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Question for anyone who can answer: I completed an Lsat on July 2019 but subsequently cancelled my score and retook in January 2020 and kept that one. I was going to complete my lsat writing this month for this upcoming application cycle but do not have a launch link because I guess my first test was over a year ago and you get a year to do it, but I thought it was still attached to the specific test you end up using /don’t cancel so I thought since the only score I will be using is from January I would be fine.

Is this going to be a really big issue? I will call them tomorrow cause it’s a weekend but I am honestly worried that I won’t be able to apply this cycle because they are saying I did not do it on time and I believe it is still required. What do ppl think?

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I listened to a few of the episodes of the 7Sage podcast and remember hearing someone talk about how they recording themselves taking practice exams. Has anyone else experimented with this? If so, how and what did you use to set up your phone/camera to watch yourself? Also, did you find it beneficial? Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

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Hey... this summer has been whacked for my personal life and has gotten in the way of studying. So far, I've done 6 PTs. I typically score -12 on RC (rough life ik), anywhere from -8 to -3 on LR, and as long as I can get through the questions, perfect on Logic Games. Yet, the highest PT I've done was a 157. Today was a 155 (I didn't finish LG). What should I do? My Mom (who is not a lawyer nor knows anything about the LSAT truly), suggested that I write August and she would pay for October. Get two writes done. My struggle is, do I even try for August still? Please advise. Thank u sm.

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What do you guys make of your BR score? Do you see your BR score as your potential timed score or is there always going to be a margin of difference between timed and BR? On my second PT I got a 156 timed, and 168 BR, so a 12 point differential. Have you guys found that you are able to close the gap between the two scores over time? Is there like a goal differential I should be setting for myself, such as 5 points or something?

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Before I begin, I think it would help if I stated my strong and weak points so that if they differ greatly from yours, you don't have to waste your time by reading this post (since it wouldn't help you much). I started studying for the July LSAT in May and even though this only gave me two solid months, I was confident it would be enough because I have very few skills but one of them is that I can motivate myself. If you can sit down and read a textbook for 5-7 hours straight, then the recommended 900 hours of studying for the LSAT would be overkill.

My strong points: Logic games (more specifically pacing myself), Logic Reasoning (more specifically finding the point of the argument and trap)

My weak points: READING COMPREHENSION... It haunts me in my sleep

My PT schedule:

The first few weeks I took a practice test once a week. I started in the 70's (just so I can start learning from the most recent tests and not just be introduced to them at the very end).

After 3 weeks I took a PT every other day. This lasted for about 2 weeks. In the 6th week of studying I took a practice test everyday, sometimes twice a day. (HOWEVER, since I was getting only 10-15 wrong each time, it didn't take me long to review the test and learn from my mistakes. If it takes you half the day to understand where you went wrong then you shouldn't take two PTs a day. Only take another PT after you fully understand where you messed up on the last one). This phase of taking one everyday lasted for about 2 weeks. (I took around 40 practice tests in total).

My resources:

I started with the powerscore LSAT bibles, I read 70% of all three and then realized I wasn't learning anything new. Also, I found out about 7sage way to late in the game. I think it was week 6 when I found them. I don't regret not starting with 7sage though, powerscore lays down a better foundation (in my opinion) so that when I started using 7sage I didn't feel the need to watch any of the introductory videos in the syllabus section.

After I took a PT, I would do a blind review and would treat watching a video of J.Y. explaining the problem as the last resort. Even if I got the question wrong on the blind review and looked at what the answer actually was, it benefited me to take time and try to figure out myself why that was the answer.

Logic Games:

Someone said you need to master this section first, before you do anything else. I completely agree, I spent the first 3 weeks 50% focused on logic games and 50% focused on LR and RC. It felt good to only be in week 4 but to have an average of -1 for LG. My tip for logic games is to try different ways to diagram. As soon as I started to diagram almost every game as a chart rather than just lines, I felt much more comfortable and my average score for that section went from a -5 to a -1.

Logic Reasoning:

As soon as I felt like I (just about) masted LG, then I moved on to logic reasoning. Most of my study time was spent on logic reasoning (I didn't know July was going to be flex). I didn't catch on to the "read the question first" strategy for the longest time because powerscore doesn't recommend it. Reading the question first really helped me, I also slowed down my reading and tried to focus on the minute details of the argument or set of facts. This is not a tip and it's not really helpful but its what honestly increased by score over the weeks: I started to gain an intuition for what the trick LSAC had up their sleeve was. I would read an argument and focus on a specific word or tone and I anticipated what the WRONG answer would be. I know a lot of LSAT study sources tell you to anticipate the correct answer (which is very helpful) but if you can find the knack for anticipating the trick answer, that will make you a million times more comfortable.

