Hi, friends. I took the July LSAT. I left rather despondent, but, hey, it was my first time. I decided I am going to try and retake it in September. Luckily, I discovered that TODAY is the last day to register for this exam. Also, if anyone has any words of wisdom in how to approach my studies between now and the Sep. test date, that would be great. Thanks!

LSAC announced last year that the 3 lsat attempts in 2 years has been changed to unlimited attempts. Can someone provide a LSAC link, or some sort of evidence?

Like many of you, I took the July LSAT today. I don't know how I did so I am hoping for the best but assuming the worst. In this case, where should I begin PTing again from? I've already used all of PTs 36-84 and everything in the CC. I'm asking this incase I have to restart my studies again incase today's test did not go well.

Hey everyone. I'd greatly appreciate it if I could get your advice on my situation regarding whether it's worth seeking accommodations.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety disorder in the summer of 2015, and was put on anti-depressants; and eventually beta blockers and lorazepam (a benzo). The first time I studied for the LSAT was from Jan-May 2016 and used the LSAT trainer, with hopes of writing the exam in June. My highest PT was 156, and so I postponed the exam. I then studied from June to December, and used 7Sage. I sought a fresh start, while also focusing on my weaknesses. I just couldn't seem to break the 150's barrier. I eventually wrote the LSAT in June, and this time I tried Kaplan (which I learnt was a big mistake) from Feb to May because i felt an in-person class with homework would keep me further on my toes. However, i cancelled because i knew i bombed it. I won't blame my performance entirely on my diagnosed mental disability, but it definitely does not help. I was determined to get into the 160's, and used Powerscore from July to August, and registered for the September exam. I cancelled, because i just could not break into the 160's. At the time, I put down my failure to get a high score on the fact that i was on medication. I know that it's supposed to level the playing field, but I was having trouble connecting logical chains, and I eventually learnt that SSRI's and other anti-depressants can in fact impair or inhibit your ability to perform at your best cognitively. My doctor suggested that i taper off the medication. I did, and studied without them. Here's where it gets tricky: without the medication, i think more clearly if even just a bit, but my depressive and anxious symptoms increase a bit as well. It's a cycle. I get depressed because I can't get the score I want, and if I take anti-depressants to combat those feelings, my brain feels fuzzy and I feel mentally jaded, lethargic and foggy. The best analogy I can give is to imagine driving in your car on a clear night with the lights on full beam, but you only can only see fog everywhere. That's how I felt. I wasn't even overly stressed, maybe the same as any other student studying for the LSAT. My brain just felt heavy and my mental clarity seemed to be fading every time I studied. Perhaps other people with depression/anxiety can relate?

I tried different study methods, different courses/prep courses, and for two years I did meditation, yoga, healthy eating. and exercising. Unfortunately nothing helped, and I eventually wrote the LSAT in December while using Powerscore. During the exam, I experienced the same emotions i did while writing PT's and the September exam: trouble concentrating and retaining information, reading sentences various times to understand it, misreading words, reading words but not actually grasping what they mean. I expected the worst, and unsurprisingly, I got a 153. I feel like I've exhausted all my options now, and that it would be pointless to take another prep course or keep studying. No matter how many hours I put in, how many different methods I try, how many times I change my lifestyle/habits, nothing works. I didn't seek accommodations before because I didn't think I needed them or that anything was wrong with me. I just kept thinking that I wasn't trying my best or focusing enough. However, I learnt that mental illness and its treatments can definitely have an impact on the way you think, react to and grasp information. Another analogy I can give is to imagine a big square with a small circle placed in the center. The circle is my brain power when I'm studying/taking PT's, and the surrounding area is the fog/haziness I experience.

