Hey guys,

RC is a section I consistently have trouble with. A lot people say it’s the most difficult section to improve in although there is debate on that. I really need to see more progress myself and was thinking it would be AMAZING to hear from some of you ppl about an initial difficulty in this section followed by a very significant improvement and what made the difference. Also for the sake of others here with my same difficulty of course! Only a bit more than a week for me before the big test and it would be a dream come true to even have a mini breakthrough.

Oh my god. So I just graded my most recent PT (76), I got a 158 and BR 163. I'm literally in shock. I have been consistently scoring in the high 160s and BR in the high 170s for months now. I'm trying to get above a 170 on the July test. What should I do? Reevaluate my whole life??????????

I'm not able to download a copy of the Prep Tests. Any suggestions?

Admin note: edited title

When you guys practice doing full length PT's under test taking conditions, for RC, do you guys keep track of how long it takes you read each passage and do the qusetions?

I know the aim is for 330 for reading passages and about 5 minutes for the questions per passage.

Also, do you guys keep track of how long it takes you to do each LG?

If so, how do you do that? Do you use like a stop watch with a lap function?

OR do you just ignore keeping track of how long it takes to do each individual part and just focus on the general 35 minute time limit? Thanks!

I just finished BR for my 1st PT Post-CC, scores below (planning on taking the September 2018 test):

Raw Score: 160, BR: 178

LG: -9, -0

LR: -10, -3

RC: -5, -0

LR: -5, -1

Tl;DR - Need advice on where to go from here, see poll below.

I was really excited about the 160, because with this being my first timed pt (and having not done ANYTHING timed during the CC, which, I know, bad idea) I was totally unprepared for how much I'd be worried about timing and freaked the f*** out during the beginning of the test. I literally got so flustered with my first section (LG - which I was most confident with heading in) that I couldn't understand the 1st two games, totally skipped them, and bubbled c for 10 straight ac's since I didn't have time to come back to them at the end of the section. Heading into section 2 (LR), I was still freaked out about timing, was finding my mind wandering, and was distracted by hip pain (pregnant, sitting in not-so-supportive desk chair) that I skipped/bubbled in c for quite a few questions that I didn't have time to come back to yet again. This is all quite accurately refkected in my scores for those sections as well. I got a little bit more familiar and comfortable with timing on my last 2 sections and ended up only not getting to ~2 questions/section.

Anyway, what I also wasn't prepared for was my 178 BR score (super stoked, don't get me wrong, but unsure as to how to proceed). Like I previously mentioned, I was fairly confident on LG going in, so I knew I could get -0 on BR especially after I realized the games weren't as bad as I first thought. I didn't expect -0 for RC but I figured LR would be my worst section, as it was. My original plan was to foolproof LG until I hit -0 on BR at least and work LR and RC via timed sections as needed before taking more pts. Now, I'm not so sure? Should I still try to foolproof LG before moving on? I haven't done any fool proofing nor any timed games, although I only got -1/-0 on games during the cc and only one -2 when I was burnt out. Or, do I take more pts to see more accurately where I stand/where my weak spots are/to work on timing?Because I know this is only my first pt and isnt necessarily indicative of what I'll actually be averaging for BR or otherwise. Or, should I begin drilling LR since it's my worst section (all 4 LR questions that I missed were of different types, 3 with 4 or 5 star difficulty). OR (probably what I'm leaning more towards) do individual timed sections of LG LR and RC to get used to timing and review and go from there? Sorry this is so long and thanks ahead of time for any and all input!

Hi,

I have taken number of PTs before. I scorerd 139 on my diagnostic and then spent couple of weeks self-studying and managed to average 149 in the two PTs that I took afterwards. Now, I started my membership with 7Sage (LSAT stater) few days ago and so far it has been good. However, I noticed that I won't be able to finish all of my study schedule (core curriculum, etc) until at least a month from now. So, I was wondering about whether I should wait until then to start taking PTs again or should I just take some while studying the core curriculum?

P.S: I am planing to take the LSAT in September.

Your responses will be much appreciate it.

Do you guys think that if I start taking the course in September while attending university will work? Meaning that I will study the LSAT for the June test starting September will also studying at university... Do you think that will work or no?

I took the June 2018 lsat today and had 3 LRs... I thought 1 of the LR was hard and the RC was hard but overall felt OK about the test. Then as I was handing in my scantron, I realized I only circled up to number 21 (I believe out of 25) in my answer sheet for section 1. I panicked and I don't even know how I went through my writing sample...

