Study Tips for the Home Stretch

[Dani]

Hi,

I was wondering how to get the most of the last few weeks before the Dec LSAT. I started a few months ago (prepping for Oct and then post-poning it ) and here's what I've done:

* Taken close to 20 practice tests
* Took the PowerScore Weekend Course
* Had originally started with the Kaplan guides (one for each section)

Now I'm pretty much taking one practice test after another, but my scores still vary greatly, they go from mid-150s one day to mid-160s the next (highest was a 167 this past weekend). Just when I think I'm making progress, I end up with a 156.

What's the best strategy for the last 3 1/2 weeks? I'm debating between getting the Logic Bibles and the LB Workouts. Would the workouts be better at this point rather than starting over with the techniques?

With Logic Games, I can usually get 3 out of the 4, but I tend to get them all right, except for maybe a stupid mistake now and then.

Logical Reasoning is pretty consistent with about 3 incorrect per section, maybe 4.

Reading is my weakest area. I'm not fast enough (lucky to finish 3 passages) and my accuracy depends greatly on the type of passage and how good I am at predicting which one to leave for last (and essentially skip).

If I don't time myself, I can get into the low 170s now and then, so timing is definitely a big stumbling block still. I figured that after 20 practice tests it'll start to come together, but I'm feeling quite stuck right now...

Any advice is much appreciated (especially on which books to rush-order)!
Dani

[Jon Denning]

Hi Dani - thanks for the questions. It sounds like you're fairly strong conceptually, as you're getting most questions right, but that speed and consistency are still causing some problems. Fortunately continued practice should help improve both of those areas, provided of course you continue to practice the right way. That said, I have a few recommendations that I think may help. Number one, don't be afraid to go back to some of the work you've already completed and re-analyze what it was that gave you trouble. I find a lot of times that as people keep pushing forward and get exposed to new materials, they forget (or at least lose sight of) what they've already done and sadly fail to recognize certain trends/predictable patterns that exist and that can be exploited in the future. I imagine if you go back a month or so and look at questions/tests from that time, particularly ones you struggled with, you'll find that much of what you missed is something you've seen since and should now be better equipped to handle when you see it again. Spotting these trends of the test makers is a crucial skill for "breaking through" to the next level, in your case the 170s.

As for books, I think you'd certainly gain some benefit from the Reading Comp Bible: it'll help your speed and comprehension as you learn how to better deconstruct passages. For games, it probably depends on where you feel your weakness lies. If it's conceptual (missed inferences, incomplete diagrams, misunderstanding questions) then the Games Bible is obviously fantastic. If it's simply about practice, or working on a single type of Game, then the workbook(s) are awesome. If it's both there are packages available at a discount that might be your best bet.

And above all, as you keep working maintain a positive attitude. So many people feel like they hit a ceiling and get frustrated, which unfortunately makes the ceiling that much harder to break through. Stay optimistic and enthusiastic and you'll find that you can continue to make progress and start scoring at higher levels with much more consistency.

Thanks!

[Dani]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the thorough response! I went ahead and ordered the Reading Comp Bible and the Logic Games Workout, let's see how things turn out with those! Aside from that, I guess it'll be just more practice, practice, practice. And I like your suggestion about going back to some of my old work. Let's see if I've gotten smarter since I first started.

Thanks again for the help, I appreciate it!
Dani

[Nikki Siclunov]

Let me jump in real quick. I noticed your performance in LR is between 3-4 wrong per section, whereas in RC you can barely finish 3 passages. This is quite unusual, since RC is (conceptually, at least) a much simpler section than LR. "Simple" does not mean easy, of course, since pacing is a big problem for most test-takers. But from a logical standpoint, most questions in RC are of the Must Be True variety, which is a much simpler task than, say, identifying an assumption upon which the argument depends. So, I suspect you're either focusing on needless information or trying to remember too much detail, which is guaranteed to slow you down.

