43 replies to this topic

[yeahman]

Wenis, on 08 February 2012 - 01:33 PM, said:

Out of curiosity, do you guys normally score roughly the same on test day as you do your PT's? or is the actual test score usually notably lower?

I remember reading somewhere that you should assume that you will score roughly 4 points less on the actual test than the PT's (can't remember if they meant 4pts off raw or scaled though).

This is nonsense in my opinion. I think the major reason for the discrepancy between PT and real scores is because people are not being honest with themselves in their studying. If you are diligently replicating test day conditions (strict 35 minute sections, 10-15 minute break, "experimental section" etc) you should know exactly what to expect on game day. Yes, anxiety happens, but ideally that's why its best to spend more time writing PT's and getting used to that feeling. As an experienced test taker (3 times) I will concede that on the one occasion I panicked and scored substantially lower, but on the other two I scored at the upper limit of my PT range.

Don't expect anything less than your PT average if you are honest in your preparation. Going in with that mentality would be detrimental.

[Jaspri]

I completely agree with this above.
When I started, I took 5-10 min breaks between each section. This produced PT scores of up to 166. My highest PT under 'real' conditions is 162.

[Wenis]

yeahman, on 08 February 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

This is nonsense in my opinion. I think the major reason for the discrepancy between PT and real scores is because people are not being honest with themselves in their studying. If you are diligently replicating test day conditions (strict 35 minute sections, 10-15 minute break, "experimental section" etc) you should know exactly what to expect on game day. Yes, anxiety happens, but ideally that's why its best to spend more time writing PT's and getting used to that feeling. As an experienced test taker (3 times) I will concede that on the one occasion I panicked and scored substantially lower, but on the other two I scored at the upper limit of my PT range.

Don't expect anything less than your PT average if you are honest in your preparation. Going in with that mentality would be detrimental.

Makes perfect sense.

I've been using a couple of small cheats in my last two PT's. I've been using the timer/alarm on my iPhone instead of an analog wristwatch. I set it for 35 minutes, press start and get to work on a section. Once the alarm goes off, that's it. I immediately reset and get to work on the next section. Good in the sense that my time limits are strict, but bad in the sense that I'm not using an analog wristwatch and thus not simulating real test conditions.

The second thing I've been doing wrong is that I haven't been adding a 5th section. I have just been doing the first two, taking 15, then doing the last two. I think this is the biggest mistake I've been making.

I think today will be my last PT before the real thing and I want to exactly simulate "real" conditions: 3 sections, 15 min break, 2 sections, analog wristwatch. What would be a fair type of section to add as the "experimental" 5th, LG, LR, or RC?

Also, another unrelated question out of curiosity, how the the proctors enforce people from not moving on to another section if they finish one section early? what's to stop someone from peeking at section 2 for example, if they finish section 1 with minutes to spare?

[RonnieRockstar]

Wenis, on 09 February 2012 - 10:41 AM, said:

Also, another unrelated question out of curiosity, how the the proctors enforce people from not moving on to another section if they finish one section early? what's to stop someone from peeking at section 2 for example, if they finish section 1 with minutes to spare?

No one will stop you from peeking, but if you get caught you'll likely be in big trouble. Do you notice the top of practice tests have the sections written on them in BIG font? Proctors can easily distinguish which section you're on at a glance.

[jin45]

Wenis, on 09 February 2012 - 10:41 AM, said:

Makes perfect sense.

I've been using a couple of small cheats in my last two PT's. I've been using the timer/alarm on my iPhone instead of an analog wristwatch. I set it for 35 minutes, press start and get to work on a section. Once the alarm goes off, that's it.

This is a real no-no. You need get in the practice of glancing at an analog watch (which should lie flat on the table) and knowing exactly how you're doing on time. You also need to be able to quickly reset the second hand to 00 or 25 in the 10 seconds before a new section begins. I really suggest doing some section practice with a wristwatch before Saturday.

Bubble after every logic game, every page spread of LR, and every RC passage. When five minutes is called, bubble after every question.

Test day can be full of surprises. At my center, we had crappy tables with cheap tablecloth on them, so everyone was puncturing their answer sheet. A cellphone went off during the writing section. I think the only reason that guy wasn't stoned to death outside was because the writing section doesn't count (and probably because of potential C&F issues).

Edited by jin45, 09 February 2012 - 11:14 AM.

[yoni45]

I'd actually suggest against resetting the watch every section. I feel like people often forget while they're still caught in the moment from the previous section. Instead, set it to 12:00 and just memorize :35, :10, and :45 for the three sections and that should take care of it within a 20 second margin that will cut into your section, if anything (so it won't delude you into thinking you have more time than you actually do). You can reset at the break.

