i’m so tired :(

Take Me Out

Relationships: Dylan O'Brien x OFC

Word Count: 4,496

Author’s note: Sorry I disappeared y’all and sorry this one’s a little short. I had finals and then I found out my grandpa has cancer so we’re a little bit all over the place, but I’m getting back in the grove. Here’s some baseball and jealous Dylan for you all. All my characters are oc’s as I didn’t want to pull any real life players to use. 

“Imagine liking the Mets,” Cameron mumbled around the white hair tie she held between her teeth. She watched through the mirror while Dylan pulled his jersey on, finishing dutch braiding the left side of her hair at the same time. “Orange and Blue just, it doesn’t go together well at all,” she continued while tying her braid off with the hair tie. 

Dylan rolled his eyes and walked back into the bathroom after he pulled Cameron’s jersey out of the closet, holding it up at an arm's length and wrinkling his nose. “Because pinstripes are any better?” He asked while leaning against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest, watching his girlfriend continue to braid her hair. “Tabloids later are going to be like, Dylan O'Brien's girlfriend seen wearing a Yankees jersey at the first game of the Subway Series: Is this the beginning of the end?” He couldn’t hold in his laugh at the end.

Cameron also tried to stop herself from laughing while she sectioned off the hair on the right side of her head, not wanting the braid to be uneven. “Oh god,” she mumbled, “I’m going to have to tweet that everyone needs to remember my dad is one of the coaches for the Yankees,” she rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky he let you stay the first time I brought you home and you had a Mets hat on.” Dylan watched her fingers braiding her hair while she spoke. “At least you don’t care about hockey. It would have been bad if you blurted out you were an Islanders fan too.”

“I remember that!” He started laughing lightly again, his shoulders shaking slightly while he did, “he just grilled me after that.” Dylan remembered the first time he met Cameron’s parents, the week of the Subway Series two years earlier. The pair had been together for only a couple months at the time and Cameron had surprised him with tickets for all three games that year, her dad had also offered that the couple could stay at the family’s house in Sagaponack for the time they were visiting. Dylan and Cameron had pulled up in front of Cameron’s childhood home in a car her dad had hired to drive them out to Sagaponack from MacArthur airport, and Cameron swore she saw Dylan’s jaw hit the floor of the car when they pulled through the front gates.

“He had that custom made, I think it’s a bit much,” Cameron referred to the large wooden Yankees logo that had been put on the front door to their home. “And if you get past that and how huge the house is, actually who am I kidding,” she rolled her eyes while they got out of the car. “I cannot stand this house,” they thanked the driver after he got their suitcases out of the back. “And I can't stand that I spent eighteen years of my life here.”

Dylan snorted at the memory and Cameron cocked her head to the side at his outburst. “You say how much you hated living here when you were younger every time we come out to visit, and I’m just stringing it all together,” he shrugged.

“I also hated going to private school, but clearly something paid off somewhere,” Cameron tied off her second braid, the two falling even in front of her chest. “Because I got into my dream college and then I was somehow lucky enough to bump into you and then got you to sick around long enough to actually tell you my dad coached the Yankees,” she hooked her fingers into the loops of Dylan’s shorts and pulled him closer. 

Dylan pulled his face away from Cameron’s, a tight lipped smirk spreading across his face. “Did it really now?” He asked, watching pout spread across her full lips. “Because if I remember it correctly I actually asked you out that first night,” he brought his hands up to rest on Cameron’s waist, right above the curve of her ass.

“But then for some reason you decided to keep talking to me,” Cameron leaned up slightly to peck Dylan’s lips, “a bunch of sorority girls on a bar crawl after finals and you decided it would be a good idea to talk to me out of that group?” She cocked her head to the side slightly, clearly pressing the issue further in a playful way.

Dylan rolled his eyes and pulled Cameron even closer to him. “Okay so,” he slipped his hands along the line of skin on Cameron’s back that was left uncovered by her white cropped t-shirt, “you were cute, I made a move.” Cameron looked up and gave Dylan a ‘really’ look, knowing a lot of her sorority sisters she had been with were more than cute. “You were cute, and the only one without some basic fruity drink in your hand,” he added the last part.

“Yeah I did look pretty cute that night,” Cameron just shrugged and watched Dylan shake his head at her usual antics. “And then there was you, you looked half dead my dude,” she reminded. Cameron patted Dylan’s chest lightly and pulled away, grabbing her jersey off the counter and pulling it on.

Dylan watched Cameron quickly tie a knot out of the two ends at the front of the jersey instead of buttoning it, letting it hang open most of the way. “I was in the middle of filming an entire movie in sixty days,” he pointed out while Cameron adjusted the knot of the jersey so it would be even with her cropped shirt. “And in my defense I had also filmed twelve hours that day but somehow got convinced to go out!”

Cameron tucked her phone into the pock on her ripped jean shorts, “well I’m glad they convinced you,” she brushed past Dylan and back into her childhood bedroom. She sat down on her bed and pulled her navy converse off the floor, slipping them on before tying them tightly. “You have everything you need?” Cameron turned to face Dylan after she grabbed her RayBans case off her dresser. 

Dylan patted around at his pockets, making sure he had his wallet and phone. “I think I have everything,” he shrugged, “if not it’s not that important.”

“You are so go with the flow it hurts sometimes,” Cameron shook her head and held her hand out for Dylan to take. “C’mon, the car is waiting downstairs and I don’t want to be stuck in rush hour traffic, nothing is worse than the LIE during rush hour!”

“How about the George Washington during rush hour?” Dylan smirked while he spoke, knowing he would get a reaction out of Cameron. She had mentioned numerous times throughout the visits they took to New York how much she hated having to take the GW Bridge to leave the state.

Sliding her fingers through Dylan’s cameron just huffed, squeezing his hand a little harder than she normally would. “Never speak of that godforsaken bridge ever again,” she mumbled as the pair started down the staircase. 

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

Dylan watched the beaches of where Cameron grew up slowly fade away as the pair got closer and closer to Queens, suburban neighborhoods turning into taller and more condensed buildings. Of course growing up he had lived quite close to the ‘Big Apple’ himself, but he knew he didn’t visit nearly as often as Cameron did. 

“I practically grew up in Yankee Stadium,” Dylan remembered Cameron telling him on their first date. At the time he had thought that must have been one of the coolest childhoods ever, having a parent who coached an MLB team, but he quickly realized it probably wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed. 

Dylan learned that in the winter months Cameron’s dad would travel with the team for their winter training and there would be an extended period of time where Cameron wouldn't get to see him. Dylan also remembered her noting that it taught her what she didn’t want to be as a parent, and that had been something that had scared him, although he didn’t yet express it. He would often travel for filming or press tours and through Cameron, he realized just how much a parent constantly being away could impact a kid. 