Half the battle in RC is knowing what matters and understanding the structure of the passages, so the RC Bible should definitely help in this respect. The other thing is, never forget that LR determines 50% of your score. So if you end up missing between 6-8 questions between the two sections, this alone can bring your score down significantly, even if you were able to ace the rest of the test. I find that focusing on a single test and deconstructing every single question as if you're trying to explain it to a friend often helps develop a better grasp of the most difficult questions. Also, you may find the Advanced LSAT Logical Reasoning virtual course we offer extremely helpful: it delves into the most difficult LR questions we have encountered, and provides a clear, systematic way of breaking these arguments down.

Good luck!

[Dani]

Hi Nikki,

Thanks for jumping in! Interesting observations, I appreciate your thoughts.

I just typed a super long response and then the page expired when I hit "submit".

Since lunch is over and I have a meeting to run to, I will have to re-type it tonight. But I wanted to say thanks for the feedback.

Quick question though: how long are the Advanced LR and Logic Games sessions? B/w a full-time job and kids at home I'm a bit limited on time, but I had previously thought about taking them. I hadn't decided on which one...

Thanks!

[Administrator]

Hi Dani,

The Advanced LR Course and the Advanced Logic Games Course contain over 20 hours of online, on-demand instruction (each).

If you haven't done so already, you can watch a free preview of our Advanced Logic Games Course (http://bit.ly/umAYiJ).

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

Adam

[Dani]

Consider it done! I will check it out tonight. Thanks for the link!

[carolinediana]

From http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/171 ... me-Stretch

Practice Tests.

1.Assuming you have a solid conceptual understanding of the material (i.e. you have taken an LSAT class or read the Bible trilogy books and workbooks published by PowerScore), take enough practice tests. As the article points, out, “testing yourself repeatedly […] teaches the brain to retrieve and apply knowledge from memory.” What is “enough” varies from person to person, but you want to take at least 10 practice tests, thoroughly reviewing each and every question that you had a hard time understanding.

2.If you keep struggling with some of the most difficult questions in each section, you may have hit a “ceiling.” When this happens, try to review each of these questions by explaining them to yourself as if you are teaching a class. All of our instructors have scored in the top-1% of the LSAT before they start teaching, but many tend to develop an even better grasp of the idiosyncrasies that dominate the test by reviewing challenging questions in a classroom setting. You may also find the Advanced LSAT Logical Reasoning Course or the Advanced LSAT Logic Games Course extremely helpful: they both delve into the most difficult LR questions and Logic Games we have encountered, and provide a clear, systematic way of breaking these games and arguments down.

Sleep.

1.Since the December 2011 test begins at 8:30 AM, make sure you develop a solid regimen of going to bed at a specified time every day for at least one week prior to the test, and allow for at least 7 hours of sleep each night. The point is not to wake up earlier than usual on the morning of the test. Make sure you leave enough time for breakfast, some moderate exercise, commuting, and warming up. Plan accordingly: if you need to wake up at 6:00 AM on the day of the test, make sure you go to bed by 11:00 PM the night before. Follow this regimen the entire week prior to the test day.

2.Make a list of the hardest LR questions and Games with which you struggled over the past month or so. Look at these questions the evening before the test: are you better equipped to handle them now than you were a month ago? You can be sure that some of the most difficult questions on the real test will be quite similar to them. Reviewing the toughest material the night before “makes it easier to recall the material later,” says Dan Taylor, director of a sleep-and-health-research lab at the University of North Texas in Denton. There is an additional benefit you can derive from this exercise: confidence. If you can conquer the questions responsible for lowering your score a month ago, that will give you an enormous boost of confidence on the day of the test.
Needless to say, don’t pull an all-nighter: it will have a terrible effect on your focus and stamina and is virtually guaranteed to lower your score.

Food.

