-11 Curve, September 2017 Waiter's Thread Forum

[Impressionist]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

[Rupert Pupkin]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

This is how I see it. Although not a huge difference, but one of the LR was noticeably more difficult and had some of the trickier questions ive seen during my prep. If the curve was brutal id be super surprised.I thought it was a very fair test

[Mikey]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

This is how I see it. Although not a huge difference, but one of the LR was noticeably more difficult and had some of the trickier questions ive seen during my prep. If the curve was brutal id be super surprised.I thought it was a very fair test

yeah, one of the LR's was def much more difficult than the other. The other was quite simple imo, but the harder one I had to guess on 1 question because I ran out of time, which never really happens on LR for me

[das_Gesetz]

UGH I really hope Killoran is wrong and we get a -11/-12 curve

Is Killoran usually right on with his curve predictions? I think I remember he predicted June's curve exactly Please be wrong this time, Dave!!!

I thought he said that June would be -10 or -11 -- I could be wrong though.

[chewinggum]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

This is how I see it. Although not a huge difference, but one of the LR was noticeably more difficult and had some of the trickier questions ive seen during my prep. If the curve was brutal id be super surprised.I thought it was a very fair test

One of the 25 LR's was significantly harder than the other two LR sections - I'm thinking it was section 1 for those of us who had expLR. There were a few questions that took me a few minutes, all in the same section.

But I guess it could have also been a combination of slightly harder+nerves

[GnarMarBinx]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

This is how I see it. Although not a huge difference, but one of the LR was noticeably more difficult and had some of the trickier questions ive seen during my prep. If the curve was brutal id be super surprised.I thought it was a very fair test

One of the 25 LR's was significantly harder than the other two LR sections - I'm thinking it was section 1 for those of us who had expLR. There were a few questions that took me a few minutes, all in the same section.

But I guess it could have also been a combination of slightly harder+nerves

Feel the exact same. My first (25 Q) LR was a lot harder than my 2nd (25 Q) LR. For some reason I struggled the most with the third (26 Q) LR but it may have been because LR has always been my best section and so I haven't done enough PTs with an experimental LR.

[Gluteus]

Whenever I hear people say the 25 Q section was way harder I get annoyed with myself

I found the 25 question section to be quite easy. I finished with two minutes to spare and only had a couple iffy questions. (Note: I'm strong on LR and have only gotten less than 20 right on a LR section once in over 30 timed sections)

Meanwhile because of fatigue when I got to the 26 Q LR section I was jumping between answers during two of the first ten questions and around the mid teens I'd read a stimulus and none of it registered in my brain. I recovered a bit and finished on time, but I have no idea where my score might be. Theoretically, since most people consider it to be a fairly easy section and because I'm typically strong on LR, it is perfectly possible I got a typical 22-23 questions right. At the same time, it's possible my brain was fried and I could have a record breaking personal poor performance on LR.

The two biggest mistakes of my LSAT prep for this test were definitely:
1. Not enough endurance training. Particularly early in the morning
2. Neglecting targeted RC during the last month

I can almost guarantee if I hadn't made these mistakes I would have gotten at least 5 more correct questions than whatever I end up getting when we get our results back in October

[sev]

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

I didn't find it that weird, but I'm also scared that I misread it...

[RSolano]

Everyone is focused on how relatively easy LG was when making predictions for the curve but what other factors might be in our favour? I've read that apps are up because of the election, I'd assume more of those people are taking sept rather than June?

the curve is already set, it doesn't matter how many people took this sept test

I predict a -10 curve tho

No I mean maybe they're less prepared than average years. People who last minute got the idea to even go to law school maybe?

I think I know what you're saying, are you're saying that if some people who decided last minute to go to LS did bad on this LSAT if it is in our favor for the curve? if that's what you're referring to, then no, it doesn't matter how other people do on the test. everything is all set already for each test they give.

if that isn't what you were talking about, then correct me haha

Ahh haha yeah that's what I meant but now that I read the other comments about how the curve works based on experimental section results I see that's unfortunately not actually how it works lol. I think I'm trolling for reasons to ease our minds

[velyvely]

UGH I really hope Killoran is wrong and we get a -11/-12 curve

Is Killoran usually right on with his curve predictions? I think I remember he predicted June's curve exactly Please be wrong this time, Dave!!!

I thought he said that June would be -10 or -11 -- I could be wrong though.

You were right! He said -10/-11 on his Twitter and only mentioned that -9 was possible but unlikely on Reddit.

Recent Scales vs. Killoran's Predictions
J17: -9 (Predicted: -10/-11, possibly a -9 but unlikely because of RC.)
F17: (Predicted -13/-14, which will forever go unconfirmed)
D16: -11 (Predicted: -11)
S16: -12 (Predicted: -12)
J16: -11 (Predicted: -11)
D15: -12
O15: -12
J15: -10

I went ahead and looked for any predictions that he made and it looks like he's gotten every other prediction right. It's weird, though, that he predicted such a loose scale for February - I thought the September test was much harder. How nice would it be if the curve was a -13 again

[RSolano]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

Loll "so i can sleep at night". I feel you! Actually dreamed about results last night . I should just focus on my PS for now.

[PDuzzy]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

[old&washedout]

Miserably glad I'm not the only one losing sleep. I think I'm actually sleeping worse now than I did before the test. So mad at myself for the mistakes I made!

[april_ludgate]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

[wmbuff]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

I'm in the same boat of not having found this one as challenging. I wonder, did either of you two take a handful of ethics courses in undergrad?

