For the September exam: What would be a solid PT taking schedule for a full-time LSAT student? I want to take as many PTs as possible (without burnout) while having enough time to do a proper BR.

I'm thinking 3 (maybe 4..) PTs a week?

Any suggestions on a good PT plan until the September exam? I want to make sure I have a good mix of old and newer PTs as the PTs 60+ are more difficult.

(Note: I've already done around 20 PTs as I was prepping for the June exam but extended to September as I wasn't hitting my target score area).

Any advice appreciated on how to make use of the next 2 months in regards to PTs. Thanks!

I just finished reading Smarter Better Faster by Charles Duhigg and found it to be very useful for finding ways to increase focus, motivation, and productivity with my LSAT studying. It is also very readable since the gist of the book is structured around storytelling.

Full disclosure: My bachelors degree is in cognitive psychology and I love behavioral science, so I might have gotten carried away a bit with the length of this post, but I do believe that the using psychology to master the LSAT is necessary for doing well.

Here’s the stuff I found most useful for LSAT prep:

Ch.1 - Motivation:

Positive emotional reward linked to making decisions (gained through experience) AND belief in having control over our lives and surroundings AND linking mundane tasks (such as studying) to greater purpose or personal values, thus transforming them into a choice —> motivation to act

(Yes, those three conditions are sufficient for motivation, according to science.)

Motivation depends on emotionality.

Motivation is a skill that can be learned and honed, not a static personality trait.

Following a success, praise yourself for hard work, not your intelligence. (Focusing on static traits like intelligence shuts down motivation.)

Ch. 3 - Focus:

This chapter was most useful to me. The author talks about the concept of mental models (a story of what should happen in a future scenario) and how they can help combat cognitive tunneling (focusing one irrelevant or insufficient thing due to being overwhelmed by information) and reactive thinking (reacting to external stimuli randomly or as they arise instead of intentionally).

Mental modeling works in several ways. It helps us know what information to pay attention, because we already have a plan, so that we are better able to successfully complete a stressful/high-risk task. The author uses a story of a pilot successfully landing a totally wrecked plane and it was very relatable to trying to answer an LR question with a seemingly incomprehensible stimulus on a timed PT…

Mental modeling also provides us with a picture of what a situation should like, and when it doesn’t look that way, an alarm goes off in our head and we fix it, rather than proceeding with the bad strategy. To increase focus and avoid distraction or mistakes, the author hence recommends visualizing the anticipated task. For example, I have a hard time not getting distracted during LSAT studying by other tasks, and mental modeling allows me to set an intention and better catch myself when I deviate from what I intended to do, such as browsing the Discussion Forum instead of BR or forgetting to identify the premises and conclusions in an argument stimulus in LR.

Cognitive tunneling and mental shutdown (the flight or fight mentality that the CC talks about leading to inability to do higher order thinking) is exactly what happens to me when I get stuck while studying or a timed PTs, so it has been useful to try to transform material and strategies from the CC into mental models of what I should be doing instead of panicking. I think that the mental model idea works for individual small tasks, like answering specific question types on LR, as well as for whole sections, such as creating a mental model for active reading during RC (still a bit of a struggle for me). Another useful mental model might be for remaining calm, focused, and confident for the actual LSAT. You can practice mental modeling anytime - while commuting, cooking, showering… In relation to LSAT prep, it’s just another way of studying, but it can also be applied to any aspect of your life.

“Mental models help us by providing a scaffold for the torrent of information that constantly surrounds us. Models help us choose where to direct our attention, so we can make decisions, rather than just react.”

The concepts mentioned in the book definitely overlap with recommendations for studying and test taking form the CC, not that 7sage needs even more proof of being effective :).

Ch. 4 - Goal Setting:

Pairing two types of goals:

Ch. 6 - Decision Making:

Decision making is integral to the LSAT - choosing the right answer, choosing what to focus attention on, choosing when to skip questions…

ability to envision what will happen next (“forecasting”) probabilistically AND comfort with doubt (knowing what you don’t know) AND realistic assumptions —> good decision making

We have a success-bias, i.e. we tend to notice success more than failures, even though failures offer more insight on how to succeed, in other words, not fail. (focus on areas of struggle in LSAT prep instead of searching for ways to increase score)

Ch. 8 - Absorbing Data:

data must be understood and then applied to be useful (e.g. actually formulate study plans out LSAT Analytics page on 7sage; active reading)

large amounts of data can best be absorbed by asking series of questions (e.g. while digesting a complex LR stimuli ask: what are the Ps and C? what is the strength of support? are there any assumptions?…)

hand-written notes are the most effective because the disfluency of hand-writing forces us to take more time to reformulate the information. I believe that everyone should take comprehensive notes by hand while doing the CC.

