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Dear friends,

I want to provide hope to others starting with scores in the 140s. This has been said often, and I want to repeat it here because it is true:

You. Can. Beat. This. Test.

I won't go into my full journey, but a bit about me:

  • I'm a woman from a very poor rural background and am first gen.

  • I graduated from university about 4-7 years ago and have done full-time white collar work since.

  • I studied for this exam sporadically and collectively for more than a year, largely in the mornings before work.

  • I took the LSAT multiple times.

    • Potentially helpful thoughts and advice:

  • If you're struggling to decide whether you should keep studying, ask yourself this: Is there something CONCRETE that I know I can improve upon? If so, keep going and drilling if you have the resources to do so (As a side note, I have areas I know I could improve upon still to get an even better score. On the most recent test day, I fell into an old bad habit that I thought I eliminated with practice. If I weren't so exhausted from studying and working... I might even try a fourth time to get into the 175+ range).

  • Logic Games: Do all of the sections available to you over and over again until you perfect them under 35-minute timed conditions. Watch the 7Sage videos. Figure out what ends up being a time suck for you and nix it. But keep doing them until you can do them all without missing a single question.

  • Logical Reasoning: Truly understand the connection between a premise and a conclusion. Watch videos on logic. No need to read anything in-depth about formal logic, as the basic ideas are relatively simple.

  • Reading Comprehension 1: Briefly summarize each paragraph in your head as you read, then re-summarize the whole passage in your head before moving onto questions. This solidifies the content and arguments and helps you quickly answer questions.

  • Reading Comprehension 2: You must be able to read difficult material, and I might even argue... enjoy reading difficult material. Both of these habits can be built, but it takes time. Start somewhere. Start with the New York Times arts section or maybe an opinion section from a respected, world-renowned media outlet (think: Economist, NYT, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, etc). Anything you could see yourself potentially enjoying. I took my first LSAT right after graduating college, and though I've always enjoyed reading since I was young (largely YA fiction and the like in middle and high school), since college I have slowly developed a deep enjoyment for the classics, philosophy, and modern literature. I also spend a ridiculous amount of time reading the news in the mornings, largely NYT and the Economist. I think my RC gains came from drastically improved reading skills in recent years.

  • Your average practice test score is almost certainly going to be the score you get on test day. Some get lucky and get an easy test that plays to their strengths, some get unlucky the other way. But the test is relatively consistent. Don't take the test unless you're at your target score.

  • 7Sage's content, methods, and discussion forum are blessings.

    • Good luck to all!

    4

    There seems to be a massive uproar on Reddit about this. I'm sure it happens every test but this one just feels odd to me.

    I did much, much worse than my last LSAT and am completely devastated. Months of hard work and money have gone into this exam with nothing to show for it other than a worse official score.

    I just hate how much of this exam makes a difference for law school admissions. After today, I feel like it's time to give up on those law school dreams.

    Am I the only one who feels like this?

    1

    I took the August LSAT at scored a 165. My average PT was around a 167/168, so I feel a little let down because I know that I can do better. After august, I have continued to study and have been doing even better, with most of my PT scores being 170+. If I take the test in October and somehow to worse than I did in the August, how does that work? Will schools still look at my highest score? Or will they just see that my score went down and hold that against me?

    0

    Hola 7Sagers:

    While anxiously anticipating my August LSAT score, I checked my LSAC account and noticed that the percentile of my May score shifted downwards significantly. Initially, LSAC considered my 163 to be in the 86th percentile. As of now, it declined to the 83rd. Prior to the insanity of 2020, a 163 was considered to be in the 87.84th percentile, per the 7Sage percentile chart.

    TLDR: A 163 went from being in the ~87th percentile to being in the ~83rd. That isn't insignificant.

    I was hoping people could share their scores and percentiles on this thread, especially since law schools and LSAC are slow to update their new medians and score data, respectively. This would help us determine where we are in relation to our peers and inform our decisions regarding whether to retake the exam at a later date.

    Muchas gracias!

    Admin Note:

    Hey everyone,

    We're trying to figure out what the most recent percentile conversion is so if you took the August LSAT, please email your official LSAT score to studentservice@7sage.com. Here's what we have so far:

    180 - 99th (confirmed)

    179 - 99th (confirmed)

    178 - 99th (confirmed)

    177 - 99th (confirmed)

    176 - 99th (confirmed)

    175 - 99th (confirmed)

    174 - 99th (confirmed)

    173 - 98th (confirmed)

    172 - 98th (confirmed)

    171 - 97th (confirmed)

    170 - 96th (confirmed)

    169 - 95th (confirmed)

    168 - 94th (confirmed)

    167 - 93rd (confirmed)

    166 - 91st (confirmed)

    165 - 896h (confirmed)

    164 - 87th (confirmed)

    163 - 84th (confirmed)

    162 - 82nd (confirmed)

    161 - 79th (confirmed)

    160 - 76th (confirmed)

    159 - 73rd (confirmed)

    158 - 69th (confirmed)

    157 -

    156 - 62nd (confirmed)

    155 - 59th (confirmed)

    154 - 55th (confirmed)

    153 - 51st (confirmed)

    152 -

    151 -

    150 -

    149 - 36th (confirmed)

    148 - 33rd (confirmed)

    147 -

    146 -

    145 -

    144 -

    143 -

    142 -

    141 - 13th (confirmed)

    140 -

    Thank you!

