LSAT Prep plan finished class, preparing for December

[Jonathan Evans]

The following is a question from an LSAT full-length student who just completed a Live Online course and is preparing for December. Our response, below, will likely be useful to many other students.

Hello!

Yesterday I completed the Live Online course that met Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-3 pm EST. I am spending today going over a practice test I took earlier this week, but I am a little lost on where to go from here. I took this course with the plans to take the December LSAT so I have plenty of time to review. I found it difficult to keep up with all of the homework, especially between Tuesday and Thursday, however, I did complete all of the critical homework assignments on time. I had planned to basically go back and redo the course on my own; completing the missed homework, listening to the online modules (which I did not do at all yet), and taking 1-2 practice tests a week until I complete all of the review and get the concepts down. My main motivation for doing this is that I don't feel I am recognizing even some basic concepts or patterns when I am doing questions, so I feel like reviewing the basics and going through would benefit me.

Before I lose time doing a strategy that may not benefit me, I wanted to get a second opinion on this. I have not been tracking which types of questions I have been getting wrong as I only took one diagnostic and two practice exams. I know tracking is one of the main things that is recommended, however, I feel like I should review most concepts before solely taking tests. I felt a bit rushed during the course and want to master everything because I'm not sure if I'm just getting lucky on certain question types. Please let me know if you think this strategy will be helpful because it will be pretty time-consuming, but possibly worth while in the long run.

Thank you so much in advance!

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi!


Thank you for the inquiry and for the detailed information you have provided about your preparation, strengths and weaknesses, and plans for December. This insight enables me far better to address your specific circumstances and needs.


First, in total, your plan is very strong. You have the right ideas, and I commend you on your approach to preparation for December. You should feel confident that your instincts are more or less on the mark.


I have consulted with Dave Killoran, who has provided some specific feedback that I would like to share with you and expand upon. You should:

1. Go back through the course material starting from L1, and both review the concepts as well as complete the homework and sections she couldn’t complete the first time!
2. As you do that, listen to all the modules in each Lesson/HW.
3. Begin tracking now, since at this point you have a decent foundation; tracking will help you the most in late October and November.
4. After all the review is done, start taking practice LSATs on a regular basis! Blind Review each test (first approach discussed here: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/the-bes ... tice-tests), and continue tracking everything.
5. Repeatedly review questions that she has trouble with, in the style Marvin describes here:http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/my-lsat ... ent-part-1.

Let me address and expand slightly upon each of these points. With respect to point 1 above:

• As you have rightly observed, the fundamental concepts and skills discussed at the outset of the course form the foundation for success on this exam. I encourage you to devote the time and attention to these subjects needed to achieve a thorough understanding of such principles, such as:
  • How to make a logical inference.
  • Principles of conditional reasoning.
  • Causal reasoning and causal flaws.
  • Disposition and attitude towards reading comprehension—challenge yourself especially in this area; reading comprehension benefits from aggressive and disciplined practice and review.
  • Mastering the basic approach to Analytical Reasoning games.
  • Analytical approach to different question types, how to "shift gears" when dealing with different kinds of stimuli.
• I encourage you to attempt a second or even a third time games, reading comprehension passages, and logical reasoning questions you have already attempted, even if/especially if you already know the answers.
• Work through these questions again from the top. Pay particular attention to your approach. Ask yourself, "What would I need to do confidently to master this scenario? How can I generate a killer prephrase? How could I quickly and accurately eliminate incorrect answers?"

For point 2, this is reasonably self-explanatory; I would only add that seeking and availing yourself of multiple explanations of the same concept, including your own reading, will enrich your understanding and confidence with these skills.

For point 3, I would only reiterate that disciplined, scheduled tracking beginning now will give you the time you need to achieve your goals. Don't wait. Start your work now.

For point 4, it would be prudent to add that this kind of blind-review/self-analysis is THE KEY to improvement. Don't be satisfied only to know why you got a question wrong. Don't be satisfied only to understand the question. Attempt to achieve mastery of the questions, especially the ones you found difficult or missed; observe patterns, derive principles, and determine what you would need to do to get them right.

This tracks right into point 5.

I hope all the advice above mostly serves to reiterate that you have a great attitude and a great approach. Proceed with confidence, and continue to use all the PowerScore resources at your disposal, including this forum and blog (http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat).

Many thanks and good luck!