Episode 46 is here!

On today’s episode, David talks to Richard Pomp, a professor of law at the University of Connecticut School of Law

https://soundcloud.com/user-737824810/46-richard-pomp-a-conversation

Subscribe to our podcast:

iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Google Play Music | SoundCloud

I'm hoping someone can come and drop some much needed advice! I have a very bad problem of not trusting myself, and second guessing my answers. When I look back at the questions that I've missed, for quite a few of them, I had the right answer first, then I talked myself out of it. I know I could be scoring closer to where I want to be scoring; I just need to get over this last hurdle. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop doing this?

I started studying for the LSAT since May 1st. My diagnostic was 147. Since then, I worked on the foundations of RC and LR specifically since I had a decent/good grasp of logic games. 3 weeks later, I did a PrepTest and scored 156. Today, I scored a 160. While I'm happy about this jump, I'm afraid that these past two scores were just lucky and they weren't real representations of my learning and improvement. I'm also aware that it's very common to have some fluctuations in your score for a variety of reasons, but I would love some advice and opinions on whether I deserve to feel good about this or if I need to do more PrepTests for a more realistic idea of my progress until test day (August, in which I'm hoping to score 170+). Has anyone else had a sharp increase in their score within a short period of time? If so, how did your score change afterwards?

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to take the LSAT in two weeks and have been studying consistently since February. I've taken about 20 PTs so far. In the 70s, early 80s, and PT 88, I hit my target of 167+ (breaking into 170 territory). However, I'm now working my way through the mid-80s and my scores have dipped. This past week and a half, I've taken 83-87, scoring consistently at 165, which is lower than what I want. I'm now doubting whether I'm ready for the real deal, or if I'm just starting to experience some burnout. I've noticed a larger number of errors on LR in particular. Any advice on how to proceed here? Thank you!

Anybody have a list of challenging and/or uncommon vocabulary words that make their way into the LSAT? If so, would this amazing person mind sharing?

Thanks in advance :)

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone out there! To start, I took an official LSAT last august with a goal of 160-162ish. I was hoping to get into some good schools but didn’t have my sight set on any top schools. However, I got a 157 :/ I decided that I felt like I was rushing my applications and with that consideration plus my LSAT score I decided to wait another year to apply. Since then I’ve been grinding out LSAT studying and I am so happy to say that I just got a 172 on my last timed practice test!! (15 point increase!) I think the best advice I can give to someone is DONT RUSH GETTING INTO TO LAW SCHOOL! Law school will still be there next year and if you take a year to prepare yourself, you’ll just end up bettering your chances of getting into the school you want. I have been studying for at least an hour (almost) everyday for the past 6 months but now that I have finally graduated and have more time, it’s been more like 2-3! I take a practice test every other day and the days that I don’t take practice test, I review my test from the day before and also do a few problem sets! I also NEVER do timed problem sets because this is the time that I use to really understand the reasoning in problems and work through them! I will keep everyone posted and you have any questions about the way I’m studying then please reach out!

Hi, I was thinking of hosting a lsat game night every THURSDAY, at 6pm PST, via kahoot, via zoom, until the August test. Thought this would be an interesting way to shake up studying. If interested comment down below so I can send you the link. I CHANGED THE DAY OF THE WEEK.

.

For those who have experience with breaking above the low 160s plateau, what helped you?

I have been PTing and BRing for the last two months. My timed PT stats of my last 5 tests are RC: -8 average, LR: -7average, and LG:0-3. My BR is between 170-179.

Any advice is appreciated!

Hey guys! As I've been prepping for the June flex I've been trying to take PT's solely on LawHub to replicate how test day will actually be. Does anyone else hate taking them on LawHub? For some reason it throws me off so much more than taking them on 7Sage. I know I'll get more used to it and be fine, but I don't know what it is that bothers me so much about it. I feel like I never can focus as well! Ugh, it'll be fine though- just wanted to see if there were any like-minded individuals in the 7Sage realm about this.

Hi everyone,

My name is Ken. I started aggressively using 7Sage since April, 2021 as I approached my master’s program graduation. I realized that different methods exist in how to solve these LSAT questions, and I was wondering if any of you could share your thought on this thread because I am interested in hearing more. Before I begin, I truly appreciate you for reading this discussion, as I understand that your time is valuable. Furthermore, if you do respond and put in your two cents, I even appreciate you more for sharing your thought on behalf of this matter.