Now, do you think its worth seeking accommodations? I was only diagnosed in my 3rd year of university, so I don't have any prior history or proof of receiving previous accommodations. I only have notes from my psychiatrist and family doctor. I majored in History, and so I didn't really need accommodations during exams, because I was mostly assessed on essays and group work. Also, the fact that I got 153 definitely does not help. Do you guys think its worth paying $1800 for an upcoming psychoeducational assessment and seeking accommodations, or does the fact that I scored just a bit above average hinder my chances now?

My apologies for such a long read, but I do not know who else to ask.

I am wanting to transfer after my first year from the law school that I am about to attend. Is it hard to do that? I would like to know if all my classes would transfer or would I have to retake some? Could I transfer after a semester or would I have to complete the first year?

Thanks in advance for the information!

Have any of you found a convenient solution to fool proofing now that the PDF ban is in place? I've fool proofed all of the games that are included in the CC so now I'm looking for my next step. I am thinking about just using the 10 Actual books in the 40s and 50s for drilling/proofing and using an eraser so that I can do the games more than once. Any ideas?

I'm going to vent a little bit on here. At the start, I took the initial PrepTest June 2007 and got 144. I missed 51 questions then. Now, I took my first PT 62 from December 2010 and got 144. I missed 57 questions. I feel defeated. My logic games did go up, so I am happy about that. I just want to prepare effectively for September and I am not sure whether I should take Kaplan? So far, I just finished the CC and took the first test, so maybe I need to do the drilling too. What suggestions do you have? Thanks for the help, guys!

So basically I followed the guidelines on LSAC's page where you upload your admission ticket photo. This is the photo on my admission ticket.

I just read the instructions on the extra pages printed when you print your admission ticket and it says that "The photo must have been taken within the last six months." I did not see that requirement on the page where I uploaded the photo. The photo meets all other requirements, looks like me, etc. But now I'm freaking out.

I know what you're thinking--- how will they know that I didn't take it within the last six months? Well because I've used the same photo for other LSATs before. I guess I was just stupid and didn't realize one of the requirements until now. So now I'm like freaking out. Anyways, I was let in the other times like normal. I also wear glasses to the exam and in my photo I don't wear glasses but I am recognizable otherwise. I think I'll be okay lol but I'm still scared. I think worse comes to worst, there will just be a delay in reporting my score if LSAC realizes it's an old photo. But I don't think proctors will have any other materials to distinguish us from besides their roster with our LSAC photos next to our name. Like I'm saying I don't think they will get to see how old the photo was or if it had been used for another administration. But what do I know?

I'm so scared lol.

Hi, all!

So I’ve noticed that I consistently sit there trying to understand the answer choice for flaw questions “presupposes as evidence the conclusion it is trying to establish” all the time. I also don’t know that I have ever seen that AC be the correct answer, yes each time I waste a solid 15 seconds trying to figure it out/see if the question could fit.

Can anyone help me dissect this and maybe provide some examples? It’s time I stop wasting time on this cookie cutter AC.

Thanks!

The last center I had had a clock. Do you think I should run to walmart and get an analog one or chance it?

Are the conversion charts at the end of each PT the same for every test? Or are they adjusted for the curve for that particular test. For instance, I got a 68 on PT 37 which translates to a 156 according to the conversion chart. However, I checked the score with another converter online and a 68 was a 159.

Anyone know which one would be right?

Hey, thanks for stopping by.

So here's the deal. I got through my first PT. As I took the PT I circled all of the answer choices which I was uncertain of (as is suggested by 7sage). For each section, I noticed that I circled about 2/3 of the questions -- leaving about 8 answers uncircled.

My score somewhat reflected what you might expect from a first time PT. I got a 148. I went back an did BR, typed in my new answers -- and the score hardly moved at all. It only went up to a 151. Here's the thing -- I found that in one section I got all of the answers wrong that I DIDN'T circle. Does this make sense? So basically the questions I was most certain of were the ones that I got wrong.

Has anyone else shared in a similar experience (especially of this magnitude)?

