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Hello everyone. This might be a bit of a long post but I’m writing this post to pretty much look for advice as to what I should do with my study plan since I’m losing hope and considering giving up.

For context, I took the LSAT November of 2021 and scored a 150. This was with no studying at all as I was doing school full time at that point. Prior to taking that LSAT, my cold diagnostic was a 144 on the June 07. Since then, I decided to opt for the gap year and focused on finishing undergrad with good grades. I began studying again June of this year post-graduation and have been putting between 3-6 hours every single day except on weekends where I study less due to other responsibilities. My goal was ~160 by October of this year. I have already registered for that date btw.

My issue becomes that I’ve scored nowhere near my goal. My highest actual score has been a 154 despite scoring in the 160s during BR a few times. Besides the 154, I’ll score anywhere between 148-152 for the most part. The 154 was due largely to me scoring -3 on the LG on that PT. My routine consists of mainly drilling LG and LR as I’ve heard RC is not worth practicing as much. I average -9 or -10 on RC. Despite me drilling hundreds of LGs and LR questions I’ll still get 7-15 wrong on any LR section. On LG, I can go either -3 or -14 under timed conditions despite being capable of -0 on BR. I’m very inconsistent on the games because I struggle with diagramming rules and setting up the games. This often forces me to brute force through answer choices because I don’t make inferences and waste time only allowing me to complete 3/4 games.

Now, with that being said I’ll mention that I have not gone through the entire CC. I recently started going through the CC for LR and plan on finishing it and moving on to the LG CC. I’m also reading the LR Loophole but I’m only halfway through the book. I am well aware that these are things I should have done from the start before I even began drilling or doing PTs but I unfortunately didn’t.

My question becomes: With only ~5 weeks until my October LSAT, what should I even do? Should I fully focus on finishing the Loophole and the CC and stop doing PTs until then? Should I do that but continue weekly drills or cut out even drills until I understand the CC? Should I still be doing at least 1 PT per week? Or should I simply just drill LG for the next few weeks in a last ditch effort to score higher given that this is the section I feel like I can improve on the most? I’m really not sure where to go from here with 5 weeks left and morale at an all time low. Btw, if you made it this far, thank you. I’d appreciate any tips.

1

Anyone who took the August test and is retaking in October willing to share their study schedule for the next month? Bonus points if you work full time.

I was PTing in the high 160s-low 170s, got a 164 on the August test. Returning to studying after taking a few weeks off and struggling to come up with a schedule/strategy that will help get me a 168 or higher in October while working full time without burning out.

ALSO, if you are a tutor or know anyone who will tutor me for a few hours a week at a reasonable price (~$50/hour), hmu.

0

I have a logic question I was wondering if you could help me with.

So I was doing a MBF question on Test 41 section 1. Essentially, the stimulus gives you two conditionals.

I know you cannot get a contrapositive out of A (Most)-> B nor out of A (some)B. So my question is is why can you not do this logical move, when you start with the original conditional statement

Normal

Contrapositive

A->B:

By inference we can say A (most)-> B

By inference we can say A(some)B

The contrapositive being~B->~A:

By inference we can say ~B (most)-> ~A

By inference we can say ~A(some)B~

While I know that we cannot get a contrapositives from “most” conditionals and “some” conditionals, from this chart it seems like we can?

I understand from ALL you can imply MOST, from MOST you can imply SOME or from ALL you can imply SOME.

So what I am missing or not realizing?

0

Hi friends!

I am a little confused and want some clarification. I have been doing prep tests and not stimulating the modern, meaning I am taking all 4 sections which makes sense because that is what I will be doing on test day. The score that I get back counts the 4th section when I perform in that mode, right? Should I do my own calculations on the sections supposedly scored and use that to keep track of my scores or is the score given by 7sage my anticipated score?

I hope this makes sense. help pls :-)

1

Hi! As the title says, I'm looking to tutor someone. :) My diagnostic was a 152 in April 2022 and my favourite section to teach is Logical Reasoning which ironically was my worst section at first. I really enjoyed the process of navigating the logic in the LSAT and I hope I get to continue being involved with the LSAT by tutoring!

  • [CLOSED] - will respond to everyone who already messaged/commented though!

    • 5

    Even though I really want a LOR from this Professor, I feel like I'm far to busy with schoolwork and studying for the LSAT to sit down to learn how to write a LOR. But at the same time, I think he's asking me to write it because he is far to busy. I already have 4 other LORs from employers and other professors, is it worth it for me to stress out over this single LOR? Should I kindly ask him to write it or should I just give up on his letter entirely? The thing about this professor in specific is I've known him and kept in touch with him for about 4 years, so I feel that his LOR will shed light on our long-standing academic relationship. Any advice?

