I’m taking a Kaplan course in a few weeks because in my area its the most popular and was recommended to me by my pre law advisor. I need a score increase (i’m aiming for average scores..a 160 would leave me content) I don’t need to hear not to set the bar so low etc, etc..I’m realistic and content with the fact that I will not be scoring in the 99th percentile.
Does anyone have any success stories with Kaplan? I tend to worry and think of worst case situation and need to hear some motivating thoughts.
What are you looking for? you tell people “don’t give me the solid advice to prep correctly” and then you ask for motivation. Setting the bar high isn’t just for people who will score 170+, it’s a reminder that you should be aiming to master all question types and steadily increase your speed. Shooting for 160 will infect your study and allow you to constantly say “well, fuck that question and I don’t need it anyway.”
So, if you are seeking advice, don’t start by ruling out good advice.
Are you paying for this class? I don’t see why you’d drop a grand if you are aiming for a pretty modest score. Self study for a month should yeild the same results without wasting that much cash. But I’m poor, maybe a grand isn’t a thing to you.
For the most part, the Kaplan course is regarded as one of the worst. You should get any money you put down back, and invest in TM,PS,M,BP,V or others that have a better reputation.
The only reason I took my class was because I knew my instructor scored a 177 (She was a ph.D student at my school). However, the class didn’t help me figure out why I couldn’t break a 165 (I really needed better explanations of LR question types to figure out what was up). So I’m pretty neutral…I would combine the class with self study if you’re going to do it.
I would love to believe that 170+ is possible. I’m doing self study as well, and I guess another problem is that I’m often having difficulty figuring out why I get certain questions in certain sections wrong. Normally in LG its pretty apparent, but in LR for instance…I almost sometimes feel like there is no rhyme or reason why I get some correct and some incorrect (which is partly why I feel like its difficult for me to target improve) anyone else have those issues?
I have the exact same problem, and I overcame it (sort of). It’s definitely possible. I’m willing to help you out, PM me some questions that you find difficult and I can help you work through it. There are other users on this forum who are much better at the LSAT than I am, also, so feel free to use them as a resource (the ones that are willing to help anyway haha).
This is pretty much what I did the first time. I was shooting for a 165 and I don’t think there was a single PT (it may’ve even happened on the real test but the whole thing was a blur) where at some point I didn’t think something along the lines of, “Oh, it’s OK if I miss this question.” I had it in my mind that as long as I didn’t get more than 15-20 questions wrong I was good. This time I’m going for 180. Do I actually think I’ll get a 180? Not really, but at least it’ll keep me from thinking it’s OK to miss questions.
From what I’ve heard on here Kaplan is awful. Use another company, they’ll go over why an answer is wrong and how to recognize it as you’re taking the test.
I did in the past, got a lot better, still every once and a while I’ll come to a question and get it wrong and have no idea why. A very important piece of advice I received was to NEVER let a question go without finding out why you were wrong and why the right one was right. If you get a question wrong, do you HAVE to investigate it. There’s always a reason somewhere, it’s just a matter of how hard you look for it. Several times I’ve stared at a question for 10 minutes, asked my gf for her advice (doesn’t study but can still be of some help), and didn’t understand how it was wrong. But give it enough time and thought and you’ll have a break through. That break through is what you need to start doing well in these sections because that’s a sign that you are starting to learn the test and filling logical gaps that you have been making so you wont make them again.
Disclaimer: I still don’t ace the LR sections. I average 1 to 4 misses a section, getting closer to the 1 than the 4.
I also think that there’s an element of fastidiousness in scoring a 180. I mean, it’s really easy to let your guard down for 2 or 3 questions over the course of a 3 hr exam. These might be questions that you would otherwise answer correctly. It seems that a lot of ultra high scorers do PTs back to back to build mental endurance.
The PM offer stands for me too (and anybody reading this - I usually respond to lsat questions within the day and I’d like to think I’m helpful! )
John V has it right - DON’T LET THOSE GO. You should be spending a LOT of time reviewing your PTs, including every question you weren’t 100% sure about, and every question you got wrong. I kept a running document of all of these questions for myself and redid them occasionally and it was super helpful.
I don’t think you’re going to find many people on TLS who have had good experiences with Kaplan.
this has been very helpful. I easily get a self defeating attitude and sometimes feel like you either understand this test or you don’t. my PT scores are low so I’m hoping thats not the case. keep the advice coming.
I’m currently PTing 169 (done it twice in a row now…) timed.
I didn’t really take an initial diagnostic, but based on how I did on my study guide books, it would have definitely been below 150. I made an almost 20 point jump by self-studying. It’s all about using the right materials.
The books recommended in the stickies are great. The one book that is absolutely essential (unless you’re a genius) in my opinions is the Powerscore Logic Games Bible. Going through that will bump your score from 140whatever to 160.
Going off Toothbrush’s post, 160-170 is way, way harder than 140-160. Self-prep is the best way to go. There’s tons of resources here on how to self-prep.
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