However, kids weren’t yet on the couple’s mind. The pair had met in Louisiana while Dylan had been filming the first movie in The Maze Runner series, and Cameron had been in the process of wrapping up her junior year of college at Louisiana State University playing for their softball team. She had also started to cram for her LSAT’s right before they met. In a fast paced two months which consisted of seeing each other when there had been any time in either of their schedules and texting on the days there wasn’t, the couple had quickly started falling for each other. 

Once Dylan had flown back to Los Angeles after The Maze Runner had wrapped, Cameron found herself reconsidering her law school options and studied even harder for her LSAT’s. After receiving a 178 out of 180 on the test, Cameron had applied to as many law schools as she could, but had her eyes on getting into University of California at Berkeley’s School of Law.

Prior to flying out to New York for the year’s Subway Series between three Mets and Yankees, the couple’s two year anniversary had just passed. Dylan’s career had started to take off even more while Cameron found herself attending law school at UC Berkeley. After quite a few long conversations and consulting with friends and family, the pair had recently decided to settle in a spacious home right outside of Los Angeles together. With Cameron in her second year of Law School and already receiving job offers for after graduation and Dylan’s career only growing, they both knew that they wouldn’t be leaving the area for quite awhile. 

“You’re thinking pretty hard over there O’Brien,” Cameron laughed lightly while she drummed her fingers lightly on his thigh. Dylan took a moment to regain his thoughts before he looked out the window, realizing that their car had pulled off on to the exit that would take them to Citi Field. “Pretty sure I saw some steam coming out of your ears,” she pulled his Mets cap off his head and ran her fingers through his hair. 

Dylan leaned into Cameron’s touch but let out a small huff in protest of her previous statement, “believe me,” he closed his eyes, “if anyone is going to be thinking that hard it’s going to be you.” Cameron just smiled and smoothed her boyfriend’s hair down again, settling his hat back on his head while their car pulled around the back of Citi Field. 

Watching as Dylan’s eyes took in the sights around them Cameron just shook her head while the driver pulled up near the coaches and players entrance. Sometimes it amazed her just how starstruck certain things could get her boyfriend and she wasn’t sure if she would ever fully understand it. He had nearly everything he ever wanted in his reach, but coming to Citi Field would always make his face light up like a kid in a candy store. “Let’s go, Superstar,” Cameron pushed open the door to the Suburban and held her hand out for Dylan to take. “It’s just Queens, basically still the Island.”

Threading their fingers together, the couple thanked their driver before approaching the entrance where two security guards stood, chatting with each other while leaning against the wall of the stadium. Cameron reached into one of the back pockets of her shorts with her free hand and pulled out the passes that would give them access to nearly anywhere they wanted inside Citi Field. 

Cameron held the passes up and the security guards waved them past with kind smiles. She scanned hers on the pad next to the door and heard the heavy metal lock click open before she grabbed the handle. “I want to go see my dad and brother before the game,” Cameron looked over to Dylan who let out an over dramatic goran. “Oh please,” she rolled her eyes, “all the guys know I’m dating a,” she fake gagged, “a Mets fan.” Untangling their hands Dylan reached over to pinch Cmaeron on the ass which made her squeak and quickly take off down the hallway they were in. 

“Oh fuck off!” Dylan laughed making sure he saw what direction Cameron had taken off in, following a safe distance behind. He just shook his head while following the directions that would lead them both to the visitor’s locker room. He also assumed that after years of attending Subway Series games Cameron probably didn’t need the directions around Citi field for herself anymore. 

Cameron found herself jogging through the hallways of Citi Field, leaving enough distance between her and Dylan that he couldn’t catch her easily but could still follow her so he wouldn’t get lost. She looked behind her to make sure she could still see Dylan before she turned the last corner that would lead to the visitor locker room before crashing into a hard body. “Shit!” She felt a pair of hands catch her waist so she didn’t trip.

“Yeah what the fuck, Cam?” Carson, Cameron’s older brother, asked while he steadied his sister on her feet. Carson has his jersey half buttoned and his cap sat backwards on his head, a smile spreading across his face “And where’s Dylan? You can’t let him get lost in here,” Carson let out a long sigh, hoping his sister’s boyfriend didn’t actually get lost in the depth of Citi Field.

Cameron rolled her eyes and turned around to watch Dylan round the corner, shaking his head when he finally caught up to his girlfriend. “What’s up, man?” Dylan and Carson pulled each other into a ‘bro-hug’ before separating.

“Ahh, nothing much!” Carson laughed while he finished buttoning up his jersey, “just got a series game to play nothing too big,” he shrugged. Cameron let out an overly dramatic huff to get both of the boy’s attention back on her. “Dad’s out on the field, most of the guys are too.” Carson pointed towards the staircase that led up into the visitor’s dugout. 

Cameron nodded in thanks before taking Dylan’s hand in hers, opting to pull him towards the field, itching to be outside on the diamond again. “Can you handle being in the Yankees dugout or is your ego too fragile?” She looked over to Dylan while she scanned the door open with the passes her dad had gotten for the couple. 

“Okay, I’m not that bad,” Dylan rolled his eyes while Cameron pushed the metal door open, the humid, hot and heavy summer New York air hitting them in the face when she did. “I’m just dedicated to my team.” Dedicated Dylan was indeed, it would always be a competition between the two when they would watch games back home. Whose team did better that week, whose team had the better stats, whose team had better chances of making it to the World Series. The competition would always be in good fun of course, nothing ever really rode on whose team did better, except bragging rights. 

Cameron leaned over and kissed his cheek, “and I think that’s adorable,” she reminded him. Once the pair stepped out on to the field they noticed most of the players were warming up in some shape or form. The infielders were running drills and those not participating were found in the back of the stadium, sitting on the fence of the bullpen, talking with the relief pitchers who were getting their arms loose before the game. 

“Someone is all grown up,” Cameron heard a familiar voice speak from next to her and turned to see Mark, one of the newer players, walking out of the bullpen. Mark had also gone to college with Cameron, although he had been a year ahead of her, he played on the LSU baseball team and had been a starter his freshman year.

Cameron rolled her eyes and accepted his offer of a hug. “You only graduated a year before me!” She laughed while he lifted her off the ground. She looked behind her once Mark put her down to see Dylan kicking the dirt with his beat up Adidas sneakers, an angry frown evident on his face.

Biting her bottom lip, Cameron walked over to Dylan and grabbed one of his hands that hung at his side and squeezed it, but he didn’t squeeze back like he usually would. Great, now she had to deal with a moody boyfriend for the rest of the day too. “Mark this is Dylan, Dylan this is Mark,” she leaned into Dylan’s side more. “You actually probably saw each other the night me and Dyl met at that bar we went to after finals your senior year.

“Nice to meet you for real man!” Mark laughed while he offered Dylan his hand to shake. “You got a real catch, I asked her out when?” Mark looked over to Cameron for confirmation on the years after he dropped Dylan’s hand.

Fuck, now she would really deal with a moody boyfriend for the rest of the day. “My sophomore year your junior,” she filled in. She knew that Dylan would be even less happy now that Cameron had just been getting all cozy with a guy she had rejected before she had started dating him. 