    0

    What does your daily study routine look like? How many hours? What do you do?

    I'm currently doing about 2-3 hrs/day prepping for October, mainly drilling and reviewing full sections. I don't know if that's too little/too much (working too). Thoughts?

    2

    Looking to score over a 160. Just took the August test and got a 152.

    I did Princeton Review and Kaplan and was not a fan of either. I need a structured study plan to get me to my goal. Needs to be flexible.

    Weakest section is Logic Reasoning. The strongest is Logic Games, but I want to get my LG down to (-2) max. I'm anywhere from a -0 to -5 on an LG section.

    0

    I'm writing this post to 1.) cool down and 2.) get some good advice and hopefully have my questions answered

    Background: When I first started studying for the lsat, it was 3 months ago and I used 7sage and studied for around 4-5 hours everyday, although I took a day or two off a week to rest my mind, while drilling LR and LG mainly at first and then later I moved onto RC. This past month I took 5 practice tests all in the range of the mid to high 140s and it has messed me up mentally. I can't seem to understand it but no matter what I do I keep getting these bullshit questions wrong. I barely have time to read 3 passages for RC and even then I only somewhat understand what I'm reading. I would say I definitely put over 200 hours into this bullshit and feel that this was a giant waste of time. Also, I want to clarify that I tried to study for the lsat from almost every which way possible so I wouldn't see that as the reason why I'm not doing good. My BR's are in the low to mid 150s, which is a dream score at this point, and every time I see my BR score I just get overwhelmingly pissed off that I can't get those numbers on the actual exam. I'm currently registered for the September lsat in a week and don't even care what I get at this point. I don't quit on things easily but I'm also realistic that the more hours that I put into this is just wasting time.

    Another thing worth noting is the advice I got from the lawyer I currently work for who runs a successful law office. I spoke with him about my worry for my lsat score and he laughed and told me not to worry. When he spoke about his law journey, he told me he went to some shitty law school, which isn't even active anymore, and how he did terribly on the lsat, like me, and how he was worried about going to law school, passing the bar, etc. He took the bar 4 times and told me that that he was determined to become a lawyer and wasn't going to quit no matter how hard it was. It definitely paid off for him as he has his own office now, drives a 100k car, and is still in his 30's. One thing he said that gave me some hope was: "if you want to be a lawyer then it doesn't matter how it happens as long as you end up being one and are set on doing so." I'm focused on being a lawyer so I really do hope what he said holds true. He told me about his other lawyer friends from his same law school that all ended up being successful after graduating and that if I put my mind to it then I could be just as successful.

    Current Plans: Assuming I get what I currently got on my PT's, let's say a 146, my chances of even getting into a below average law school is like 60% and that's on the 7sage law school predictor which inflates everything and isn't that accurate. My thoughts are I'm going to take the test now, continue to study until the October one and take it then, and then if I score better than the September lsat I'll keep it if not then I'll cancel it. I actually am shocked at myself for being unable to get into the 150s but that's irrelevant because I've been dealt a bad hand. I'm planning on applying to only low ranked schools and early admit one of them. I plan to submit my applications in October to give myself the best chances of acceptance.

    Questions: So with a 146 lsat and 3.4 gpa what do you guys think my chances of getting into a school like Southwestern would be with early admit? For those that are also scoring in the 140s range what are your guys plans: Are you planning to study for higher score or just apply with what you have? Do people with 140s lsat scores get accepted to law schools? I know lsat matters a lot but how significant do you think gpa/internships/personal statements etc. matters in law school applications? Is it worth applying to law schools if you were in my scenario or would you switch career paths?

    Just to sum up, I don't care what law school I get into as long as I get in somewhere. I know bar pass rates and all that but for me as of now all that matters is just getting in somewhere with what I have. I have great letters of rec and my personal statement is great as well. So, I hope the best for all you guys whenever you take your lsat and good luck with your guy's law journey.

    8

    The first time I took a logic game section, I didn't get a single question right. Logic games were the death of me. Every time I took one, I would literally start crying.I decided I wanted to just keep going and going until I got what I wanted. I would wake up at 6am, and study for two or three hours before my college classes started. I studied for over 400 hours total. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Today, I got my score back. A 174. I couldn't have done it without 7sage. The course saved me.Now, so many doors are open.To whoever is reading this, please remember, YOU CAN DO IT.

