I earned a 168 on my November Flex (my first real LSAT) I started out in the mid-140s as a diagnostic. It's been 3 weeks since I looked at any LSAT material. I registered yesterday to write again in January. I have taken every single PT (some of them twice). I was wondering how to choose which full PTs to take from now until January in order to maximize value.

Do I stick to PTs from the 40s and 50s so the material is not as fresh in my head or do I take some from the 70s and 80s anyway? If anyone has any other experience or advice pertaining to studying for a retake I would greatly appreciate it.

Not entirely sure how to approach this. I was taking a full length PT every other day towards the end of my studies. Is continuing on that course going to be effective? Or do I primarily focus on drilling and take 1-2 PTs a week? I truly appreciate you all for taking the time to read this.

Hi Non-native English speakers out there, many people don't realize my English is not my first language in everyday life but when it comes to LSAT, I definitely feel the "non-native" language comprehension problem. Especially under pressure, I can't read and understand the RC passage correctly and accurately... so it will be a slow journey for me to get a good score on LSAT.

Non-native English speakers, how long did it take you to achieve the score you want ?

does anyone know how many questions you can skip and still get 170+ on the flex?

I just got an email confirming that the January, February, and April 2021 LSAT administrations are going to be LSAT-Flex. It was sent as a general email, so all of you should receive one soon.

Thank you 7sage!

After more than two and a half years of studying, I scored a 179 on the November exam and I can finally put the LSAT to bed.

To give a little context, my LSAT journey began with a 147 diagnostic. I studied from a couple other sources, such as the PowerScore bibles, but got nowhere. After I found 7sage, completed the CC, and drilled weaknesses, I was about a year and a half into my LSAT prep and averaging in the mid-160s. I remained stuck at that plateau for months, unable to make any more progress no matter how much I drilled and blind-reviewed. Although LR still gave me some trouble, RC was what consistently kept me out of the 170s. At this point, I realized that there was something that I just wasn't getting, so I needed a tutor. I ended up working with @Sami who is an absolutely exceptional tutor, deserving of every bit of praise she gets on this forum and more. She showed me how I was approaching RC incorrectly, gave me advice for how to decide between two contender answer choices, worked with me on timing strategies, and so much more. I absolutely believe that without her tutelage I probably would still be fumbling around and only breaking into the 170s with luck. Thank you Sami!!

Once I was consistently hitting scores in the low 170s, I felt confident and signed up for the May LSAT-FLEX. During the RC section of that test, my connection to Proctor U was interrupted and I was kicked out of the test. I lost a lot of time, couldn't properly recover, and scored a 166. I was dejected, but I knew it was a fluke. So, I focused on preparing for the next FLEX administration.

During that test, everything seemed like it was going well at first, but once again something happened with Proctor U and my proctor could not see me. This resulted in the proctor calling me during the timed section. The connection was bad, so the call went dead. I called back, and we played phone tag for a bit. I ended up scoring a 167. At this point, I was angry at Proctor U and the entire LSAT-FLEX set up. I needed a break, so I did not even register for the August exam.

After registering for the October test, I began working in a study group with @DINOSAUR and @Christopherr both of whom are exceptionally talented, hard working, and insightful when working through questions. I took the October exam feeling much better, had no technical issues, and scored 171. I initially was going to call it a day after finally breaking the 170 barrier, but my study group encouraged me to give it one last go in November. To say that I am grateful I took their advice would be an understatement.

I am extremely grateful to the 7sage community at large and all the people who ever answered a question for me, posted helpful guides, or led free blind-reviews calls and tutoring sessions.

To that end, I will be working to put together my own guides in the near future for RC, since that is the section that I struggled with the most. If people are interested, I will make similar guides for other sections. Once I get the last of my applications out, I also intend to do some free group tutoring sessions to give back to the community in some small way. Feel free to let me know what type of thing that you feel would be most helpful below!

Thank you!

I noticed that the way the core curriculum is structured has you taking one diagnostic PT very early on, and then has you complete the entire course before taking another PT (and then at that point, it's just PT after PT until you run out).

Is this the actual recommended way to study? Would it not be beneficial to sprinkle in a few PTs throughout the core curriculum to see how you're progressing?

Curious how you all have tailored your 7Sage and LSAT studies to fit your needs, and would love to hear what worked best for you (or if the 7Sage prescribed path is in fact the most fruitful method). Thanks!