“Yeah she said no though, said it would be like dating her brother. Which was more of an insult than anything,” he nodded to where Carson was dumping a water bottle over one of the other player’s heads in the outfield while they warmed up, “he is something special.” Mark noticed that Cameron’s dad stood neat home plate, trying to round everyone up for batting practice and Mark offered Cameron a final smile. “Gotta go, see you later?”

Cameron nodded with a small smile, “yeah!” Mark leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before running off, his bat and batting gloves in his hands. Cameron had always thought that Mark would grow up to be incredibly handsome while they were in college together, she had just never been attracted to him.

“He asked you out?” Dylan asked once Mark would definitely be out of earshot of the couple. “And you didn’t tell me?” He sounded more hurt than anything. That would be how most of their arguments, if they could even be called that, went. Someone would feel hurt by something the other did and they’d voice their opinion about it and from there on it would be a downward spiral. It usually resulted in someone sleeping in the guest bedroom for a night and waking up to an elaborate breakfast the next morning.

Cameron ran her hands over her face, not in the mood to argue with Dylan around her dad’s players and staff. “It was sophomore year of college Dylan and I said no!” She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh. “Look, I don’t want to get into this here. I’m going to say hi to my dad. If you want to pout over here feel free but I’m looking to enjoy the rest of today.” She spoke calmly before leaning up to peck his lips lightly before walking over to her dad.

“Look who it is!” He paused what he had been saying to his players to pull Cameron into a tight hug. Cameron smiled and squeezed her dad before pulling away, waving to the rest of the plays, most of who she knew. “How was the flight out this morning?” He asked after dismissing the players to get a few extra swings in before the game. “And why’s the boy toy pouting?” He nodded towards Dylan. 

Cameron just shrugged, “LAX is LAX, even if we did leave at three in the morning.” The couple had figured it would be the best time to fly into New York from Los Angeles, catch some sleep on the plane and nap once they got to her parents house. It had become their system when visiting there. “He’s not a fan of Mark, that’s why he looks so upset,” Cameron watched as Carson approached her boyfriend. 

Dylan offered Carson a halfhearted smile and then tucked his phone into his front pocket, crossing his arms over his chest before falling into conversation with the ball player. “Mark’s still trying?” James, Cameron’s dad, asked. “I think it’s pretty clear you and Dylan are in it for the long haul now,” he added.

“He’s not usually the jealous type,” Cameron spoke while she walked into the dugout with her dad. “I just,” she sighed, leaning against the bench. “I think it’s the fact that I’ve known Mark so long that’s getting under his skin, like the fact that me and Mark have more history will suddenly make me dump him for Mark ot something.” Cameron watched her dad hang the line up on the wall of the dugout, Mark not on the starting roster for the day.

James turned back to his daughter, a sympathetic smile on his face, “well if it makes Dylan feel any better, I’ll bench lover boy for the day,” he laughed lightly. “Just don’t tell him that I had already planned to take Mark off the roster for the day, he’s been making a ton of errors lately and we can’t have that right now.” Cameron looked at the lineup to see that her brother had been placed in the clean up position, as per usual. 

“Thanks dad,” Cameron sighed and wrapped her arms around her dad again, pulling him into another tight hug.

James just laughed and pulled away from his daughter, “don’t thank me, now go save Dylan from your brother before he talks his ear off about how we’re going to win today,” he nodded towards the two boys. Cameron just rolled her eyes and started up the stairs that lead out of the dugout. “And Cam,” she turned around again, “you mother and I are staying out here tonight.”

“Dad!” Cameron groaned, her face turning red, before she took the last two stairs, both in the same step to get out of the dugout faster. Walking over towards Carson and Dylan, Cameron knew the pair had seen her, but Dylan didn’t hold his hand out for her to take like he usually would. A pang of heart coursed through her chest, but she knew she had upset Dylan, and she should have realized what her actions would have done sooner.

Settling next to her boyfriend, Cameron saw her brother eye them both suspiciously before he fell back into his conversation with Dylan. Once there was a lull in the conversation and it appeared it would be dying off Cameron reached out and grabbed Dylan’s hand, but it stayed limp in hers. “If you don’t mind,” she butted in, “I’m going to steal him for a few minutes before the game starts because we need to talk about something.”

“There’s nothing to-” Dylan started, but Cameron cut him off with a sharp look that said they weren’t pushing this off until later. Dylan let out a long sigh, “I’ll catch up with you later dude,” he told Carson. 

Carson looked between his sister and her boyfriend before nodding shallowly, “yeah, catch up later,” he raised an eyebrow at Cameron, asking if she was okay. After she mouth an ‘all good’ back, he jogged towards the dugout and down the concrete stairs, emerging a few seconds later with his glove in hand. 

“Cameron I really don’t-”

“Nope,” Cameron tugged Dylan off a little further to the side of the field, where she knew no one could overheard anything. “If we leave this until later we both know that won’t end well,” she told him leaving absolutely no room to argue. “Now, you want to go first?” she dropped his hand and crossed her arms over her chest. 

Dylan tucked both of his hands into his shorts pockets and shrugged, kicking the dirt under his feet again. “I really don’t have anything to say,” he mumbled, clearly ignoring what Cameron had just said. 

“Well, I’ll tell you that I was never interested in him,” Cameron watched Dylan carefully even if he wouldn’t look up to meet her eyes. “He’s a self centered douche who always bragged about how amazing he was and everything was about him, he wasn’t humble and he never cared about anyone else, he just cared about how he looked to everyone else,” she took in a deep breath and when Didn’t reply she let out a long groan. “He’s not humble and he’s not willing to better himself, he doesn’t care about how anyone else feels and he never will. He’s not funny and his smile and laugh always seems fake and quite frankly my dad took him off the lineup for today because he’s such a self centered dick. And you should have more trust in me, I’m dating you and only you, my eyes are on you only, not anyone else, especially not him!”

Cameron watched Dylan look up to meet her eyes, his slightly shiny, but no longer hurt. He had his bottom lip between his teeth and pulled his hat off to card his fingers through his hair. “Sorry I doubted you, he’s just, everything you grew up with and probably wanted growing up,” Dylan mumbled. “And I just got jealous and afraid you’d leave me for someone like him, like everyone expected you to end up with,” he held his hands out for Cameron to take. 

Letting out a tiny sigh, Cameron threaded their fingers together and pulled Dylan closer to her. “Never doubt yourself, bubs,” Cameron kissed him lightly. “I have eyes for you and only you.”

“Love you,” Dylan kissed her again.

“I love you too, dork,” she smiled and pulled away slightly. “Now let’s go say good luck to my dad and thank you for the seats behind home plate,” she started pulling him towards the direction of the dugout. 

Dylan laughed behind her and rolled his eyes, “like I’d ever tell the Yankees good luck,” he said it just loud enough that Cameron could hear. Pausing in just far enough away from the dugout that they would still be out of earshot, Cameron pulled Dylan closer again.