Let’s begin.

My understanding is that we have different texts and online platforms to study for the LSAT. I learned from working with different LSAT tutors within South Korea that many uses the PowerScore Bible series. Some discussed in the 7Sage platform that they have tried using the Blueprint platform.

Upon doing a few diggings online and speaking to these Korean tutors, I realized there is no “one” way to approach in mastering the LSAT. Let me give you a further detail on this.

The first tutor I had was a relatively young recent college graduate. She went to Columbia for her bachelor’s and got 176 on the LSAT Flex. She got accepted at HLS. She shared that she used the Cambridge LSAT and PowerScore Bible. She told me she used 7Sage to study for the game section.

The second tutor I had was in the last semester of college. She was a student at Yonsei, and she scored 170 on the LSAT Flex. She said she only used the PowerScore Bible series to study for the test.

The third tutor is this sensei I just exchanged an email with without any consultation fee. He recommended me to use the 7Sage Core Curriculum. He told me he was scoring 178-180 on PTs until 40s and the score dropped significantly as the PTs reached 60-80.

Based on this experience, I realized I should choose which method I would like to learn from. These tutors were charging $50-$80 an hour, and it seemed inefficient for me to just hire one of these tutors and learn how to solve different sections from the LSAT, as I would need to spend a few thousand dollars to learn the skill. In conclusion, I decided that I should spend as little money as possible while still acquiring this practical LSAT question solving skills.

I mapped out that I should use 7Sage, LSAT Trainer, and Loophole to study for the LSAT. 7Sage is only $70 a month with benefit of being able to ask any LSAT-related questions on the discussion forum. The price for LSAT Trainer and Loophole combined was only $80. In sum, I believe using these two texts and platform are the most economical way to study for the LSAT.

Could you please judge my thinking?

I unfortunately burned through most the more recent PTs in the 65-80s but have to take this summer off anyway from studying ... how long would you wait to retake the most recent PTs as an accurate indicator? Is 3 months enough to forget?

Hello everyone!

I'm the type of person that needs structure but have no idea how to organize a good studying schedule.

I have already taken the LSAT in the past and received some tutoring but I am now really diving in and focusing on it.

I have been going through all of the material in the schedule 7sage created for me, but I don't think it is doing me justice. Of course review is always beneficial, but I feel like I should be drilling way more at this stage (I want to take the LSAT October 2021).

Can some one recommend me a schedule/regime to follow?

Additionally if you have any material/a regime that really worked/has really worked for you, please feel free to include that in your recommendation as well. Any help is welcomed.

It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all and best of luck!

Or as JY would probably say because of his various star wars references, may the (LSAT) force be with you (:

I've been studying for this test for a year and a half now. June will be my 3rd time taking the test, and over the course of my prep, I've taken pretty much every PT at least once. Right now, I'm scoring high 160's to low 170's, but I'm concerned that I'm getting these scores because I'm remembering the answers to some of the questions from before- especially for LC and RC. Does anyone have any advice on how to study for the test with this issue?

Hi everyone!

For context: I have been prepping for about a year and am now PT averaging in the high 160's (167-168). I work full time, and various personal delays have made this a very long process. I have limited time to study during the week, and am looking to maximize my efficiency as I study for the June exam. I started with a goal of 165, so ultimately I'm happy with my score, but I didn't get this far by being a quitter and I'd love to crack the 170 barrier if I can!

I have been using 7sage to take Flex simulations and currently I'm averaging about -3-4 in each section, with some variance depending on the PT. The spooky part is that I always get 11 questions wrong (seriously, it's weird to the point of absurdity).

Other than the random curve-breaker, 180 only, questions, the only LR question types I get wrong are flaw, parallel, and parallel flaws. I am currently drilling each of them but I worry that isn't the best use of my remaining time.

JY saved my life with the logic games, but I've still had trouble going to a consistent -0.