Hi, so in the past two PT's, I've scored 173 and 174 respectively (175 and 179 BR respectively as well). I am wondering what people in this range do to maintain and improve from this point on. Do you continue with drilling sections and reviewing wrong answers? I find that I am spending less time than I used to on studying, and I am wondering if that's a natural result of getting more correct and understanding the test better. Would love any advice from 7Sagers who have been in this situation. Thank you!

.

Hi all! I wanted to post one last time to the forum to offer my gratitude to 7Sage and well wishes for those who are still studying. This program was instrumental in getting me the score I aimed for (146 --> 167). I just got accepted to UGA and am waiting to hear back on eight others. I just want to encourage everyone to keep up the hard work and offer help to anyone who feels they could use some guidance (e.g. on tough LR questions you can't parse, LG tricks, or just a friend to vent to). I'm honestly a little sad to no longer be studying, so don't hesitate to throw questions/thoughts my way. I know how tough this process can be, and just want to do my part and make it a little easier. My access to 7Sage expires in 5 days, so the best way to reach me will be through: dmarwh0@gmail.com.

Good luck to everyone! You got this =)

Hi guys!

Sorry this may be a long post but I am in need of MOTIVATION for studying for the LSAT. My story basically starts with me idiotically investing a TON of money to study for the LSAT through Kaplan. Long story short, I did not do my research on the course and although I'm sure it works fabulous for some people, I personally did not make ANY gains throughout the course. Being totally honest, I feel like a lot of their strategies confused me more. Fast forward to late October right before the LSAT, I was BURNT. Not only do I not feel like I learned a lot, the sessions were at a minimum one hour long and I felt drained. In the worst timing possible, I felt like I couldn't retain anything and was not making gains! I got a 147 on the LSAT and am now planning on applying for next years cycle because I don't think I have the energy needed to make significant enough gains by January to be accepted by my ideal schools nevertheless get scholarship money from them. I feel like I need motivation to start studying again (would love some success stories from possibly previous Kaplan students or other courses or 140ers?) as well as easing my fear that it's too late! I'm 24 and would have been starting law school at 25 and for some reason (I'm sure idiot) but starting that late seems daunting to me. Any other experiences with this?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help!

I wanted to make sure I was doing correctly, are we supposed to BR every question immediately after done or just the ones we had troubled/skipped?

Hi all,

I recently upgraded to a new Mac with the silicon M1 chip. Any tech-savvy people know if I might have any issues with proctor U? I've heard that some software has issues because of the new chips

Hello 7sagers!

This Saturday, I will be hosting a discussion panel with three amazing 7sage members: @Christopherr (173), @Jmarmaduke96 (179), and @DINOSAUR (167). They will be sharing their personal LSAT journey with all of you and what each of them had to overcome to get their score. You really don't want to miss out on this as they are incredible students and have a lot to give!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6968325413

Meeting ID: 696 832 5413

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,6968325413# US (Chicago)

+19294362866,,6968325413# US (New York)

Dial by your location

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 696 832 5413

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/k4gmyyIew

Hi guys, I’m a little confused with how the study schedule is set up. I know it starts with core curriculum but when I build a schedule it makes it so the only “lessons” in the last months are practice tests. Is that really how I should be studying or should I incorporate other things like drills and what not towards those last few months or should I truly just be taking full length tests and blind reviewing? Thanks in advance

Hello , I have finished the CC and taken the PTs up to 42 so far. I will most likely do the April Flex and wanted to know how many and which PTs should I take for score improvement (~15pts) . I do not want to take the flex without having enough pts under my belt and also was concerned about saving some in case of a retake. Thanks so much!

I blind reviewed but it still doesn't give me an option to check my answers etc. Someone tell me how to proceed. Thanks

Wanted to do a study write-up because I read a bunch of these while I was preparing for the LSAT, hope it helps a couple of people. I began studying in January, diagnostic of 148, then took Aug-Oct-Nov (163, 163, 167)

Study materials: LSAT Trainer, PowerScore Bibles, Loophole, Blueprint for RC, 7Sage. I think these were all great resources, and even the ones that weren’t necessary taught me a couple of things that helped out in the long run. HIGHLY recommend 7Sage—JY’s videos are unparalleled and the subscription is comparatively cheap. Also listened to the PowerScore and 7Sage podcasts, which I found really helpful. As an aside, not going to post link, but online library websites do have a majority of free PT PDF’s if you are not planning on getting them through LSAC.

