Did Poorly on June 2015 LSAT; Read all PS Bibles; Need Help

[rochelleb180]

Hi. I read all three powerscore bibles within two months of taking the June 2015 LSAT and I did poorly (144). Will retake LSAT in October but I need guidence on how to best use my time and develop a tailored plan. I just received the 2015 LSAT online and wondered if I should begin by reviewing test, retake it, then reread powerscore books. I wasn't able to take many practice tests before (two) and don't know how to incorporate them into my studies especially since I've already read the bibles. Also, just so that you know, for both Logical Reasoning sections as well as the Reading Comprehension I only finished 13 - 15 questions and I got two - three wrong. (I know that I need to speed up). I totally bombed the logic games by getting 7 wrong out of 13 questions that I touched. Yikes!! Help!! I'm very embarrassed.

Rochelle

[Clay Cooper]

Hi Rochelle,

Don't be embarrassed! Your performance can improve in October, especially if you are able to effectively work practice tests into your preparation.

To begin, let's discuss the purpose of taking practice tests, as properly applying them will help you on two of the questions you asked.

Taking practice tests as part of your preparation serves two primary purposes:

1. The tests can familiarize you with the process of taking a strictly timed, stressful, marathon-like test so that none of these negative conditions impact your performance unnecessarily on test day.

2. The practice tests can, when evaluated after the fact, point out the specific areas where you can most improve, and thus can narrow the focus of your preparation so that each minute or hour spent studying is as productive as possible. Usually, certain question types, passage types, or game types will be more difficult for each individual test taker.

So, to incorporate practice tests into your preparation, it is wise to take them regularly but also to make sure after each one that you evaluate your performance and spend time working from the books on whatever question types or particular areas give you the most trouble. Perhaps a full-length practice test every 2-3 weeks for right now, with hard work in between on whatever areas you struggled with most.

Finally, with regard to timing, there are certainly strategic concerns about how best to use one's time within each section. However, it sounds like the best bet for you at the moment would be to work hard at improving your understanding of the areas that are hardest for you - as you get better at them, your speed will improve (not to mention your accuracy), and over time you will improve in enough different areas that our overall speed and score will improve as well.

Does this answer your questions? Thanks for your post.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Rochelle,

If you don't mind, I'd like to add to Clay's excellent response. First, he's totally right: there is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed! The LSAT is an unusual test, and it's also quite difficult, and that combination causes a lot of trouble for pretty much everyone. I know you feel you did poorly, but that score neither defines who you are nor is it your final score. Over the years I've worked with many students who had scores in your range, and who ultimately ended up getting results that made them much happier (and prouder!). I wrote in detail about one student who started with a 143, and since his score was so similar to yours it might help to read about his story, which has different parts in our Forum and our LSAT blog:

• Blog: Tom Brady and the LSAT, at http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/326 ... d-the-LSAT. Although it's about Tom Brady, it was inspired by and references Thomas, the student who started at a 143 and who was shooting for the 170s.
  
  Forum: You also might find the whole LSAT Discussion Forum thread that I had with Thomas interesting: http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... f=2&t=4666. It's long, but really informative, and he ended up with a 24 point increase and a Georgetown acceptance so it has a happy ending

Certainly it's not essential to read his story, but he started one point lower than you and had a lot of people tell him that there was no way he could increase 20+ points. The good news is that those naysayers were ultimately proven wrong, and sometimes it helps just to know that you aren't the only out there with a score that you don't feel great about.

Second, from the information you provided, it's clear that speed is an area that needs work. In most cases, becoming faster is built around first knowing the concepts and techniques as well as possible, and then practicing over and over until things become second-nature and you naturally become faster. If you read all three LSAT Bibles within two months of the test, you really didn't have enough time to absorb all the ideas and strategies in those books (let alone master them). So, the first place I'd start would be to go back and work through those books again. We have a free 3 Month Study Plan in place for the three LSAT Bibles, and you can find that plan on The PowerScore LSAT Self-Study site. I'd use that 3 Month Plan as the basis for organizing your studies on strategy and technique. Then, definitely use the test scoring portion of that site to score all of your practice tests. It will give you valuable feedback on each of your exams, and help you know what areas need more work!

So, over the next month or two, focus primarily on understanding the concepts of the LSAT as well as possible. Work a bit with timing, but don't overly concern yourself with timing every single problem you do. Once you begin to feel a bit more comfortable with the LSAT itself, then start throwing in more and more practice tests and practice test sections. Start timing yourself rigorously, and work through as many problems as you can. And, don't hesitate to take a break once and a while from your studying. Taking little mini-vacations from the LSAT can ultimately help increase your score, so plan for a few of those too.

I hope the above is helpful, and please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions as you go through this process. We're here to help.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

[rochelleb180]

Dear Dave Killoran,

I just posted a request to obtain a study buddy and I also need to ask for some guidance from you if possible. I just finished the Must Be True question set (108 questions) in your LSAT Logical Reasoning Question Type Training Volume 1: LSAT Preptests 1 - 20. I got 27 wrong. Upon reviewing, I noticed that I got ten SN questions wrong (31 ,34 ,46 ,70, 77, 81, 84, 88 ,91, and 92). I don't know what SN stands for. I got one CE#% wrong (29); one FIB wrong (108); and 14 MBT wrong (14, 45, 56, 67, 68, 71, 76, 86, 87, 94, and 100).

The following two categories will overlap. I got five Inferred questions wrong (6, 34, 46 ,67, and 72) and I got eight conclusion questions wrong (14, 40, 45, 76, 87, 91, 92, and 108) where they ask for the conclusion in the answer choices).

