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Do I have time/LG Fool Proofing Strategy?
Hi everyone,
I apologize in advance if this is somewhat repetitive but I'm looking for some guidance on what to do in my situation. I am hoping to sit for the September test in order to apply for the following year's fall admissions cycle. My diagnostic was a 158 with a -8 on LG. I am pretty much done with the CC and am about to start fool proofing LG as it is my worst section.
I was thinking of spending ~3 weeks on fool proofing LG using the LG bundle that I have access to. On that subject, what is the method that you would recommend for fool proofing games? I took a look at the bundle and the file is absolutely ginormous. I already have a spreadsheet that I plan on using for games that includes: PrepTest, difficulty, category, how many I got wrong, and the dates that I am going to attempt the game again (next day and week later). Is there a set number of games that I should be trying per day?
I am completely open to any suggestions that you all may have regarding time spent on LG before diving into the PT's.
Thanks!
Comments
Hm. I just created a schedule today for PT 1-35 and by following the original fool proofing schedule to a T and not taking any days off, I'm looking at finishing by late August. There's absolutely no way you can reasonably foolproof 35 (which is what Ultimate+ gives you) PTs (4 games per PT = 140 games) in 3 weeks. That'd be roughly working through 7 new games each day, not to mention the fact that you're supposed to do each game twice one day and one time the next day AND another time one week later. Two weeks in and you'd be doing 28 (?) games a day. That's insanity and won't be good for studying. I suggest spreading it out over way more than 3 weeks.
My schedule has me doing two new games each day, so by next Saturday I'll be doing 8 games a day for roughly two months. Which is v overwhelming for me haha. I'm not trying to discourage you, but I do recommend you sit down, look at your schedule, and come up with what you can reasonably expect to do. Since you're applying in Fall 2018, why not just postpone until Dec? That will give you plenty of time to foolproof and then use that foolproofing when taking PTs 36-80
Here's a thread from a past 7Sager who developed an excellent system for approaching fool proofing. It has become somewhat of an unofficial orthodoxy, and I think it's a fantastic place to start: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737
As far as a three week timeline, that's going to be nearly two full sections a day. Personally, I'm highly skeptical of my own ability to work each game with the necessary diligence to fully benefit from the process on that timeline. A part of my process was also to revisit any game I at all struggled with at one day, one week, and one month intervals. So that would very quickly get out of hand for me.
That said, your diagnostic is way way higher than mine was, so maybe you can maintain a quicker pace. My advice would be to just not set a time limit on it. Move at a natural pace, and if that is more accelerated than what is normal, then that is excellent. If not, then you need a little more time. The important thing is that you benefit from the process.
Couldn't agree more with the above. Moving at a natural pace is pivotal because it allows you time to actually learn and apply what you are learning in the most effective way possible. It took me about 5 weeks to get through the bundle, and I'm currently going through them one more time before PTing. I would certainly heed the advice of Can't Get Right, the man knows his stuff.
Words of wisdom!
Yeah, just to add on: Take your time fool proofing. It's a method that really works, but it's not something to rush through because it is the processes themselves that make you better at games.
Thanks everyone for the advice! I can't tell tell you how much I appreciate it.
Does this likely mean that I won't be ready in time for the September sitting? I would prefer to not put all of my eggs in the December basket but I understand the rationale behind waiting.
That will depend on a bunch of factors like what you are scoring in the remaining sections (and how many PTs you've taken to establish a reliable baseline), your target score, how important financial aid is to you, etc. the general rule in 7Sage is that we don't recommend taking the test until you are ready. And "ready" is generally thought of as averaging a PT score 5+ points above your target score.
My recommendation would be to wrap up the CC as it sounds like you are about done. Then begin to whole-heartedly Foolproof LG. That may take 2 months, but the it depends on how quickly the understanding comes to you and how frequently you repeat games that gave you trouble. Once the foolproofing is completed, take a fresh PT (maybe brush up on RC and LR in the week before). At that point, you can consider your options based on that PT score and the date If you don't take that next PT until October and you are still 8 points behind your target score, you may need to consider some difficult choices. You may be cutting it a little close for December but it's absolutely doable -- just depends on your progression vs your goals.
Try your best not to let the timeline get you frazzled. If you've decided to go to law school, consider the LSAT your first law school exam. Put everything into it that you can.
Like Katz said, I would probably be leaning towards postponing; however, it is ultimately up to you to make that decision. You purchased the Ultimate+ package so it seems to me that you are in this thing for the long haul and looking to maximize your score. I think the best way to do just that is to take the time to foolproof and understand the intricacies of this test.
Oh comon, september? You will be more than fine if you scored 158 diagnostic and your area of concern is just LG...
It depends what your goal is.... either way, you can take it multiple times so why put all your eggs in one basket and miss the september opportunity? it will NOT take you until september to drill logic games.
I printed out as many logic games as I could, keeping the original clean and doing my work on a printer paper. I spent a whole 2 weeks, 6-8 hours a day just drilling them. Here is what I did specifically.
I first took my time with each game. I drew out the main diagram and wrote the rules and their contrapositives and anything else that i deemed necessary, then I took my sweet time and did a bunch of hypotheticals for each question. Then, I answered the questions based on those hypotheticals or on new ones (if i had to draw another). Then, once I did that, I went over them all again, this time trying to go as fast as I can. From the first one to the last. Because by then, youve probably forgotten your answers anyways or if you arrive at your conclusions in the same fashion then its really okay. Finally, I went over them ALL again, this time doing whole sections at a time. I kept a mental note of whether or not I finished on time, but it didnt really matter to separate them if I did or didnt because I went over them all AGAIN.
It took me two weeks. From PT 13 all the way to PT 79 with the exception of PTs 40-50. Once youve mastered them this way, it's really important that you review them too and not just forget about it.
I'm not saying that you should only spend two weeks or that you should brute force as many PTs in such a short amount of time as you can, but my point is that even if you spread it out, you will be more than fine.
Best of luck, and also, check out JYs method. IDK if I followed it to the dot, but it's basically the best way to go about LG. By taking your time and learning each game and its components and plotting them out and such, you are gaining a considerable amount of understanding in terms of game piece dynamics.
I can't thank you all enough for your advice and continued support. I am planning on fool proofing the PT's 1-35 for the next however long period of time as well as read through the LSAT Trainer. As ever, I appreciate any and all advice.
Best advice I got was from JY when we had a session months back. Forget dates. You'll know when you're ready. When your PT scores are above or at where you want them, you're ready. Every permutation of that question's answer seems to be this. It sucks waiting. It can suck to keep grinding. But as much as I wish GPA counted for more, it doesn't. The LSAT is too important to take before you're ready.
Thanks Alex. Sage advice as always.
Keep faith and working hard... You will get there! I believe in you