the lsat chronicles

So I signed up to take the LSAT Extreme prep course offered by Kaplan and my first class was March 3. Before that, I had begun prepping on my own. After the class started, I realized that it was a good idea to have familiarized myself with the work. I also was able to identify some weak spots and even notice a strength. I didn't feel like I was swimming in a sea of unrecognizable phrases when the teaching began.

I knew I needed major help with Logic Games. I was bombing spectacularly in very unfamiliar territory. Strengthen and weaken questions in the Logical Reasoning were also giving me issues. Clearly, I am not cut out for Logic. Reading Comprehension was proving the easiest. I was using Kaplan resources, plus everything I could find at the library, but progress was a slow go. Progress, yes. Ready by June? Narp.

So John and I bit the bullet and paid for a course. There were cheaper ones but I felt the Extreme was best suited to me. I explored a few other prep sites and Princeton Review, but Kaplan was where it was at. After that, I took a break from doing work and just perused theory so I would remain familiar with the terms.

The first class was a diagnostic test: a full-length LSAT minus the writing section, which isn't scored anyway. Kaplan sent us to the wrong building, five blocks away from where the class was actually being held. I was very upset. I got to the new site and was sent to the wrong room.

I finally got to the right place. Thank goodness I get everywhere early and I still had enough time to compose myself before the test started. And oogle my tutor. He is A BABE. How the heck am I supposed to keep my mind on the test with something so scrumptious sitting in front of me?

(Now Tutor is on FB and I plan to add him as a friend when the course is over. We both know the other is on FB but I find it odd to have him reading me as I am updating about the class. I am hoping I will have enough nonsense between now and when I do add him for him to get to reading this convoluted mess!)

I get my shit together and roll on. Tutor makes a small speech and promises to get into brass tacks the next day and we get on with the test. I manage to finish all the sections and opt out of staying to write the writing section. Just a small handful of people stay back. Everyone looks well and truly knackered from the long test. Tutor says something about reading something for the next day but I ent really take he on.

I barely remember the rest of the Saturday. We do get our scores that night and I'm not surprised by mine. I've taken 2 full-length tests already and got almost the exact same score. I do get a breakdown of what my strengths and weaknesses are, which are exactly what I thought.

The next day's class is a blur. We learn Formal Logic and it's like learning a new language. Class 3 goes into Assumptions in the Logical Reasoning passages and I am at sea. Tutor sends out his personal tutoring schedule. We get 4 hours of one-on-one time as part of the Extreme package and I decide it's time to use 2 of them to work on Assumptions.

Tutor is great. At no point does he make me feel like the fool that I already feel like. I actually learn shit and it's reinforced by a class workshop of Logical Reasoning last Saturday. Sunday, there was another full-length test and I felt really great about the LR sections.

There are 2 LR sections on the LSAT, making up half the questions. Don't get that and forget about law school. Anywhere. So I took that shit seriously and went after it. I learned the methods, used the methods and got more LR questions right than I had before. A very good step forward. I still did good in the RC but crashed and burned in the Logic Games. Tutor was nice and said everyone crashes and burns in the LG at this stage. I figure if I can do it with the LR, I can do it with the LG.

Extreme students also get to go to these free workshops. I had hoped to go to a LG challenge workshop on Monday, but I nearly blinded myself. Today I am going to a Formal Logic workshop that is actually being taught by Tutor: 3 hours of reasoning, contrapostives and more.

I can't wait till Pie goes back out to school because it has been hard studying when he is home. He's really great about leaving me once he knows I'm doing my homework but I feel bad knowing he is home and I am not taking him on. I thought it wold be great that John is home this week, but I just feel worse that John is home and I am not spending any time with him.

John and Pie having fun, though. John took him to see Joe his daughter Elyse and I hear they had a good time. Today, John took Pie to Chuck E Cheese's and they just left to go have a picnic in the park. We're going to try to see "Monsters and Aliens" together on Friday and take John's mom out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. It's today, actually, and I had to ask her to change our original plan, which was going out tonight. I felt so bad but everyone was so great about it.

So on Friday I will put the LSAT out of my mind for a few hours and enjoy my family.