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WTF is up with PT 73's difficulty??

Sammie215Sammie215 Member
edited August 2017 in Logical Reasoning 202 karma

Just took this PT and got wrecked... like... 13 points lower than how I did on PT 72. My last 4 or 5 PTs have all fallen within a 5 point spread, but this one pretty much matches my initial starting point with no studying :O :(
Did anybody else find this one particularly hard? I recognized I was struggling with LG as it was happening but I also got really low scores on LR, which are usually my most consistent sections. Any insights? HALP.

Comments

  • RGiggi13RGiggi13 Alum Member
    36 karma

    I took 73 yesterday and had a very similar experience, much worse than my recent tests and both LR sections were especially bad. I don't know what it was with that test; I think I had issues with the grammar for some reason, and I chalked some of it up to anxiety as well. Something about it just really didn't click...

  • aklimmekaklimmek Free Trial Member
    2 karma

    I took 73 today and had a similar experience. LG is always my strongest section, so I was able to manage -0 with a little bit of luck. But the LR really threw me, especially the first LR section. I don't have any real insight to offer, but wanted to add that I agree 73 just felt weird.

  • KillmongerKillmonger Alum Member
    332 karma

    The RC in 73 had me in a headlock. Overall i don't think it stuck out as ridiculous though.

  • Paul CaintPaul Caint Alum Member
    3521 karma

    How many questions could you miss for a 170?

  • Mitchell-1Mitchell-1 Member
    756 karma

    @"Paul Caint" said:
    How many questions could you miss for a 170?

    I believe it's 12. Which would denote a more difficult test.

    But yeah, I didn't find it really stuck out. I did miss two LG questions which is... unheard of for me (I've missed maybe two total on the last twenty tests I've taken). Though they were more stupid mistakes than anything especially difficult about the games.

  • OlamHafuchOlamHafuch Alum Member
    2326 karma

    This just reinforces what we already know: Different people find different PTs difficult. Kind of makes you question the standardization business. True, it's constructed so that a certain percentage of people get a certain score, but it would probably be a somewhat different makeup of people each time.

  • TheMikeyTheMikey Alum Member
    4196 karma

    this thread made me afraid to take PT 73 lol

  • nathanieljschwartznathanieljschwartz Alum Member
    1723 karma

    @TheMikey ditto, twas planning on taking it yesterday but opted for 78 bc i got spooked lol

  • TheMikeyTheMikey Alum Member
    4196 karma

    @nathanieljschwartz said:
    @TheMikey ditto, twas planning on taking it yesterday but opted for 78 bc i got spooked lol

    literally me yesterday as well lol.

    GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

  • OlamHafuchOlamHafuch Alum Member
    2326 karma

    Funny. I just checked, and it was my worst PT by a few points, too.

  • nathanieljschwartznathanieljschwartz Alum Member
    1723 karma

    Hmm, @TheMikey this is pretty funny lol
    Wait...do you have a beauty mark on your....nevermind ;p
    When did you start prepping?

  • TheMikeyTheMikey Alum Member
    4196 karma

    @nathanieljschwartz said:
    Hmm, @TheMikey this is pretty funny lol
    Wait...do you have a beauty mark on your....nevermind ;p
    When did you start prepping?

    haha

    I started prepping around January 2016. yes, it's been a long damn time lol

  • nathanieljschwartznathanieljschwartz Alum Member
    1723 karma

    @TheMikey ahh youve got a few months on me, i started in june 2016. Yeah this thing is a commitment

  • TheMikeyTheMikey Alum Member
    4196 karma

    @nathanieljschwartz said:
    @TheMikey ahh youve got a few months on me, i started in june 2016. Yeah this thing is a commitment

    to be fair, I didn't start taking it so seriously until after the June 2016 LSAT made me feel like a POS. I had perfected LG but was still ass at LR and RC so that's when I started taking it serious

  • SaveDackSaveDack Alum Member
    9 karma

    I took 73 last week and scored about 8 points lower than my average over the last couple of months. Just absolutely wrecked across every section. While I'm not happy to hear of your struggles, I am somewhat relieved to hear it wasn't just me!

  • Sammie215Sammie215 Member
    202 karma

    Haha good to know I'm not alone... but also a good reminder that one outlier test is not an indicator of overall score! And I wouldn't let my review spook you from taking it-- like @uhinberg said, it's totally a personal bias/problem

  • Victoria14Victoria14 Alum Member
    776 karma

    I have a black list for PTs. This thread just made 73 a new bullet point.

  • OlamHafuchOlamHafuch Alum Member
    2326 karma

    @Victoria14 What else is on your black list?

  • Victoria14Victoria14 Alum Member
    776 karma

    @uhinberg said:
    @Victoria14 What else is on your black list?

    I forget the exact number but the PT with the stained glass windows

  • OlamHafuchOlamHafuch Alum Member
    2326 karma

    I think that's 62.

  • AlexAlex Alum Member
    23929 karma

    @Victoria14 said:

    @uhinberg said:
    @Victoria14 What else is on your black list?

    I forget the exact number but the PT with the stained glass windows

    I'm very intrigued with your black list! What an interesting idea -- will you be using those to drill instead of as full timed exams?

