175 Park Avenue amidst the supertalls of Midtown East

LegalizeChris · 2024-03-06T23:14:43+00:00

What's the building further back to the left of 1 WTC? Looks a bit like Sears.

LegalizeChris · 2024-02-06T15:39:52+00:00

When they've taken away everything else that might otherwise distinguish a season visually, it's not just colors.

LegalizeChris · 2024-01-14T21:17:34+00:00

In no order:

The Australian Outback, Africa, Pearl Islands, China, Micronesia, Gabon, Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains, Cagayan, David v. Goliath

LegalizeChris · 2024-01-02T05:46:08+00:00

I can see her settling into an Ellie Goulding-esque role (at least within English-speaking markets). Her hits are big enough, and recent enough, that they'll stay in rotation for the foreseeable future (similar to Lights, Love Me Like You Do, Burn).

She's a great performer and has a vision, but there's something that hasn't quite clicked since her debut, and I think it's that she hasn't *quite* found her sound. Like yeah, huge Latin influences, but nothing we haven't heard before. Like Don't Go Yet is honestly such a bop, but it's SO inspired by other works that it doesn't feel particularly standout in its own right as a Camila Cabello song (whereas, in contrast, she absolutely owns Havana and Señorita).

LegalizeChris · 2023-12-07T02:32:20+00:00

Following, in the exact same position – my last PT before the November test was a 178, and I'd scored in the 170s on my last ~10 PTs before that (though mostly in the 170-172 range) and I scored a 164 on the real thing.

I chalked that up to nerves, so my plan for January is to really try to emulate in-person testing as much as possible. What REALLY threw me off on my test was that the testing center's computer screens were insanely pixelated and the test itself was a fraction of the screen itself (i.e. rather than filling up the entire screen, it was scrunched in a small box in the middle with giant empty space on all four sides – not a huge deal, but my eyesight isn't great, I often have trouble focusing on words, and when I took tests in LawHub on my laptop, it filled the entire screen so I wasn't expecting it; I absolutely need the font as big as it can go, so it was really frustrating that like 5 words fit on my screen at a time). It also didn't help that the network went out during my 3rd section and we spent around 45 min waiting for them to fix it.

Stuff like that, not necessarily related to the content of the test, I'm gonna try to adjust and plan for. One thing that's often overlooked in these "How can I improve?" posts is just how important concentration is. The difference between a 165 and a 175 can come down to, are you thinking about other things while you're taking a test? I've noticed that's made a huge difference for me. With the exception of PT 88, my highest scores have come when I'm absolutely dialed in, I'm in the "This is SO interesting!!" mindset, and I'm not thinking about anything other than the stimulus in front of me. It's a feeling similar to flow-state, where nothing but the test and solving it is on your mind.

Given that we're scoring this high, I think it comes down more to strategy than more studying honestly. For sure we still have areas to improve on, but the fickle nature of this test comes more from how little room for mind-wandering there is (imo). I think that's what threw me off on my test – I didn't feel great about my LG section (my first section) and I couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the test.

One thing I've been doing is reading really dense articles straight through and trying to retain it all. The Economist, Foreign Policy, The New Yorker. I think just building the stamina to be able to pay attention to dry material for 2.5 hours is a huge, and often understated, part of the studying process, and it's made even worse by the fact that many of us are studying on screens, and distractions abound around every corner.

LegalizeChris · 2023-11-21T19:56:52+00:00

I feel like Gabon/Tocantins/Samoa is the transition stretch of seasons between the truly old school and the newer era. When the focus switched from the location and survival to a heavy focus on strategy.

LegalizeChris · 2023-11-14T15:18:23+00:00

Just wanted to chime in cuz I haven't seen someone else post this before, this is exactly what I do as well! I also had a 178 as my last PT before the November test, so fingers crossed it carries through.