I get tripped up because sometimes I'm down to two choices and I pick the wrong answer. Also, when I review my work, I can get it right the second time for most of the questions, but when I put the book down and go back to a few days later, I still pick the wrong answer.
I looked on the forum and I didn't see any of these questions addressed. Most of the posts are for questions that I got right.

I think that this is way too many to get wrong and I don't know how to get it right. Can you offer some guidance? Much appreciated if you can.

Best,
Rochelle

[BethRibet]

Hi Rochelle,

Dave may have more guidance, but I'm glad to respond a bit as well. It's not unusual early on to be having a higher miss rate. There's no real substitute for practice, as you continue to work through the LSAT practice tests, that's when hopefully you'll see improvement. If however, you are relentlessly practicing and not improving, that's when it's helpful to try to figure out what's tripping you up, particularly on specific question types. You're on the right track in terms of revisiting questions you've missed -- try to take note of what misled you -- for instance, particularly errors in phrasing, or particular tricks or traps in the wrong answers.

If nothing is helping, I would consider seeking out a tutor, or if that is not an economic option, I would try to build a study group with other prospective test-takers. Often talking the questions through with someone can help you notice your own thought processes in a useful way.

Hope this helps a bit!

Beth

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Rochelle,

Thanks for the message! First, SN means "sufficient and necessary," which is the designation that we use when conditional reasoning is present. Since all of the problems in that set aren't SN, missing 10 question is a fairly high ratio. That's not bad news though—it means that by learning a bit more about this particular concept, you can have a big positive effect on your score! So, the first step I'd suggest is going back to the LRB and reviewing Chapter Six.

Second, the problem of getting down to two answers and choosing incorrectly is perhaps the most commonly occurring problem for LSAT students. Just this week I answered a question for another student where that had happened (http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... =12&t=7506). There are different reasons this occurs, so to help identify what's happened, we need to go back to the 27 problems that you missed. I would like you to do two things for me: first, take a look at each problem again, and identify the ones that are just fact sets, and the ones that have conclusions in the stimulus; then, among the ones that have conclusions, I want you to generally classify them as having either absolute language ("must," "always," "never," etc) or looser, more probabilistic language ("likely," "could," etc). This may or may not definitively identify the issue, but even if it doesn't, it will help us to eliminate some possible causes. Once you've taken all those steps, please come back here and post the results. I'll take a look at that, and we'll keep working together to improve your performance

Thanks and have a great weekend!

[rochelleb180]

Dear Dave,

I must be a real geek because your direction just thrills me!!! I will take the recommendation and get back to you when I'm finished.

Much appreciated,

Rochelle

[rochelleb180]

Hi Dave,

I did what was suggested by reviewing chapter six in the LRB. I thought I understood this chapter. I only got problem set number 1 and 2 wrong and the remaining three right.

1. Fact Set; Probable language; can, only when.
2. Fact Set; Probable language; should; would be, etc.

LRQTT Book - Chapter Two - Must Be True Questions - SN Questions
I redid the SN questions that I got wrong (9) and I got them all wrong a second time. Your book seems easy to read to me but I guess applying it is another story. I am all ears and open for suggestions. I hope what I wrote below helps you understand where I am going wrong. I need help badly. - Rochelle

31. Conclusion; this means that citizens must be able to develop informed opinions on many scientific subjects. ABSOLUTES; I don't know how to diagram this stimulus. I can't find the necessary indicators and I saw no sufficient indicators. Answer Choice A.

34. Conclusion; I must see that the writer knows the city at least as well as I do. ABSOLUTES; I don't know how to diagram this stimulus. I see one If/then scenario but I don't know the SN indicators. Answer Choice E.

46. Conclusion; the press is a profit making institution. ABSOLUTES; Wasn't able to build a diagram. Can't figure out the SN indicators. Answer Choice D.

77. Conclusion; it will be at least two terms before Angela gets her psychology degree. ABSOLUTES; I thought that I diagrammed correctly, but I still got it wrong. Answer Choice C.
P → ED and DP
ED or DP → P


81. Conclusion; No written constitution is more than a paper with words on it until those words are both interpreted and applied. I don't see any Probable nor any Absolute indicators except for the word "false". Answer Choice C.

WC → I and A
SOP → L and E
WC→ Liberal → I and A

84. Conclusion; their production costs will fall more slowly than their foreign competitors' costs will. I think will is an ABSOLUTE. Answer Choices C and D.

Manuf → Slow Tech → prod $ slower
prod $ slower → low $ - Squeezed
low $ → Squeezed
Squeezed → low $ → prod $ slower

88. Conclusion (can't tell conclusion) thus do not belong to the same class of organisms as fish. Can't tell if Probable or Absolute.

DC organ → Same E →Develop 1 or More
Develop 1 and More →Same E → DC organ

91. Fact Set. Answer Choice E.

Mcfu → growth → new cap invest → interest ↓.

Contrapositive: interest ↓→ new cap invest → growth → Mcfu. The symbol to cross out doesn't cross over on this forum from word 2010.

92. Fact Set. Answer Choice A. I get the unless equation. The proposal to rezone the city will not be approved unless the residents of Glen Hills band together.

Approved → build H2O and Sewer → Develop

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Rochelle,

Thanks for the message, and the additional information! I'm currently on the road and don't have a copy of the LRQTT with me, but when I get back I'll crack that book open and reference the problems you've listed below. That will be several days from now, but I wanted to let you know that I had seen your message and now have it on my list to address!

I'll look to see if there's a pattern inside the questions you missed, but I do want you to keep in mind that sometimes questions are just really tough. #34 for example, is not an easy question, and most people who do that question miss it. So, I'll look at difficulty, patterns, language, argumentation, etc and we'll see what we can come up with.

Thanks!

[rochelleb180]

Dave,

I appreciate this. Many thanks.

Rochelle