Reading Comprehension:

I barely improved on this section and it frustrated me to no end. The only tip I have, which I used in only the last week of studying, is to feel free to either not take notes, take copious notes or only take limited notes, whatever. I know LSAT tutors usually tell you to have a set strategy for note taking but I found it useful to just judge for myself based on the passage. If there was a science passage, I would take notes on the structure. If it was an art passage, I would maybe take notes on the different view points. For philosophy passages I always felt comfortable and never took notes. Point being, feel free to decide while you're reading the passage if you should take notes, you know best what will make you understand the passage.

Last week preparations:

This may sound like superstitious over kill but this was really important for me. I didn't study the day before the test and the morning of the test I did 8 LR questions and one LG to warm up.

The week before I only took 3 PTs and did minimal studying.

I had a planned breakfast (every time I took a PT I ate the same exact thing at the same exact time each day, just so I knew it wouldn't upset my stomach). In case anyone cares, I had a white cheddar babel cheese at 9:30 and my LSAT was at 10:30. I would wake up at 7:00.

(DISCLAIMER: You may find the next sentence corny and overly superstitious). I made sure to wear the sweater and socks I wore when I scored my highest PT score. That may sound stupid but it gave me comfort which means a lot on test day. To continue with the corny mental preparation, I watched the movie Marley & Me the night before because when I cry, it calms my nerves. I encourage you to wring out your emotions like a wet towel the night before your test. This will make you feel emotionally drained the next morning (too numb to be nervous) but your brain will be good as new.

Also, I started exercising to take a forced mental break while studying so I definitely put in a long workout the day before my test. My muscles were sore and tired which meant I wouldn't be fidgeting.

Lastly, I convinced myself that I didn't actually want to go to law school and that this was just for fun. I know that sound impossible and weird but it relaxed me and I focused more on the test and not on how I was doing on the test.

This was a long post but I really think you'll pick up at least a couple of useful tips, even if you're in the last week of studying!

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Took the july LSAT and scored about 8-9 points lower than I was Pt'ing. Planning to retake in October, what are the best tips people can give me to make that improvement in the next two months to get up to 170 and not have the same underperformance

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Hey all,

I'm going to be traveling and without wifi next weekend so I'm wondering if it's possible to access the tests and 7sage materials offline? Is there a way to download tests, problem sets and/or videos ahead of time?

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Hi all! I'm new to 7Sage, but have taken numerous tests directly through the LawHub Prep Plus subscription. I think my accounts are linked, but is there a way to import all the tests I have already taken into my 7Sage account so that they can be taken into account for analytics?

Thanks for your help!

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Hello all,

I was curious to see if anyone else who has taken the flex scored slightly lower than regular PTs? Does the LSAT flex seem to generate lower scores? And is this the reason LSAC introduced the cancellation for the August LSAT? Let me know your thoughts please!!

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Hi, I have been studying for the LSAT for over three months. I am scoring in the high 160s and aiming for the mid 170s, and only really struggling with logic games: on LR and RC I am -1 or -0. I purchased 7sage specifically to perfect my logic games, because I got a 167 on the July LSAT Flex and will now be retaking in August, and know that LG was where I messed up (ran out of time, had to guess). I have learned basics and strategy of each section by completing Khan Academy and the LSAT Trainer. So, I am overwhelmed by the amount of content on 7sage - some of which will definitely be a repeat for me - and the fact that the curriculum is geared for general study of the entire test. How should I begin to use the platform if I am just targeting improvement in LG? Do I begin with a prep test? With drilling? With the explanation videos? Basically, I am trying to make the most of my investment in a month's time, with a focus on perfecting LG. Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you.

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I can’t believe this is real, I’m still waiting for the email telling me they made a mistake. I can’t thank J.Y. enough, every time I took a PT I could hear him saying “that has nothing to do with the stimulus! I don’t even know what this is trying to tell me” when I read the answers haha.

I hope everyone did well and I can’t stop thinking about those who lost their scores, I hope LSAC does their best to fully compensate them.

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Thursday, Jul 30, 2020

153 to 177

Thank you 7Sage. JY always had me laughing, made the LSAT a fun experience for me. Sorry I’m not more excited and grateful I’m still in total shock to be honest. Would love to talk about the test in general with whatever anyone needs.