    Do not give up. The time will come. I never thought I could've done this, but somehow I did! Thank you to this wonderful community for all the support along the way.7sage is such an amazing platform, and I cannot recommend it enough. I am canceling my account, but for a very happy reason :)

    Much love,

    E

    12

    Hi everyone, just received my first LSAT score and wanted to share my thoughts on what helped me get there. Like some people on this forum, I started prepping late and was working full time while doing prep.

    I started prepping for the test in May 2022 with the intent of taking the test in August. At first, I thought "nah I have so much time", so I took the entire May to just slowly work my way through Powerscore's LG bible. I then did my first PT, scored a 158 and was sort of encouraged by this score because I needed a 166 to get into my target school, and I wasn't quite aware of how hard/easy it is to increase your score. I was also working full time through the summer, though my job was chill so I wasn't coming home feeling like I'm done with life, which I'm sure helped with the prep. My weakest section was LG (when I started, it would take me about two hours to complete one logic game), and my RC/LR were generally in the -2 to -6 range from the start (my undergrad was in philosophy so I suspect it helped).

    My main issue was getting overwhelmed with the LGs. I would get stuck on a question, then start freaking out that I'm spending too much time on this question so I won't finish the section on time, so I might as well just quit. My PTs quickly went into 165-166 but then I stayed there for two-ish months, then I slowly started getting 168-169, and just the week before the test I scored my first 170. I then did my actual test and received a 171 this morning.

    With this out of the way, here are some things that I believe helped me score a 171 on the test day:

    No PTs on the test week. I knew that if I scored low, I'd be discouraged and it would impact my test day performance. My mental fatigue was starting to show, so I knew that even if I did several PTs on the test week and did well on them, I would get super tired and my brain would turn into mashed potatoes on the test day. Whatever gains were promised by trying to develop the stamina during the final week didn't seem to justify the risks.

    Eating a big, delicious breakfast on the test day. This one might seem like a very minor point, but once you consistently score within your target range, then you have the ability that you need to do well, doing well on the LSAT comes down to winning the mental game. Eating breakfast sausages with bacon and eggs really helped me win the mental game and feel good before the test.

    Don't burn through the study material just because you feel like a loser. This one was big for me. I would take a PT, then score 3-4 points below my average, then I'd get mad at myself for being stupid, then I'd take another PT, do even worse, then the cycle repeats. By the end, I have wasted the study material and learned nothing valuable. You can spend hours doing really inefficient prep and learning next to nothing just because you feel like "I must keep prepping! My life=prep, nothing else matters". This was my mindset very often, and it only made me feel worse for not progressing faster. Instead, what I found helpful was to allow your mind to really rest. My best PT performance was after taking a week-long break and doing zero prep during this week, and I think that doing something similar during the week before the test helped me immensely.

    Having a game plan for when you're experiencing test-day paralysis. If you're like me, then you worry that you'll get stuck and unable to progress through the test, which will start a chain of psychological events that make you shrivel up on the inside and want to terminate the test right then. Acknowledge this and develop an action plan for what you do when this happens. For me, it was a very deliberate breathing exercise, where I would take 15-30 seconds (yes, you must sacrifice time to gain something more valuable -- a clear mind and an ability to keep going) and do deep breathing.

    Understanding that the LSAT is not a mysterious magical ritual. This one was by far one of the most helpful things in winning the mental game. To do well on the LSAT, you don't need to grasp some deep mysteries and hope that it works. The LSAT made by humans like you and I, who're sitting there and creating problems with predictable patterns. It is a standardized test whose complexity is limited by the ability of those nerds (sorry LSAT-makers) to create convoluted problems. They're trying to confuse you and scare you, but they're just applying simple psychological tricks -- you're better than that, you can recognize these tricks, understand how to solve these problems, and be smarter than them.

    If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them here or DM!

    All the best to you my friends

    37

    Hey guys,

    I've been studying for around 4 months and I've been getting quite discouraged by the big differences in my practice test and blind review scores, and was hoping to see if i could get any advice from anyone whose had similar experiences as me.

    I have done around 20 practice tests and noticed that when i do them completely untimed, I get high around a 170 (give and take 3-4 points) However, the problem is that when i do them under timed settings, my score drops all the way down to 159-160s... its really concerning me, especially that i have a test scheduled this September.

    Any advice would be appreciated! (Would also like to know how long you guys think the process of passing this timed vs untimed hurdle might take)

    Thanks,

    -K

    1

    I didn't think I would ever write one of these posts but alas.

