A new reality education series....
Prep Course/Classroom Survivor...
A combination of Weakest Link and Survivor... The tenants of the show are very simple...
If you are studying for an exam that is only given in English and you are not even close to being English Language Proficient then you are voted out of the class. I know its harsh, but for heavens sakes, I didn't put down over $1,000 bucks so you can learn what the word reptile means!
If you ask too many stupid questions you are voted out of the classroom. Thankfully there is going to be some self-voting off in this respect as the most problematic offender is going back to grad school (note to self... Brown Public Policy Grads - don't assume high quality).
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And of course even though the guy teaching the class told us that 1/3 of the class generally scores lower on the 2nd diagonstic test than the 1st because people are learning to impliment the techniques being taught everyone who scores lower is going to assume the class is making them stupider. No, its not. You entered with unrealistic expectations and are just naturally stupid (well, more correctly, not wise).
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And then of course there are the people who refuse to believe they can be wrong. These are the ones that say something like... Well I chose D because XYZ. Would D have been right if the guy's dog had jumped the fence, monekys started dancing, and I completely reword the question.
People, please, for the love of all things intellectual... you got the answer WRONG. We all get the answer wrong. Learn why its wrong so you don't make the same mistake in the future. Don't try justifying your answer choice by engaging on some fantasy trip to an alternate reality!
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Sorry for mostly just putting up complaints about the prep course, unfotrunately it is now the only thing I do outside of eating, sleeping, commuting and working (mostly becasue the homework portion of the class takes 12-20 hours a week plus 8 hours of in-class instruction). I'm going to be very happy Sept 30th when I'm done with this.
Of course then its on to Law School apps and personal statements :( And then financial aid... Ugh... Why did I decide to do this again... oh yeah... DC + no advanced degree = job below ability level.
Yes and Yes
While the focus is on the construction of LSAT question (obviously) it almost doubles as a formal logic course. I'm finding it easier to identify weak points in arguements and where my own weak points in arguements are.
Additionally, when(if?) I start in the fall of 2007 I will have been out of school for over 4 years so just as training tool to help me re-enter the world of a student the course has a good deal of value.
Also, the homework consists of every problem ever administered on a 'modern' LSAT (circa 1991 - present?), which is about 6000 questions I think. So thats a lot of practice with the structure and design of those questions ;p
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As for LSAT Score - for me 165 is the minimum I would be satisfied with. I would really like a 170 to give me a 50/50 shot of getting into Georgetown.
In terms of helping me reach that, the logic game help alone should get me a good chunk of the way there. I scored a 158 on the first diagnostic test (cold-no studying of any type, only decided to take the test a week earlier). I missed nearly 40% of the logic game questions alone (not uncommon) - I missed 9 of 24. The class alone should help me pick up at least 6 questions there which should bump me into the low 160 range.
Still working to improve on the logical reasoning section.
I'm not worried about the reading comp section.
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It was a lot of money, but I think its worth it, even if no single benefit is worth the money, all of them together should be.
but
Are you actually learning stuff in the class? Do you think that after the class you will be able to get a good score on the LSAT (isn't a good score something greater than 160)?