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I cannot thank you all enough for creating such a great platform and fostering an equally amazing online community. I don't have any extraordinary studying tips , but here are some small things I learned from my experience that may be useful for some people out there:

LG: July was my first LSAT, and though I was prepared, I underestimated my nerves. I was notably slower on LG, my first section, especially on the first game. If I were to do my studying over again I don't know how I would simulate the pressure, but I would really make sure I can do the easiest/easier games well under JY's recommended time consistently and had practiced making inferences upfront more exhaustively.

RC: I don't have much advice on RC. I didn't use JY's summary method nor do I read one comparative passage first then eliminate. I was always good at RC (-0 to -2 from the start) and found being very fast and then going back to flagged questions effective for me. For this method, I found being aggressive on tough questions by crossing out as many choices as possible, quickly moving on, then going back at the end to decide between two choices effective. I firmly believe the fact that I read a lot across a variety of disciplines was the main cause for my consistency.

LR: I wish I had practiced LR more effectively. In particular, I should have spent more time mastering PARA/PF questions using lawgic. I got them correct often enough, but I'd spend too much time on tougher ones, leading to less time for other difficult questions. My advice would be to almost foolproof them like logic games. One thing I did for these questions I haven't heard before is that I would replace the language in an answer choice with the language from the stimulus while reading the choices in my head to see if it fits the structure––worked well for easy-medium ones.

General:

  • After taking the exam but before getting your results, set a realistic score in mind for what you would retake. For me, I said below 172 I retake, above I don't. This really helped with my mental state during the two weeks waiting for results and prevented me from entering a period of half-assed study while deciding if I wanted to retake it or cramming right before a retake.
  • Personal study habits should inform how you study equally or even more so than general advice. Personally, I am prone to procrastination and enjoy working intensively, so I knew a shorter study period would be better for me (studied for a little under 3 months) than a longer timeline in which I could put off studying for days or weeks at a time. Also, I liked to do PTs two days in a row. I can offer more advice for people studying on a short timeline if anyone wants
  • Hope at least something I've said is helpful for at least one person out there! Happy to provide anymore info I can!

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    Friday, Jul 31, 2020

    transcripts

    When submitting transcripts do we have have to include the transcript request form that LSAC provides us with? My school doesn't allow me to submit that form. It does it electronically and I have to input my LSAC ID number.

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    For a while, I thought I'd never be able to make one of these posts. I'm so so overjoyed to say that I received a 173 on the July Flex test after about 15 months of studying! I'm a really slow reader, so the LSAT was so challenging. I began around a 148 diagnostic - the exact number is uncertain since I took it with breaks between sections lol.

    I've gone through a lot of materials. I began with The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim because I'd heard it was good for people who are self-studying. It was a good primer, but it didn't go in-depth enough to prepare me for the hard questions or teach me conditional logic. I then moved to the PowerScore Bibles, which helped me get to -0/-1 on most LG sections. My LR somewhat improved, but I still felt very unsure throughout the section and had trouble eliminating trap answers. My RC was stuck around -7/-8 even after going through the book, which was really discouraging.

    I took the February LSAT after about nine months of studying. Looking back, I should not have taken it because I was not comfortable with the test. My PT average was about 163-164. I got a 161, which was so disappointing. I decided to do what I should have done from the beginning and get a 7Sage subscription. I went through the entire Core Curriculum, even the parts I thought I had already mastered.

    I think after doing all those practice sets and seeing so many questions, things just "clicked" and seemed doable. In LR, I adopted the mindset that I was looking for the test-masters' tricks in each question and that I was outsmarting the test. RC suddenly didn't seem so daunting. I could hear J.Y.'s voice saying "well we don't know that from the passage" when looking at wrong answer choices. Follow his advice to read slowly, spend time with the passage, and answer questions quickly. By the time I got to the July test, my PT average was about 171-172, with one 175.

    I'm no expert on this test, but I've found these kinds of posts helpful in the past. Here are some tips I found useful:

    Overall:

  • Get 7Sage because it's truly the best! Don't waste money on other materials.
  • Develop and maintain a positive attitude
  • Do not dwell on past struggles
  • LR:

  • Practice untimed until you can understand the reasoning behind the correct answers
  • First five questions in five minutes, first 10 in 10
  • Flag questions and come back at the end
  • RC:

  • Read slowly (if you're a slow reader, take advantage of better comprehension up front)
  • Double check answer choices for the support in the passage if not 100% confident
  • Read dense material outside of LSAT (The Economist, Foreign Affairs, Anna Karenina, etc.)
  • Read for pleasure, limit television/phone use
  • Sorry for the long post! Good luck everyone!

