The Wait

If you’re already trying to figure out whether to re-take, take a look at a discussion of the re-take issues or marvel at our re-take flowchart – a true breakthrough in flowchart technology.

While you’re waiting I suggest you sign-up for our review the June LSAT workshop.  The workshop will include:

• A review of one or two logic games.

• A review of several logical reasoning questions and a lesson on improving your approach.

• A discussion of  your re-take options.

• A special test-analysis spreadsheet – one of our LSAT trackers – to help you analyze your results to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Our fingers are crossed for you!

How Can This Not Work?

I was reading an Atlantic Monthly article, “Beating Obesity” by Marc Ambinder. Even in the overly air-conditioned doctor’s waiting room, I couldn’t help but raise an LSAT eyebrow at one claim:

“[A] Stigma [against overweight people] might be more bearable…if diet and exercise, the most prescribed solutions to obesity, worked. But they don’t. Qualification, if you eat less and exercise more, you’ll lose weight. But the chances that you’ll stick with that regimen are slim, and the chances that you’ll regain the weight, and then some, are quite high.”

First of all, how frustrating! Diet and exercise don’t work? Perhaps that’s good because going to the gym and dieting both suck. But then, this requires a bit of thought: Ambinder states that eating less and exercising more DOES work! So, there’s a bit of a disconnect here. It must be that Ambinder’s point is that diet and exercise would work, if people did them. Really, he should have written: “Prescribing diet and exercise doesn’t tend to work.” Read more

Can You Make The Cut?

A screenwriter has pitch meetings with six producers – F, G, H, I, J, and K – over the course of a day. He will meet with each producer once, and one at a time. The following conditions apply:

* The screenwriter will meet with K before G if he meets with F before J.
* The screenwriter will meet with G before H only if he meets with I before J.
* The screenwriter will meet with F before I if, and only if, he meets with F after J.
* The screenwriter cannot meet with G last.

1. Which of the following could be the order of meetings?

(A) H, J, G, F, I, K
(B) I, H, F, J, K, G
(C) G, H, J, F, I, K
(D) H, G, J, I, K, F
(E) I, G, F, K, J, H

Read more

When will LSAC Call?

It can be agonizing waiting to hear about your LSAT score. Maybe the LSAC isn’t that in to you. Maybe it lost your number. It may simply be best to take up basket weaving or memorizing medieval poetry to take your mind off things. What I don’t recommend is refreshing your in-box every 5 minutes for the next 3 weeks! Take comfort in the fact that the LSAC is relatively consistent about their score release dates. Go ahead and read our summary of the LSAT score-release history so you can figure out when to start actually refreshing your in-box every 5 minutes 🙂

If you’re trying to decide whether to cancel, in general it’s best to have one great score on your record, but if the schools you’re applying to take your best score, a lower score won’t hurt. That said, if you know you bombed the exam — mis-bubbled, didn’t get to 2 games or passages when you usually finish all 4 — then canceling makes sense. More on this issue here.

In the meantime, good luck with basket-weaving.

If you’re having a bit of an LSAT freak-out, take a break from your umpteenth preptest, stop negating assumptions and talking about contrapositives. Drink some tea (not Long Island), and read some tips:

Final tips from people other than your mother

Tips for chilling out and getting YOUR best score

What to do the night before the LSAT