LSAT rewards those who persevere, and what is life if not one long journey of perseverance. If you want it enough, then you will be able to do it. Temper your goals though, and go about it incrementally. Getting to your goal may takes months, if not years. Have the right mindset and expectations, and you will be able to go further. There is no shortcut, only heartfelt triumphs after profound struggling.

Personally, I have a 3.0 gpa, so to get into the top schools, I must get at least a 99 percentile lsat score. At some point you realize that improving is the easy part, and trying my best not to decline, now that gets depressing. To some degree, I think one has to become obsessed, or a hermit or a monk; harnessing motivation wherever you can and finding meaning in every little thing in life, good and bad, and devoting ungodly amounts of time to this seemingly marathon without end.

In another perspective, if you can get through this, you can just about get through anything. This is why the LSAT can be a good indicator and preparation for law school. Add oil!

Hi guys!

I am taking the November LSAT (which will be my second attempt). I have put together nearly every other part of my application except my Personal Statement. I can't seem to put pen to paper and just get it done! I think I'm 50% braindead from prep and 50% anxious about how important I perceive my PS to be.

I know logically that I need to draft it ASAP so that I can edit and tweak in the coming weeks. I just feel like I have a major case of analysis paralysis. Can anyone relate? How have you overcome your writer's block?!

Any tips and motivation would be so appreciated. Thank you :)

Any success stories to share for diag at 145 and writing 160+? Looking for some motivation and avg weekly hour of studying :)

Do you guys think that the amount of time you are willing to spend on something reflects how much you like the thing?

For example, say I really enjoy studying for the LSAT for about 25 minutes, (after which it becomes a drag) does that indicate that I don't really enjoy studying? Or to put it in philosophical terms: does the quantity of time you are willing to spend on a given thing correspond to the amount you enjoy doing that thing?

-removed-

I’m thinking of applying to U Chicago. It’s a perennial top 5 law school. But I don’t know too much about it relative to the other T14’s. And I read mixed reviews. Any thoughts on this school’s reputation and what it’s known for?

Hey guys, so I don't know how silly this question is. But first time taking the test next month.

I had my SO take a picture of me in my home, in front of a plain wall, for the admission ticket. I really didn't want to shell out 20-25 bucks for a CVS/Walgreens passport photo.

The thing is, even when I take the pic during the daytime, there is a very slight shadow/silhouette of my head on the wall behind me. Is this okay? Otherwise, the actual picture of me is crystal clear, no shadows, nothing. There can be no doubt the pic is of me, for anybody looking at it. I just don't know how anal the people at the test centers are with this sort of thing.

I've seen multiple responses in multiple posts about this question so I just wanted to corral all advice in this post based on my particular stats. I will take the LSAT in November and have a 166 on file with a 3.4 GPA. PT'ing around 172 and hoping to hit at least a 169. If my application is ready to go before scores are released, is it advisable to submit and indicate that I am re-taking in November, or to wait until I get my score and then submit? I will likely blanket T-14.

Who feels ready? Shaky? Share your stories please :)

170 and 3.0 GPA. I know I have a slim shot at T-14 without early decision. Anyone have luck getting into Penn through ED with these numbers? I'm looking at early decision at UVA or Georgetown, neither of which I'm too thrilled about. UVA while BL placement is great, I don't like the location. Georgetown is the black sheep of the T-14 with not too great BL placement. I like NU but that means I can't ED any other school until after I receive my decision in late December.

Any splitters have success without doing early decision?

I thought I’d take some time to write this out for you. It’s becoming clear that the LSAT is a good reflector of Law School success for so many reasons that extend beyond just the “logic” of the test. I feel many of these things go overlooked, but are important to keep in mind.

1.) There is NO handholding in law school. They will throw you into the fire right away. It is 100% on you to sit down, sift through all the information being thrown at you, and pick out important take aways. You need to learn how to learn the law on your own.

This is much like what we have to do on the lsat. We are presented with an unfamiliar type of test in which you need to figure out what it is you are suppose to be learning. You have to learn how to learn logic. It’s very much a personal challenge that you have to devlop through on your own. Just like law school.

2.) the way to prepare for finals is to take practice tests and make outlines. You have to dedicate weekends to work on outlines and take full practice tests. This is one big way to prepare for finals. You need to have the discipline to work on your time off.

This is exactly what you do with the lsat. If you want to be successful on that test you need to tell your friends “no” to going out all the time. You need to take a significant amount of your own free time to sit down and do the LSAT. If you can do that, it is an indicator you have the potential to be successful.

3.) you have to want it. Law school doesn’t come easy and it is easy to let the work “slip” into the back seat. Doing the readings, staying on top of office hours, and briefing cases can become easy to “put off”. If you put it off until finals come you’re screwed. Cramming in law school is just not an option.