  • Victoria14Victoria14 Alum Member
    776 karma

    @"Alex Divine" said:

    @Victoria14 said:

    @uhinberg said:
    @Victoria14 What else is on your black list?

    I forget the exact number but the PT with the stained glass windows

    I'm very intrigued with your black list! What an interesting idea -- will you be using those to drill instead of as full timed exams?

    Only on days where i'm feeling particularly sadistic :smile:

    In all honesty, I just save the hard stuff for when I feel like i'm repeatedly nailing everything else!

  • sillllyxosillllyxo Alum Member
    708 karma

    i thought logical reasoning s2 was extremely difficult

  • sillllyxosillllyxo Alum Member
    708 karma

    @aklimmek said:
    I took 73 today and had a similar experience. LG is always my strongest section, so I was able to manage -0 with a little bit of luck. But the LR really threw me, especially the first LR section. I don't have any real insight to offer, but wanted to add that I agree 73 just felt weird.

    totally agree.

  • rachelvictoriamrachelvictoriam Free Trial Member
    7 karma

    I just took this PT and got absolutely wrecked by the first LR section. It was nothing short of demoralizing/made me want to cancel my upcoming exam

  • Rigid DesignatorRigid Designator Alum Member
    1091 karma

    I also found this to be a hard PT. I had the hardest time with the games and the last LR section where I went -4. As for the games I fully butchered one game where I had a rule flipped by accident, so that helped nuke my score. RC was about average for me and the first LR was slightly above average in terms of score, although it did feel rough.

  • 1000001910000019 Alum Member
    3279 karma

    73's game set is classified as "Easier" on the 7sage app.
    I printed this test, after reading the comments in this thread.

  • Paul CaintPaul Caint Alum Member
    3521 karma

    I just took this exam. I have to say the LR just wasn't...."tight."

    As in the answers required a lot more assumptions and jumps than other LR sections require.

    For example, there was a question that the answer equated "fulfilling what was important in a genre," to "being successful in that genre." As in, the right answer essentially used fulfilling an important aspect of a genre and success in that genre as the same thing.

    As disciplined LSAT takers, we know this isn't the case. Just because you meet a requirement does not necessarily mean you will be successful. Yet Question 6 of the first LR had us make that exact leap.

    Idk, it felt like the LSAT writers got lazy on some of these questions.

  • shd.hartshd.hart Member
    51 karma

    I'm so glad to know that other people thought this PT was difficult. I had a 10 point drop and thought I was losing my edge!!! My score for PT 74, 75, and 76 went back up to normal and stayed consistent each time. Crazy.

  • J.Y. PingJ.Y. Ping Administrator Instructor
    14214 karma

    Guys, I understand the desire to poop on a particular PT because it sucks and yes this whole process sucks but in the end it's not a helpful attitude. Why? Well for one, it gives you an easy out for not doing well. It tempts you too much to not think about the real reasons why you missed a question or ten. Oh it's because this PT's harder than the others. It won't happen again. No, it probably will. Because the LSAT's remarkably similar from PT to PT and learning to recognize that similarity is a huge part of success. It's a gift that you didn't do well on PT 73. Now you get to figure out why so you can do well on PT whatever whose score will go on your LSAC record.

    So for example @"Paul Caint" what you're saying about 73.1.6. The argument has premises that declare (1) Quirks is funny and that (2) being funny is the important thing for a comedy. For answer choice (D) to work, we do not need to assume that (1) and (2) equate to / is the same thing as Quirks being successful in that genre. That would be an unreasonable assumption because surely there are other ways to be successful. For (D) to work we only need to assume that (1) and (2) indicate that Quirks is successful in its genre. That is a reasonable assumption. Indicate is uni-directional where as equates is bi-directional. Like how being a cat indicates that you're a mammal, but does not equate to being a mammal. Because then we'd all be cats. You know this. I know you know this. But an antagonistic attitude towards the PT might blind you.

  • nathanieljschwartznathanieljschwartz Alum Member
    1723 karma

    Thanks @J.Y. Ping, i wanna just add that PT 73 knocked my socks off abit and i spent close to a week shoring up the weaknesses it exposed and my average went up
    By a 2 points!!!, i owe this all to having a hard PT...THANK YOU PT 73!!!

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member
    8392 karma

    Ha, J.Y. with that tough love. It's true though. 73 was right about average for me. And as a lot of people say, I think it's that overall the tests are similar difficulty, but the sections might vary some. So if 1 has tougher RC, it might have easier LG to balance out. But having a tough time on a particular PT seems to expose a weakness and we all have sections or question types that are harder. So it's a good tool to see why this test was so difficult and find what area you might need to shore up for the future.

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    3652 karma

    Old thread but 73 wrecked me as well

  • PhilawsopherKing180PhilawsopherKing180 Alum Member
    26 karma

    From 169 on my previous to 159... This pt absolutely anhilated me and gave me a reality check. But glad to at least have the chance to now learn from it.

  • sakox010sakox010 Member
    333 karma

    Hmm, I had a different experience. 171 on PT 73 and 166 on PT 72. 169 on PT 74. I'm still getting used to the subtle changes in the late 60s and 70s as well as the dual passage in RC.

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