1.The morning of the test: eat a solid breakfast containing complex carbohydrates and fiber. For example, a meal such as Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel Cut Oats with raisins and toasted pecans would be close to ideal. Consuming a moderate amount of coffee is fine, as long as you don’t overdo it.

2.Research has shown that what you eat the week before matters as well. According to the WSJ article, “When 16 college students were tested on attention and thinking speed, then fed a five-day high-fat, low-carb diet heavy on meat, eggs, cheese and cream and tested again, their performance declined. The students who ate a balanced diet that included fruit and vegetables, however, held steady,” says Cameron Holloway, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford. “The brain requires a constant supply of energy and ‘has only a limited backup battery,’ he says.”

Exercise.

1.I would never take a practice test without a moderate amount of cardiovascular exercise in the 1-2 hours before the test. Multiple well-controlled studies have shown a significant correlation between fitness scores and test scores. The California Department of Education, for instance, found that kids who were deemed “fit” scored twice as well on academic tests as those who were unfit. The fit kids’ brains also showed more activity in the prefrontal cortex measured by an EEG test. Of course, as a well-trained LSAT test-taker, you know better than to assume that any correlation automatically means causation. Exercise is unlikely to make you smarter. But the correlation is strong enough to provide some evidence that it does improve learning capacity, memory retention, and focus.

2.Get into the habit of performing 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise two-three times a week, ideally before you take each practice test. Go running, biking, swimming, or play a round of tennis. Do the same the morning of the test, right before breakfast.

[moshei24]

"Notate less; comprehend more."

I used to have A LOT of trouble with RC. I had the same issues you currently have with it. But I changed up my approach and now get through the passage MUCH quicker.

The point is that if you spend so much time notating you don't get what's going on. You want to only notate parts of the passage that will help you find what you need. That means notate VERY LITTLE. If it takes you 2.5-3.5 mins to read the passage and you practically know where to look, less than a min is plenty of time (that's usually how much time you have per question). But if after spending 2.5-3.5 mins you have no clue where to go, less than a min won't be enough.

Notating too much hurts you. It takes longer and you comprehend less that way.

Work on comprehending what you read, while notating less.

You can do it. Trust me.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes!

If you want more details on how I approach RC, given that I'm from the same boat as you, let me know.

[Steve Stein]

Hi,

I was wondering how to get the most of the last few weeks before the Dec LSAT. I started a few months ago (prepping for Oct and then post-poning it ) and here's what I've done:

* Taken close to 20 practice tests
* Took the PowerScore Weekend Course
* Had originally started with the Kaplan guides (one for each section)

Now I'm pretty much taking one practice test after another, but my scores still vary greatly, they go from mid-150s one day to mid-160s the next (highest was a 167 this past weekend). Just when I think I'm making progress, I end up with a 156.

What's the best strategy for the last 3 1/2 weeks? I'm debating between getting the Logic Bibles and the LB Workouts. Would the workouts be better at this point rather than starting over with the techniques?

With Logic Games, I can usually get 3 out of the 4, but I tend to get them all right, except for maybe a stupid mistake now and then.

Logical Reasoning is pretty consistent with about 3 incorrect per section, maybe 4.

Reading is my weakest area. I'm not fast enough (lucky to finish 3 passages) and my accuracy depends greatly on the type of passage and how good I am at predicting which one to leave for last (and essentially skip).

If I don't time myself, I can get into the low 170s now and then, so timing is definitely a big stumbling block still. I figured that after 20 practice tests it'll start to come together, but I'm feeling quite stuck right now...

Any advice is much appreciated (especially on which books to rush-order)!
Dani

Hey Dani,

Since you mention that reading is your weakest area, I thought I'd jump in and mention that PowerScore's latest release is the Reading Comprehension Bible Workbook--it's got complete RC sections, with passages and questions broken down an explained, as well as a significant chapter of drills to help you sharpen the skills you need to take on the LSAT RC section.

I hope that's helpful--let me know if I can answer any other questions--thanks!

~Steve