    8

    Disappointed with score from Aug test, scored 10 points lower than PT average and depleted all recent PTs from 60-89. Just for some context: my cumulation upga is 3.7 (poli sci & econ double majors) from a liberal arts school and am currently getting a master's in ed policy from a top school and have 4 years of professional experience in international development, law, research work. I am trying to apply to t-14 schools. Would you recommend cancelling this score through the score preview option for first time test takers? Also went through a lot of life-altering events in the past couples of months - death and divorce in the family and minimal support system+ mental health issues so I am happy to be able to take the test for the first time amidst all that. Not complaining about getting a 162, I started with a 142 and English is my third language, so I made progress. Just trying to figure out what next possible steps should be if I am trying to apply to t-14 schools. I want to do international human rights law so schools with international recognition and good human rights law clinics are important for me. I am lost, also sad, so any recommendations from the amazing community here is appreciated.

    0

    Hi everyone. I just got my score today which was a 154. I had been hoping for around a 155 to 160. Would anyone say that a 154 is a good score? It's at the 55th percentile.

    I'm not trying to go to a top 20 law school. My target school is a top 50 school ranked in the 40's though my score is below the 25th percentile. According to the 7sage law school predictor tool I have a 54 percent chance of getting in since I'd do the early admissions decision. Would you guys suggest I give applying a shot or should I retake for a higher score in November?

    Can you apply to a school and later retake the LSAT if you are rejected to a law school? If that's the case perhaps I could apply and if rejected, apply again next year.

    0

    I scored 160 on both the April and August tests. I'm wondering if it's worth it to retake in November with the help of a tutor. Anyone have experience in the same situation?

    0

    Hello 7Sage friends,

    While I am critical of some of Powerscore's methodologies, I think their free Crystal Balls are worth a listen. You can still sign up for the one they're hosting on 9/12/21 for the October LSAT on their website.

    If you can just derive a peace-of-mind from having attended the event, rather than considering yourself as having obtained some woo-woo powers because you listened to it, I'd recommend to check it out.

    Cheers and happy studying.

    5

    hi there! I just took PT 76 (shoutout to @lsat_sus btw, ill be joining your call with @canihazJD tomorrow!) and I scored a 157 (flex version). My LG was a -1, but my LR was a -10. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do deep analysis of the LR questions I got wrong in order to improve for next time? I feel like I do not have a good break-down process and I really want to breakthrough into the 160s.

    2

    So I have a question concerning the LSAT scoring vs. LSAT flex scoring. I took the June LSAT, so I was studying with the flex, now I'm studying with the full four section test since I'm retaking in October, which is not the flex. The scoring is kind of confusing to me. These past few tests I have taken I've scored 157, 158, missing around 28 questions (across all four sections). On my previous tests, that were flex, when I missed that many, my score was much worse. I know the year of the test can kind of fluctuate scoring as well, but I was comparing tests from the same year (2010, still in the last decadeish), that were only a few months apart. Am I spending too much time looking at the number of questions missed, and should I just focus on the score I got? Is it because for these tests it's -28 over 4 sections whereas with the flex it would be -28 over 3, therefore resulting in a worse score? I don't want to get too into my head about this because I do feel like I am improving, but I wanted to make sure!

    Now that I'm thinking about this a bit more; is it because only 3 sections are factored into your score, but 7sage shows how many were incorrect over all 4 sections? I feel like this is a very confusing question, but I hope someone can try and clarify it for me!

    0

    Hi everyone,

    I am retaking the test in October. I am currently stuck at 169-170 on my PTs. I am really hoping to get that up to 173+ by the October test. Does anyone have any tips on how to narrow down what to focus on? I get about -3 to -5 on both LR and RC just depends on the test. I am having trouble pin pointing where I go wrong in LR because at this point there's no specific question type that I am having trouble with. I'm finding that with the few questions I do get wrong on LR I'm usually down to 2 answer choices but end up picking the wrong one. It's so frustrating. If anyone has any tips on how to avoid this please let me know!

    Also, if anyone has any insight on how to get over this hump and make it to the mid 170s please feel free to share!

    15

    Yes (insert caps). You read that right.

    This Friday, we got the man, the myth, the legend, Daniel aka @canihazJD himself who's agreed to bestow his INFINITE LSAT wisdom exclusively to 7Sage community members.

    My mans scored multiple 180s on timed PTs, averaged 180 BR's leading to his exam and scored an official 172. He currently attends a T-14 school with a hunky dory chunk of mula bula.

