The LSAT: A Word about Practice (it doesn’t necessarily make perfect)
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • October 29, 2015 •Law School, Pre-Law
Most LSAT test-takers are high achievers. And they believe in hard work. But that could be a mistake. It’s like the ‘no pain, no gain’ attitude that we now know is counterproductive. Franz Liszt once said “Think 10 times. Play once.” I wish I’d known that before I spent fourteen years becoming a somewhat accomplished pianist. It might have taken only ten years. The idea is this: whenever you do something, you’re training your mind or body to do it that way; so the possibility of training it to do it the wrong way is high if you focus on…
The LSAT: Developing Speed
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • September 22, 2015 •Law School, Pre-Law
Once you’ve developed your accuracy and stamina, chances are you’re already close to where you need to be speed-wise. After all, you’ve done it—the process—over and over… The first time you drive a car, it might take you five minutes to get started: you get in, close the door, fasten the seatbelt, then think to remember which pedal is the brake, which is the gas, which is the clutch, then you might put your hand on the gearshift and mentally rehearse where is first gear, then second, then third, then fourth, then fifth. Then you’ll check the rear view mirror…
The LSAT: Developing Stamina
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • July 01, 2015
The LSAT is a cognitive marathon, so just as you would if you were preparing for a physical marathon, you have to increase your stamina gradually. You’d be an idiot to run five miles one day and then expect to be able to run twenty the next day. You might be able to do it, but you won’t be able to do it well. So that’s my first point. I have the people I work with start with just 5 LRs in a row (and I don’t care if it takes them all day, as long as they get them…
The LSAT: Tips for the LGs
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • April 13, 2015
1. Squeeze the conditions for all inferences you can. Put them together in various combinations and ask ‘If this is true and this is true, what must also be true?’ 2. Go back and see if there’s something in the set-up that you should number as a condition so you don’t forget it. 3. Note which variables have a lot of strings attached and which don’t have any. When you have to ‘plug and chug’ (methodically work through all possibilities), start with the ones with the most strings attached because you’ll work through all the possibilities more quickly with those.…
The LSAT: How to Read the RC Passages (part 3) — Paired Passages
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • January 11, 2015
When you read a paired passage, I suggest you do everything that I’ve already suggested, plus the following: 1. As you read the second passage, note every similarity and difference between the second passage and the first.* It could be as simple as Passage B mentions X and so does Passage A, or it could be that Passage B mentions something that Passage A doesn’t. And so on. Or it could be something more difficult to detect: something in Passage B might support (or challenge) something in Passage A; something in Passage B might elaborate something that was merely mentioned…
The LSAT: How to Read the RC Passages (part 2)
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • November 27, 2014
The three things I’ve already mentioned (see part 1) are things you should do as you go through the passage. They help you see the trees. The next two things are things you should do at the end of each paragraph and at the end of the passage as a whole. They help you see the forest. 1. At the end of each paragraph, articulate to yourself the main point of the paragraph. It helps if you use as a template “The main point is that … .” If you have trouble, articulate first the topic, then ask yourself what…
The LSAT: How to Read the RC Passages (part 1)
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • October 21, 2014 •Law School, Pre-Law
There are several things I encourage my tutees to do when reading an RC passage (and I do recommend reading the passage first, thoroughly, and then working through the questions, rather than skimming the passage and then having to come back to it again and again for each question) (and one reason for this recommendation is that many questions require a ‘global’ understanding of the passage; they can’t be answered by just looking at one part of the passage): 1. Paraphrase as you go: put each sentence into your own words. This will ensure that you actually understand what you…
The LSAT: Understanding the Architecture of Argument (part 2)
By Peg Tittle, LSAT Tutor • September 25, 2014
In my last post, I emphasized the importance of understanding the argument that is made in an LR, and I said that once you understood the argument—that is, once you figured out that the speaker was saying ‘I conclude ZZZ on the basis of XXX’ and that s/he must also be thinking YYY because otherwise s/he couldn’t get from XXX to ZZZ—you’d be ready for almost any question. So here we go: What is the conclusion? ZZZ. What is the premise? XXX. What is the role played by XXX? It provides support for ZZZ. Which of the following assumptions is…