Pithypike's Complete LSAT Study Guide Forum

[TIMLAW4151]

i've been out of college for years and my study skills are rusty. i'm willing to shell out some money and study hard. the prep courses seem to get mixed reviews. would i be better off studying on my own?

If you've been out of the study mode for a while, a class might make you more disciplined. I would recommend it, if you want to pay.

Testmasters is the most expensive, I believe. But it was the original and the best. Powerscore and Blueprint are offshoots with pretty much the same concepts. Kaplan and Princeton review are hated on these boards, but if cost is an issue, they can definitely help.

[kirsch]

thanks for your response. i suspect a class would be a good idea, given that my study skills have atrophied. i've gotten the impression that testmasters is pretty intense. that's fine. but it makes me wonder if some sort of "pre-prep prep" might be a good idea. i have PR's 2009 "Cracking the LSAT." Do you think that would be useful or would PR's approach be too different from testmasters'? again, thanks for your response. John Kirsch

[TIMLAW4151]

Eh. Don't buy princeton review if you're going to take testmasters. They're just not compatible. Testmasters and the Powerscore Bibles are much more similar.

[pithypike]

This might be a bit unrelated, but if you've been in the working world for a while you probably have far more discipline than most UG types. If you don't want to take a course, don't. You can study just as effectively on your own if you're willing (and capable) of putting the hours in.

As far as mixing different test prep methods, I really don't think it's a big deal. Just find the one that works best for you. For example, I used the Kaplan method for strict sequencing games and PS methods for other games, with some personal variations on both. The key is to be effective, so find whatever works for you and stick with it.

[TigerHill007]

I think most people prep in the same way, regardless of whether you do the following consciously or unconsciously and whether you take a course or not.

Phase 1: Accuracy
You basically need to learn the theory of the LSAT and then do drills of a certain concept (whether it is LG/LR/RC) until you are accurate, untimed. Prep courses have the theory and questions already laid out for you. Self-preppers will need to buy the bibles, study them and photocopy and sort questions themselves. Some self-prep don't do drills and go straight to doing sections, albeit untimed. I think you'll reinforce the concepts better if you do drills while learning the theory.

Phase 2: Speed
Hopefully, you didn't use up all of the LSATs on drills and you have some whole sections you can do, timed. But only one section at a time. You are just now working on timing because hopefully, your accuracy and understanding of LSAT theory is sound.

Phase 3: Endurance
At this point, you should be able to finish any section in less than 35 minutes (with bubbling) and so you need to build endurance to be able to do 5 sections in a row.

That's the way I see it anyway.

i really wish i would have realized this before starting to study, as it is a really important point. there is an order to those factors, and i've just been bombarding myself with everything at once..

Blackjack this a fantastic tip thanks for posting this!

[Voyager]

OP:

Well done. Looks similar to the study guide I wrote up several years ago. It really helps people to have a structured approach to preparation. Using something similar to the above I've seen students dramatically improve their scores to include several 30 point increases (admittedly, their diagnostics were around 130... but still, 130-160 is pretty good).

[06072010]

OP:

Well done. Looks similar to the study guide I wrote up several years ago. It really helps people to have a structured approach to preparation. Using something similar to the above I've seen students dramatically improve their scores to include several 30 point increases (admittedly, their diagnostics were around 130... but still, 130-160 is pretty good).

Hey, dude. What's up?

[Voyager]

Hey, dude. What's up?

Getting through this 2L deal. You?

[rajesh88]

thanks for your response. i suspect a class would be a good idea, given that my study skills have atrophied. i've gotten the impression that testmasters is pretty intense. that's fine. but it makes me wonder if some sort of "pre-prep prep" might be a good idea. i have PR's 2009 "Cracking the LSAT." Do you think that would be useful or would PR's approach be too different from testmasters'? again, thanks for your response. John Kirsch

Don't waste money on any prep.. just buy all the damn LSAT's from the lsac.org website, time yourself.. and fly.. on test-day, make sure to eat a damn energy bar, poop 5 minutes before the test (kind of like you take your dog out to poop before you go to sleep).. and focus..