“Say good luck,” she leaned up to whisper in his ear, “and we have the house to ourselves tonight,” she pulled gently on her earlobe with her teeth to drive her point home. 

Dylan closed his eyes and let out a quiet groan, “I hope they win then!” He pulled her towards the dugout again. “In extra innings though, of course.”

A GMAT story

Hi guys, I just came back from the test center with a big smile on my face.   Got a 700 (Q47, V39). As many of you guys remember, I joined this site after getting a 420 back in October. I was feeling so down that I chose "positive soul" as my username. I have to say that the road was not easy, but I found very helpful all the support I got from you guys. I am exhausted, so I will write in more details in the next few days. Now, I am going to sleep. Remember to never give up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you all for your kind words. I am very happy to see that all my effort and sacrificies paid off, and, hopefully, my experience will help others to beat the GMAT. Before I start, I want to thank all the active members of the GMAT Club, specially, ywilfred, professor, vivek123, HongHu, GMATT73, coffeeloverfreak, laxieqv, ps_dahiya, Futuristic, fig, rhyme, u2lover, haas_mba07, necromonger, kevincan, and yezz. I really learned from you guys. I take my hat off. My GMAT experience is a very LONG one. I took the GMAT the first time in 1995, when it was still on paper and I was considering the idea of going for my MBA right after college. I got a 560!! I knew this score was too low to try to get into a top school, so I decided to take a Kaplan course. After 3 months, my score improved a little to 590. Luckly (I guess), I landed a very good job in an European Multinational, so I decided to put off the MBA for a couple of years. The years went by, and I started to climb the corporate ladder, so every year I put off the MBA. The funny thing is that during 4 years, my GMAT books traveled with me around the world. In October 2006, (10 years later), I took the GMAT again, obtaining a very VERY dissapointing score 420 (29Q 20V) I knew my preparation for the test was not optimal, but a 420 was just too low. For my preparation I used the OG and my old Kaplan books. I was consistenly scoring above 550 in sample tests, so I was expecting a low 600. I will never forget that day, it was the worst day of my life. I went back home thinking I was never going to get into a decent MBA program. Out of my dissapointment, I found strength to look for help. So searching the web, I found this amazing site. I posted my experience, and I got encouraging words from some of the member. At this point I saw light at the end of the tunnel. My second try: I became determined to at least break the 500 level. I read many posts regarding preparation materials, and strategies. So I gave myself 3 months to retake the exam. Looking back, it was a mistake because I was working 60+ hours, and under a lot of preassure to deliver a project by the end of January. I went ahead anyway because I wanted my "revenge". My preparation consisted on reviewing the same OG and Kaplan materials that I used before. I also started to solve some of the problems in the GMATClub. I studied on and off during the first 2 1/2 months, and started to put 2 hours during the weekdays and 8 hours during the weekend. I got a 510 (36Q 20V?) this time. Believe it or not, I was happy that I improved my Quantitative score.   Final Try Eventhough, I improved my score, I knew I had to improve. I was not near the 650 I need to even dream about applying to a top MBA. Then I decided to make it happen. I made a decision to score a 700. I was no longer going to be complacent with myself. So I started to make changes in every single aspect of my preparation. Thinks that I did, I believe it made a difference this time around: 1. I committed myself to put the time and effort. Work and travel was no longer an excuse. I made the time. I promised myself I would study at least 2 hours per day. No matter what. This was very difficult, and I did not do it every day, but al least 90% of the time. I became more focus on achiving my objective. 2. I gave myself a realistic timetable to take the test. I knew, I was not going to improve my score by 200 points in one month. At least not with my working schedule. This was one of the mistakes I made in the first 2 tests. However, I knew that I had to be serious with this issue, otherwise history would repeat itself. 3. I put together a very complete list of study materials and resources. This was my list: - OG Materials: GMAT review 10th Edition, Verbal review and Quantitative review. I also obtained old GMAT paper tests from their website. - Kaplan Materials: Kaplan GMAT 2005, Kaplan GMAT 800 and Kaplan GMAT Verbal. - GMATprep Software: Downloaded from the website. - LSAT sample tests - GMAX online - GMAT Club Forum and Challenges. - GMAT 1000 Questions I could have gotten more books, but I wanted keep it as simple as possible. I knew I was NOT going to improve by doing all available questions, but by changing the way I study (I will develop later). 4. I totally changed my study approach: a) I decided to cover the basics: I came to accept that I did not have a good grasp of all the topics (Math and Verbal). It was that simple. I was really troubled by very simple rate and distance problems, and I was a dummy when I tried to solve number properties. What did I do: I took the GMAX online course. I will not recommend this course to everyone, but if you make an honest self-assessment of your skills, and think you need help. I highly recommend it. Note: This course by itself will NOT help you to increase your score dramatically but it will provide you with the basic knowledge you need to apply some strategies. b) I started to use an error log: I cannot tell you how many times I read about it. I always said, I will defenitely do it, it makes sense, etc..... BUT I NEVER DID IT (sounds like anyone you know????). Deep in my mind I thought it was a waste of time and energy: What did I do: I just did it. It was really a pain in the begining. But I cannot tell you how much time I saved, and the things I discovered about myself. After going over the GMAX course, I discovered that 75% of my mistakes were careless mistakes, such as I did not multiply correctly (  ), I did not read the question properly, I did not read all the answers, etc. I think this made a huge difference because on test day, I was right on the ball. I knew in which questions and calculations I was prone to make mistakes, and I paid a LOTof attention. c) I always tried to solve a question on my own, I did not seek help until I knew I could not solve it on my own. Before, I used to try a problem, I got it wrong, I will see the explanation given. BIG mistake. I was only doing the most convinient thing but I was not really learning. What did I do: Sometimes I would spend 10 minutes on a question (obviously not during a sample test), trying to solve it. You might say "what a waste of time", now ask me if got a similar problem wrong. Very few times. I made a comittment to think and learn. d) I never jumped to solve a question before spending a few seconds thinking about the quickest way to solve it. I read once on post, not to attack right away a problem using "brute force". This is a skill you need to develop, and it is very difficult to think about it when you know that the clock is your enemy. What did I do: When I was practicing, I realized that If I could not solve a problem under 1 1/2 minutes, I was using the wrong approach or I did not know the concept tested. So I tried and tried until I found a faster way. e) I decided to learn from the GMAT questions. In some courses, you read about traps, question types, etc. I knew about them, but I never actually thought about them when solving a question. I never said to myself, "this is a global question, so answers that are too specific will probably be wrong....". I knew the theory but I never applied it. What did I do: For every SINGLE question, I would analyze each answer and find WHY it was right and WHY the other 4 were wrong. This way you learn to identify first hand what the GMAT test makers are throwing at you. I was getting so good, I could eliminate in a few seconds 2 to 3 answer choices. Depending on the question, you could eliminate the wrong answers by knowing your scope (even in math) and identifying how GMAT tries to trick you. In summary, Re-do the questions and read every single answer. Identify the reasons for being right and wrong. Do this and you will identify patterns that repeat themselves all the time. Once you do this on YOUR OWN. You will work faster and more efficient. 5) I participated more actively on the GMAT Club. I have to accept that I always felt apprehensive about participating because some of you guys are VERY GOOD. However, once I improved my skills, I started to try. I answer some questions wrong but I learn from them. Don't be intimidated. I found myself learning a lot, trying to explain some of my answers. Sometimes, this process is a great teacher. For you guys that feel intimidated, I can tell you that some of the questions I found in this site were just too hard for me. Some of the explanations were very hard to understand. In summary, I felt dumb. But on test day, I was so ready, I found very few questions I was not able to handle 6) Practice with the GMAT Challenges. They were not easy, but they were great practice. The concepts tested were right on the money, and the time constraints really pushed me to my limits. I scored over 80% after my 6th challenge. It was a good tool to measure my improvement. 7) When I felt overwhelmed, I looked for the GMAT Club for inspiration.. Things were never a piece of cake. I had my ups and downs. I really struggled to overcome my low score stigma. There were days that I would try 10 questions, and I would get 7 wrong. I just convinced myself that it was possible to do it. I logged in everyday for inspiration. (However, I have to say I felt frustrated when members posted their 700+ score on their very first post. Why?, because they made look easy to get a 700, while I was killing myself to get reach that level.) No hard feelings because you probably deserve it. My point is, If you want to improve, you have to work hard for it, and the GMAT Club has examples of people who have done it. Dream that it is possible just as I did. 8) I took care of myself: There is a very good post about improving your score by exercising and eating better. I cannot say for sure If it really help me, but I believe it did not hurt. I convinced myself that this change would help me score higher so I started to exercise 3 times a week and eat better. I made no radical changes and I lost 10 lbs. I will not discuss about the test itself as I don't believe I can add any value to comments made by other members. However, I had a scary moment when the power went out in the middle of the verbal section. The computer shut down and it took 6 minutes to restart and recuperate the test. I believe I could have done a better job on the verbal part since I have to guess the last 5 questions. Maybe I could have reached 720 and make a 300 points improvement.   My final GMAT score was 700 (47Q 39V). Finally, I think I need to talk about things that I could have done better. GMAT can take a huge toll on your personal life. The obsession to score higher hurt my relationship with friends and family. I distanced myself from them for 2 reasons: 1) I was ashamed of my score (since I live in an environment where people seem to get 650+ all the time  ) and 2) I felt guilty when I took some time off. Don't let this happen to you. Find a balance, and try to get support from your friends. Good luck, and remember to be positive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Rhyme mentioned, I got accepted in the Wharton/Lauder Program. I want to thank you guys for your support since the begining. I really worked hard on the applications and followed some of your advise. The only thing I can say about the application procress is that it is a pain in the %%$!!!!!!!  In a serious note, I think you need to market yourself well. Tell your story and be clear on your goals. Schools really look for people that will make a good use of their MBA, thus marketing the school for them. So you know, I also applied to: Harvard....haven't heard from them so I think they dinged me. INSEAD: Accepted London Business School: Accepted. Columbia: dinged after interviewing It has been a long journey since my 420 in the GMAT. Although, the road was not easy, I am really satisfied with the outcome. It is really a dream come true. Good luck guys in your projects and if you need anything, please drop me a line. Remember to be POSITIVE and the only obstacle to achiving your goals is yourself. Your friend

from:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/from-420-to-700-it-is-good-to-be-part-of-the-700-club-35919.html

We Tried Out the New Digital LSAT Practice Exams

We’re creeping closer and closer the unveiling of the digital LSAT this July. And it’s starting to become apparent that people are getting a little bit nervous about the format swap, if the barrage of questions about the July test that I’ve been getting from prospective test takers is any indication. LSAC seems to sense this creeping anxiety. In addition to all the sweeteners they’ve added to the July test — the option to cancel your score after seeing, the voucher to retake the LSAT for free if you do cancel your score, the free LSAT Writing section — they’ve been really expanding the digital familiarization page on their website, adding resources to make the digital test seem, well, more familiar. Just this week, they posted full practice exams onto said page, allowing you to try out the digital LSAT software on your own and get a little preview of the new digital format.

Before this week, LSAC’s digital familiarization page just had a few tutorials on how the software worked and some practice sections to try out all the tools in the digital interface. Pretty skeletal, overall. But now, you can take three full tests — the December 2013, the September 2014, and December 2014 exams — with this digital interface, allowing you to replicate the experience of taking the real digital LSAT. Sort of … more on that in a minute. Giving away these practice tests is a pretty rare move for LSAC — I can’t recall another time they’ve just made this many exams publicly available. For years, the only free test they offered was the July 2007 exam.

So LSAC deserves some plaudits for making these exams available in the digital format, several months before the test goes digital (for roughly half of the test takers) in July and with plenty of runway before the test goes fully digital in September. And, of course, this is in their interest as well, since they want people to jazzed to take the digital LSAT, providing them an ample stream of test takers dropping $190 to take the newly digital exam.

Now, we at Most Strongly Supported are nothing if not intrepid LSAT bloggers, so we wanted to be among the first to try out a full digital practice exam with this newfangled digital format. So I set aside a few hours to take one of those exams — the December 2014 one, for the record — and report my findings. So yesterday, your faithful correspondent pulled out his tablet (technically not the Surface Go tablet the real test would be administered on, but close enough), grabbed a trusty stylus, and found some scratch paper, and took a full test. Actually, full disclosure, three of the four sections of that test — even LSAT bloggers have their limits on how much LSAT they’re willing to endure, sometimes. Here’s what I thought …

Logic Games

The first section up was Logic Games, and I have to say, the experience was fairly pleasant! Of the three sections, Logic Games is probably the one best served by the digital format. For the first time, they’ll allow you to use scratch paper when the test goes digital. So instead of having to cram your set-up, rules, and scenarios into the open spaces of a test booklet, you’ll have plenty of space to work. Plus, the digital interface keeps the introduction and rules prominently displayed even as you work through the questions, making the rules and players easy-to-reference.

Some students have expressed concerns about having to constantly toggle back and forth between their scratch paper and the screen on the Logic Games section, but I didn’t find doing that cumbersome at all. The test was large and easy-to-read on the screen (and there are options to make the text even bigger, if your peepers are even more aged than mine), so finding the right answer after working the questions out on my scratch pad was no problem.

Overall, the interface seemed to be running smoothly. The controls were super responsive and there was absolutely no delay in moving from question to question, which is pretty important in a timed test like the LSAT. Sure, I could make some minor quibbles — as you can see above, the button to eliminate an answer choice is located ever-so-slightly below the actual answer choice, which I sometimes found confusing, and the five-minute warning was a little more obtrusive than I’d care for, given that I had to X out of it — but the experience was very positive.