I have never done any serious formal RC prep; I have always been an incredibly strong reader and my Economist subscription helped me up my score even further. I realized I was confusing main point/primary purpose questions, and that's because I didn't actually recognize the difference in what these two were asking. I haven't taken another RC section since learning this, but based on my previous sections I think I should see a 1-2 point improvement per section.

With all this in mind, is continuing LR prep still a good use of time? The LSAT is a skills test and I worry that I've crossed the threshold on this section's skill development, and that two weeks isn't enough to improve any further.

-Should I redirect my efforts and try to close the LG gap? Like everyone else I have seen the most dramatic score improvement in LG, but I've heard those gains tend to level off as you whittle away each last point.

-Alternatively, should I focus on RC fundamentals and try to make improvements there?

If I'm able to get five more questions right, that would put my score at or around a 172. I think that if I drill enough LG, combined with a single point RC and LR gain in each section, I can make up that gap.

Is this realistic in two weeks? Should I be working harder to cement my average? I'd rather not, but is it worth it to postpone to August? I'm personally sick of this test and I don't want to deal with a fourth section, so this is a nuclear option, but if the consensus is that I can seriously improve by then I may just do that.

I'm sorry for the long post, but any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

I opened PP on chrome today, usually use firefox, and it asked if I wanted to install the app, "to get there faster." How long has THIS been available? I feel like I just sped some prep up with easier access to the library of PTs.

for any of the April testtakers, if it WAS available back then, did it screw up your test-day? did you have to use it to take the exam? I'm trying to replicate test day for June and I don't want to rely on the app v. chrome too much if I'll be testing on chrome for test day. ... not that it makes THAT much of a difference

Hi everyone! I recently started listening to JY's podcast from the beginning and there is a lot of talk of different webinars/recorded online tutoring sessions and such. Does anyone know where these would be found or if they are even still available? Thanks in advance!

A study friend of mine created this post. I have never used Princeton Review and am confused why said friend wouldn't at least try (through trial and error) to score the exact same answers using the NON-FLEX option, compared to posting a public question attached to my (now changed) username containing first/last name without permission. Sorry about that...

When did the LSAT move from their usual 5 sections (1 section experimental) to the now 4 sections (1 section experimental)? I am taking the August LSAT and I know it consists of 4 sections with 1 being experimental but it seems odd that in the past, students were scored on more questions.

Sorry for the long message - have been nervous about this upcoming flex but also don't want to lose the momentum and would so value any advice.

I started studying this past December (on and off) and took my first flex in April. Despite scoring (on average) between 168-172, I had technical difficulties and was a bit below my range & canceled my score. Looking back on it, I probably should've waited until I was consistently breaking 170 to even take the exam. Looking forward, I really want to get to a place where I am consistently breaking 172/173 (my goal being T-14).

In the time since the April exam, I've taken 9 exams with scores of 170, 167, 169, 171, 169, 169, 177, 174, and 168 respectively. Because of the range / inconsistency, I feel anxious about taking the June exam (my second try) but want to make sure I'm not making a mistake because I will likely have to take this summer off for the most part. I am entering my senior year of college so if i I moved it I would take my second try sometime next year, but I unfortunately feel like I have burned through a lot of the more recent practice tests (I've done most of the 60s, and all of the 70s and 80s). This summer, I'll be working full time and will likely have little time to study, but was planning on doing some problems from the core curriculum each week so I don't lose my progress.

I guess my two questions are 1) do you think I am correct to move my test date until I consistently am breaking 170s or did it always fluctuate for you? (I've heard of people always having variance and then hitting their best on test day, but it clearly didn't work that well for me the first time so want to be more strategic now) 2) how long would you wait to "forget" the tests I've already done? If I spend this summer doing solely problems from PTs 35 and earlier (core curriculum) and pick back up with full length PTs starting in September or October, is that enough time to forget the tests I've done from December - now? What's the best way to proceed from here so I can more confidently hit 175? (I struggle most with logic games so will definitely drill those first)

So sorry for the incredibly long message and thank you for any advice! I have to decide today or tomorrow about moving the test for free so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Can anyone explain to me the difference between the list of PrepTests 1-35 and the old LSAT's that are used as PrepTests?

All are welcome to attend my pity party.

Here is where I am at, I am hoping you guys can provide some insight or guidance on where to move forward from here.