I can't get over this stupid mistake and now I'm wondering if I should cancel and retake in July...I had originally planned for a retake anyway (probably in September) because I have been PT-ing in 167-172 range and I really want to get 170+.

Any advice would be great!

Good evening fellow 7Sagers,

I am someone who suffers from anxiety and depression on a daily basis. For anyone that can relate, how would you go about improving on this exam? I find that although I know exactly what career path I want to be on and what needs to be accomplished in order to do so, I still find trouble being motivated to study, and when I do study I find myself constantly zoning out. I've been studying for several months, including taking a Blueprint course in a classroom setting which ended in September. However, I cannot seem to break low 150's on my PT's. My highest score is a 154 and that was only because I did not time myself and wound up finishing at least an hour over the typical exam time constraints. Otherwise, my average timed scores do not look as pretty. I do not believe 7Sage is the issue as I find the methods of this curriculum far clearer than anything else I've done in the past. I did some research and found that LSAC has accommodated those in the past with diagnosed depression/generalized anxiety, although not everyone's requests are approved. I have not taken medication for this in about three years because I felt it was doing more harm than good. That being said, I do not think LSAC would simply take my word for my issues and at the same time I also would not want to have schools look down upon my grade because they knew I was accommodated. I am currently aiming for the June 2017 LSAT, but if my PT's do not improve by then, I do not want to wait much longer. Perhaps September.. but nothing later than that as I truly want to begin law school by 2018. I know what school I want to go to and have everything planned out. I graduated cum laude and was in the honors academy all four years at my school and even graduated a semester early. It makes no sense to me how all that was accomplished yet I am having so much trouble with this one exam, which drives my motivation even further down.

Long story short, if anyone is out there with advice on something like this, I would really appreciate some personal insight as no one seems to understand.

Thank you

Hi Everyone. So I'm about 5 months pregnant and just finished with the cc. I plan on taking the Sept test (while just entering into my 8th month - def looking forward to that) and am about to begin my pt/timed drills/fp journey. I just wanted to reach out and see if others who have studied in the past while pregnant or are currently pregnant and planning on taking the test soon have any tips or wisdom to share from their journeys. I have also been having a lot of hip pain lately was wondering if any of you experienced the same and have recommendations for dealing, especially during full pts (I took a timed 4 section pt yesterday and my hip was killing me, although the pain wasn't unbearable it was mostly just distracting and annoying)

Advice regarding applying for accommodations for pregnancy would also be extremely appreciated and if anyone is interested in forming a support group/chat/anything for others in a similar studying-while-pregnant situation please let me know!

The trend on law school forums is that T14 into Big Law ought to be the goal for anyone who is pursuing a legal career. It is a fact that Big Law produces (generally) the least happy lawyers even when adjusting for income disparity, nonetheless Big Law seems to be the goal for an overwhelming majority of posters. Especially within top schools, there is a strong motivation to acquire a Big Law position.

For those of you who are convinced that Big Law is the career path for you, why?

If money was the same between Big Law and other paths, would you still choose Big Law?

How bad is it to have two canceled LSAT takes in a row? I've got one for Sept 2017 and as I prepare for my next take in July 2018, I can't help but think that may be a possibility (no matter how prepared I may think I am). For the sake of avoiding that mid-test fear and speculation, what should I do?

So here I am working on timed LR PSs and fool-proofing LG when an old friend of mine reminded me we graduated high school 10 years ago today! College was 6 years ago. My my my how time has flown. I remember not knowing what the future held but I had so many plans. I never would have thought 10 years later I would studying so hard to go back to school. I sometimes get discouraged thinking I will be 29 when I start law school, 30 if I have to push it back another year. But hey better late than never. Any other 7sagers out there in the same boat as me?

Logic is a language. In order to understand the ideas on the LSAT I find it almost unavoidable to study the theory behind it. Those who have taken theoretical logic classes previous to the LSAT have performed extremely well compared with those who have been only recently introduced to the world of logic. I have gathered this information from those around me (myself included) who have scored well into the high 160s and 170s. I propose that those struggling with understanding the language and ideas behind the LSAT read the following books:

Introduction to Logic - P. Suppes (1957)

Logic Made East- Deborah Bennett

The Art of Thinking in Systems- Steven Schuster

Introduction to Traditional Logic - Scott M Sullivan

If anyone else with a good score on the LSAT can provide people with other good books that can help us understand Logic, it would be extremely helpful. There is also a wonderful reddit post describing this process from a user who earned a 180: https://www.reddit.com/r/LSAT/comments/8dpw3p/how_i_got_my_180_tips_for_the_lsat/

What was your point increase from the first PT after curriculum until the first official LSAT? I am wondering what kind of point increase I can expect if I take 30 PTs and my first PT after completing the curriculum was a 158. Did anyone see any big improvements via taking practice tests and doing blind reviews of them?

