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Help with study methods for LG/LR
Hello everyone. I'm feeling very discouraged and need some guidance.
I took a diagnostic test before starting 7sage and got a 158 and then a 160 on BR. I'm almost done with the core curriculum (save for some logic material), and I took a test to see if I had improved my score. I got the same exact score - a 158 and a 160 on BR. I'm really trying to hit 170 by September.
It's pretty clear from the tests that I'm still not strong on LG and some LR. How do you suggest improving before taking more tests? I don't want to take another test because I don't want to "waste" material. Should I print out the LR and LG sections from the two tests and I took? Should I review the practice problems on 7sage? If so, how should I review them? Do I simply just do them over and over again? I'm a bit lost on how to improve without taking more tests, but, I fear if I take more tests, I'll be wasting those tests.
Any help is appreciated!!
Comments
Don't discouraged, but also realize that I don't think a 170 by September is going to happen. Making the leap from 160 to 170 can takes months and months of hard work. For some, it may take a year.... So just be ready to move that date back and worry about obtaining the score fire and foremost.
Yes, you want to do the problem sets after the lessons and review them carefully. Do them more than once. And always blind review them. Some say to save some of the problem sets, but with the starter pack there aren't tons and tons, so I think aiming to do those "easy" sets will be good practice and instill good LR/LG fundamentals.
Good idea about not burning anymore tests. I think you need to go back and finish the entire CC. There's important lessons all the way until the end and I just don't see much of a point in taking full PTs before you've learned all the fundamental material.
For LG, the answer is almost always to "fool proof" all games. Start with the older tests, if you have PTs 1-35, that's usually what is recommended and then every game you PT after. This phase takes a long time. No question about it. Depending on your natural ability for LG, it could take easily a month to do fool proofing of just 1-35 and you never truly stop. You just keep cycling through them until you have completely mastered them and then add new ones in from the PTs you'll be taking.
You've only taken 2 tests, right? So don't worry about material because you have plenty right now if you use it smart. Use the early PTs 1-40 to drill and then many of the newer tests for full PTs. How many you will need to take is entirely dependent on your progress and how many it takes before you're hitting your target score. For some 40 PTs is what is takes. On average, I think around 20-25 seems to be about the going rate. But in aggregate, stats like those on for purposes of the LSAT don't really matter much because, of course, everyone is so different in how they learn and study.
Now there's obviously tons more I could write and if you need specific help with certain question types or have questions in general, feel free to reach out.
Pease do yourself a favor and check out this AWESOME Webinar by Sage/Mentor/Tutor/Community Leader @"Cant Get Right" : https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/
This is going to walk you through what to do after you are done with the course. So for right now, I would primarily focus on being in the learning stage with some drilling mixed in. That looks like spending maybe 75% of your time watching lessons, taking notes, and learning. And 20-25% doing drill work. Those are the problem sets or the sections from the first 35 or 40 PTs. There is such an abundance now I think it is safe to use the first 40 or so for drilling/timed sections. That will leave you with 40+ for full PTs should you need them all.
Good luck!
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I'm starting to wonder if I should push back my test date to December. I've already started working on my personal statement and have recommendation letters set, so I wouldn't feel too rushed. There is one program I wanted to apply to and the application is due in September, but I'm willing to sacrifice that if I can get a much higher score. What do you think?
Probably best. December isn't too late and a higher LSAT will almost always trump a lower LSAT in September. I think any sacrifice within reason for a higher score is without question worth it. this test counts for way more than GPA, LOR, PS/DS, etc. A good LSAT makes any law school possible! You got this ...
I could elaborate a lot on this, and do in the webinar that @"Alex Divine" posted above. That's the general overview, so I'll let that speak for itself and only comment on specifics to your situation here.
First of all, great job on an amazing diagnostic score. You are starting well ahead of the normal starting line and that promises enormous potential. As far as your first post CC PT, I don't think it's all that odd to have the same score.
What is odd--and what your primary concern should be--is your BR score. Showing no improvement on your BR score means that something has gone very wrong. That says that you didn't do the CC right, you didn't do your BR right, or both. And that's a big problem.
For the CC, remember there is no reward for finishing it. Completion can give us a dangerous sense of accomplishment, but it is meaningless without understanding the material being reviewed. These are difficult, complex concepts with dynamic applications; just watching a video about it and calling it done just isn't going to cut it.
For BR, JY explains it far better than I can here. Review the curriculum on that and be really strict with it from here on out.
Thank you for your comments!
I think it's a great reminder that just finishing the course doesn't mean much and that I really have to work hard to grasp the material before just calling it quits after watching the video. I'll start going back through the CC and try to really identify what I don't understand.
Also, great point about the BR. It should be much higher now that I think about it. I'll be sure to strictly review the method for BR before my next test. If something doesn't change between now and then, I'll know for sure that there is some material that I'm not grasping.
I do have one specific question though. I have a really really really hard time with stamina and timing. When taking my last test, I felt as if I didn't have enough time to apply what I had learned from the CC just yet. I also lose focus before the end of every section and by the last section. Do you recommend continuing to just take full length practice tests to get used to this? Or is there a way I can build up to four hours?
Hey, glad you found my comments useful! As far as speed goes, it's not something you need to be too concentrated on right now. I elaborate in my webinar, but basically, speed is a function of understanding, and until we're there on the understanding, we can't do a whole lot about speed. For taking PTs, you want to make sure you're taking the time you need to respond with the issues each PT exposes. This PT exposed a lot of issues. Try to learn the lessons it taught you before you take another one. If you don't, it will only tell you the same things and you'll have burned a PT to produce the same information you had before. Burning finite PTs only to learn the same lessons over and over again is not going to help you. As far as stamina goes, it's a hard test and focus is difficult to maintain. I go through pretty extreme measures for stamina. My sleep schedule and diet and exercise and everything is strictly controlled in order to make sure that I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed for my tests. If you're sleepy or hungry or hung over or anything other than razor sharp, it will bring your performance down. So just make sure you're showing up ready to roll any time you're going to test.