LG: My strongest section, all due to 7Sage. I averaged -0 pretty early on in my prep, even though I did notice I was slower at grouping games for some reason. I pretty much did every logic game at least once, and then re-worked the ones I struggled with. Key for me was to get really good at making inferences up-front and splitting whenever possible, learning when to do so became natural after lots of practice and drilling. Find the split-node, and just do it— I know you might be worried about timing issues but: accuracy > speed, and in the end I was usually faster when I split. Work on conditional logic, it is necessary if you want to score below a -5 in the section; if you read unless or [either or, but not both] and don’t immediately think negate sufficient/bi-conditional, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Get good at chaining up rules, especially for in-out games and linear. I also was soooo worried about having a Misc. game come up on my first test, so I spent alot of time working on them even though I didn’t get any on any of my three tests; take a look at the classic Misc. games, but try not to get too caught up in them, focus on mastering linear and grouping games first. Also, do not fret over skipping a hard question and going back later. I routinely entered the fourth game having skipped around five questions that I just didn’t seem to understand quickly, and after I went back at the end I was able to figure it out easily. Always keep moving and don’t get stuck, whether it is in regards to a singular hard question or a game that is difficult.

LR: Second best section, didn’t really struggle on a specific question type‚ it was more of an overall missing the harder questions. I really liked Loophole, and how it built on the Core Curriculum foundation I had through 7Sage—I would definitely recommend the book. I made a big jump late in my studies from averaging about -5 to -1 after listening to one of 7Sage’s podcasts, I don’t remember exactly which episode it was but it was one of the first five. JY and a student were talking about their speed and skipping strategy in LR, and it was something I focused on and it was arguably the biggest thing I did to raise my score. I felt confident enough that I could zoom through the first ten questions, usually in about 5-6 minutes where It took me about thirty seconds a question (confidence is key). I slowed down a bit towards the middle of the section, and often skipped three or four questions that were difficult, but I would have about ten minutes or so to basically do a second run through of all the questions, which is where I would pick up on mistakes, or use the extra time to figure out a tough question. It takes time for you to build up that speed, and you definitely have to be making sure you aren’t missing any of those first ten, but if you figure out the cookie-cutter and simple questions at the beginning without second guessing yourself, you’ll have so much extra time left over at the end. Learn the classic flaws, get good at conditional logic, and work on your skipping!!

RC: My enemy. I tried everything for this section; I bought every RC book from every test-prep company, I blind-reviewed, I slowed down, I sped up and read passages twice, and the lowest score I was able to get was -4, and it definitely wasn’t consistent. What helped out a bit though was to write a single sentence/ word per paragraph during timed run through’s. I found this would slow me down, which I wanted, and helped me connect the paragraphs in my mind. I also blind-reviewed the section after and used PowerScore’s VIEWSTAMP method, which was useful. I switched up my approach for the November test, and actually slowed myself down while reading considerably. This helped me pick up the two or three questions that I would miss out of pure carelessness and helped shore up the section. I guess biggest advice would be to try out the different methods, find what works best for you, and just keep practicing. I let myself focus on LG and LR to the detriment of RC, and thought if I could do -1 between those two then I would be fine with the variability I had on RC, but it definitely is learnable and you start to get good at finding what to look for in the passages.

Random tips:

Take real-condition PT’s, early-on I would do un-timed PT’s and would lie to myself that it was like the real thing, mainly because I didn’t want to kill my confidence with a low score. However, this didn’t help me out in the long run, and I definitely struggled a bit with the pressure of the clock on my first take.

I know the stress is real, and the majority of us know the importance of this test. While I am confident that this test doesn’t define any of us— be real with yourself and make sure you are putting in your best effort. A couple of questions makes the difference between an admit and a deny, or years of debt vs. a scholarship. Study diligently, blind-review, make sure you are spending time with your wrong answers, re-do games. I promise you this test is learnable, and you’ll only regret it later if you half-assed your studies or didn’t believe in yourself to get a high score.

Don’t get discouraged, this really is a marathon and not a sprint. My diagnostic was low, then my PT average was 170+ for months, and then I underperformed considerably on August and October. After seeing a repeat score in October (a test I thought I had killed), I was devastated. But the November test was only three weeks away, and I knew I had another chance. There are going to be games that floor you and passages that destroy you, learn from them, pick yourself back up and keep grinding.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, never forget throughout this process—that practicing the law is what we will one day do, it is not who we are. Don’t let this test make you think otherwise.

I just finished sending in my applications so now I have nothing to do until I start school next fall. Is the 7Sage Law School Course worth it to prepare for law school/have something to do?

#help

Site Administrators, is there a way I can choose which LR section I want to include as part of my Flex PT on 7Sage? Currently, it defaults to the first LR section, but I'm cycling through PTs I've taken already in "Flex" mode and would like to be able to choose the 2nd section sometimes. If it's not currently available, I think it would be a helpful feature to have.