I started studying in April and have been at it full time for the past 2 months. I completed the CC and have been taking 1 PT and BR virtually every day in May. My diagnostic at the beginning of this journey was 153. Most of my PT's since then have been in the 70's and my scores were steadily improving, moving up from 155 to 158/9's and I even got like 5 PT's in the low 160's! I was flying high and looking forward to writing in June and getting this all done and over with. With my GPA (3.98), a score of 159/160 should be good to get me into the school in my hometown (while I would be happy to attend other schools in my country which are less competitive, moving would be much more financially challenging for me/partner and therefore not ideal).

But I have recently been taking tests in the 80's and my scores have noticeably dropped. I am back where I started pretty much. I can tell that the newer tests are different, whereas before I had time to spare in each section, now I am struggling to finish in time and rushing through (and subsequently making more silly mistakes). The gains I have made in the LG section are fairly constant which is nice since originally they were my worst section. But in the 80s I am doing worse in both RC and LR. RC used to be my best section whereas LR has always killed me. I average about 10 wrong in LR. I have noticed that before the 80s, when I got questions wrong and I watched the video/read everyones comments, I would eventually understand why my answer was wrong and the correct one was correct. It was rare that there would be questions that I absolutely could not grasp or I could not be sold on the correct AC. But now I am finding in the 80's there are multiple questions where I just do not get or I really do not agree with the correct AC. More ambiguous I guess? To me, at least.

Anyways, a week ago when I was taking the 70s I was feeling confident to write in June. But now my confidence has tanked and I am wondering if I should defer. I have heard the 80s are more representative of what the current tests are like. If that is the case, and it follows that since I suck at the 80s I will suck at the real thing. And of course, my overdramatic brain has me thinking that maybe I should quit now since these tests have confirmed that I really do have no business trying to do this whole law school thing. Trying not to follow that train of thought but its tempting.

Has anyone else experienced struggles like this, specifically with the 80s? Is it true that they are what I can expect on the real thing? Should I indeed postpone my June LSAT? Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Hi everyone!

I'm currently studying super hard for my LSAT and plan to take it this June and it's giving me a lot of anxiety. I I'm currently not scoring where I need too & the school I want to attend has a median LSAT score of a 158. On the other hand, I just graduated college and I have a GPA of a 3.9. I also have a good amount of legal experience on my resume working as a legal assistant, paralegal, and legal intern. Do you guys think that applying either Early Decision or right when applications open in mid-late September -- will increase my chances of getting in? (Also, I know that if I apply ED it is binding so I'm not worried about that because that's where want to go). Please let me know what you guys think! All opinions are appreciated.

Best,

Marcella

Hello & happy studying to all,

I am feeling quite anxious as the June test is approaching and hoping someone can offer me some sound advice. I started studying in February of this year and my plan was to take the June and August LSAT so that I can apply to law school in early September. As I heard from many to apply as early as you can.

To give you some background I started off with a low diagnostic of 141 (yikes). I have been studying consistently each week and have seen improvement (my highest PT being a 156). I am proud of this improvement as I am not the best test taker but I ideally I would like to be in the 160s. In addition, my score has been fluctuating (7 points) and I would like to see more consistency. I am confident that come August I will be able to bridge this gap.

The reason I would like to take the LSAT now is to get one under my belt so that by August I am ready to go and that by end of September all of my applications are submitted. I feel like I am playing with a double edge sword... is it better to wait and take the LSAT in August and then again in October or is it better to apply as early as I can with the June and then the August LSAT. Note- I would like to take the exam twice as I have test anxiety and I know that I will feel more confident the second time around.

If I apply to schools in September but take the October LSAT I hear that my application will be put on hold and they wont review until they receive my final score. Does applying in early September vs mid November have that much of a difference?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and hopefully someone can help.

Hello everyone,

I m at my breaking point with this and thinking about not continuing. I am not a quitter but I am just tapped out. I am seeing steady and good progress with LR and LG but RC is kicking my ass. I am missing between 12 and 18, and I am not sure wth I can do to fix this. This is coming from someone who is an avid reader and has always excelled in writing/reading. I don't know what else to do, I am angry with myself because it's just freaking reading, I am honestly both mad and frustrated, can anyone PLEASE point me in the right direction?