2016 v. 2015 Powerscore Bibles

[lsatmaniac]

Dear Powerscore,

I just saw that the 2016 edition of the Bibles has come out. I just recently (as in less than 2 weeks ago) bought all three of the 2015 edition. I'm now wondering if I should be concerned that I'm not prepping with the best, up-to-date materials. I haven't even cracked the RC or LR Bibles yet, so in theory, I could return them and get the 2016 versions, but it would be a big hassle. Any thoughts on this?

LSATmaniac

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Maniac,

Thanks for the note! This question comes up every year, but I give you credit for being the first one to ask it this year We'll soon have a larger announcement detailing the release of these new editions, but in a nutshell here are my thoughts on the changes in each book:

• LGB: We made significant changes to the LGB, including a new and improved approach to diagramming Sequencing rules and games. Thus, dozens of pages and diagrams changed.
  
  LRB: The changes here were less extensive than in the LGB. I made significant modifications to the #% chapter, and then lesser modification throughout the book. Several of those changes were caused by new questions that LSAC has released, so we were making sure we accounted for the most up-to-date information (which is why we update them every year in the first place). As one example of what those changes are like, there was some information about Justify questions that I wanted to reference. In another case, I wanted to discuss how speaker identifiers can be helpful, so I added a few pages on that.
  
  RCB: The changes here primarily consisted of additions. We added more drill items (meaning that we would take a pre-existing drill and make it longer and more expansive), and expanded a number of areas to make them clearer and more comprehensive. But we didn't change anything in the manner that we did in the LGB.

So, what's the bottom line for you? The best news is that nothing in your current books is wrong or will hurt you. Instead, what we've done is improve what was already there. Thus, it's not necessary to change over to new books. That said, I think you can keep the LR and RC books and not worry about it. The LG is more of a question, and it really comes down to how comfortable you feel with LG as a section. If you feel pretty ok in general, then skip getting the new one. If not, then think about it.

I hope that helps, but let me know if you have more questions. Thanks!

[lsatmaniac]

Dear Dave,

It is rather ironic that the book that underwent the most restructuring is the book I'm mostly finished with ... oh, what's that saying, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Sequencing games are one of my LG strengths, so I think I can pass on the LGB. Unless the other game types also have significantly revised methods?

As far as the LRB, you mentioned new questions, but these aren't new question types, right? Just standard types, new questions?

Thanks again,
LSATmaniac

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Maniac,

Thanks for the reply! The good news is that it sounds like it will have a negligible effect on you. In the LGB, we only changed the Sequencing section, and none of the others. And our change in Sequencing wasn't a fundamental shift of mental approach, but one of representation. We tried to make the diagramming clearer.

In the LRB, I meant particular questions that LSAC has released, not new question types. It's a point I intend to expand upon later, but we always examine new LSAT questions for anything that suggests a shift in their thinking or a new direction. Some of the language phrasing they used caused me to dial back on the strength of my advice, but I didn't change the advice, if that makes sense.

With a discount, that would apply as a discount on the price of books purchased from us, and I'd put you in touch with one of our reps to make that happen.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!