(Not really LSAT Leonard, obviously.)
But here's the thing:
Leonard could only show me how HE did the problems. He couldn't possibly understand how or why ANOTHER human being could possibly have trouble with them.
During one session, I asked how to diagram a Logic Game.
He did it for me, but along the way, he said things like:
"See? It's easy. You just do X, Y, and Z."
Then I tried, but wasn't able to draw the diagram on my own.
And EVEN after looking back at Leonard's, I couldn't make all the inferences he did.
My brain didn't work that way.
For a few minutes, he watched me struggle without saying a word, then did the worst thing possible.
He let out the tiniest "sigh."
Two things happened at that moment:
1. My cheeks turned red and I felt like the DUMBEST person to ever consider going to law school.
2. I decided never to work with him again.
I wanted to say:
"Of course it's easy for YOU - you're the kinda guy parents send to nerd camp to read logic textbooks for fun."
If Leonard had ever truly shown someone HOW to do something, he would've known I needed him to patiently walk me through it.
Even when a step-by-step approach meant taking BABY steps.
I needed a tutor who was willing to: watch me screw up on a question over and over before I finally got it. - and - patiently explain that question AS MANY TIMES AS IT TOOK.
Since then, I've worked with TONS of smart people who struggled the way I did, yet still ended up going to top law schools.
If nothing else, it's taught me one thing:
Getting the same question wrong over and over DOESN'T make you an idiot.
It just means you haven't found the right approach yet.
And that's what I can help you figure out.
Because while some people are born with the LSAT Mindset, most aren't.
Unless you're a genius like "Leonard" from before, your main challenge will probably be getting into the MINDS of the test-makers.
You might score 160-165 by blindly following someone else's strategies. But if you want to score into the high 160s, low 170s, and beyond...
You'll need to understand WHY the strategies work.
But I will admit that people who get top scores tend to develop a similar approach to reading arguments, reading the passages and, of course, to attacking the games.
That approach comes from being skeptical of arguments, not taking things at face value, and considering alternatives.
It’s about really developing attention to detail, not just looking at things in a general way and skipping over or skimming things.
So - how do you master this approach?
Well, it doesn't hurt to do lots and lots of the LSAT problems and read critically EVVVVERYTHING you encounter in real life.
This puts you in a much better position to conquer any LSAT question you come across, whether it seems familiar at first or not.
But if you simply apply a technique you learned (aka copied) from somebody else, you’re not going to be able to attack that as well when you’re faced with an unfamiliar problem on test day, and it may throw you off due to general test day stress and that sort of thing.
What does this mean for you?
That it's really important to adopt the HABITS of high scorers, rather than just learning how to diagram this or that kind of rule when you come across it.
One of the things I focus on in the LSAT courses is getting the habits of high scorers so you can develop the LSAT Mindset for yourself. Not blindly following "techniques" or memorizing flashcards.
And I do it in the most non-judgmental way possible. No "Leonards" allowed.
Very truly yours,
LSkeptical-yet-Supportive Steve
P.S. Next time, I'll debunk another LSAT Mindset myth - one that's been driving me CRAZY for a while now.
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