I'm really glad I stumbled upon your course and I was just surfing Google and I don't I can't remember like how I came across your blog but it was really helpful and I'm really lucky that I did. I'm really glad to hear it. So you've been in the courses for... I think it's almost been two months I would say.
Two months, excellent. So what would you say is the biggest insight you've gotten so far? So I think the biggest insight would be to I think it would be to trust your instincts more especially for logic games. Like sometimes when I'm showing with you know whether to split into main diagrams or core diagrams or to kind of take the roles and kind of like know it by heart and to just castrate to a question that I feel like sometimes you know there's always strategies involved because sometimes I feel like it's with every question is different and so it's helpful to just kind of trust your gut sometimes.
I'm mostly been focusing with logic games so far just because I know that it's kind of like my weakest area and like you said it's the most it's the easiest section to improve mine and I can definitely agree with that and so it's mostly just me logic games for me I'm really glad to hear that and glad to hear two helpful and you should trust your instincts you do have the abilities within yourself and my job is to draw your ability out and help you apply your aptitude to the questions and so a lot of the questions that you were sending me I think they actually know they were kind of more nuanced detailed higher level questions which suggests to me that you've already got a lot of the basics down so that was good to see. It definitely took a while to get there but it definitely I think was practiced like the more and you know we doing the questions I would usually wait a week or so to redo the question that's in your slightly schedule and like every time I redo even though like sometimes I don't I still don't get it right but the more that we do it the more like the higher the accuracy and the more that like realizing out certain parts where it's like kind of like use that inference and kind of like play around with it that can like shave off like 10 seconds or like 20 seconds and like with each time round like that's like a lot of seconds that's like 40 seconds which is like almost like a minute and that's kind of a huge game changer. That's the amazing thing is that these this time saved it scales it builds up and so that means that by the if you could at the end of a game still have a minute or two remaining to either apply to the following game which might be tougher or double check something that really does build on and self-in-benefits you in the long run and gives you time to handle these more complicated rules like by conditionals or like these more unique in out games where the conditional statements do not connect. Yeah when I like when I do the questions that I have that are just tricky you know like with by conditionals or with rules or like with not even that many rules like two or three rules and a lot of like moving parts and you can't really make any like main diagrams and like I really rely on making main dinos I feel more comfortable and more confident when I have like like for like seven core diagrams which kind of like I was and like knowing that there are a limited number of possible scenarios that's like very comforting and when I don't have that I think that's what throws me off it really kind of just throws up like my balance and I'm thinking if there's any way to kind of like slide through that and just like kind of still keep a steady pace and not panic.
Sure and so I totally get where you're coming from there are a lot of students in the exact same boat where they like these games where these multi-main diagrams break the game wide open and so the question for you is what can you do to feel more comfortable when you're thrown a curveball? What could you do now to prepare for that curveball and the answer of course is give yourself a lot of curveballs now so that you're not going to encounter them later on test day and be totally taken by surprise. I have a list of curveball games have you seen it? Is it it's on your blog right?
It's just like the top 10 hardest logic games where you're on the top 10 hardest but I also have a newer list of curveball games. Email me after this call and I'll send you the link and this is the list of every curveball game from exam one up to exam 80. These are the games that do not fit the mold. They break the mold.
They are unfamiliar. Sometimes the diagram is just weird. Sometimes there's not much of a single main diagram to make at all and so the question is how do you handle it? How do you adapt your skills to a game type that does not fall within the neatly pre-prescribed categories because LSAC does want to throw those curveballs.
They do want to challenge people who are too rigid in their thinking and blindly copying someone else's technique and so the answer is not to apply the strategy that doesn't work for the situation. You can't fit a square peg in a round hole. You've got to take a different approach and ultimately what you will see as you work through this list is that a lot of these games, although they may not appear similar to others on the surface and the way in which you diagram them may be different, the underlying logic is still at its core the same. Sometimes when I'm doing a logic games, I would think in that advanced linear mindset but then I would be dealing with a grouping game and so that just the strategies that I would typically use for linear games wouldn't apply as smoothly and as effectively for grouping and then that would be two minutes gone, down a drain and nothing useful coming out of it.
That's when the kind of kicks in because you have to start from scratch again and apply the grouping challenge you might set. Exactly. I want to suggest for you that you slow down just a little bit and make sure that you're using the right tool for the job. I saw you asking me about, just in general, I think you were asking, was it about a real logical reasoning and reading comp about sacrificing time and slowing down.