If any of this spoke to, do yourself a favor and read the relevant parts of the book, I’ve tried hard to summarize it accurately here but you will get much more from the book :)

What do y’all think? Has anyone else read this?

What mental models would you make for studying for the LSAT?

Mostly because of work getting really busy. I have not touched the LSAT much. I feel like the break made me panic a bit and like I've forgotten everything I learned!!

My score per section has not changed though.

-5 Lr

-5 Lr

-2 or -8 RC (yes. variable that scares me)

-1 Lg.

Breaks are scary, in the future I'm going to just shorten what I do every day on the LSAT instead of taking a full break. Instead of 5 hours in a day I'll do one section with review if I'm feeling burnt!

Was womdering what the general consensus is on taking 1 timed LR section, 1 timed RC , and 1 timed LG section everyday with a thorough blind review and intensive review of anything i may get wrong after ( apart from A full PT every 1.5 weeks ). I feel like i get paralyzed when i take full sections, even though i complete them i dont beleive i am reaching my max potential bc i am not so comfortable with them. I would probably start with the earlier test perhaps around PT20 or so and considering i have already done the LGs for them it would just be a test of speed for them. I will leave 62-81 as full PTs, and 1-20 to drill specific question types. I want to walk into the testing center and to feel that i have so much exposure and skill with everu question type that it becomes mechanical. I have been studying for more than 7 months for this tests and i feel that my fundamentals are solid but lack of exposure and not forcing myself out of my comfort zone has kept my score below target. Any thoughts on this method?

I've often contemplated and discussed this with many on this forum and others like it.

We now are going to have over 85 PTs available to prep from and drill from. But at what point are we going to have to just say, "only PTs 52-81" are worth doing?" Will there ever come a time? It is unsustainable to keep just starting from tests from the 90s and going working towards the most recent tests.

I've studied a bit for the GMAT/GRE and it seems that the idea of going through 80 tests is insane. When you have more and more tests, it seems we get less and less out of each test because subconsciously we know that there are 79 more left.

There's also the idea of diminishing returns. So many of the games, logical reasoning questions, and RC passages follow such a similar format that doing so many tests may hurt us by not giving us the time to focus on and get every last drop of juice out of newer PTs.

Sometimes I wonder if I'd be better just focusing on PTs 52-61, 62-71, and 72-81 (when released)?

I get the argument that fool proofing and drilling older games is what will help with the newer stuff. However, I'm just playing devil's advocate by asking if this might not be the best approach going forward. Those who oppose this mentality will claim the logic hasn't changed, and that's true, but the newer tests have a different voice and style and perhaps our time may be better spent spending an increased amount of time on newer exams?

Edit: Again, just paying devil's advocate and I don't actually 100% believe this to be a valid solution to the over abundance of tests. Just starting a discussion.

Hey! A lot of people mention the gains they had from recording themelves taking a PT. I'm just curious what device people use to do that? I have an Iphone 6s so what would be good to use with that to record myself? Thanks!

So I took the December LSAT last year and scored a fabulous 143. I knew I wasn't ready, but couldn't bring myself to lose $190, so I tested anyway hoping to get lucky. Well, no luck came my way for obvious reasons. But after going through the curriculum I find myself scoring between 141-145 still. I dont know where I am going wrong. I take each PT under exam conditions, I circle the ones I am not sure of (which is about 15 or less questions a section) and when I am done testing, I go back to the test and reread the questions. I dont think I am rushing, I try to stay focused and engaged in the questions. But I am obviously doing something wrong. I thought I would be able to take the September test, but I know I am not ready. I am not concerned so much about that, as I am the fact I am not improving. Has anyone faced this problem? I am really getting frustrated because I seriously feel like I am doing everything the way we are supposed to but I am not getting any increases in scores. (BTW my highest BR score was a 151 and that happened exactly one time)

Any advice, tough love or people who have had similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all!

I want to start by saying thank you for welcoming me into this great 7Sage community. I just took the June LSAT, and after consistently PTing in the mid-160s in the weeks before the test, I scored a 161. I have decided to retake in September, because I am aspiring to get into law schools ranked #7-#25 ish, ideally with funding. I have a 4.0 GPA.

How would you recommend I approach the next 10 weeks? I took 18 PTs in prep for June and did extensive BR of them. I struggle with Reading Comp, typically missing 5-9 questions. And LR ranges too, missing 3-7 per section. LG are better, but one hard game has the potential to throw me.

Any advice?

I have just finished the core curriculum for Logical Reasoning, would it be better to continue with the core curriculum or start reading the LR Bible?