    In 2019, I started with a diagnostic score of 154. After studying for two years, I scored a 166 in the September 2021 test. I dipped to a 163 in the October 2021 test. After that, I was incredibly discouraged, took a break from studying, decided not to apply to law school that cycle, and even contemplated whether law school was right for me. I restarted studying this past summer, aggressively PTing, drilling, and reviewing, and I'm so happy I was able to increase, even if if it's only three points, my score to a 169.

    Could not have done this without 7sage's thorough explanations and resources -- thank you.

    My two things of unsolicited advice:

    (1) Where there's a will, there's a f**king way.

    This journey was incredibly challenging -- mentally and emotionally -- to the point where I asked myself repeatedly whether I even wanted to pursue the law. I felt like I had hit a wall, not once but multiple times, and kept going using brute force because I wanted it. If you want it and if you are willing to put in the work, you can -- and will -- achieve it.

    (2) This is your journey and no one else's.

    You know what's best for you. You know what study method works for you and how much you need to study to achieve the score you want. For me, because I'm not innately smart, I knew I had to put in more than five times the work than the average person. I answered every PT question, including RC, LG, and LR, from PT 15 and up at least five times (for LG, I did every question six to ten times). I know, crazy. This strategy doesn't work for everyone, but for me, I knew I had to drill these questions several times to develop my ability to recall different patterns (LSAT is all about pattern recognition). Figure out what works for you, and develop your own strategy. Block out the outside noise from your parents, tutors, or other high scorers -- they don't know what works best for you, only you do.

    Good luck!

    16

    August LSAT is my first official LSAT attempt, I got 165. This score is 5 more points than the 75th percentile of my target school. I think chances to be admitted is quite sure. So right now my question is that should I retake the LSAT to secure more scholarship? I checked the 509 report, I think maybe I can get more than half scholarship. But it is still too expensive for me, I need the full scholarship.

    So here is the question:

    1.Go ahead to apply with my current score. The good thing of this is that I save time and don't have to do it again. And also I can submit early, I think this would increase my chance of scholarship, but I am not sure, pls correct me if I am wrong. The bad thing is that my score is not super high enough to secure full scholarship. But, wait, am I wrong to think in this way. The higher above 75th percentile, the bigger scholarship?

  • Retake in October. The good thing is that I may be able to get a higher score. Yes, may be able to. So it is not necessarily true I will get a higher score. And how much higher? I am looking forward to 169. I am not super confident of this. But I do think I have the chance.

    • So if I get higher score, then apply on Nov 2, is my chance to get full scholarship biggest?

    The bad thing about this plan is I retake, but not good score, then I am late in applying. And then does it mean I screw myself?

    Really need advice!

    0

    Started studying July 2021, took Jan 166, Feb 165, March 169…took a month off of studying, studied all summer and opened a 176 today!!!! I NEVER thought I could do it. Especially after 3 160-somethings in a row. I am crying. THANK YOU 7SAGE AND JY!!!

    9

    All,

    After repeatedly getting diagnostics in the 130's I decided to get 7sage in January 2021. I foolishly believed that I only needed help with Logic Games and put the bulk of my focus there but I realized Logic Games was taking me a REALLY long term to get through so I decided midway through 2021 to go through the entire CC in order beginning with lesson one. I also decided I wouldn't do another PT until I have finished the CC and have a solid understanding of how this exam works. Sometimes, I would spend hours slaving over a topic until I understood it and as such my progress through the CC has been slower than I hoped for. Am I taking the right approach? Is there a better approach to this?

    1

    I received a 172 on the August test, which was my first attempt. I have a 3.95 uGPA and am not URM. I have a graduate degree and am in the process of getting another. I also have some relevant legal work experience. My PR was a 177 (with a 180 BR). I think I could do better than 172 if I took it again, but ideally, I would like to stop studying.

    I'm hoping to go to HYS or Chicago, or to get substantial merit aid from another T14. Do you think it's worth retaking? Or are my chances decent as is?

    Thanks!

    0

    Just got my August LSAT score back, got a 170. I'm a D1 athlete, have a 4.0 GPA, and a decent resume but I'm shooting for Harvard, Yale, or Standard. I'm an URM but I'm also applying straight out of undergrad. My highest score on a PT was 176. Should I re-take the LSAT in September? Any advice is greatly appreciated :)

    0

    Is it possible to retake just the writing without the whole LSAT? I'm happy with my score but don't love my writing sample.

    Sorry -- I'm sure this answer is already out there somewhere but I'm having a weirdly hard time finding it.

    Thank you!

    0

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