In terms of experimental, use your worst section.

You should also be toning it down from here on out -- take the day off tomorrow.

Good luck!

[Wenis]

^ Good to know.

I'm about to go print off a full PT plus an extra section from another PT. Any suggestions on what type of section to use for the experimental 5th?

Edit: thanks yoni, LG it is for the "experimental"

jin45, on 09 February 2012 - 11:12 AM, said:

1. You also need to be able to quickly reset the second hand to 00 or 25 in the 10 seconds before a new section begins. I really suggest doing some section practice with a wristwatch before Saturday.

2. Bubble after every logic game, every page spread of LR, and every RC passage. When five minutes is called, bubble after every question.

Sorry, but would you mind explaining these two points to me? I'm not really following. None of the watches I own have a feature that allows you to instantly reset the second hand.

Do the proctors only give notification when there is 5 minutes left or do they do it incrementally?

Edited by Wenis, 09 February 2012 - 11:35 AM.

[KER_2012]

Wenis, on 08 February 2012 - 01:33 PM, said:

Out of curiosity, do you guys normally score roughly the same on test day as you do your PT's? or is the actual test score usually notably lower?

I've written in the high end of my PT range. On test day I can focus much better because I know it counts.

[yoni45]

I think he meant the minute hand...

Proctors only give a single 5 minute warning (assuming they don't screw up ).

Edited by yoni45, 09 February 2012 - 12:16 PM.

[marie03]

I score WAY lower on the actual test. I do my PTs under strict conditions but I think the nerves can really get to some people. Timing is a big issue for me. On the real test I get so nervous I can't concentrate, have to read the same question 3 times over and run out of time. I think getting a good night sleep the night before is very important. This time around I will make sure not to house-sit and lose a dog haha.

[antioppressivepractice]

marie03, on 09 February 2012 - 12:31 PM, said:

I score WAY lower on the actual test. I do my PTs under strict conditions but I think the nerves can really get to some people. Timing is a big issue for me. On the real test I get so nervous I can't concentrate, have to read the same question 3 times over and run out of time. I think getting a good night sleep the night before is very important. This time around I will make sure not to house-sit and lose a dog haha.

I am the same way. I get too anxious on test day and I have a horrible time concentrating. I hope things go better this time around.

[Bonin18]

Lol. I liked the "what prevents people from peeking at the next section" question. My centre only had 30 people present so it would have been extremely difficult and not worth the risk. But I'd imagine it could be done at little risk in a large centre. What I've noticed over the four times I've written is that the paper lsac uses is so thin you can see through the page and there is no mistaking the games section through the last page of a section. In fact I think knew i had a games section for #1 before I even opened the booklet.

[jin45]

Wenis, on 09 February 2012 - 11:33 AM, said:

^ Good to know.

I'm about to go print off a full PT plus an extra section from another PT. Any suggestions on what type of section to use for the experimental 5th?

Edit: thanks yoni, LG it is for the "experimental"



Sorry, but would you mind explaining these two points to me? I'm not really following. None of the watches I own have a feature that allows you to instantly reset the second hand.

Do the proctors only give notification when there is 5 minutes left or do they do it incrementally?

Oh sorry, yeah, I meant the minute hand. I think yoni is a test prep instructor, so he definitely has more experience with this than I do, but I reset after every section during PTs and the real thing. I guess after a while I did it automatically. But if it's not second nature two days before the test, it's probably not worth stressing over. I still recommend doing a little practice with a watch though.

[yeahman]

Bonin18, on 09 February 2012 - 01:46 PM, said:

Lol. I liked the "what prevents people from peeking at the next section" question. My centre only had 30 people present so it would have been extremely difficult and not worth the risk. But I'd imagine it could be done at little risk in a large centre. What I've noticed over the four times I've written is that the paper lsac uses is so thin you can see through the page and there is no mistaking the games section through the last page of a section. In fact I think knew i had a games section for #1 before I even opened the booklet.

This is true. If they are trying to be discreet about this they are not doing a good job. It is pretty easy to see right through those things. Also, not every proctor enforces the "rules" in the same way. At my last sitting I saw many people bubbling after time was called. Also, this same proctor would say "turn to next section in your booklet, but don't start yet," then would literally take about 20-30 seconds to reset his watch while everyone obviously started reading the questions. Only downside to this proctor was that him and his proctor buddy were whispering through the first 2 sections until I asked them to stop.