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31 posts in the last 30 days

We all know to meditate, sleep, exercise, eat healthy, and establish a routine. Any other tips for attaining the right mindset for test day?

• Write your test anxiety away. Research shows that writing about your fears and anxieties before a test boosts test scores (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/211). Write about what you anticipate will be on the test and your worst fears about how test day will play out. Setting it down on paper can be cathartic.

• Practice self-compassion. It's a better motivator for self-improvement than self-criticism. In one study of students taking a difficult test, those who wrote about their mistakes from a compassionate perspective were more motivated to study than those who didn’t (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167212445599). Identify a weakness or mistake, and then write about it from a compassionate and understanding perspective.

• Build confidence. Visualize success. Imagine getting your target score in the mail.

• Use positive affirmations or mantras. You can have a specific one for each section, like @AllezAllez21 did. You can tell yourself you're good-looking, à la @"Cant Get Right".

• Be grateful. When you're sitting at your desk, right before you take the test, take a moment to express gratitude. This test is a lot of things. An opportunity is one of them.

• Take deep breaths. Stress accretes over time, and test day adrenaline only makes things worse. No matter what, stay calm.

• Compartmentalize and do damage control. If you're faced with an impossible question, think of it as question 101. If you have a bad section, tell yourself it was an experimental.

• Be an observer, not a participant. Don't participate in the frantic, nervous energy at the test center. Stay in the zone by staying above the fray.

• Look forward to test day. You have done all the work. Test day is just a chance to show them what you've got.

• Treat this test like just another PT. Remember you can always retake.

11

I tend to finish my LR sections in 24-29 min. However, I average -8 on an LR section and -3 BR. I think I'm spending my leftover time wrong, but I'd love some opinions/personal experience on this.

Typically, I put a tiny circle around the questions that I figured were "freebies" (I don't read all of the answers or don't read them all thoroughly) and come back to them first with my extra time. However, I usually stick with my initial answer when I come back to them. I just get nervous that I missed something and got it wrong. From there, I move on to the questions I skipped, followed by the difficult questions I circled. Should I be mixing up this order?

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Dear People who take the LSAT at a test center on a weekend,

How do you do this? Just show up and find an empty classroom? What if a class comes in during the middle of your section? I'm debating whether it's worth it to try this. If anyone has done this with College of Alameda, please let me know!

What other places that stimulate a testing environment should I take my test other than my room? My local libraries have yelling children in them so those aren't great options.

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I’d like to receive an advice on law school selection. With 7 sage, I have to make a decision between U of Miami law and Florida international University law. Gpa;3.65, lsat;155. Former is private n I didn’t achieve scholarship, thus cost $47,000. The latter institute initially cost $35,000, but subsequent year lower to $20,000. Money is definitely top concern for me, but shall I pay more to attend higher ranking school?

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I have a day now to digest my July LSAT score and really reflect on my LSAT experience. First I want to say thank you to 7Sage and the community as a whole. Bluntly put, there was no way I could have been successful without this program. From JY and the CC to the discussion board and community, 7Sage has given me the confidence and the techniques to succeed. It does all of this while being more affordable than other prep programs which expands access to the legal profession. I want to give a big shout out to my Blind Review call group. If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest you join one (I believe @keets993 is leading one now). The ability to create new relationships with fellow 7Sagers was crucial as it allowed me to approach questions with new perspectives. I was able to bounce ideas off of them which allowed me to understand more about myself and how I approached the test. Big shout-out to @twssmith @BinghamtonDave @teamteamvicster @Jane1990 @Hamaseh_S @necessarynaomi @happyLSAT and everyone else on the calls. I would also like to thank @"Daniel.Sieradzki" for being a great tutor, often coming on the calls to say hello and give advice. With all of your help, I was able to go from a middling diagnostic to a 177. I could not have done it without you.

I am writing this to give thanks but also to catch the eyes of anyone considering 7Sage. This is a great community at a (more) affordable price. Please consider joining a Blind Review group and above all else do not be discouraged by your first take. I got a 169 on my first take and then improved on my second.

Lastly, I studied for this test with medically diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder. I took no medicine and did not request accommodations. I am considering writing an informal guide for other takers that may have ADD or Dyslexia. If anyone has experienced taking the LSAT under these conditions and would like to contribute or share what worked for you, please feel free to message me.

Thank you 7Sage and all those that are here experiencing this crazy journey with me. The destination is great, but the journey was a pleasure in itself.

My best,

ChaimtheGreat

23

How can I raise 10 more points in 2 months? Do you guys have any good tips for me?

I'm very good at Games and average at LR and RC..

LR section is my main concern -> can you guys recommend additional material to study for this section?