Just a note (and a back-door brag). A year ago I laid down a 147 on a cold diagnostic. Fast forward to February 2018, I put a 159 on the board with my first "real" LSAT administration. Today, I finally scored my latest PT which I took last week at a 169 (timed, 5 section). That's a 22 point improvement over my cold diagnostic. I'm happy because that's the 75th LSAT percentile of my stretch school. I know I need to keep grinding to push it up more and then actually repeat that performance or better on test day in July and September.

You can learn the test. I am exhibit A. Just trust the process and do the work.

Soooo maybe I’m wrong or maybe I’m crazy but I just figured out that with disagree and agree questions, the answer appeals to the conclusion of the first speaker. Is that a hack or am I reaching

One of my biggest problems is that I do not read fast enough and sometimes I tend to skip over words that make or break answer choices. Partially I blame my ADHD for this. But regardless I need to improve. If anyone has any advice please share.

Hello All,

Before I go any further, best of luck to all of my fellow 7sagers who will be taking the test tomorrow! The reason I am posting here is that I have a question about pencils. Throughout my preparation I have been Dixon Ticonderoga #2 HB "soft" pencils. According to LSAC, for the test we need "No. 2 or HB wooden pencils". My question therefore regards the classification of the pencil as soft. Does anyone know if this is an acceptable type of pencil. I believe that the softness or hardness of a pencil is in regards to the texture of the graphite, but I have been unable to determine that conclusively. Thank you in advance for your help.

Dear 7sage,

I am, yes, still deciding whether to take the dang test tomorrow, and I'm trying to gauge the effects of taking it again to get a higher score, as I am willing to potentially cancel to wait until I am in a higher range.

Currently my knowledge of school views on re-takes is as follows:

—Yale: looks for people who can score high on their first take; won't necessarily average, but might. Since individual faculty get to exercise their opinions, and some faculty might want elite test-takers, not getting your top score first might really ding you if a faculty member objects to it.

—Everyone else in top 20: basically will take your highest score, although multiple scores can factor in to the application

—Everyone else: presumably top score

Can anyone color this further, preferably with official policies? I understand it is not super clear — I am just curious what the opinions are and why people hold those opinions.

Thanks for any insight.

Hi guys,

I am just start up and prepare full time for the September exam. As i start the lesson, do we have to go through all the question explanation video for the preptest or the problem test? or it is okay just to watch the explanation for the question we are wrong or confused about? which works better？

Hi guys,

I’m based in London so my international test date is June 23rd. I have been studying for about a year and was in the 170-175 range over the past five tests averaging at 173.

In my desire to solidy that in case I have a bad day on test day I’ve been taking an LSAT every day for the past week. Well yesterday and today I scored at a 165 and I’m really freaking out.

Is testing every day counterproductive? Is it because yesterday I took test 56 and 54, when I’ve been recently in the 40s? Did the jump in test numbers do it?

I’d love any thoughts you have.

Thanks,

Jessica

Good luck on PrepTest 84. You're literally taking an undisclosed practice test that some person will be taking in their basement in a few years. Therefore, the test you will be taking tomorrow could just as easily have been your highest scoring practice test.

Take the test EXACTLY like you've taken any other PrepTest because that is exactly what it is.

I finally broke 170 today after quite a few tests stuck in the high 160s. I'm still aiming to score higher, but it feels really good to pass a notable benchmark.

What has gone well for you as of late? Anything click, or any personal records for scores on PTs, or any culinary successes in your procrasti-baking?

Tomorrow is the June LSAT and it's going to be my 4th take, and I'm waiting until the absolute last minute to decide if I should take the test.

I feel somewhat ready. My practice scores have been in the 170-174 range with a high one time of 177 (though this was a retake), BUT there are a couple of reasons why I'm hesitant to take the test:

-I took one last practice test (just timed sections - didn't do it all in one sitting yesterday) and got a 169.

-My logic games isn't at a -0 yet. I keep making REALLY careless mistakes. I was scoring -0 pretty consistently until last week, and now I'm missing -2 or -3. On PT 82, i missed 5. This is scaring me a little bit.

i'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm not as ready as I think. I have a tendency to score lower on my real tests vs. my practice exams. Both times I took it, I scored below my average. Should I wait another month to feel more secure or should I just take the test?

I've been studying for a while now and I'm exhausted. I'm at the point where I kind of just want to get the test done. Any feedback for me?