I actually want to relate that to games just a little bit where sometimes a little bit of slowing down up front could even be beneficial in the long run because if you don't realize a mistake until three or four minutes have passed, of course, that was really valuable time. So just an extra moment at the beginning of a game to double check could be really useful in the long run. Yeah, that would definitely help. Now with regard to your question on by conditionals, how to better understand them.
Ultimately, this is a lot of what happens on the LSAT in terms of unfamiliar things that are complex. You want to expose yourself to them now and take the time to thoroughly understand them now so that on test day, you won't be reinventing the wheel or rediscovering the formula to solve that rule or that question type. By conditionals, they're confusing and they could be presented in increasingly confusing ways. And I want you to see that language on test day and automatically know exactly what to do rather than having to reason through it for the first time.
Like you've done tons of contraposatives by now, right? If you're a contraposive for the first time, it would take a while. And so you don't want to be doing that during a 35 minute time section for the first time. By conditionals are also conditional formal logic.
They're just different in some way. And because they appear less commonly, they're more unfamiliar. And so do a bunch of those and take the time to reason through them so that on test day, it won't be anything new. There were a couple of games in the 50s, exams 50, 50, 51 and 52, three consecutive exams that contained confusing conditional statements.
If you just flip through those exams, you'll see what I'm talking about, where it's either this or that but not both. Really kind of confusing. How do you diagram that? Obviously, first time you see it, it's going to be weird.
It's going to be hard. And so the people who did exam 50 as a real exam, they were thrown through a loop and I don't blame that. It was a relatively new thing. But exam 51 and exam 52, you could have looked back at the previous exam or two, done those exams, done those games.
And then for exam 52, it would be nothing new to you. If you had done those previous ones, it would have been much easier. So exposing yourself to that wide variety of complex rules, complex games so that when you're seeing it, you know exactly what to do in the moment. Yeah.
Like I've obviously gotten used to Contra positives. And then there's the two other rules where it's like, you need to have at least one out and it could be both or you need to have at least one in and it could be both in. And so obviously the first thing I got around was kind of hard to like, catch in one sense, but now it's like, okay, I kind of see what's coming and kind of like prep myself to know what to do. And then like, I would just have to like, you know, practice more for the by conditioners.
But I was also wondering, as I was from, you know, Contra positives and like at least one in or at least one out and by conditionals, are there any other more like just trickier like conditional chains or other things that's, you know, like they're still chatting to it, but it's on a advanced level. I was wondering if you, if there's like a list on your blog that kind of like tackles those trickier parts. Well, the thing is, as we get more complex as things get trickier, there are fewer of each type to the point that each single game is unique in some way. It might include one particular rule that's difficult, but these don't really relate that much to each other.
The best place to go if you're looking for these higher level, more complex games is this list of curveball games, because what they all have in common is simply that they are rare and unfamiliar. They don't relate that much to each other in terms of their, their surface level logic, but how they do relate is that they're all unfamiliar and they're all likely to throw you for a loop in one way or the other. And so the best thing I would suggest for you is run through all of those games in order if you like, just to see how you deal with unfamiliar situations. And of course, you can look at the explanations afterwards, but I do suggest at first trying to puzzle through it on your own.
Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. So I'll look at that list and then test 50, 51 and 52 for the time being. Okay.
I mean, we also asked about test 58 game four with these conditionals that don't really relate. Right. That's a good thing. Yeah, it is.
I mean, test 58 game two has long conditional chains that do where you can link them all together. 58 game four is one of these curveballs. And I have tactics to handle it. I have a video walkthrough on my site where I walk through exactly my technique for solving it.
But that's one of those things where you've got to think a little bit outside the box more. Like, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. I was also wondering for study schedules.
So I've put in like around three months, like two more like hardcore months of studying and we'll see like logic games, I'm trying to like really like get a better handle with it and like really lock down the fundamentals. And I was wondering if, you know, because I'm a rising senior in college and you know, only so much time in your school. And I know that I won't be taking the LSAT anytime soon because I don't feel ready. But I was wondering if like when is the best time to kind of take the LSAT?