    Finally, I want to say that my heart goes out to those who lost scores. I know the emotional toll that this test can have, and I hope LSAC can find more ways to help.

    13

    Hi all! I want to post an update since I sat for my second/final test and I hit my goal, increasing my score a total of 27 points from my initial diagnostic over a year and a half. I went from the 9th percentile (yes, you read that right) to the 91st percentile! It wouldn't feel right to end my LSAT journey without a final post to the community that helped me achieve this. Again - THANK YOU to the entire 7sage family; I want to give back, so please reach out to me if you want.

    Good luck to everyone this cycle and to all who are just starting out. Know your hard work will pay off, and most importantly: be patient with your brain. There are so many resources for encouragement, theory, practice etc. and it can be a bit overwhelming but you have to find what works for you. There was a point in my studying where everything just sort of clicked, and once you see the test in that degree of transparency, the whole studying process changes. It isn't that you can suddenly zero out on every section easily. Instead, it feels as though you were playing 1v1 basketball with an NBA player in a barely lit room for a couple months and the lights are fully turned on. It's still a freaking professional basketball player but at least you know what you're working with.

    Moving from stage "lights barely on" to stage "lights fully on" is attainable, but cannot be rushed. Us humans have a tendency to want to cut corners. Imagine trying to cut corners while trying to beat Michael Jordan one on one. YOU CAN'T CUT CORNERS WHEN LEARNING THE LSAT. Read that twice if you need to.

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    Wow, I don't even know what to say right now. I've come a loooooong way - It took me longer than most people to improve and understand the concepts, but after 2+ years of hard work and 7sage- everything has finally paid off! My biggest struggle with this test was honestly motivation and CONFIDENCE aside from the concepts themselves.

    I am so happy and grateful for 7sage, everyone on here that helped me with questions as I went through the CC especially @"Heart Shaped Box" as well as JY for doing the BR calls.

    Let me know if you guys have any questions regarding studying- Although, I'm not an expert and I am sure everyone on here is already really smart and on their way to success. Best of luck. You can do this.

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    So I'm 43 years old, with 2 little ones. Have been a teacher for the past 11 years. I am super frustrated, have been studying for the past 5 years off and on, stuck on lower 40's and with a low gpa (2.5) . I don't want to go to a fancy school, I don't care about that, I just want my JD and pass the bar in Texas. Unfortunately when I was younger didn't take school seriously, no career goals hence the gpa. I don't want to quit but failure hurts and dragging my family is painful, although my wife is very supportive. I can be a performing clown and making a living on the street she'll tell me as long as your happy it's ok. I thought I wanted this but now I have doubts. I want to be a law student because I KNOW it's challenging and will help me grow, and will be something I can use to help people on a different capacity. Teaching has been a beautiful blessing but now I want to grow and I want to know how it feels to slay this dragon! If you have solid wise encouragement or good support to give this dream up please post. I don't want to waste time with inconsiderate responses, I'm too old for that. ha! Also,just started the 7sage courses a couple of weeks ago. Thank you'll I appreciate any good advice.

    2

    We know many of you have wanted to try the new Flex format with only three sections without a workaround like making three problem sets or just leaving a section blank. So, we are happy to announce that we have just rolled out a Flex simulator option for every PrepTest (all 95)! If you don't see the new option, try doing a force refresh.

    To use it with a PrepTest, check the box labeled "Simulate Flex" next to the PrepTest name in the digital tester. This will skip the second LR section. The scaled scores generated from Flex mode uses the same methodology as our Flex Score Convertor. Because no one outside of LSAC knows how Flex is scored, this is just an educated guess. See the screenshot below:

    You can apply the flex option to any PrepTest that is not completed. So you can switch to Flex if you are still doing the test or doing blind review, but not if you already scored your test. If you already entered answers or other data for the second LR section, then the Flex option will erase any data for that section when you score the test.

    Please let us know if you encounter any issues.

    104
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    Thursday, Jul 30, 2020

    Study Schedule

    #HELP

    I'm trying to set my study schedule for the Nov 14 test and it's stating that it will take me 1.3 years to complete the course. I've tried to change the weekly hours, but I'm still getting crazy study schedules. Suggestions?

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    Hey everyone, I am currently at a loss about how to explain what the LSAT is to someone who has never heard about it. I am trying to take less shifts at work explaining that I am overwhelmed with LSAT prep (taking aug test) along with my other two university courses. I feel like those who have never taken the test or prepped for it just don't understand the difficulty and instead seem doubtful of the workload a student who is prepping has and see it as an excuse.

    Super random question I know, but its something I just don't know how to explain hahaha.

    Thanks!!

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