Logical Reasoning

And then I hit the Logical Reasoning section. I realized, as soon I got to the first question on the LR section, that I hadn’t underlined or highlighted any text on the Logic Games section. But I underline a lot on Logical Reasoning — in fact, I encourage my students to be active readers, underlining the conclusions and circling or highlighting important words, like conditional or causal language. But when I tried to use my stylus to underline within the digital interface … reader, let’s just say it was not a pleasant experience.

The underlining function, in fact, seemed at times to be willfully uncooperative. It doesn’t underline as a smooth line; rather, it underlines one word at a time. So you don’t actually see the underline on the screen until you’ve passed your stylus across the entire word. There’s a lot of delay involved — you can’t tell whether your underlining a word until the line, hopefully, appears beneath the entire word. But that recalcitrant little line would sometimes refuse to appear, or would appear but then vanish for reasons unknown to me. I kid you not, I spent three minutes on the first question just trying to underline the conclusion. If this is how it’s going to work on test day, then it’s a good think they’re mounting these tablets to a stand, or else test takers less patient than I would be hurling the tablets across the room.

The highlighting function worked a little better, but not by much. It all got so bad that I switched over to my laptop to try out the section. Using my laptop’s track pad made underlining and highlighting a little less cumbersome, but there was still a pretty large gulf between what I intended to underline and what actually got underlined. And, that’s all somewhat of a moot point, since test takers won’t have a track pad for the digital test.

Oh, and a quick aside — I was pretty jazzed about the ability to collapse answer choices when they didn’t all fit on the screen when I first watched the digital tutorial when that was released. I thought it was a nice touch. In practice, this function isn’t terribly useful. For instance, on this question, even when I eliminated and collapsed every single answer choice I knew was wrong — (A), (B), and (D) — it still didn’t make (E) visible. (Also note the haphazard underlining — it was the best I could manage after much consternation.)

The benefits of the digital format I experienced on the Logic Games section were still there — selecting answer choices was easy and responsive, jumping from question to question took no time at all, plus, the ability to flag questions was especially helpful on LR — but the highlighting and underlining function had me dreading the final section.

Reading Comprehension

I was pretty skeptical of underling and highlighting the passages on Reading Comprehension. On that section, you really have to highlight a lot. But, for whatever reason, those functions worked better on the Reading Comprehension section. Not great, mind you, but better.

When you do a passage in the digital format, you have two viewing options: You can view the passage next to the questions, or you can view only the passage. On my first read through the passage, I elected to view the passage only. That way, I would spend less time scrolling through text. I thought I was being very clever.

But when the text appeared in its default size, I realized part of the passage still wasn’t viewable, on some off-screen third page. So I shrunk the text size down to the smallest it could go, and that resulted in a much cleaner reading experience. I did all my underlining and highlighting as I read — underlining the author’s attitude, highlighting the important details in the passage …

…but when I finished the passage, and switched back over to “Passage and Questions” view, this happened:

Yikes. All of my underlining and highlighting got somehow misplaced. Apparently, the negative space before the second paragraph evinced a lot of author’s attitude, per my underlining of that. This was super frustrating, especially after it wasn’t exactly easy to get the underlining and highlighting functions to bend to my will.

There are some nice features included in the Reading Comp format. For instance, when a question references part of the passage, that part of the passage is automatically highlighted for you:

But with my frustration at having all my careful underlining and highlighting wiped away, I couldn’t’ appreciate that.

Final Thoughts

OK, so I just ranted a bunch about the LR and RC digital formats. It clearly left me very frustrated. So, if you were planning on taking the digital LSAT, should you be freaking out about how frustrating these features will be for you on test day?

My exasperation at the test I took yesterday notwithstanding, probably not. I suspect that the issues I experienced yesterday have more to do with the interface LSAC posted online, and may not be present on the software that will be used on test day. Honestly, I can’t rule out the possibility that the issue was with my tablet, or stylus, or wifi (though, it should be noted that all those things were working fine before and after the practice test yesterday). At any rate, when Blueprint instructors have taken the digital test during the pilot programs LSAC was running over the last few years, the instructors didn’t bring up any of these issues. In fact, their reports were very positive.

Even if these are issues with the digital interface test takers will use in July, LSAC has quite a bit of time to smooth things out. If other people experienced the same issues I did, I have to imagine LSAC will be hearing about it. But, if the LSAC’s goal was assuage people’s fears about the digital LSAT, I can’t say the practice exam was a success.

If you still have questions or concerns about the digital LSAT, our Academic Managers are always willing to lend a hand—or an ear! Schedule a free call with them this week!

We Tried Out the New Digital LSAT Practice Exams was originally published on LSAT Blog

[John K. Ross] Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions

Inoperable fuzes, sweetened sugar beverages, and sexed cow semen.

Please enjoy the latest edition of Short Circuit, a weekly feature from the Institute for Justice.

Friends, the Short Circuit team has just released Episode 3 of Bound By Oath, our podcast on the 14th Amendment. Please do give it a listen. On this episode: the Supreme Court reduces the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the clause meant to do much of the heavy lifting protecting civil rights, to a practical nullity. For shame! Professors Randy Barnett and Chris Green to do the explicating. And Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes a surprise appearance, time traveling back to 1873. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or click here.

Brentwood, N.H. man purchases four military M67 fragmentation grenades with inoperable fuzes from undercover FBI agents. District court: To be a grenade, a device must contain not only explosive material but also a means of detonating that explosive material. Inoperable fuzes mean the man didn't buy grenades. First Circuit: Reversed. The grenades were explosive; they just needed new fuzes. Congress can't have meant for agents only to use fully functioning "weapons of war" in their sting operations.

Nineteen-year-old (or perhaps he's 20) impregnates 14-year-old in 2009, is sentenced to 16 years of probation. He seeks parental visitation rights; she tries to stop that from happening. Suit 1: State court won't stop it. Suit 2: Federal court won't stop it. Suit 3: State court won't stop it; he's been ordered to pay child support, and Massachusetts family courts were (at that time, anyway) authorized to adjudicate the parental rights of a parent convicted of statutory rape. Plus, the kid should be getting financial support from both parents. Suit 4: Federal district court won't stop it. First Circuit: Subject to exceptions that don't apply here, losing parties in state court don't get to re-litigate in federal trial courts.

Hoke County, N.C. officer knocks on door of home, threatens to break it down unless it's opened. It's opened. A voluntary knock-and-talk or a coercive, warrantless entry? Fourth Circuit: Other than threatening to knock down the door, the officer and federal agents were casual and nonhostile. No need to suppress the evidence.

A man is shot dead at a Wilson County, N.C. convenience store in 1976. Three alibis place Charles Ray Finch at a poker game when the shooting occurred, but a witness places Finch at the shooting and picks him out of a lineup. Finch is convicted. Fourth Circuit: We've now learned that the witness had cognitive and short-term-memory problems, that the lineup was unduly suggestive, that another witness was coerced, and that a host of forensic conclusions were wrong, so Finch's habeas claim—ordinarily time-barred—can go forward.