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Is PT 37 a fairly easy test overall? I scored a 165, even though usually I score in the 150s. I want to know if I’m on the right track, or just got lucky on this test. Thanks! Let me know what you guys think

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So my current method of study I feel hasn't been the most efficient. What I was doing was rotating the sections that I worked on every few weeks. I'd do 1 or two sections and blind review either right after or the following day. I feel like I may get more out of maybe rotating each day rather than every two weeks, but I have no experience doing so. Has this worked out for anyone? What other methods do you suggest?

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I've written an addendum and feeling very so so about it. How do I go about getting help with just that portion of my application, are there 7sage teachers here who can help? Thanks

0

hey all,

so for a few weeks now, i've been doing 1 PT a week.

This is my schedule (i'm also studying full time):

Monday: PT in the morning, Blind review/redo LG in the afternoon, watch JY's LG video explanations in the evening

Tuesday: Blind review RC (reread passage, low-high resolutions, etc.) in the morning, watch all of JY's RC video explanations in the afternoon, hand write out analysis for questions I got wrong and what to pay attention in the future (evening)

Wednesday: BR (Which I do by analyzing every single LR question, but especially those that I circle/skip) 1 LR section - all day

Thursday: BR the 2nd section LR section - all day

Friday - Watch JY video explanations for every single LR question(this takes like 5 hours, but I find it helpful as JY often breaks down cookie cutters in each explanation). When needed, I also look up LR explanations on Manhattan Prep and Powerscore LR forum. I also hand write out analysis for questions I got wrong and circled - this takes all day.

Saturday - foolproof LG. Review and cookie cutter every single question (LR and RC) in that Practice test

Sunday - foolproof older LG games. Do confidence drills for previous LR sections.

So this is my weekly schedule to do and fully review 1 practice test. it's a lot of work, and it's taking me a ton of time to finish a COMPLETE ONE practice test cycle of doing a PT and and then reviewing it.

I'm trying, however, to increase my PT rate to do 2 Practice tests per week (because I want to get more exposure to PTs in 70s and 80s), but I'm realizing this is really hard to do. I tried to do 2 PT this past week, and I felt like I was rushing so much in this cycle. By rushing to do 2 practice tests in one week, I find that I don't have enough time to foolproof LG and don't have enough time to fully review LR and RC.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Any comments or suggestions appreciated. Thanks so much.

Also - (my BR scores are in 175ish but my timed scores are in the low 160s).

Timed Scores (average):

LR -6 -6 = -12

LG -3

RC -7

BR scores

LR -1 -1= -2

LG -0

RC -2

2

While I'm a bit disappointed in my score as it's lower than my recent PT average, I'm grateful for all the support communities like 7sage, TLS, and Reddit provide to those who are just mediocre or below average. Sure, if your diagnostic is in 150-160 range it's relatively easier to hit 170+ than someone like myself. You may get discouraged over and over again feeling like you've hit a plateau or you're not smart enough. Trust me, my first real LSAT score was a 147 and that was after a year of studying. This post is for those that feel like they're losers. Failure is a better teacher than success will ever be!

Also, just want to give a big shout out to my tutors @Sami and @"Cant Get Right". Not sure if you guys use 7sage anymore or remember me since I stopped tutoring 6 months back but both of your approaches/strategies are the reason I was able to even hit 170. Josh with his tiered time management approach and Sami for teaching me how to read for reasoning structure. And yes, I actually tried on the diagnostic but still ended up with a 120 lol.

Thank you! Keep moving forward!

29

I took the July test and scored a 166, which was my average. My goal for the LSAT is 168 or 169. I am signed up for the September test, but given that the test is only a few weeks away, I wonder if I should post-pone my retake until November. I am not sure that I will be able to meaningfully increase my score by either of those test dates, so I wonder if I might as well take September and apply as early as possible?

Second, I have still not mastered LG. I would say I usually get between -6 and -3. Sometimes I get -1 but most of the time something goes wrong. I think it is a combination of bad habits -- rushing in to the diagram or questions, or writing a rule incorrectly by accident -- but other times I simply make inferences too slowly.

There is no particular type of game that gives me trouble. I have been fool proofing games for 8 months or so and "feel" like I should be strong on the games by now, but that is not the case! I have been making a concerted effort lately to work on my habits (i.e., reread my rules to double check for errors). Still though, I am at a standstill. I feel very stuck and am not sure how to improve.

Any advice on either of these topics would be very much appreciated :) Thank you all

0

Although I haven't done every single PT since 52, I have to say that Roman/U.S, Canadian law passage on blackmail from PT 65 is the most difficult to parse. Actually I take that back. The passages themselves aren't too terrible but about half of the questions are just impossible to get right even atmy second/third attempts. Which one is the most difficult one for you???

Also, I'm not sure if she was referring to the very same passages but I definitely recall in one of her webinars, Nicole challenged listeners to come up to her with more difficult dual passages than certain dual passages from one single PT. I'm wondering if that was PT 65.

