Law School Discussion

Can you provide a little more detail?  What sections, what type of questions, etc.  I can't give you any advice unless I know more about the situation.

Go to this site: www.test-preparation.net/lsat_analysis.html and type in your answers for the last few tests you took, let the site score it for you, and see if you are consistently missing certain types of questions.

Another thing to consider - have you been studying so much that you're beginning to burn out?  When reading questions, do you try to just plow through them and be done with them because you're so sick of it all?  If so, take a week off (or at least a few days).

Quote from: sladkaya on September 17, 2006, 10:32:10 PM

Unless you have a very unique background or accomplishments, I would advice that you base your applications on your LSAT score, like Halfie said.  Your GPA is great, and it will help you get $$ offeres from the schools that accept you.  However, it's unlikely that it will help get you in at a school where 159 is at or below 25th percentile.

I don't know who you are, but you seem smart.

I mostly lurk.

Hey Rooster.  All I have is the June 2003 scale - legend is at the top, it may be a little confusing to read though.  Just ignore the column with plusses and random letters - that's the questions I got wrong - I'm cutting and pasting from a diagnostic I did last week.

#/ Credited Response/ Your Response A% B% C% D% E% 0% Right/ Question Type/ Problem Type
Logical Reasoning I
1 C + 4% 2% 86% 1% 6% 1% 86% Resolve 
2 B + 1% 81% 11% 6% 1% 1% 81% Method 
3 B + 4% 75% 9% 5% 6% 1% 75% Must 
4 D + 5% 5% 8% 73% 8% 1% 73% Method CE
5 B + 6% 69% 13% 8% 2% 2% 69% Assumption 
6 E + 11% 1% 2% 5% 80% 2% 80% Strengthen CE
7 B + 1% 82% 10% 2% 4% 1% 82% MP-FITB 
8 A + 60% 8% 7% 13% 11% 2% 60% Justify FL
9 C + 9% 7% 74% 1% 8% 1% 74% MP 
10 B + 5% 48% 5% 14% 27% 2% 48% Must 
11 A + 93% 1% 1% 2% 2% 1% 93% Strengthen 
12 D + 3% 6% 1% 75% 13% 2% 75% Flaw 
13 D + 31% 3% 1% 43% 20% 2% 43% Strengthen CE
14 C + 4% 27% 40% 10% 15% 3% 40% Flaw 
15 D + 27% 12% 4% 52% 2% 2% 52% Must 
16 D + 16% 4% 2% 51% 25% 2% 51% Assumption 
17 E + 11% 5% 11% 17% 54% 3% 54% Weaken CE
18 B + 11% 44% 36% 5% 2% 3% 44% Strengthen-PR 
19 C + 10% 18% 49% 18% 2% 4% 49% Justify SN
20 D + 5% 5% 12% 53% 20% 5% 53% Parallel 
21 E D 11% 11% 9% 25% 39% 5% 39% Justify SN
22 C + 14% 8% 44% 10% 17% 7% 44% Must FL
23 A + 27% 10% 10% 36% 9% 9% 27% Parallel CE
24 C + 20% 8% 31% 26% 6% 9% 31% Must FL
25 B + 4% 61% 10% 10% 5% 10% 61% Method-AP 
Logic Games
1 D + 3% 4% 6% 81% 2% 4% 81% Gbl,List Basic Linear
2 C + 5% 8% 73% 7% 3% 5% 73% Gbl 
3 A + 44% 4% 45% 2% 1% 4% 44% Lcl 
4 C + 5% 12% 60% 7% 11% 5% 60% Gbl,List 
5 D + 10% 14% 12% 40% 16% 8% 40% Lcl 
6 D + 2% 2% 4% 86% 2% 4% 86% Gbl,List Grouping/Linear
7 C + 26% 8% 38% 10% 12% 7% 38% Gbl 
8 A + 52% 8% 12% 5% 16% 6% 52% Gbl 
9 E + 9% 20% 8% 14% 40% 9% 40% Gbl,List 
10 B + 8% 46% 20% 11% 7% 8% 46% Lcl,X 
11 A + 48% 9% 23% 9% 2% 8% 48% Gbl,List Grouping
12 B + 9% 36% 18% 17% 8% 11% 36% Lcl 
13 A + 47% 12% 13% 14% 3% 10% 47% Gbl 
14 A + 28% 16% 17% 21% 6% 13% 28% Gbl 
15 D + 8% 18% 22% 33% 5% 14% 33% Lcl 
16 B + 15% 27% 20% 19% 6% 14% 27% Gbl,MM 
17 C + 8% 18% 30% 18% 10% 15% 30% Lcl 
18 D + 2% 3% 4% 82% 2% 8% 82% Gbl,List Grouping
19 C + 2% 5% 59% 8% 17% 10% 59% Lcl 
20 C + 4% 7% 67% 8% 3% 11% 67% Gbl,X 
21 B + 4% 56% 13% 12% 3% 12% 56% Lcl 
22 A + 59% 9% 9% 8% 2% 13% 59% Lcl 
23 B + 9% 43% 13% 14% 6% 14% 43% Gbl 
Logical Reasoning II