Option 1: 7sage LR --> LR Bible --> 7sage RC --> RC Bible --> 7sage LG --> LG Bible

Option 2: All of 7sage Core Curriculum --> All the Powerscore Bibles

i've often heard of this being the final plateau for lsat students.

for those of you that are averaging in the 175 range: how did you get there?

Some of you might be like me out there and are unmarried, will be receiving no help from parents, and are fully self-funding. I'm expecting to take out loans to live on, but is anyone planning on working to help subsidize expenses? Even if it's only like ten hours per week? I know the ABA has rules about not working more than 20 hours per week, and some schools ban you from working your 1L year. I've tried to do some online research on the schools I'm interested in but can't seem to find their rules on working while in school (I plan on reaching out to their admissions' departments). Does anyone know if this ban is pretty common across schools?

During college I waited tables at a nice restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights and would usually make $300-$400 per weekend. Even this small amount could really help with expenses.

Just curious as to what everyone else's plans were?

Right now I'm having to go through the entire printing process for each problem set individually. Is there a print all button?

Admin edit: You can now print questions in PDF from the Question Bank:

https://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/18378/new-feature-print-pdfs-of-custom-drills-from-the-question-bank

Hi all!

So after taking the LSAT for the first time September 2016 and getting a 145 after 2 rounds of Kaplan programs I decided to take a year off to work and study and try again September 2017.

I got a paralegal position at a law firm in NYC which has kept me busy with work and a long commute. I thought I'd be able to study more often (on the train, after work, etc) but it is proving to be a struggle. I am about halfway through the core curriculum as of now (studying since March) with a diagnostic score of 147. Regarding background info, in undergrad I was on the Dean's list every semester and in multiple honors societies as well as having this new job that will provide me with almost a year and a half of experience come Fall 2018.

**More time would be nice obviously, but I worry about whether or not it will lower my chances as far as admissions to push the test back to December. My goal is 160, but seeing as I can't seem to break 150 I realize that might not be possible and wonder if the time will make enough of a difference in the strength of my application.

Any and all advice is welcome!

Hey all,

So I'm starting to feel convinced that at a certain point in prep, it's better to focus on later tests. That is, if you aren't going to prep test every test out there (who has time for that, not me), then I think you have to somewhat chose your best use of time. I've raised the question here before about taking a stab at a later test (I had done all tests from 37-50 diligently in a row), and I was mostly advised not to jump ahead to a later test.

I decided on my own to try a later test (I know, sorry :), mainly just because I really wanted to see how much more "difficult" or "different" the test was down the road than the ones I was doing. I saw a significant drop in my score when I took Prep Test 79. I gave myself some leeway for the fact that it was a big jump, but I'm also more convinced than ever that at this point I'm best focusing my last 2 months before I take the test on the late 60s and 70s tests. I say that because they seem more representative of what the test I take will actually look like, and I think it's essential I get used to the more subtle wording of phrases, convoluted referential phrasing, and weird logic games that are more common on the later tests.

I'm still open to any thoughts on this though. I just kind of don't see the point of working through every test in the 50s and using up the time I have left on tests that aren't as representative of the test I'll be facing. Does anyone have any good arguments to the contrary?

Hi, anyone knows where I can find an editable lsat answer sheet? A really good one that I can use for untimed retakes.

Thank you so much for having all the real MBE questions on here for such a reasonable price! I do have two things that would make it more valuable. I am not sure if it would be possible to implement them but I figure there is no harm in asking.

First, it would be great to see analytics based upon the set of problems (e.g., oldest, aging, and recent) that way I could see how I am progressing with each set individually rather than just overall. It is also more useful to see how I am doing with the more recent sets because of the possible differences in the law from the oldest to the newest. Also, having progressive analytics would be useful too. For instance, if it could show me how I am doing based upon the most recent 100 question's I've taken that would give me trend information as well or even if it was just broken up per 100 questions, that would be a great tool as well.

Second, I know this would be more work but it would make studying old practice problems that are not current law more useful. If you could provide what the answer would be based upon the current law, then we could know if our thinking was correct and it was just the fact that the law has changed that affected whether or not we got the right answer.

Again, thank you so much for providing real MBE questions! I've found them to be invaluable as I prepare for the July California Bar.

Redacted

Hi All,

I am trying to get accommodations for the September LSAT. I was diagnosed with ADHD due to attention in high school and I have issues with processing speeds/short term memory. I recently got re-tested since the first testing is over 12 years old and I'm going to submit psychologist's report. My question is, does the psychologist also have to fill out the "Statement of Need" or is her report enough? I tried to ask LSAC today, but they wouldn't tell me over the phone and then I e-mailed, but it might take a while for them to get back.