[das_Gesetz]

Does anyone else find that the more you practice RC the worse your performance over time? RC was the one section I immediately understood and did very well in when I first started studying (-2 or -1, generally), then it became (-3 or -4 after some time). Then I didn't practice for two months and it returned to roughly where it was originally. The same definitely does not hold for LR and LG.

Perhaps there's something about practicing RC too much that stifles a reader's intuition -- causes him to process the information differently and read it in a way he would not read ordinary academic literature.

[GnarMarBinx]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

I'm in the same boat of not having found this one as challenging. I wonder, did either of you two take a handful of ethics courses in undergrad?

I didn't find it Too bad, and as a Phil major, def took a handful of ethics courses in undergrad

[Rupert Pupkin]

Anecdotally it seems as if both RC and LG were harder than their June iterations. If two whole sections are more difficult I can't imagine the curve only going down by 1. Hence a -11 is plausible.

At least that is how in explaining it so I can sleep at night.

Also, that Jones question was definitely strange. Can anyone think of a single question like that in previous LR practice? (If possible without breaking the rules)

This is how I see it. Although not a huge difference, but one of the LR was noticeably more difficult and had some of the trickier questions ive seen during my prep. If the curve was brutal id be super surprised.I thought it was a very fair test

One of the 25 LR's was significantly harder than the other two LR sections - I'm thinking it was section 1 for those of us who had expLR. There were a few questions that took me a few minutes, all in the same section.

But I guess it could have also been a combination of slightly harder+nerves

Yeah IIRC that was the LR I was thinking about. I had an exp LR too

[Rupert Pupkin]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

I felt the same. I was like that RC section was sweet. I read the law one and was like wow this is ambiguous and very dense, but I felt fine going through the questions although I steam-rolled through them. I guess well see. Hopefully I actually knew what was going on and it wasnt just an illusion hajha

[creed]

Here's my case for not stressing about your score:

(1) You can't change it now
(2) If it's what you want you'll have spent a month of your life stressed for no reason
(3) If it isn't what you want you'll have wasted a month that you could've spent carefree.


Plus, most people on here have good problems. If you're gonna go t14 or T20 but you're worried about which exact one... breathe a bit and appreciate that your existence may possibly be one of the most desirable in human history no matter where you go to law school

[ilpsm]

Link to the post plz?

https://www.reddit.com/r/LSAT/comments/ ... days_test/

I have a post in here that already says this but I think the reddit post is spot on about LG inferences, RC difficulty and LR curveballs. Reading the Reddit post was actually pretty comforting bc of how much it resonated lol

I really need to go reread this Eileen Grey passage. I really don't remember it standing out that much, but it keeps popping up as people's go to super difficult example.

Me neither, but I had 0 difficulty with that passage so I can definitely feel some of the people in this thread saying judges was a breeze even though I had a tough time with it.

Hope everyone's recovering alright! Haven't stopped shopping, netflixing, or wining (or all three) since saturday. hopefully there's no more studying on the horizon.

[PDuzzy]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

I'm in the same boat of not having found this one as challenging. I wonder, did either of you two take a handful of ethics courses in undergrad?

In the business school, they're not normally asking the tough ethical questions. But I do read a significant amount of philosophy and actually started reading Aristotle's Rhetoric a few days before, which touches on similar issues.

Subject interest and exposure are huge influences. For example, I had read a lot about quantum physics recently, for unrelated reasons, and being primed for the subject made the experimental quantum physics RC much easier to understand.

It would be interesting to do a survey when the results come in. We could compare the scores on Judges to each respondent's major and see if there's a significant correlation.

[Lxwind]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

I'm in the same boat of not having found this one as challenging. I wonder, did either of you two take a handful of ethics courses in undergrad?

In the business school, they're not normally asking the tough ethical questions. But I do read a significant amount of philosophy and actually started reading Aristotle's Rhetoric a few days before, which touches on similar issues.

Subject interest and exposure are huge influences. For example, I had read a lot about quantum physics recently, for unrelated reasons, and being primed for the subject made the experimental quantum physics RC much easier to understand.

It would be interesting to do a survey when the results come in. We could compare the scores on Judges to each respondent's major and see if there's a significant correlation.

Didn't find judges as hard. Majored in int'l relations and had a bunch of political philosophy courses, read through Plato to Hegel. But, unfortunately, I found forest pretty hard...

[t14orbust22]

I may be late to the game here, but I did anyone think that RC section was brutal? I totally underestimated RC and studied for it the least, and it may be the dumbest thing I've done. I felt really great the whole test, until the last two RC passages (particularly the judges one) really hit me hard! I'm going to hope for the best but expect the worst, take a week off and then start hitting the books again for December Does anyone know any good Prep materials for RC? I can't let this happen to me again.

[april_ludgate]

I didn't register the judges passage being anything different from a normal RC. I guess reading PT passages about abstract poetry over the sound of baristas making latte-frappe-coffees at the library's Starbucks prepared me for the pressure.

Although as time passes, I'm becoming more and more paranoid that I dropped the ball and didn't realize it.

Same there were a few questions that gave me pause but nothing that made me take extra notice of the passage. Now I'm like what if I missed something bc it was my last section and I was tired?? This thread isn't great for my mental health

I'm in the same boat of not having found this one as challenging. I wonder, did either of you two take a handful of ethics courses in undergrad?

took a semester ethics course and two semesters of philosophy with a lot of ethics thrown in