[06072010]

Hey, dude. What's up?

Getting through this 2L deal. You?

Spending lots of time praying that my 2L offer doesn't get rescinded.

[pithypike]

OP:

Well done. Looks similar to the study guide I wrote up several years ago. It really helps people to have a structured approach to preparation. Using something similar to the above I've seen students dramatically improve their scores to include several 30 point increases (admittedly, their diagnostics were around 130... but still, 130-160 is pretty good).

It is quite similar, with a few added variations I found helpful during my study.

Your guide was extremely helpful during my prep - thank for the help.

[NuanceSpecialist]

books:
I am using the powerscore virtual course
LRB, LGB and RCB along with ultimate setups
all 50 exams but wont get to all of them probably. probably 35
Using the bibles in concert with the lessons from powerscore.
Superprep book
powerscore deconstructed books.
Yeah I like powerscore only : )

Actions:
Drill Drill Drill
Drill specifically on careful analysis of each word and never ever ever to generalize.
break down each taken exam with strong analysis

Wondering if I should use the Nova test prep book. hmm - any opinions?
Strategy will be key here so I am open to all ideas.

[R.X. Narcs]

IDK whats up. I'm having trouble finding a copy of the Kaplan Mastery book.

[FreeGuy]

Looks like there are two copies of Mastery Practice left on Amazon: here and here (LinkRemoved).

[R.X. Narcs]

I'm not too comfrotable with seller # 1's rating. 50%? This concerns me. And seller #2 has the 2007 copy..IDK I may have to pass on both

[NuanceSpecialist]

where can we get the preptests 36 to present? I cant find them.

[R.X. Narcs]

where can we get the preptests 36 to present? I cant find them.

http://www.lsac.org

[slw]

Help! (I posted this question several different places- and have received no answers. Maybe this means there is no good supplement?)

My situation/ question...
I am re-taking in June & I completed the games sections from all Prep Test prior to the Feb Exam. Although I'm retaking to improve on RC/ I still want to keep game skills sharp & have found that I remember most of the games from all of the PTs.

Can anyone suggest a good supplemental book for simulated logic games? (that are close in nature to real lsat LGs).

Thanks for any thoughts.

[crazycanuck]

I have found that in 2 weeks my LR scores have got A TON better due to writing out why I got each question wrong, and then writing why the answer was right. Thinking about it wasn't enough. Putting it down on paper really helped solidify the ideas.
I was -10 to -12 wrong on EACH LR section, after 2 weeks of doing this rigorously I am down to -4 to -6 on each LR, and it will drop more I'm sure!

Great tip pithypike!

[NuanceSpecialist]

I would recommend active reading of dense material. Although not too dense, the economist paper is good.

[pithypike]

Help! (I posted this question several different places- and have received no answers. Maybe this means there is no good supplement?)

My situation/ question...
I am re-taking in June & I completed the games sections from all Prep Test prior to the Feb Exam. Although I'm retaking to improve on RC/ I still want to keep game skills sharp & have found that I remember most of the games from all of the PTs.

Can anyone suggest a good supplemental book for simulated logic games? (that are close in nature to real lsat LGs).

Thanks for any thoughts.

Ace the LSAT Logic Games has some that are vaguely similar. You can also repeat games you have already done to stay sharp.

[slw]

Ace the LSAT Logic Games has some that are vaguely similar.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Andrew31]

This method takes HOURS to prepare! But I just finished sorting out all of the tests so I'll post my updates in the June '09 thread! Thanks for the advice, Pithypike.

[pithypike]

I know. Photocopying and sorting all the LGs was such a bitch. It paid off though.

Have fun!

[Chessiesmile]

I might be totally missing something, so please forgive me if this is a dumb question, but... Where should I be drawing all the photocopied LGs from? I have all the materials mentioned on the OP, but am mainly concerned with avoiding drawing from preptests that I'll have to take in their entirety as I get closer to June. Thanks in advance, and thanks for this guide in general.