Two people crawl through a Goldsboro, N.C. McDonald's drive-thru window, demand money at gun point, throw cash drawers at employees, hit the manager with the gun, and make off with $1k. One perpetrator pleads guilty to robbery and the additional, distinct crime of using a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. Fourth Circuit (en banc, splitting 8–7): Alas, the statutory definition of "crime of violence" is unconstitutionally vague, given the Supreme Court's treatment of materially identical laws. Dissent: Courts should look to the underlying facts of the crime, rather than just the statutory language in a hypothetical case, to determine whether a crime is one of violence. Pistol whipping during a robbery clearly is. (Circuit-split watch: The Fourth joins the Fifth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits but departs from the Eleventh Circuit in this holding. Moreover: SCOTUS will hear the Fifth Circuit case.)

Galveston, Tex. police get warrant to search drug suspect's house, seize any "ledgers" they might find. They seize a cell phone. Is a cell phone a ledger? Close enough, says the Fifth Circuit, so no need to suppress evidence from the phone (which helped convict him of pimping minors).

Texas inmate threatens guard, has his stuff taken away, gets put in solitary. Or maybe—as inmate alleges—guard was lying, retaliating against inmate. Inmate brings a hodgepodge of claims (to get out of solitary, over loss of his stuff, and more). Fifth Circuit: Almost none of which can go forward. But if the guard really took away the inmate's Bible (and books by mega-pastors like Joel Osteen), there needed to be a valid reason. The inmate's First Amendment claim should not have been dismissed.

"Sexed cow semen" is bull semen containing only X- or Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. It allows dairy farmers using artificial insemination to ensure they breed only female—and thus milk-bearing—cows. It's valuable stuff, and, until recently, the U.S. market was controlled by a monopolist whose technology worked by identifying sperm cells, electrically charging them, and then sorting them with magnets. But when an upstart hired one of the monopolist's ex-employees, she shared the monopolist's trade secrets. The upstart then began using a different, potentially faster method: individually vaporizing the unwanted sperm cells with a laser millions of times per second. The ensuing antitrust/patent infringement/breach of contract suit, culminating in a two-week trial, gave wins and losses to both sides. On appeal, the Seventh Circuit affirmed some of the monopolist's wins but also—in a complicated discussion of patent law featuring set theory, subscripted variables, and LSAT-esque diagrams—gave the upstart a second chance at invalidating the seminal patent claims.

Federal law prohibits any "unlawful user" of marijuana from possessing a firearm. "Unlawful user" is unconstitutionally vague, says criminal defendant who admits to smoking daily for the past decade. Perhaps in some hypothetical scenarios, says Seventh Circuit, but your conduct "undoubtedly falls within the obvious core" of the statute. As a consolation prize, however, the court "commend[s] everyone involved in the briefing and arguing of this case" (along with the district-court judges) for a job well done.

San Francisco requires that advertisements for "sugar-sweetened beverages" contain a warning, taking up 20 percent of the advertising space, that sugary drinks contribute to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. Unconstitutional compelled speech? The en banc Ninth Circuit unanimously agrees that it is, though they disagree vociferously as to why.

Pizza chain's website and app are incompatible with screen reading software, so blind man can't order online. A violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act? District court: No, the Act doesn't mention the internet, and the feds have failed to provide formal guidance on how it applies—despite promising to do so. Ninth Circuit: Reversed. The feds have said that websites must comply; there's no need for the gov't to produce a blueprint detailing how to do it.

Douglas County, Colo. officer tases man who has a rifle muzzle in his mouth and his thumb on the trigger. The gun goes off; the man dies. Can the man's parents sue the officer? No, they filed suit 27 days too late, says the Tenth Circuit; the deadline started running on the date they asked the coroner to reconsider her report, not when the amended report was released (over a year later).

There are a number of federal crimes—from fraud to robbery—that apply only to banks that are FDIC insured at the time of the crime. Inexplicably, and despite repeated warnings from federal courts, prosecutors routinely fail to produce direct evidence that a bank was FDIC insured at the time of the crime—the testimony of a single witness would do—and instead rely on circumstantial evidence that it was insured at some point before or after. Is enough finally enough? Eleventh Circuit (over a dissent): Although prosecutors are "cruisin' for a bruisin'," we won't bruise them today.

After seven years' imprisonment for rape, man is released after tests confirm that his DNA was not on the victim. Chatham County, Ga. DA declines to re-prosecute. Trial court dismisses indictment. And state lawmaker introduces bill to compensate the man $1.6 million for the wrongful conviction. But wait! The DA opposes the bill and (allegedly) falsely states that the man remains under indictment. Bill fails; man sues. Eleventh Circuit: The DA's defamation absolutely amounted to unconstitutional retaliation. But even so, qualified immunity. Concurrence: "My only comfort with this result is knowing that if another official in this circuit henceforth engages in conduct similar to [the DA's], he or she will not be entitled to hide behind the doctrine of qualified immunity."

And in en banc news, the Eleventh Circuit will reconsider its holding that an Alabama law enacting a statewide minimum wage of $7.25 that preempts a Birmingham minimum wage of $10.10 might violate equal protection. The now-vacated opinion declared: "Today, racism is no longer pledged from the portico of the capitol or exclaimed from the floor of the constitutional convention; it hides, abashed, cloaked beneath ostensibly neutral laws and legitimate bases, steering government power toward no less invidious ends."

Officials in Yorktown, Indiana want to bulldoze a small neighborhood with many long-time, elderly residents and replace it with: a tech firm, other businesses, and new residences. To bypass the state's eminent domain law, which bars seizing property for private projects, officials have strategically placed some public amenities in the plan. Sneaky! Sharon and Jerry Puckett's home, for instance, is scheduled to be replaced by "courtyard/games" and part of a new restaurant. The kicker: The town already owns enough property to build the development just 500 feet away. IJ has helped gather over 105,000 signatures on a petition opposing the plan, and in January residents presented the Town Council with the petition. But the project is still rolling along, so please do sign the petition if you're of a mind.

The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All Special

Rachel Lindsay is a practicing attorney who once took the LSAT. And you, dear reader, are an aspiring attorney who will soon take the LSAT, Rachel Lindsay is also an aspiring married person, serving as the bachelorette on this season of The Bachelorette, the love story these depraved times deserve. And you, dear reader, may also be an aspiring married person? Either way, you definitely have at least a few things in common with Rachel. So every Tuesday, we’re going to be tracking Rachel’s romantic journey on The Bachelorette, and see what we can learn about love, loss, and the LSAT. Welcome back to the Logical Rose-ning Section.

Last time: The remaining guys took turns seeing the wonders of Rachel’s Dallas hometown and withstanding the protectiveness of Rachel. Eric was normal and sociable, Peter tried to play it cool, and Bryan displayed a thirst for their approval that not even the Rio Grande could quench. Rachel then took the guys on a trip to La Rioja wine region of Spain, where Eric picked up some late season momentum and Peter appeared to lose his pole position. The changing fortunes of the guys stoked some much-needed drama for the final episode, which leads us to …

… Oh yeah, the Men Tell All episode. The writing sample of The Bachelorette season. The unnecessary addendum to the proceedings that merely prolongs the inevitable. For The Bachelorette, the inevitable being a contractually-mandated engagement and publicity tour; for the LSAT, your constitutionally-mandated duty to drink as many alcoholic beverages as you can responsibly consume. Just like the writing sample, the real stuff is already done–the important selections have been made, the long journey across five countries/sections has been traveled–you’ve done everything you’ve needed to do to get a good score. And yet here we are, biding time.