0

Hi all I recently modified my schedule so that I'm waking up at 4 am. I did this so I can study before work. In the spirit of keeping things consistent, I want to wake up at 4 am on the day of the test!

I want to start practicing my test day routine on the weekends. Please let me know what you think of my schedule and if you would add/take out anything! My main goal is to remain confident and calm throughout the test.

Breakfast: 2 sunnyside up eggs

Morning snack: PB&J sandwich

15 min break during the test snack: apple with peanut butter + Cheese + 1/2 PB&J sandwich

4 am Wake up, bfast

4:30 am Meditate

5 am 30 minutes of yoga, followed by a hot shower

6 am commute to test & warm up (1 game, 1 passage, and 2 pages of LR)

7 am Meditate & check in for test

How early should I get to the test center for the 8 am test to check in?

Do you guys have any easyish yoga routines/youtube channels that you follow?

Do you have better ideas for the 15 min break snack?

2

Hey ya'll,

With my July score in the books I'm paying a lot more attention to my school app list. I recall stumbling upon a really helpful site at some point which compiled law student feedback on various topics for their respective schools e.g. Georgetown students describing the collaborative vibe amongst the (generally) older student body and the lack of "gunners".

If you know the site I'm referring to or have another resource which you have found helpful (besides the standard numbers sites like LSN, MyLSN, etc) please do share.

Thanks!

0
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Saturday, Aug 11, 2018

4 Takes too much?

Hi 7sagers,

I need some honest advice from ya'll. I just received my lsat score and received a 149. Although this is really low, I did jump 6 points from my previous score that I took the second time around. The first test I took I cancelled. I was hoping to make it into the 150 range however; since I didn't I'm wondering if it would be worth taking one final time? I do have a full time job which is very emotionally taxing making it difficult to study and make more major improvements to my score but I just don't feel comfortable applying to law school with this score. I plan to write an addendum explaining why my score was so low ( job, anxiety, etc) but I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts about 4 takes. I've don't a lot of reading on it and some people seem to encourage it if the applicant feels they can improve significantly and other strongly advise against it. I am a URM with a strong professional background and average GPA but I cant seem to get over the 149. Is anyone else taking it for the forth time or has anyone decided to just accept their third score and apply with that?

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So today July Lsats came out and I hope everyone has met their expectations! Everyone on this site works their butts off, y'all deserve the best

I scored well below my average PT scores,from 163 average down to 155. I'm hoping it was first time nerves that got to me (the first LR section freaked me out). But this result has got me wondering, should I take the septemeber or novemeber Lsat?

I havnt really been practicing since the July exam, and I am registered for the Septemeber exam. Im more than willing to buckle down for the next 4 weeks. However Ive also been considering taking the exam in novemeber?

My target score is the high 160s, and Im not sure what a realistic expectation for achieving that score is at this point. Would taking both exams be a bad idea?

0

Thank you guys for waiting! All video explanations for PrepTest 84 (June 2018 LSAT) are now available!

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7abBP0nMjrdIvaCY/giphy.gif

If you have the Ultimate+ course, the explanations have been automatically added to your account: https://classic.7sage.com/lsat-explanations/ or https://classic.7sage.com/lesson/preptest-84-video-explanations-for-all-questions/

If you'd like to pick up PT84 and its explanations, you can pick it up here:

https://classic.7sage.com/addons/

3

Do you guys first grade your PT just to see the score in analytics without seeing the correct answers, and then blind review, or do you guys take the PT, blind review and then put it all into analytics?

I've always done it the second way. But I'm wondering if anyone prefers to do it the first way?

0

7Sagers,

On Thursday, August 16, at 9 p.m. ET, I’ll host a webinar with Jay Austin, UCI Law’s assistant dean for admissions. I’ll begin by asking Dean Austin some general questions about admissions and financial aid, and then we’ll open it up to your questions. This is a great opportunity to get advice and learn from someone who’s making decisions at a top law school!

:warning: You’ll have to register for this webinar in advance.

→ Please register for the webinar (August 9, 2018 @ 9:00 p.m. ET) here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0NCX1ukkTLuZ9H_O6h8Vnw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Zoom might prompt you to download something before you can join the webinar, so I’d advise you to show up a bit early on Thursday.

I hope to see you there!

14

I am thinking to purchase an online course but I am not quite sure which one to pick.

I have 7sage, LSATmax, Blueprint and Fox LSAT on my list.

I am wanting to increase at least 10 points. My struggle was RC but I may need to build my fundamentals if I don't want to freak out during LSAT and let that influence my LSAT ability on the test day.

I wrote July LSAT and will be writing September LSAT as well.

Why did you pick 7sage over those?

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