Please let me know, thanks!

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to recommend a book for anyone who is worried about underperforming on the LSAT. I know for a lot of people January is their last shot to apply this cycle so I hope this recommendation helps. The book is called "Performing Under Pressure" written by Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry. This book basically talks about how the people you see on TV that seem to be "clutch" don't have a clutch gene but probably utilize various tools to ease a high pressure situation. This book also explains various tactics/tools that can help you. This book has definitely helped me as I was definitely underperforming during the real LSAT vs practice tests - the real thing is a whole different beast for sure.

If you don't have a lot of time and don't want to go into the science of "choking" you can skip part 1 and focus on part 2 and 3!

Hope this book helps anyone!

[post deleted]

Hi all,

I've started to more consistently score in 170-172 range though my peak was a 174 over a month ago. Any tips on how to get into the mid-to-high 170s. For context, my undergrad GPA ain't stellar (3.66, mostly due to premed classes) and I plan on applying to Penn, UMich, UVa, Duke, and G'town. I'm taking the test in Jan.

My issue is that I don't just have one weakness. For example, in my last two PTs my score got dragged down by -4 in LG (silly mistakes I should've caught) and -7 in LR (PT 59, first LR section). There are some areas I know need work, like Parallel LR Qs and not freaking out when I hit a challenging game in LG. But sometimes things will crop up, like SA and NA questions, that I thought I had a handle on. I do think I'm getting better at RC, for a long while I'd get 3 to 4 wrong and be unable to figure out the right answer in BR, in my last 3 PTs I've managed to get the right answers in BR (-4) and then went -1 in the last 2.

I know a low 170 is a good score but I consider it the bare minimum.

I am almost through the LR core curriculum and took my second PT and not seeing much improvement in the LR section specifically which I was hoping for.

Diagnostic:

Actual-148

BR-153

PT50:

Actual-153

BR-167

My best section is LG and worst is LR....Anyone have any strategies on how to improve on LR? I am looking to get into the mid-160s but am unsure if that is possible given my progress, granted every section I did run out of time which is what killed me.

People who take the LSAT tend to be driven, which is a good thing. But many of us try to get things done by cutting down on sleep. It may seem counterintuitive, but you’ll get more done in less time if you’ve got a full night of sleep, rather than cut down on your precious snooze time.

I speak from experience. I used to be someone who lived by all nighters. Sure, I got things done. I would’ve gotten a lot more done in less time if I had a full night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation seriously slowed my processing speed, affected my mood, and studies show that it can actually lead you to over eat. When I discovered the book Power Sleep, by James Maas. It literally changed my life. My SAT score went up 150 points to the 99th percentile, not from additional study - I just got a good night’s sleep before my retake!

Here are some key points:

First let’s define a proper night’s sleep. I’m not talking about “getting by” on 5-6 hours. Your ability to process information is impaired with those limited hours. Especially if you’re taking something as intense as the LSAT.

To get adequate sleep you need anywhere from 8 to 10 hours. LeBron James is reported to get 12. Yes —That’s half the day. A good rule of thumb is that you’ll have enough sleep so that although you set your alarm clock, you’ll get up a bit before it – in essence, you won’t need your alarm clock. If that’s eight for me or ten for someone else, the point is that’s your number and you’ll function so much better with that amount of sleep.

The analogy I often use with my students is that it’s like having a laptop that is super slow at opening applications. That’s what my brain feels like when I don’t get enough sleep. Everything seem to take longer – almost painfully.

And trust me, I can tell when my students aren’t getting enough sleep. If we hadn’t had the conversation yet, that’s usually when we talk about sleep. And I feel for them, because I was that student and it looks so painful on the other end :)

Here are some key tips to proper sleep:

Set a regular sleep schedule. Despite misconceptions, it’s not like you really can make up sleep that you missed during the week or weekend (read about it in Power Sleep). So try to get that 8 to 10 hours consistently each night - and at the same times.

If you know that you’ve got your LSAT exam at a certain time, make sure that your sleep time is habituated for it well in advance.

Having trouble sleeping?

make sure that all lights and devices are off. If you live in a sunny climate like me, consider getting black out curtains if necessary.

Speaking of devices, you can use features like the sleep clock on iPhone to prompt you when it’s time to go to bed and keep you on a proper sleep cycle.

Limit caffeine intake before bed.

Perhaps my favorite — read an actual book before bed. Not a device, an actual paper format book. It’s old-school but if there’s no glare, and if it bores you to sleep even better!

Feel free to contact me with any questions on this or anything LSAT related.