Why hasnt the LR bible helped me?

[barbiegirl]

Perhaps you dont know how to read?

[Java Man]

I have a pre-emptive question, per se.

I just finished reading the LGB and I will finish the LRB this weekend.  I kind of feel the same way about the LRB.  But…

I haven’t started doing practices sections since studying the bibles. 

(SweetPri) I read a very good post by “ProfessorPlum” that suggested we do manageable sections everyday.  1 section each day and review.  2 sections a day and review.  Take a PT and review. At a pace you can live with of course.  I think YYYY and BOSS hit the nail on the head.  FOCUS and REVIEW.

I am going to try that until the end of Dec and see where I stand.

(Everyone) Here is my question.  If at that point I still feel weak, do I look at a weekend PowerScore course?

Will a 16-hour cram course help with just 2-weeks before the Feb07 test?  I wish they offered it 3-4 weeks prior to the exam.  Do they offer more problems and EXPLANATIONS in their course books?  6 problems at the end of each chapter is NOT enough.

I am willing to spend $500 (tuition, room, food) to earn an additional 5 points.  My goal is a 160.  I have not taken a PT since 10/28 (144) when I started studying the bibles.

Or do I hunker down on PTs and reviewing the bibles.

Thanks in advance,

[Sweetpri]

Thanks for all the advice, I have some better ideas of what I'm going to do to get better now.

Java Man - looks like we're in the same boat. I live too far away from any of the classes and powerscore is offering the weekend course just 1 week before the Feb. test.  Not sure if it will be helpful since I wont have much time to review anything.

[TWTW]

One last suggestion then... if not understanding the stimulus is your problem, then it might be attributed some part to unfamiliarity. I did about 22+ preptests and by the end I started thinking in LR logic. The more you familiarize yourself with their unorthodox syntax and structure, the more confident you will in understanding the question.

Of course in the end you might still end up with things that just completely blow your mind (e.g. the Gardening LR questions on the december LSAT).

[ProfessorPlum]

I know this probably won't help very much, but really try to understand the stimulus.  Know the conclusion (I mean, find the exact phrase/sentence, not just have an idea of the conclusion), understand the premises.  Don't worry about the question type while you're reading the stimulus, because it distracts you.  It will naturally begin to become obvious for many questions anyway, as you get more practice.  Once you understand the stimulus, read the question stem, then proceed to the answer choices.

Also, I think most high scorers cross off the majority of wrong answer choices.  Once you understand the stimulus, proceed to the answer choices and cross off the ones that you know are wrong.  The ones that are hardest to spot are the wrong answers that are out of scope, or too strong/weak.  Be very wary of "none" and "all" in answer choices, unless the question uses formal logic.

Sometimes this process leaves only one answer choice, in which case you circle it.  Other times, it takes some careful consideration between two or three choices--regardless, you've drastically increased your chances of getting the question right.  Sometimes you will cross off all of the choices.  Then, it's time to go back through and mark an X through ones you KNOW are wrong, and reconsider ones you thought were wrong, but might actually be right.

Skip Parallel Reasoning questions (and maybe formal logic questions) until the very end.  They just aren't worth the time.  Carefully review and commit to memory the various "tests" the LRB offers for checking your answers on question types.  Go through the "flaw in the reasoning" section, as well, focusing on the examples and common correct answer choices.

I also found that thinking about the time I had left severely distracted me.  Don't worry about the clock, just keep moving through the section.  All you have to do is answer the questions as fast as you can (accurately), and not get hung up.  Maybe find a point to check the time, just to ensure you're on track (I tried to have 18-20 minutes left after answering question #13).  If you do this, you should finish on time. 

That's all the advice I can muster right now...hope it helps!

[toponepercent]

the absolute key to succeeding with logic qs is thinking of it like a process.  some qs are easier than others, and some answer choices are more clearly right or wrong than others.  you knock out the ones that are easier for you, and concentrate more on the rest.  the more you work on them, generally the more they will make sense for you.  you should also look at your wrong and right answers in a group.  after studying for a few weeks, what pattern are you seeing in your wrong answers?  you don't necessarily see those things when your working through specific problems day-by-day.  if the kaplan, Princeton Review, etc., guides aren't working, you could try one focused more on visualizing the problems (which worked for me).  I wrote a book on the approach, which you can find at www.comprehensivecolumbia.com

[Sweetpri]

Thanks so much everyone - I'm happy I have some ideas on how to study better.  I also have a couple of books that are supposed to help me with my reading comprehension and speed so hopefully everything combined will help me!

[bubDread]

I think the biggest benefit you can confer on yourself is to get the first 10 questions or so done in like 7 minutes.  They are usually the easiest, and then you can focus on the hard ones.