Which is exactly like the lsat. You can’t cram for that test. It just doesn’t work like that. You need time to develop the understanding of the logic and how to properly spot and apply it. Just like the law where you have to learn to spot issues and apply the law. The parallel is uncanny.

These are just a few of the parallels I notice so far. So when you hear that the lsat “isn’t even what we learn in law school” it’s because that is looking at it wrong. It’s not the subject matter that the LSAT tests, it’s your ability and desire to learn subjects that are largely unfamiliar and your dedication to that pursuit.

Keep at it 7Sage, you will be successful!

Back to Civ Pro reading.....

Does anyone else ever feel like the RC is sometimes total wild card? Sometimes it's a breeze and I get -2, but sometimes the passages just don't click for me and I end up getting -8.

Has anyone else experienced this? What are your tips for narrowing down this wide variation of error rate?

Thank you and happy Monday :)

Saw the other thread about writing a GPA Addendum and I was wondering if my situation would apply/it would be worth it. I have a cumulative GPA of a 2.91(Yeah I know) due to a couple of instances that occurred throughout my collegiate career. The first 3 semesters of college my GPA was a 3.2/3.6/3.98 until the spring semester my sophomore year. The night before the first day of classes I was involved in a DUI Hit-and-Run in which I hit my head on the window and suffered severe trauma to my brain. I was on academic accommodation's for pretty much the entire semester and ended up getting around a 2.1. Following that semester I transferred to ASU and got around a 3.0-3.2 the rest of the time that I was in school. The reason I was wondering if I should write an addendum is because I had a strong GPA up until my accident and noticeably had to work harder in school and to pay for my bills because of the trauma and financial obligations that arouse due to the accident. If I wrote an addendum I would probably approach it from the point of view that the accident made it to where I needed to work harder in and out of school due to the cost both mentally and financially. Wonder what you all think, any feedback/input is appreciated! I took the LSAT last year and got a 150, had a little bit of bubbling error due to me rushing. Taking it again in November and should hopefully bring my score closer to the 160s

EDIT: I was the one hit by the drunk driver. Wasn't sure if that was clear.

Hi Im korean and I took October test in korea.

It was a terrible day for me. I didn't do very well on virtually all sections and expecting lower score than my previous test in July.

So heres what happened.

When the time for section 5 was about to be finished I found that one of my answers in section 2 of the scranton was not fully erased. So I erased the mark fully and in the process of doing so I erased part of my answers and blackened them .

The proctor saw it and told me it was a violation as I "worked" on different section and gave me a gold slip saying 'I marked on one question in section 2.'

In doing so I did not turn back the pages to section 2 or anything of that sort but just erased the incomplete marks and blackened the answer that was recorded so as to avoid the technical difficulties because of the machine's misreading my answer.

From my search I found out yellow slip is a deal breaker and considered as a serious offense. But i feel like erasing the incomplete marks as a 'violation' that wil be on my record permanently seems rather disproportionately harsh

The proctor did not deny he didnt see that I turned back to different section but merely saw me marking on different section. The whole incident destroyed my day and the prospect that this would go in my permanent recors is disheartening. I want to make my case to LSAC though it would be very difficult to overturn the case in my favor.

Anybody had similar experience? I really beed some help on how to deal with this entire mess.

Is it a bad idea to use tests prior to 34 for practice? Clearly, the LSAT has evolved quite a bit. However, I venture to guess that there is still a lot to be gained from earlier tests, even outside of LG.

For those who received accommodations for additional time, how are you studying for it? With work, it's nearly impossible to fit an entire full length exam in. So I'm basically doing a section a day and reviewing it. However, I fear I'm not taking into account how draining the duration of the exam may be. How can I better prepare for this? Any advice is welcomed, thanks!

Hey 7-Sagers! I'm applying to law schools and am hoping to land somewhere in the T-14. I have a 3.87 LSAC GPA and 163 LSAT score as a Hispanic URM (the LSAT has been a tough journey for me lol). I also feel like I have a strong PS/DS and resume. Although I'm below some of the T-14's medians, do I still have a shot at the T-14s? Should I wait until next cycle and try to bump that LSAT up? Thanks for any advice!

Hi! I'm trying to break a 170 for the November exam, but am currently stuck in the mid-160s. The November test will be my last chance at applying this cycle. I am currently a college senior and definitely planning on taking a year to work, whether I apply this cycle or next. What are the benefits of applying to law school this cycle and deferring for one year versus taking the LSAT at a later date (maybe January or later) and applying next cycle?

All,

Quick question about the test proctor available through the 7Sage app.