So the writing sample was on my mind as I watched a two-hour special in which the also-rans of this season got one last moment in the spotlight to hash out differences, confront Rachel, and make one final push to secure the Instagram endorsements that will allow them to finally quit their personal training gigs. During the special though, I was shocked to see these guys actually give some worthwhile advice for completing the LSAT’s writing sample. Apparently, the Men really did Tell All, at least with respect to the most overlooked part of the LSAT.

If you don’t already know, the writing sample is always given as the final section of the LSAT. After 175 minutes of intense logical reasoning and critical reading, you’re given 35 minutes to write a short persuasive essay. The format is always the same: you must make an argument for one of two mutually exclusive options described in the prompt. You will also be given two criteria to consider when making the argument. You will be provided a series of facts that you can reference to support your argument. Just choose one of the two options and make your best case for it.

The essay you compose will not affect your final score, but it will be included as part of your law school application. Admissions officers will likely give the essay a quick read-through to make sure you didn’t completely blow it off and that you possess at least a decent command over the written word even when exhausted. Although you shouldn’t feel too much pressure when writing the sample, there are a few mistakes you should avoid, which the Men Tell All special helpfully illustrated to us all last night.

So let’s get into these lessons.

Lesson 1: Don’t spend too much time recapping the prompt

The essay you compose for the writing sample should be short, sweet, and to the point. Like a cake pop. If you spend the introduction of your essay repeating all the background information the prompt just told you, you’re wasting valuable time and space. And more importantly, you’re just going to bore the poor admissions officer tasked with reading your essay. That admissions officer will have read hundreds of those writing samples already, and will be, trust me, well acquainted with the facts.

At least as well acquainted as the poor blogger who has spilled gallons upon gallons of digital ink recapping this season of The Bachelorette. Even the casual fan of this program must remember the main plot points of this season–DeMario showed up with a so-called “side chick,” there was a feud between some guy named like Blaine or something and a failed comedian whose catchphrase was “Whablam” or whatever, there was self-proclaimed “country boy” (read: white person) who promised to have problems with “certain people” (read: not white people) in the house and proceeded to have completely self-made problems with those people, but especially with lovable wrestler/doting father Kenny.

And yet, this special dedicated what seemed like hours to montage after montage going over these very same plot points. Producers, our minds may or may not be permanently damaged by watching your trash reality shows, but at least trust that we can remember episodes we watched like, three weeks ago.

Lesson 2: Don’t show up with prepackaged lines

Seriously, don’t try to plan ahead for the writing sample by thinking of clever lines you could use. The prompt could be about literally any topic, so you have no idea if the lines you plan will be useful. Plus, you have more than enough to worry about studying for the parts of the LSAT that will actually affect your final score.

Just look at the guys who used pre-planned statements on the Men Tell All special to see how far those lines will get you. Take Adam, who clearly wanted to say something about Lucas, the failed comedian who said “Whaboom” a lot. Adam dropped the line, “There was so much ‘Whaboom,’ it should been ‘Wha-bye.'” Which is like a C- joke at best, and didn’t even elicit a polite chuckle from the audience. Or take Lee’s pre-planned defense to systematically starting fights with every African-American contestant: “I should have been a better friend.” Which didn’t make sense, given that no one suggested that he was a friend. Or even Fred, the poor guy who harbored a crush on Rachel since summer camp, whose heartfelt monologue to her was undercut by his statement clearly being written and rehearsed.

You’ll be able to write this thing on test day, no need to plan ahead.

Lesson 3: If you’re going to try to flex with big words, make sure you know what they mean and have heard them used before

Having a big vocabulary won’t get you into law school or prolong your fifteen minutes of fame, but that doesn’t stop LSAT takers and former Bachelorette contestants from dropping recherché word bombs on the writing sample and Men Tell All special, respectively. DeMario, for instance, defended himself against accusations of two-timing with the aforementioned “side chick” by referencing the lack of “ocular” facts that he and the “side chick” were ever actually a couple. “Ocular,” of course, meaning “related to the eye.” So, you know, eye facts. Those things we talk about every day and frequently use as proof that two people are in a committed relationship. DeMario was probably looking for “observable” facts, or even “empirical” facts, but tried to get too grandiloquent and took an L so obvious that any oculus could see it.

Don’t be DeMario. Use words you know.

Lesson 4: Don’t get too attached to either of the options–take some time to brainstorm

Your job on the writing sample is to pick a side and argue why it’s the better of the two options. There’s no “right” answer, of course; generally, the prompt to the writing sample will give roughly equal pros and cons for each choice. You should therefore simply pick the option that you think you can make the better argument for–the option that you feel most passionately about.

But passion can be a fickle mistress. Matters of the heart are tough. Sometimes one option seems so right, but halfway through writing the second paragraph of your essay–or, say, half-way through shooting the spin-off program Bachelor in Paradise–you’ll realize that you should have chosen another option. At that point, it will be too late.

So take some time brainstorming pros and cons for each choice before making your decision. This step will help you pick the right option for you and construct a better argument for that option.

The Bachelor producers surely wish they took more time in deciding which of these cast members would serve as the next eponymous bachelor. Dean, the most recently eliminated contestant, was given ample screen time during the Men Tell Special. And given the rapturous reception he received from the crowd, it was clear that he should have been selected as the next bachelor. In a camouflage-print tuxedo jacket and a polka-dotted pocket square that matched his socks, Dean looked like a star, a perfect protagonist for the next season of The Bachelor. And yet, when nominal host Chris Harrison (who, after a total of about 5 minutes of screen time this season, finally got a chance to cook this episode–shouts to you Chris, keep getting dem checks) announced Dean as a contestant in Bachelor in Paradise, you could feel the crowd collectively sigh.

A little bit of brainstorming and research would have gone a long ways for the producers of The Bachelor. Don’t make the same mistakes they did.

Lesson 5: Leave the bloopers out

The writing sample isn’t a high school math test, so don’t show your work. You shouldn’t include any outlines or notes or rough drafts that you may make. You’ll have scratch paper to mock up these notes. In the space LSAC provides to write your essay, you should only include your final essay. Obviously.

But if only someone told that to the producers of the Men Tell All special, who closed the night with a blooper reel of Rachel sometimes almost tripping and Josiah eating and some of the men putting on lotion. Some things are best left on the cutting room floor.

And with that you have everything you need to succeed on the writing sample. Or at least to be reassured that you maybe didn’t completely waste two hours of your life watching trash reality television.

The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All Special was originally published on LSAT Blog