is not a good strategy to improve your score. I HIGHLY recommend Powerscore and the 7sage curriculum.

@melloish said:
Sure there are some general concepts that help but overall barely any improvement.

I think you really need to do some self reflecting on this quote. Just reading Powerscore, or just watching Jy's videos is not going to help you improve. You must read and actively apply each new strategy to each question type.

@melloish said:
(I also have the availability of a super genius who helps me with all of the problems I can't get right, even after looking back)

So do we. His name is Jy. Jy can only do so much for us. We must apply his strategies and his thinking to our thinking and our strategies. You must build an understanding of the general concepts, then apply strategies, then gain experience through PTs.

If you are absolutely opposed to continuing to read the bibles, or continuing to work through the 7sage curriculum, maybe try this: Open PT 1, and for every question type you find, open the bible, flip to that section, find a strategy that applies to the question type you are working on, and apply that strategy to the question.

@melloish said:
helps me with all of the problems I can't get right, even after looking back

Be very weary of this! This is how progress is made. Don't rush for help. You must develop new ways of thinking on your own. If you find yourself completely stuck on a problem, and you've spent hours beating yourself up trying to figure out with 99% - 100% certainty why the correct answer is correct and why wrong answers are wrong, still hesitate to call on outside help. Type the question out, put that tricky little bastard in your pocket and pull it out next time you are on the toilet. Tape it to your bathroom mirror and stare at it every morning and night while brushing your teeth.<--- (This relies on the assumption you brush your teeth every morning and night) Compose a lullaby with the lyrics made up of the stimuli. Explain out loud to your cat why you think each correct answer is correct and why each wrong answer is wrong, and if your cat doesn't respond with "I agree, you're exactly right" then put the question back in your pocket and start the rotation again tomorrow.

I'm obviously being slightly silly. I just got home from the pub about 30 minutes ago but please consider what I'm trying to say. The only way we get better is by creating new ways of thinking. <i>The old way of thinking is the reason we incorrectly answered the question, or circled the question for uncertainty during blind review.

I know it sounds extreme. However, in December or whenever you take the test, if you hit the 170+ score, there is going to be a law school waiting to hand you a duffel bag filled with $100,000 tax free cash. Now, obviously there won't be a duffel bag, more like an envelope with your acceptance letter and financial aid but what I'm trying to say is, this test is very important and reaching maximum potential means putting in maximum effort. Good luck and best wishes!

danielznelson

I think @"Cant Get Right" and I share the exact same position on PowerScore, so I will first second everything he wrote.

I use this analogy virtually every time anyone asks about PowerScore: PowerScore teaches you the rule "'i' before 'e' except after 'c.'" 7Sage teaches you why this is, the fundamentals underlying the reality of this rule, the exceptions, et cetera.

From this, I wouldn't dive into PTs but would pick up 7Sage or another comparable LSAT-prep provider (if there is one) in order to gain a genuine understanding of the test and its foundational logic.

Alex

@danielznelson said:
I use this analogy virtually every time anyone asks about PowerScore: PowerScore teaches you the rule "'i' before 'e' except after 'c.'" 7Sage teaches you why this is, the fundamentals underlying the reality of this rule, the exceptions, et cetera

That is one of the best analogies I have ever heard... Exactly how I would describe Powerscore vs. 7Sage