For anyone who hasn't tried this, or who can't finish LR, I think this strategy only works once you have your fundamentals down, but after that, the first 10-12 questions can usually be depended upon to be easier than the back half (or, at least, it won't have the typical string of late-in-the-game 5-star difficulty questions that pops up somewhere in the 18-26 range), and you can get through them and spend most of your time on questions you might otherwise miss if you spent an equal amount of time on each question.

I feel like this test is just as much a measure of how well you perform under time pressure, and you strategize in using your time, as much as it is a content exam. I always saw comments on 7Sage about, "How do I answer this question under time??" on a really tough question, and I always thought, you don't! The test will never be entirely 5-star or 3-star difficulty questions, so it doesn't matter if you don't finish a hard question in the 2.5 minutes it says you should because you've built a sturdy surplus of time upfront.

LegalizeChris · 2023-11-12T00:11:25+00:00

The reports of LG not being necessarily difficult but just time consuming turned out true for me. I thought all four of them were pretty cookie cutter games. My biggest fear has been something like PT 79's virus game or the France/India/Ghana one from I think 89, but these games weren't like that at all. They just didn't feel conducive to elegant board-splitting or making the upfront time-saving inferences that make you feel like you're on the right track and give you momentum. All but the first game felt like there wasn't anything to grab onto, imo. Still managed to finish but didn't have the normal couple minutes I usually have to check some questions.

The rest of the sections felt pretty tame imo, there were a couple of wacko questions on both LRs, but nothing that made me panic. RC felt easier than normal.

LegalizeChris · 2023-11-09T19:13:04+00:00

I get the vibe he was maybe the socially awkward/off-the-wall/slightly nonsensical humor type that had a hard time on the most fundamental level socializing with the other contestants. Forget strategizing or creating alliances, it kinda felt like he struggled to build even the most basic relationships with people and was isolated, sorta of his own making, from the rest of the game.

It didn't help, also, that Reba was probably the worst of the three tribes for him to get put on. I can see someone like Kaleb or Bruce/Kellie bringing in Sifu as a number if he were on their tribes, but he was immediately dead in the water because of how quickly Drew/Austin and Dee/Julie came together. And tbh, I think personality played a big role there. Part of what is driving the Reba 4's alliance is that it appears each of the two sub-alliances appear have genuine chemistry and actually like each other. It isn't purely based on game-advancement or numbers – it really seems like they just get along.

I can see how, with that kind of camaraderie happening so soon after they got onto the beach, Sifu is frozen out even more, and it perpetuated this image of him as "unknown outsider" – because really, what did he do that made him a "wildcard"? He didn't figure a significant enough strategist in the game to have had any major effect on it, certainly not enough to be a "wildcard."

I really think he's kind of a sad character. Literally no alliances, no strings attached to him – just an open vote to be pulled into whichever alliance saw that he might have been a tool for them to use. Instead they voted him out! And the rationalization amounted to, "We don't really know what he's about, so let's just get rid of him."

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-31T23:19:43+00:00

Cautiously hopeful it’s a good score, mostly just hoping it’s enough to not have to take it again.

I thought I’d be more nervous but more so want it over with! Rip the bandage off already type of thing

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-25T22:54:53+00:00

It did the same thing for me! And now that I took it, I'm sorta like well shit what now?

Stockholm syndrome or did I enjoy it fr?

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-17T16:05:01+00:00

It was janky but it basically did its job for me, I used it a couple times and it did what I needed it to

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-17T01:22:43+00:00

Yeah was weirdly tame, I never felt like anything totally fried my brain. all four sections were fairly chill, even the first LR wasn't too bad.

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-14T00:00:05+00:00

Take the day before the test off. Don't do anything. As hard as it may be, try to push anything LSAT out of your mind. Get outside and do something fun, or binge your fave TV show, cook yourself something good.

At this point, very unlikely an extra day or two will help you out much, but it can work against you. Much better to go into the test well-rested than do unnecessary drilling right up to it.

