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Related Discussions
LSAT Trainer Worthwhile?
CantStopWontStop
Alum Member
I took the December test, and prepped with the Powerscore Bibles. I'm retaking the test in Feb and am using 7 Sage now (and rereading Powerscore Bibles). Obviously time is an issue. Is reading the LSAT Trainer worthwhile at this point? Will there be much key advice that is 7sage or Powerscore doesn't touch on. I am studying like a lunatic right now and can squeeze it in. Just not sure if it's worth it. As always, any advice would be MUCH appreciate.
Comments
I worked through the LSAT Trainer. It was eh. It didn't provide a lot. 7Sage has a better curriculum IMHO and includes everything that LSAT Trainer would have.
It would be a better use of those hours to instead fool proof LG. The impact to your score will be much higher.
So if you've got extra time, I'd do that instead.
Just my two cents.
Best of luck!
The LSAT Trainer provided me a different perspective. I highly doubt any company has “new” info. They’ll all provide a different t perspective though. I loved The LSAT Trainer for the flaw sections and RC. If something isn’t clicking here I say give it a try. I wasn’t confused using the two.
I used the Trainer, and I think that for the price it's a great LSAT textbook. However, I don't think it will do you much good at this point. You are already mixing two different systems between PS and 7Sage, and I feel like trying to mess with another one a month before the test wouldn't be good. I wonder how you'd even have time to get to it, since so many people here say how it takes 2+ months to get through 7Sage CC. I'd instead put the remaining time into drilling your weaknesses and quality reviewing PTs.
@Feb2018Taker
What was your score breakdown in December?
How long have you been prepping in total?
What areas are you weaknesses in?
The LSAT trainer was a different perspective on the test. I only made it a few chapters in and then realized I was doing things more efficiently on my own.
So my average pt was -5 RC, -6 (total for 2 sections) LR, and -1 LG. So basically around 169 avg. Then on the Dec test, I did -9 RC, -11 LR, and -8 LG. I never got less than a 166 on a PT (and got as high as a 175), and got a 160 in Dec. I panicked during the real test, and rushed like crazy. I went through the Power Score Bibles, then took 15 timed PT's. I went to an IVY League school and scored high on my SAT's, so I thought I would be good. Not the case.
So although I got a 160, that 8 point gain is achievable between now and Feb. Mike Tyson says everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. I can relate. So I want to get more grounded in technique. I rushed RC passages and finished them in 1.5 mins in Dec (usually took 2.5 mins in PT's), then got eaten up by questions. Same thing for LG's. I set up the games in like 1 min (normally would take about 2.5 mins), instead of mining it for inferences for another min or two. Basic fundamentals went out the window. So I plan to really concretize my pacing stretegies, finish the CC, Fool Proof 20 sections, then go into 15 PT's (with Blind Reviewing and Fool Proofing the games afterwards). Studying about 45-55 hours/week will allow me to do all of this by Feb 8. It's a lot. But the pain of underachieving has given me a focus and drive I haven't had for a while. Any tips to add to this plan would be much appreciated Alex, or any one else. Technique, technique, technique. It will save you. That is the best advice I can give.
I suggest lots of timed sections, lots of time spent reviewing your work both in-depth and 'recreationally' if you can stand it. Take pictures of wrong answers with your phone and keep them in a neat folder on their own so you can review at your leisure. Do your LG in journals so that you can look at your boards without the questions in front of you/in a larger resolution. The LG journal specifically helped me to slow down and really understand the underpinnings of my own approach and of the LSAT.
In the month leading up to the test, you should be able to fairly easily manage 8 timed LG sections a day (/whatever the LR/RC equivalent would be), imo. Do not burnout, though! Just because you can handle that load one day doesn't mean you should do it every day. Take at least a few days off before your test, review smart the night before, do untimed sections the morning of (one section of all three section types) and don't check your answers.
I read the LSAT Trainer cover to cover; good resource but 7Sage was a better fit. I would make 7Sage your primary study source and refer to the LSAT trainer if you run into any material you are having a hard time understanding and may want a different perspective.
Interesting advice. Not to check answers. I want to remember this come test day for me.
Sounds like a good plan. The only thing I would suggest is to not think of your prep in terms of "I'm going to do X number of Y before test day." Rather, I think it's better to think of your prep in terms of developing skills. So set a goal to be prepared to face any challenge you may come across on test day. Setting out to do a certain number of test/section is arbitrary in a sense. I also think setting out to finish the CC, develop pacing strategies, fool proof 20 sections, and take and BR 15 full PTs sounds like an awful lot... Not saying it isn't possible, but I don't know how helpful taking that many PTs will be if you aren't taking the time to learn from them. And part of that learning means spending as much time as you need after to eliminate any weaknesses you know you have. Otherwise, you're just taking another PT hoping for luck to carry you... It's like weighing yourself 3x a day knowing damn well you haven't hit the gym, dieted, or anything else to lose weight. Just doesn't make a whole lot of sense and it's probably going to lead to you feeling pretty bad about yourself, haha.
Also, be careful not to burn out. 55 hours a week is quite a lot. It's better to get in 25 hours of solid, focused study. You can't brute force the test. After a certain number of hours, you'll see the law of diminishing returns creep up on you. All I'm saying is, there's a difference between working hard and working smart.
As for The LSAT Trainer ... I think it's a wonderful LSAT book. It's actually the best LSAT book in my opinion. However, I do think it's most useful at the beginning stages of your prep. It seems like you have the fundamentals down if you were scoring in the high 160s. I'd spend my time more on practice rather than learning to new strategies this close to the test.
Best of luck!
I really liked the LSAT Trainer but found it before I found 7sage and think 7sage was the better deal in the end. There were a few things I liked it for better inasmuch as the way he explained it clicked a little better than the way 7sage or the PS Bibles did. I would go to the library and see if they have a copy and check it out - I agree with other people that it tends to be good for laying the foundation and perhaps you are past it.
Absolutely. You don't want any potential mistakes to be messing with your confidence on game day. A lot of people even suggest just doing questions that you're already seen; that way you can just fly through these warm up questions, and feel really good walking into the test center.
I brought a completed PT I had performed relatively well on to the test center with me. I reviewed it up until the time I had to check in, at which point I threw it in the trash.
Lol I did the same thing. Took PT 82 3 days before my December test, and since parking for me was literally right in front of the doors of the testing center, I just sat in the car reviewing it till like 8:25. Great minds think alike I guess!
They do! [:
The trainer improved my RC so much, i only got -2 on my real exam from a diagnostic of getting half of the section wrong. It teaches you some strategy on answering RC questions under timed conditions, so you dont have to always waste time on looking back to the passage.
Thanks a lot for all the advice! Alex, I think that’s what got me in trouble in December. Mistaking activity for achievement. I’m going to focus on each section, and certain question types more. And all the other tips too. Like taking a few sections day of but not scoring them. Much love to y’all!
Of course! I completely get what you mean too. I used to be pretty guilty of just doing a whole lot without really learning much. I'd just do section after section, drill after drill, PT after PT, hoping for a miracle.
You may also find this webinar by sage @"Cant Get Right" helpful too! https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/
You can listen to it and find out what stage of your prep you're in and do the corresponding prep recommended for that stage.
Wishing you the best!
I have used Kaplan and Blueprint resources. I have found nothing that makes more sense to me than the Trainer...... I've used 7sage free resources.... If I take the LSAT in June, I plan on purchasing a 7sage package where I have time to get my money out of it. I was too late for Feb. The Trainer has been a great help to me.