And this is like kind of like a more personalized like thing. Like it kind of depends on what's like different people. But I guess like from experience and from the students that you've mentored, like what's like, I guess just like what are some advice that you would give for people who are not going short to loss wall, but do want to take the LSAT and just, you know, get a good score and like have it down to that. I don't have to like think about it and excited for it while I'm working or like right in the graduating all that.
That sure will. You've been studying for a while and you've been studying pretty rigorously from what I gather over the summer so far. And so I, if that's the case, I would recommend taking it relatively soon while all this work is still fresh for you and you don't get too carried away or distracted by your school obligations. So maybe you want to take it in October or November, if you can lock it down and that way you have your score secure.
Scores are good for five years. So you do have a while, even if you don't apply immediately, you could also study a bit less over the fall semester, then study a lot over winter break and take it in January. And that way you have the benefit of what I see would be more time over winter break to prep, take full length time exams, review them in detail, refresh yourself, take it in January and be done with it. Of course, if you are taking it in January, I would recommend ideally not applying this current cycle, but in the following cycles that you can apply more towards the beginning when odds are a little bit better and there's more scholarship money available as well.
Okay. Yeah, it does become tough though. Once you're out of school and you're working because then you've got a full time job and you want to have personal time and you want to study as well. So it becomes a bit tougher than I think it's easier while you're still in school and still in a more academic mindset, all else being equal.
Because then you know, things, the responsibility is only layer as you get older and so it becomes tougher to fit in the time. So I think that's a good opportunity. Alternatively, if you graduate and you choose to not work for a while and you had, let's say next summer after you graduate relatively free, you could use that extra time to study as well. But I don't know how much you want to lengthen your L-side study time.
How long you want to keep this as part of your life? Yeah, I think right now my baseline is to, it's like, I would spend as much time as I can to get a good score and I'm, you know, obviously like at least 160 but my goal is to hit 170 plus. And so for me, it's like, it doesn't matter how much time I take as long as I need to get that top score because then there's going to be more scholarships like you said and there's going to be more opportunities and for like the higher the reachables. So I'm willing to spend as much time as I can even if it takes a year more than a year.
So I think the time, I'm like mentally prepared for that. So, but yeah, I think I agree with you that it's also nice to like, I'm still in the grind to kind of get it over with and being that kind of like school setting and kind of like juggle different obligations and responsibilities. Yeah, a lot to consider. But yeah.
Exactly. Well, you strike me as being incredibly determined and motivated and those are the folks who do the best in the end because you're willing to invest the time. It does take longer than two to three months. It typically takes at least five or six months, if not longer, in order to reach your fullest potential.
And it sounds like you're willing to put in the time, even if it means doing this after you've already graduated college to get that 170 plus and so I have no doubt, you'll get there if you keep putting in the work. Yeah. And because I know some people who are working as part of the Eagles right now and they're still juggling with outside prep and it's just been pretty tough for them. And I just don't want to go down that road because it looks very stressful.
It is. Like, you know, beyond the earlier end, just in case I need to retake or any more time to study. So I'm like trying to like figure out a very long study and kind of like play around with it, if me, me, me. Excellent.
Great. And you've been using my study schedules, right? Along with the courses. Yeah.
Yeah. And use a lot of like online forums and from like other videos and just anything that could be of helped me because there's like so many different logic and strategies out there. And sometimes sometimes don't really click with me and then the others. Oh, like I think like the kind of logic behind it and I can understand it and grasp it on what different level just like being much bit to me the best.
Exactly. I think it's good to have a flexible fluid approach. Don't just blindly copy copy one person's perfect way of doing it. Look at the different sources out there and then find what works best for you for any individual situation and then kind of organize it into your own mental framework that you can apply to new games that you see.
Right. Exactly. Awesome. Great.
Well, it's been a pleasure connecting with you today. What would be the biggest insight you got from our session today? The biggest insight would be to be flexible with approaches to logic because obviously the outside is trying to trip you up and so don't always overly rely on the sentence. So I'm up with four core down just come up with like seven or just be more adapt to the rules and to each game.
Excellent. Great. I love it. Take that especially with the list of curveball games as you work through them.
Keep that in mind as you move forward. Okay. Sounds good. Thank you, Steve.
Thanks for tuning into the show. I hope you haven't done so already to be notified of new episodes as I release them and feel free to reach out if you need anything at all as you will feel with your prep. I'm happy to help. However, I can.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best and take care.