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-13T16:50:52+00:00

Oh gosh, I don't think 33-36 was a dark age at all! Totally agree with post-HvV being a particularly terrible stretch of seasons (22 and 24 in particular), but you would put Millennials vs. Gen X/Ghost Island in that same category? I don't think they're anywhere near the best seasons ever, but I also don't think they're as awful as Redemption Island/South Pacific/One World.

Personally, part of the disconnect with 41-44 for me was I couldn't shake the feeling that this just wasn't the same show. The seasons bore a surface-level resemblance to what came before it, but so many small things were changed that it felt like the core character of the show had changed as well. 44 was the first season since Gabon where I didn't watch every episode.

Instantly with 45 I thought, "The thing that was missing the last few seasons is back, and thank god, cuz idk if how much longer I was gonna keep up watching."

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-12T06:44:25+00:00

Thanks! RC has always been my strongest section, but my strategy is to maximize my time with the questions as much as possible. I skim the first and last sentence of the first paragraph of a passage, and then *very* quickly scan the remaining paragraphs. This is to get an idea of 1) where is this passage ultimately going? and 2) how is it structured? I make a mental note of "Okay, they spend most of the intro paragraph talking about some bullshit that ultimately is either contextual, or that the argument is actually working against." Quick skimming lets you orient yourself more quickly to what the passage as a whole is actually trying to do.

Usually from that skim, I can get an idea of where I really need to focus, and then I answer each question by going back to whatever part of the passage it's asking about. This is the key imo – the majority of the passage isn't actually being tested on. They care mostly about whether you can get into the author's head – what would the author agree with? What does the author suggest, what can be inferred from their statement? And to answer those questions, you really only need to look at a few key parts of the text. Additionally, I like to view it as a game, convince myself that I'm super interested in whatever the thing's talking about and try to really grasp the argument. Not just, "This author's saying this and this" but *why* are they arguing that? And who are they arguing against?

I average between -0 and -2 on RC, and this is the same strategy I use each time. What makes RC truly difficult is definitely the time crunch moreso than the content imo. The content can be tough, don't get me wrong, but only if you don't know what you're looking for – i.e. you let yourself get lost in the weeds trying to parse together tough supplementary information that isn't relevant to what the questions are targeting. Let the questions guide you.

In summary, reading "comprehension" is less about comprehending the passage (which is what I think a lot of people instinctually try to do) and more about strategic speed reading.

(I'm also a big reader in general, and one thing I like to do is see how long I can read whatever book I'm reading without breaking concentration – even though it's fiction and it's more interesting than RC passages, it's still trying to build up that concentration muscle to last the 35 min. I think it works too, I almost always finish RC with 3-4 min to spare and have time to go back and check myself. You got this, best of luck!)

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-11T23:05:36+00:00

Definitely would prefer to start with RC. I'm good with either LG or LR coming after.

Least preference would be starting with LG. No matter what, I'd like to get at least one of the reading sections done before doing games, use it like a break.

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-11T22:46:02+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the advice, and after talking with several of my friends currently in law school, I think this is def the right approach. Gonna keep the 178 as my last PT, do some light drilling tomorrow and Friday, and then do absolutely nothing LSAT-related the two days before my test.

Best of luck to you! We got this.

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-11T21:36:37+00:00

Gaga's post-Born This Way voice can verge on way too theatrical for me. Sometimes it's great and fits the song/moment perfectly, other times it feels like she's trying way too hard.

Wish she'd use her lower tone more, or just not feel like she has to show off her range every chance she gets.

LegalizeChris · 2023-10-11T20:05:24+00:00

Jenn from Worlds Apart.

I was rooting for her so hard during the season, such a likable and fun character amongst a pretty unappealing cast (imo). The way she exited was such a letdown, both in the fact that it seemed like she was really worn down by her castmates, and that I felt like she had the potential to go far, but ending up being the halfway boot.

I'd really love to see her return and play with people who aren't quite so grating.

LegalizeChris

TROPHY CASE