1 B A 25% 64% 2% 4% 1% 5% 64% Resolve #%
2 C + 2% 5% 79% 5% 4% 5% 79% StrengthenX CE
3 C + 3% 6% 74% 9% 4% 5% 74% Must 
4 A + 61% 15% 9% 6% 3% 5% 61% MP 
5 B + 9% 70% 4% 10% 2% 5% 70% Weaken CE
6 E + 21% 3% 5% 4% 63% 5% 63% Method-AP 
7 C + 11% 7% 49% 15% 12% 6% 49% ResolveX 
8 D + 2% 1% 4% 87% 1% 5% 87% Strengthen 
9 C + 10% 9% 61% 6% 8% 5% 61% Strengthen-PR CE
10 B + 3% 80% 9% 2% 1% 5% 80% Flaw CE
11 E + 20% 21% 1% 6% 46% 5% 46% Must 
12 E + 6% 18% 4% 10% 56% 6% 56% Flaw SN
13 E + 8% 4% 1% 4% 77% 6% 77% Method 
14 A + 45% 19% 3% 2% 26% 5% 45% Flaw 
15 E C 32% 15% 17% 7% 24% 6% 24% Justify SN
16 E + 11% 6% 4% 2% 71% 6% 71% PI 
17 A + 18% 27% 19% 8% 21% 7% 18% Parallel SN
18 B + 3% 79% 5% 5% 2% 7% 79% Resolve 
19 D + 8% 9% 8% 41% 27% 7% 41% FlawX 
20 E + 4% 16% 14% 22% 36% 8% 36% Assumption 
21 B + 6% 72% 5% 6% 5% 7% 72% Flaw 
22 A + 24% 11% 10% 11% 36% 9% 24% Assumption 
23 B + 3% 45% 21% 11% 11% 9% 45% Flaw #%
24 C + 4% 6% 60% 17% 2% 11% 60% Strengthen 
25 D + 28% 10% 12% 32% 4% 14% 32% Parallel SN
26 B D 7% 33% 12% 20% 13% 14% 33% WeakenX 
Reading Comprehension
1 E + 3% 8% 4% 6% 72% 7% 72% MP Humanities
2 D + 11% 8% 30% 40% 4% 6% 40% PO,F 
3 A + 65% 3% 18% 3% 5% 6% 65% SR,F 
4 C + 8% 7% 72% 4% 4% 6% 72% AP 
5 D + 3% 17% 3% 62% 9% 6% 62% SR 
6 B + 4% 79% 5% 4% 1% 6% 79% SR,F Humanities
7 A + 82% 2% 3% 3% 3% 6% 82% Parallel 
8 C + 9% 10% 63% 9% 3% 7% 63% Weaken 
9 D + 5% 6% 8% 71% 4% 6% 71% X 
10 B + 18% 62% 7% 3% 3% 7% 62%   
11 D + 5% 3% 20% 62% 3% 7% 62% AP 
12 C + 14% 4% 53% 17% 5% 7% 53%   
13 C + 19% 6% 58% 6% 4% 7% 58% MP Science
14 B + 3% 77% 2% 6% 5% 7% 77% MP 
15 D + 2% 41% 9% 31% 10% 7% 31% AP 
16 D + 17% 13% 17% 43% 3% 8% 43% SR,Parallel 
17 A + 66% 15% 5% 5% 1% 7% 66% SR,AP 
18 B + 21% 40% 4% 7% 21% 7% 40% SR,F 
19 A + 63% 6% 8% 8% 8% 8% 63% X 
20 B + 4% 67% 7% 12% 2% 8% 67% MP Law Related
21 E + 7% 21% 6% 8% 49% 9% 49%   
22 A + 51% 4% 5% 25% 6% 9% 51%   
23 D E 6% 11% 15% 47% 10% 12% 47% SR,Parallel 
24 E + 3% 7% 14% 8% 57% 11% 57%   
25 A + 44% 26% 9% 5% 4% 12% 44% SR,PO 
26 E B 19% 25% 7% 10% 26% 13% 26% AP 
27 D + 3% 8% 7% 56% 12% 14% 56%   

if you click the search button and type in "kaplan", you will get a ton of threads discussing this very issue.  In a few words, the concepts reviewed by Kaplan are very basic, and unlikely to to improve your score significantly unless you had very high natural ability and practice a lot on your own. A lot depends on the instructor you get though, in any course.

Congratulations!!!  That's an amazing score and I bet you're happy to get it after all the hard work. 

We have a lot in common - only applying to one school b/c of not wanting to uproot the family, need for scholarship money, and the drastically lower than expected score on the the real test.  I wish you all the best on the rest of your practice tests and the real deal.

Have you started taking the recent (2005 and on) prep tests yet?  I agree with the previous poster that RC has gotten trickier, although your method of referring a lot to the passage probably works well.  I'm used to spending most of my time reading the passage and then answering the questions based on the thorough understanding of the passage.  It's worked out well on older tests, where I only miss 1 or 2 questions, but not so well on the recent ones, where the passages are longer and more dense and wrong answer choices are harder to eliminate.  I'm in the process of modifying my approach to account for that, and would be interested in your opinion re: RC on the newer tests.