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Prep for LAT 2017? (1 Viewer)

A Leaf

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HI so I just finished year 11 and am in the holidays before year 12 (rip) and I have my LAT for UNSW coming up...The website said that you can't really prep for it but I'm not sure if its wise to just rock up with little to no preparation. I have my heart set on law (usyd is the dream tho, UNSW is 2nd choice) and I'm pretty good at writing, english etc. which is what the test is on. Did any of you guys do the test before? What prep did you do? What do you think I should do? How much time should I commit to it, considering I'm trying to split my time right now between relaxing and steadily prepping for Year 12?

THANKS :jump:
 

jjHasm

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Doing the LAT too! With less than a week left until the big day, I recommend; aside from the LAT sample paper, practice alot of spontaneous writing i.e. writing under pressure from the top of your head. After all that's what the LAT is all about, how well of a response you can make by extracting information from unseen texts/extracts. Expand your vocabulary, meaning learn different adjectives, linking words, verbs etc, and in what context is it best to use them. Touch up on your grammar skills, you'll be suprised of how convoluting some sentences in your writing may sound. Don't forget the goal of the LAT is to show the markers that you can produce a strong, cohesive and fluent piece of writing, showcasing ideas you've developed from viewing the prompts. Personally, me preparing for my english HSC (and basically any other non-math subject) in the upcoming month also kinda helps - writing/editing essays. If you're the occasional book reader, then that helps alot also. Other then that there really is no magic shortcut method to ace this exam, just simpley get better at writing from now till the LAT through what was mentioned above. I only decided to do the LAT this year also, so yeah. Considering it's in around a week, and you're in the transition period from yr11 --> yr12, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to go all out and focus MAINLY on the LAT. (ofc not saying completely neglect your other plans). Just as a side note - the median atar and lat score combined that got into unsw law last year, was around 98 and 72 respectively. However smashing the the LAT and getting lower than the median atar (<98) can still mark you as a competitive candidate for law and vice versa. So yeah, good luck this year, and don't worry too much if you don't get as good, you still have next year, and by that time I can almost guarentee you that your english writing ability will improve ALOT.
 

HoldingOn

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I'm not doing anything for it. If you are good enough, you will pull through. Preparing for this sort of test is a massive waste of time.
 

Jakulore

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Hey! So yeah, I did the LAT last year and I did pretty well in it so I thought that I would pitch in.

I don't think that you need to put an extensive amount of practice and preparation into LAT, after all, it is a test that is essentially testing your ability to logically construct an opinion, and reason that opinion out in a step-by-step discussion to back it up based on the questions and the prompts given to you.

From my experience, the practice was extremely similar to the actual exam (different questions but asking for the same thing) and so I think that the practice is your best bet. You can attempt to refine your writing skills, and ensure that you are writing in the best, most efficient way. But most of all, just make sure that you are calm enough to be able to effectively provide your own insights in response to the questions.

Good luck! I'm sure you will be fine, the examination isn't particularly difficult so long as you don't stress yourself out over it! :D
 

jjHasm

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I mean preparing for the LAT isn't THAT much of a time waster as you put it to be. Enhancing your english writing ability is always a good investment, especially since you are transitioning into yr12 and English being a somewhat demanding subject to do well in. Doing things like learning new words, improving grammar, being confident enough to write a nice logical response on the spot etc. are skills that don't only apply to the LAT, but also most HSC subjects, hence preparing for it isn't necessarily a "massive waste of time."
 

Jakulore

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I mean preparing for the LAT isn't THAT much of a time waster as you put it to be. Enhancing your english writing ability is always a good investment, especially since you are transitioning into yr12 and English being a somewhat demanding subject to do well in. Doing things like learning new words, improving grammar, being confident enough to write a nice logical response on the spot etc. are skills that don't only apply to the LAT, but also most HSC subjects, hence preparing for it isn't necessarily a "massive waste of time."
Personally, I don't think it is necessary to put a great deal of time into preparation, however, it won't hurt you either. So I agree, it isn't a time waster as it is still productive.

Basically, I feel people should just do whatever amount of preparation they feel comfortable with doing, because I think that is the main thing.
 

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