Thanks for any time

Thomas

Hi guys I just wanna get some opinions on my BR vs regular scores. I’ve taken only 2 PTs so far and these were the scores:

Test 1 Timed: 149

Test 1 BR: 153

Test 2 Timed: 145

Test 2 BR: 158

My goal is to be at 160 or higher. I was kinda disheartened to see my already low initial score decrease but I was also surprised that my BR score was that much higher? Any advice on what I can take from this, what this means and where to go from here?

Thanks guys

Hi 7Sagers,

I will be taking the July test next Monday. In my last few PT's, my scores have dropped from around 170 to 168, 167, 165. Previously I was averaging around 170. The last test I took was PT 84 and blind reviewed yesterday. To my dismay it was a 162. The tests I have taken over the past few months have been a combination of 40's and 50's tests and retakes of PT 60-83 as I have ran out of fresh new material. I believed PT 84 would be a good gauge of test day performance since it's a fresh test and so new. Now that I have seen this consistent drop I am unsure of my test taking ability and don't know what to do, resulting in major panic mode. I also work full time in addition to studying. I've been advised to stop studying altogether until the day of the test to prevent further burnout, but I am afraid to stop exercising my LSAT brain muscle a week before test day. Any advice is appreciated.

I took my first PT after the curriculum -- my score was one point less than my diagnostic score, and my BR was the same as my BR for my diagnostic. Needless to say, I'm disappointed and beating myself up about it, but really the only choice is to just keep swimming, right?

Anyway, I listened to Josh's webinar on post curriculum study strategies, and in Phase 1 (my BR is below my target), he recommends returning to the curriculum, doing question type drills, and then doing untimed section drills. The webinar was really helpful, but I'm still a bit unclear as to how to use these suggestions to try to improve LR, since the questions I'm having trouble with are kind of all over the place (though of course some are higher priority than others).

Is it better to just re-do the entire curriculum, (since it's clear I don't have all the fundamentals down), or structure my studying to pertain to the specific question types that are of highest priority to the lowest?

The study schedule post curriculum is essentially full PTs, but at this point, I'm not sure if they'll help me much with regard to where I currently am with my score. Is it ok to lay off taking PTs until after I re-do the curriculum, or should I still be taking full PTs even while I'm still in Phase 1? I recall the recommendation to be a PT every 2 weeks or so, but I'm not sure if this is once someone gets to Phase 2? I don't want to risk burning through all the material and psyching myself out by taking PTs before I'm ready, but I also don't want to end up psyching myself out if the next time I see a PT is after the curriculum.

Is it ok to use some of the 50+ PTs for section drills, or would this be wasting new material? What material do you use to drill?

If anyone can please share and elaborate a bit more on what your approach was post curriculum, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks so much!

Hello fellow masochists,

After a year of studying off and on, I took the plunge and signed up for September. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me get my time down on LR (bad) and LG (worse).

The fundamentals seem to be there, as I'm averaging 170+ untimed (-1 on LR, -2/3 on RC and -3-4 on LG). I have tried everything (skipping answer choices once I find the answer, minimizing rereading, etc.) but still am 3-4 minutes over on LR and 8-10 minutes over on LG. Recognizing the inferences too late in the games is probably the main factor, in addition to my ADHD.

I have burned through PTs up to 58 so far, so about 25 left. It is crunch time now, and I really don't know where else to turn besides maybe redoing the course (completed about 6 months ago)??

Any suggestions are appreciated, and good luck to fellow Septemberererers......yes, I am losing my mind. jk. but actually.

UPDATE: And the winner is…

The Brief

Thanks so much for submitting your fantastic ideas, everyone! I can't wait to share the blog with you.

Congrats to our winner, @"samantha.ashley92"!

7Sagers! We're rolling out a new blog with information about everything from the LSAT and law school admissions to the legal profession in general—but we can't think of a good name. Please help! If we choose your name, we'll give you a free Edit Once!