I received accommodations in high school (well I have a 504 plan) but I didn't really take any (that I remember at least) in college. I've been scoring consistently 154, but then around a 163-167 when I BR/go back and answer the questions I ran out of time to answer.

Thanks!

Hi 7Sagers,

On Monday, July 17, at 9 p.m. EST, I’ll lead a personal statement boot camp. We’ll cover everything from choosing a topic to shaping your story. When I’m done, I’ll answer your questions about the admissions process. Hope to see you there!

Personal Statement Bootcamp

Mon, Jul 17, 2017 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/985678109

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States: +1 (571) 317-3122

Access Code: 985-678-109

Joining from a video-conferencing room or system?

Dial: 67.217.95.2##985678109

Cisco devices: 985678109@67.217.95.2

First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: https://care.citrixonline.com/g2m/getready

Hey friends,

So I've been suffering from a crisis of confidence for about the last week because of my RC score. It's atrocious, disgusting, and infuriating. I've tried so many methods and I just haven't been able to get the hang of it. It's gotten to the point where it's negatively impacting my other sections because I can't help but think about it. My LR scores on PTs have gone from -1/-2 to -4/-5 per section and I have been much less in control with games. I was a rock solid -1/-2 per section and was quickly and efficiently handling the more non-traditional games. Now, I've been getting bullied around by those weird games, like the stone game from PT 60. I'm not really sure what's going on. My RC performance basically has me like that sad emoji, not the one with the tears but the one that looks both disappointed and sad. It's like my RC score is so awful that during the other sections I'm subconsciously saying "Ah, what's the use? I'm just going to go -11 in RC anyway..." This is easily the hardest part of my LSAT journey thus far and I know that the path to LSAT greatness lies in improving the RC score...but my problems go beyond a notation webinar or tracking things within the passage. I believe that my problems lie in being able to interpret what's true based on the passage even though it is not explicitly written. I have always been awful at this. I remember pretty much all of what was said, the arguments, viewpoints, but can't make RC inferences to save my life given the extreme time constraints under which we find ourselves. So many times I've read each passage with such diligence and check my answers with confidence that this was the 'aha' moment...only to go -9..-10. Obviously, the RC struggles have zapped a good deal of my confidence in the other sections and we all know that confidence is essential for LSAT success. For example, games that were taking me 6/7 minutes are now taking 9/10 because with every answer I'm like...uhhh hold on am I right?

Has anyone else ever gone through this? Even with the monstrosity that is my RC score, I'm still scoring 165+.

Please help!

-Frank

This may or may not be a discussion usually placed in the threads. But is there a right or wrong way to interact and connect with study buddies? So far I have only been able to connect with one but I feel like I just can't seem to get it right. We are all over the place and cannot seem to find the right way to interact to better help one another. We video chat, as we live very far from one another, and we are on two different levels in terms of our understanding of the material. Any advice on how to improve this?

Especially considering LR and RC.

Hello,

I got a 170 on the June LSAT and want to try to retake it in Sept with a 175+ ideally. I burned through all PTs studying for June, averaged around 173 from the 26 most recent tests reaching 178 twice, but it seems like I need a new game plan to really get to that next level consistently.

As for the breakdown for the June test: I missed 5 in RC (usually I miss around 0-3 - I was not expecting how hard the June RC would be), 2 in LG (I should not have missed those given how easy that section was, in PTs I miss around 0-1 but I am afraid the next test will have a harder LG which might stump me so I will definitely try to drill games until I can 100% stop making stupid mistakes), and LR I missed 1 each (usually I miss around 0-2 per section).

So far all I am planning is retaking PTs 60-81 and doing a better job blind reviewing and analyzing the questions re: making sure I know my thought process and that I can eliminate every wrong answer. Does anyone have any other ideas or how I should focus based on the info above? I'm definitely open to suggestions and what has worked for people. I'm just kind of stumped at how to make a study schedule at the moment to get what I'm shooting for.

Thanks!

When the LSAC CRS information asks for enrollment date, if I plan to start in Fall 2018, do I put 2018? Or because I'm applying in 2017, do I put 2017?

So i am of the opinion that taking pt after pt is a waste of time and resources. I also dont believe in setting dates for my next pt, rather take it when i think i will see improvement. with that said, i took my first PT last week, after foolproofing, and RC was my biggest issue along with NA SA and some flaw types. I spent this past week going through the CC and the trainer on all these issues and drilling abit. I think i dealt w the issues in NA SA and probably the things i was missing with flaws. I also spent some time creating a notation strategy and went through a bunch of untimed RC drills. My question is should i take another PT now? I dont think it is possible to completely master RC in a week let alone months. But i feel like i have to get more exposure to see if i have any other weaknesses that i have to focus on. Thoughts?