I just wanted to point something really obvious out.People love the LRB, and rightly so: it is the best book currently on the market for Logical Reasoning. Why? There are a few reasons. There is a lot of specific strategy based on question type. There are lots of detailed explanations for specific questions. It tries to do just one thing--the LR section--and do it well. For the most part, it succeeds.That said, people should realize that the word "bible" in its title doesn't mean we should all drink the Kool-Aid. The advice presented in the book is based on choices made by people, and these people are 1) not perfect, 2) not even perfect when it comes to the LSAT, and 3) motivated by more than just the desire to produce the best techniques. (1) and (2) should be obvious--the people who wrote the book and human. (3) might be less obvious. When writing an LSAT book, there are two primary considerations: writing the best book possible, and writing the most profitable book possible. Usually, the better the book, the more profitable it is. But when quality and profit conflict, profit usually wins. The result is a loss of quality.Stop spewing the dogma that reading the question stem first is always a bad idea. It might be a good idea for some or most people. But Powerscore can't flip-flop on the issue--it's either always good or always bad, and PS says always bad. Okay, fine. This is just one example. If the bible says it, it might be a good thing to try. It doesn't have to become a religion.Note that I am not suggesting that we ignore the LRB. In fact, I think that it really is the best book on the market right now. Just stop acting as if contradicting the bible will send you to LSAT hell (I guess that would be <150 IRL or <170 on this board). Offer the advice in the LRB as good advice from a good source, not gospel.I just think it is kind of useless to do by itself. They give you really no pratice and a bunch of tips/rules. But the thing is the rules are so obvious. Like in a weaken question look for a wrong answer that does not weaken the stimulus. Look out for a wrong answer that strengthens the stimulus. After a while you just say okay. I am reading 521 pages of basic crap.But the formal logic and conditional reasoning is helpful. Not too helpful because they give you few pratice problems.
Quote from: bass on August 27, 2006, 12:18:00 AMI just wanted to point something really obvious out.People love the LRB, and rightly so: it is the best book currently on the market for Logical Reasoning. Why? There are a few reasons. There is a lot of specific strategy based on question type. There are lots of detailed explanations for specific questions. It tries to do just one thing--the LR section--and do it well. For the most part, it succeeds.That said, people should realize that the word "bible" in its title doesn't mean we should all drink the Kool-Aid. The advice presented in the book is based on choices made by people, and these people are 1) not perfect, 2) not even perfect when it comes to the LSAT, and 3) motivated by more than just the desire to produce the best techniques. (1) and (2) should be obvious--the people who wrote the book and human. (3) might be less obvious. When writing an LSAT book, there are two primary considerations: writing the best book possible, and writing the most profitable book possible. Usually, the better the book, the more profitable it is. But when quality and profit conflict, profit usually wins. The result is a loss of quality.Stop spewing the dogma that reading the question stem first is always a bad idea. It might be a good idea for some or most people. But Powerscore can't flip-flop on the issue--it's either always good or always bad, and PS says always bad. Okay, fine. This is just one example. If the bible says it, it might be a good thing to try. It doesn't have to become a religion.Note that I am not suggesting that we ignore the LRB. In fact, I think that it really is the best book on the market right now. Just stop acting as if contradicting the bible will send you to LSAT hell (I guess that would be <150 IRL or <170 on this board). Offer the advice in the LRB as good advice from a good source, not gospel.I just think it is kind of useless to do by itself. They give you really no pratice and a bunch of tips/rules. But the thing is the rules are so obvious. Like in a weaken question look for a wrong answer that does not weaken the stimulus. Look out for a wrong answer that strengthens the stimulus. After a while you just say okay. I am reading 521 pages of basic crap.But the formal logic and conditional reasoning is helpful. Not too helpful because they give you few pratice problems.
Thank you, bass. I never picked up the Bible, or any other LSAT study aid, and I never missed more than one LR question on any LSAT (real or practice). I'm so fortunate that I didn't see LSD's LSAT forum before I took the LSAT - with all their diagramming and "technique," I probably would have freaked. Now, I just find it sad when I see threads with titles like "I don't understand contrapositives, am I doomed?" Clearly not, as I don't even know what a contrapositive is, and I'm rather pleased with the result. There are plenty of successful ways to approach logical reasoning, and I fear that so many people are trying to fit themselves into the LR Bible mold, that they are ignoring common sense and forgeting to actually reason (not to mention making a whole hell of a lot of work for themselves). Having techniques and strategies for the areas of the LSAT where one is deficient is wonderful - and I have no doubt that the LR bible has helped many, many people - but the strategy you employ should be the one that works for you (or, at the very least, one in which you understand why you are doing what you are doing), and this may not be the one that works for everyone else. The LR bible is a tool, and, like any tool, it is more effective in the hands of some than others. But it is not the only tool capable of performing the task at hand, and it might not be the tool best-suited to your skills. If you can open a door with a credit card, would you force yourself to learn how to pick the lock? Utilize the tools that work best in conjunction with the skills you already possess, and don't worry so much about what worked for everyone else.
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