    It'll be question-based, so come with your questions and watch the magic happen. Read the title very closely to ensure your pristine and accurate preparation.

    **Topic: lsat_sus x canihazJD

    20

    Hi everyone,

    I am trying to figure out if I should start scheduling law school visits. I wasn't sure if it is "a thing" for law candidates to visit school as much as it was for undergrad. I am still waiting on my August test scores which will give me a good idea of which schools I am really looking at, but do you all think it is a good idea to visit schools this fall? Since I am a spring sport college athlete, I won't be able to attend any accepted student activities in the spring, so I have to focus on that stuff this fall.

    Thanks!

    1

    Hello everyone!

    I am a prospective applicant and plan on taking the LSAT next year. My goal is to score in the high 160s, low 170s as of now. If you worked and studied full time, I'd appreciate it if you would be willing to share how you stayed diligent with studying and working full time and achieving your score goals (especially if there are busier months in your field of work than others and how you managed working around that).

    Thanks!

    4

    Hi,

    I took the test in August and am anticipating that I have to retake it again (I know I didn't so well). How do you you "re-study" the LSAT? It's like relearning the concepts I already know. Do I re-read and re-learn the concepts, or keep on practicing and watch the explanations video? I am in a position where I am stuck and don't know how to improve. Any tips would be appreciated.

    From,

    Jack

    0

    Two questions here:

    I can see that 7Sage has an option for testing that allows for simulating the LSAT Flex with only three sections. Considering the test is back to having an experimental section, should I be prep testing the LSAT Flex three sections or continuing doing the regular four sections? Only issue I can see is that yes, I'd be getting the same stamina on four sections with normal prep test, but it would always be an extra LR section. Thoughts?

    Secondly, does moving to three equal sections on the LSAT Flex (no extra LR) change my study habits? I do decent at LR for the score I am shooting for, but do significantly worse on RC and LG. Should I jump around in core curriculum to meet my needs?

    Background for second question: For the first three months of studying I had been using another text besides 7Sage, but just became frustrated toward the end of the book because I did not have any guidance when I got stuck on concepts. All this to say, I know I am too late to get the entire core curriculum and appropriate number of prep tests before my October test.

    0

    hi! i'll be writing in october and was wondering which PTs i should focus on? are the older ones more indicative of the current LSAT or the newer ones better to review? if anyone has recently taken an LSAT i'd love to know your input!

    1

    I received a score of 171 in 3 of my last 5 PTs, but I'm having trouble getting over this hump. My goal score is a 173 based on the new T-14 medians, and I'm not sure whether I should be spending my time before the October LSAT just taking PTs or drilling. I struggle the most with Inference questions in RC and Weaken questions in LR, and I have been drilling these with some improvement. I typically miss between 4 and 6 questions in RC, between 1 and 4 questions in LR, and typically go perfect or -1 in LG. I have gone as high as 177 during BR, but cannot score higher than 171 timed. Any tips would be appreciated!

    1

    I am wondering how other test takers stregically use the highlight function. From my understanding, this will be available on test day. I see in the lessons (especially logical reasoning), that circling strong words, underlining the conclusion, etc. is used. How do you all use the highlight function and what do you choose to highlight?

    Thank you!

    0

    Anyone have a good study schedule they're willing to share with me? Maybe like a weekly one, for example like Mondays is logic games and Tuesday is LR and how many hours do you spend on it. If that makes sense....thank you!!

    0

    Hi all!

    I recently saw the new LSAT medians for some of my top schools go up considerably. I was in the 75 percentile with my LSAT score, and now I am at the median or below the median for some of my schools. I was strongly hoping for a scholarship, and felt that my current LSAT was good at the time I took it (June). However, now I'm not so sure, and it is too late for me personally to retake. Any suggestions or advice? If you were recently dropped to the median or even below the median for a school, is there any hope at all for scholarship?

    Thanks all for the wonderful community !

    0

    Intro - What's up my putitassss - it's your slaveboi lsat_sus back at it with "anotha one."

    Hook - "the LSAT is the Great Equalizer" (to an extent). This is the best quote of all time. I personally couldn't/still can't find a damn "normal" job with my jankyass resume, but law schools might at least take a look at me if I ace this shit. Perhaps some of y'alls can relate to this hopeful idea.

    Body - This is the second of hopefully many many free tutoring vids I'm tryna do by next cycle. It's gonna have errors but I got a -2 timed/BR on this section for the PT so I think I got these Q's in the bag.

    The structure will be similar to the first, but this session will be more open to questions. I'll be explaining the Q from top to bottom, and opening the floor up for questions on that particular question. I can't really guarantee answers but it'll be a good exercise between us nonetheless.

    Conclusion - Mind you, this meeting will be "rEcOrdEd for quality and training purposes." Both yours and my little box on Zoom will be included in the video if you ask a question. So please be mindful of that if it matters to you.

    Hope to see some of y'alls in a bit!

    4

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