I have “real time” set to 33 mins but the app’s analog clock runs until from 0-35 mins. Is the clock sped up to make it “really” 33 mins or am I just taking a 35 min section?

Hi. I'm an international and I took the October test in Asia today.

Score cancellation was never an option, until this afternoon after I stepped out of the testing room feeling absolutely defeated.

I took my first LSAT in June after 3 months of study and got 161. From then on I drilled through most of the PTs except for the very recent ones (PT 80 onward), scoring in the range of 162-169. I felt better prepared and so decided to retake this month.

The exam was a lot more challenging than I expected, definitely so compared to the recent PTs I've been practicing with. I didn't make any Scantron mistakes, finished every section in time and bubbled in all the answers. But of course, having finished every section in time doesn't mean that I nailed each of them. I am pretty convinced that I bombed an LR section, for which I circled around 7 questions and had to take a wild guess on 2-3 of them. LG has always been my strong suit, but today I got stuck with a grouping question and had to guess 3 questions. As for RC, I don't feel so confident either - don't think I ruined it but I definitely could've done better.

My target score is 166+. It was my plan to apply this cycle, but I can wait a year and apply next cycle if I must.

I'm considering cancelling my score because I heard that law schools tend to view multiple scores negatively. I would wait for the results if it was my first go at LSAT, but seeing that this is my 2nd test I can't afford to take chances. Trying to gauge all the possibilities before I make a big decision.

So, here are some questions I wanted to ask:

Please excuse the poor writing. I would appreciate honest opinions.

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

Is there anyone out there who primarily practiced with 4 section PTs, took the actual LSAT, and wished they had practiced with 5 sections? In other words, did taking the actual lsat throw anyone off due to it containing an extra section?

I know in the course J.Y. says something about 4 section tests being sufficient and that the adrenaline of test day will help you get through 5 sections. Can anyone confirm this through experience? Of course it will be different for each person. I don’t want to canabalize a fresh PT just to simulate 5 sections, but think it may be in my best interest. Maybe a half and half approach would be smart?

Hello!

I hope your studying is going well. I have taken 5 PTs post CC and have not been able to get my actual score up to my BR score. My actual score is usually in the low to mid 160s, but my BR is usually between 170 and 175. I am taking the November test and was wondering if you guys had any tips for getting the score closer.

Every 10 or so PTs I just get slapped with a 10 or even 15 points below average score. Seriously. Does this happen to anyone else? I don't even really know how it happens, maybe a confluences of bad circumstances, but all in all, it's an extremely curious experience.

This time, in particular, I think part of it was because of the stress. I had promised to record and show people a full 5 section PT, to both give them a different perspective and get feedback, and I think part of me felt pressured to do really well. I wanted to prove myself, because I've always had a -10 decrease from my PT average when taking the real LSAT, and felt like maybe I was a fraud. Because of this doubt, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, I had a restless night, and got sick.

And at last, I proved myself to be a fraud. It felt really uncomfortable to have this fear, and to have an experience confirm this fear. Even though my average score tells me otherwise, I can still honestly believe my fears have come true. I start to think that maybe my previous 5 or 10 tests were the outliers and that my real abilities are truly reflected solely in this one test. This is probably a form of cognitive dissonance, and it freaks me out. Since then, I've taken another PT, and it was at a formal setting, with other 7sagers. So I know it is a legit score, and my score immediately jumped back up to my previous average. Deep down, I am still confident in my capabilities and my ability to overcome this fear, but there's now a constant little feeling clawing at the back of my mind.

I honestly view this as a very revealing and positive experience, because I've realized perhaps my biggest weakness: severe performance anxiety. I now have a clear goal, and like Ray Dalio says, terrible is better than mediocre. Moving forward, I will be recording myself and showing it to others again. Hopefully it will help me get over this nagging thought in my mind. Thanks for reading.

Ok so long story short, I took the LSAT last year and I ended up not being ready for it and took it either way. I ended up keeping my score and it really was not even close to what I'm actually aiming for. Other than the fact that I made a bad mistake in keeping the score (I should have just declined it) I am now stuck with it. I am taking the January 26th 2019 test, two applications (schools) on my list are due on February 1st and February 15th. Is there a way to notify the schools that although my application shows one LSAT score, there is a second one coming? I am afraid of getting outright denied admission because they only see one score (which is a very low score in comparison to what the school is looking for) because the second tests' score will be coming out after the schools deadline. Can they pause my application even though i already have one score on it to wait for the second one?????? Or do I have to wait until next year????

i feel like there's no way i can keep up the study pace i've been at for 5 more weeks until the test, but i don't want to backslide the progress i've made thus far.

tips for staying focused/motivated? useful drills to keep skills sharp?