From our brainstorm:

Hey all. I’ve been studying for this test since Feb 2017. It’s been nearly 15 months. I started at 142, and worked my way up to 167-171.

At first, my RC and LR were right where I wanted them to be: -2/-4 for RC and -6/-8 for LR. My LG were bad, so I brought them up to -0 consistently.

But now, for the last month, I’ve seen scores ranging from 160-164 with huge score hits in RC (-7/-10) and LR (-10/-12). I haven’t neglected them whilst improving the LG though! I look back at my weak areas and drill question types. But when I take the test, I go blank. The only thing that stays consistently -0 is games.

I even practice my PTs at my test center since it’s a public campus! I freak out. I panic. I run out of time. It doesn’t seem to click. I’m beginning to feel so nervous for Monday. I’m not sure what happened.

I have my last PT scheduled for tomorrow. I’m going to try to work backwards in LR because I need a new method and I tend to lose all my points in LR in bundles (#20-#25 wrong in a row)

I’m feeling so sad and confused. :( I worked so hard and came so far, to randomly be choking like this would crush me considering how much time I put into this thing.

Hey everyone- just looking to see where people put their purses / bags / phones during the actual test . I heard some proctors or most just let you put them at the front of the class (I know it’s a luck thing ) as I’ve heard it both ways. What did you do on test day ?

I studied using ONLY 7Sage from April 2017--scoring at 141--to December 2017 where I got a 161 on the Dec test (-9 RC -11LR -5LG), but I used every single PT to study with the exception of PTs 71-84. My goal is a 170+.

Background

I have recently finished the Bible Trilogy and thought they were a fantastic addition onto the 7sage course, specifically for learning little tips and tricks. My game plan at the moment is to take PTs 50-84 before the November test. I am not sure how good of a method this is, since my material will be pretty limited. Of course, I will be reviewing and BRing each test.

There were two good things that came from getting the score I actually was not happy about. One was that my highest PT score, that was also my last three PT scores before the real test, was a 161. So I performed just as well on the real deal as I did my PTs, even down to questions missed per section. The other good thing is that I now have had experience with test day in general. Both of these factors have affected the way I PT this time around.

Yesterday, I took PT 50 and got a 167 on it (-8RC -2LR -3LG). I am excited at this score but it might be inflated as I did remember some LR questions and a whole passage from RC that was just used as a drill in the RC Bible. Nevertheless, even retaking sections when I had no break the first go around, I never once went -0 on a LR section and I have done so on this PT.

Question regarding prep

My overall question feeds off this inflation dilemma and my previous run; how can I adequately prep when I have instances where I remember questions/passages/games and I also don't have a ton of "new" material to work with over the next 4 months?

Any help would be wonderful, thanks a lot.

Is anyone in the Bay Area interested in meeting in person to study before the Sept. Exam? Preferably 3-5 times a week including weekends if you'd like. I live near Emeryville/West Oakland and can easily meet at UC Berkeley. Let me know if you're interested, I'm very flexible with times/days but would love to get started this coming week.

I love you 7Sage

I was just rewatching suits and when rachel got her rejection letter from Harvard I realized that Sheila really must have held it against loius even though she claimed she didnt. Rachel had a 172 , I'm assuming a stellar GPA from a top undergrad and she is a URM.

I'm no conspiracy theorist but.....

Hi guys. I am scheduled to take the July and September test and I have been studying since January. My biggest current problem seems to be that I can't focus to save my life. Practice test are harder just cause my mind wanders consistently .I will read a question stem and then I'll have to read the premise multiple times for it to stick and I'm wasting valuable time .recently I've had the urge to just skip to the LG section just cause it's easier to focus on and work .I have like a month and a half left and I really want to pick up the pace and focus on improving.

Seriously, just brag about your progress-- big or small. Don't humblebrag; own it. Talk to me about your score increases, timing improvements, confidence boosts, etc. (Feel free to add in any tips!)