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I'm sitting here doing some BR and got a little curious so I used google to answer my question. I came upon this article and found it interesting. I assume my fellow 7sage LSAT warriors would also enjoy it.
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/lsat-question-writer-interview.html
Hey everyone,
I have finished the CC and decided to do a PT from the 40s to see if I have made progress. I got one point above my diagnostic, a 152, and got 176 on BR.
During the timed portion I received -8 on LG, -13 on LR (-5/-8) and -13 on RC. I have foolproofed every game from 1-20, and have done every RC section from 1-20 as well.
Do you guys think there is still room for a significant improvement before September, considering my BR score? I just feel very upset and discouraged as I was confident going into and during the test.
Thank you in advance!
Presuppose defined as "require as a precondition of possibility or coherence. synonyms: require, necessitate, imply, entail, mean, involve, assume"
Title says it all really. Curious to know how many questions you all have circled after a typical PT. I suppose here I'm more focused on LR and RC since with LG I feel you either 'get' the game and feel confident about all questions or you don't 'get' the game so you're not certain about any...
I'd also be curious to hear what your criteria is for circling for BR. Do you circle anything where you're (100% certain?(/p)
Hey everyone,
So I came across this thing in LG that got me a bit confused. Hoping someone can offer a quick clarification. Perhaps my brain just froze.
There is this one answer choice in LG that says:
If Hamadi is not appointed to the trial court than Perkins must be.
J.Y translated this as: H --> /P
but isn't it the other way around? In this case it is the "If" that is starting the conditional, not the "not". So shouldn't the translation be:
/H --> P
I don't know why I'm stumbling on this one but just can't see why he flipped it in this situation.
The advice on 7Sage is great. Everyone here genuinely cares about you, your progress, and helping you achieve your goals. People will go out of their way to encourage you and to help fill in your weak links with the LSAT.
Unfortunately advice is not one size fits all. While the LSAT is an extremely important test, and one that requires your dedication and endurance in order to succeed, it is also one step in a much larger game that is life. Not everyone can afford to take time off and devote themselves to the LSAT for years, and not everyone should. If you fall into this group of people with a time constraint, and are frustrated with the advice to postpone the test, just remember you know your situation better than anyone else.
The mentors/sages/guides and users here want you to do the best you possibly can on the LSAT. Many times waiting to take the test is the right answer. It's just not the answer everyone needs to hear.
So if you fall into this camp, and feel frustrated by the fact that no one understand why you need to take the test sooner than later, do not let it get you down. We are here as support for each other --- and we do understand that sometime people's paths and pace differ.
Just a shout out to anyone lurking and feeling pressured by this.
I'm about to start my first blind review and i'm a little worried. I feel like i'm going to review answers and agree with myself or change correct answers to wrong ones by over thinking. Any advice or tips? Or something you wish you knew before you started blind reviewing?
Hi everyone,
I have already written the LSAT once, scoring a 151 in December 2016. I realized on my first go, I did not master logical reasoning as for when it came to test date (even after I completed the 7sage curriculum) I got completely tripped up and tanked by LR sections. From May to now I have been testing individual LR sections UNTIMED from 1-30 ( I am on PT number 16 now, I have had to take some breaks from studying due to graduation and other personal affairs), and continue to practice my LG sections (1-30) (timed, which is my strongest section). I refuse to begin timing myself until I have the fundamentals of LR mastered, which means I am consistently going 90-100% on these questions in untimed practice. Where before I was going - 10, to even -8, now I have shorted the gap to -5 to even -3 untimed. But still, this varies. What I have noticed though, that I consistently get curve breaking and tough Necessary assumption and flaw question that have a long and convoluted stimulus wrong. How can I ensure that these types don't trip me up? I have reviewed the grammar and fundamental lessons, I have gone over these sections, and I have even used the LR powerscore bible.
My test is September 16th, and I want to begin timing myself with full length tests from the newer lsats 60-80 as soon as possible in order to adjust to the newer lsat format.
What can I do to greatly increase my LR in that time ( I am blind reviewing)? Should I postpone to December?
Also with reading comprehension that is a hit and miss, sometimes I can score great or bad, depends on the toughness of the passages (ones that tend to science and economic based are absolutely brutal for me). But with working and volunteering (I have to keep my volunteering for it absolutely necessary with my canadian law school applications). I have made the decision that reading comp will be the section I devote the least amount of prep for, due to the fact logical reasoning is 2 sections and makes up for 50% of the test.
Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thankyou for reading this long message
Sincerely, a struggling LSAT student
Unfortunately, I have only two months to study for the September LSAT. Any suggestions on how to get through this? I am a pretty quick learner and I have had a friend who studied for the LSAT in one month and got into UBC Law school. I am taking one class right now to finish my undergrad and it'll be done by the end of this month. I also work part time, so I could really use all the help that I can get. I know I don't have enough time to finish the entire curriculum, but I have skimmed through most of it. Now, I just have to start applying the strategies learned to actual questions.
I could really use all the advice that I can get. Thank you in advance!!
I've found several similar posts and while valuable, they don't speak to my situation exactly. I'm taking September, I am half way through the Core Curriculum and I'm wondering if I should start using some PT's concurrently with my curriculum work. As of Monday I will be studying full-time.
Should I:
Plow through the curriculum and then start doing PT's? (Schedule says by end of 1st week in Aug, I will finish Core)
Mix in PT's either as timed or piecemeal practice concurrently with my Core work?
I have a set of 10 that includes PT 7 onward. My understanding is that these are significantly different from today's form and that they may just be good practice instead of indicating potential scores. So realistically between now and test time, I don't think I'll finish so many PT's that I would exhaust supply. Does it make sense to utilize these early PT's concurrently with the core work especially in light of being on a full time study schedule soon?
Thanks for your feedback!
Hey y'all! I've seen a lot about "foolproofing"--what exactly is it and how do I do it? Also, can it be done for more than just LG?
Thanks!!
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I am going through the prep tests chronologically and am wondering if the LSAT has changed at all over time.
Hi all,
New to 7Sage, and was wondering...am i missing something in the best way to review questions in practice? When we are learning a new question type there are videos with sample questions from PTs, are we to find and print these out? In some of the videos I can't see all the answer choices when the video is paused. Are we not supposed to go through these on our own before we play the video? I need time to read and analyze the questions before the strategy is revealed. Is there a technique and/or easy way to print that I'm missing?
let me know thanks!
Hello 7Sage (:
I have been studying on and off since January, with school making studying a bit difficult. Regardless, it is now 72 days until the September test and I am stressing out. I need a 173.
Baseline scores: 141, BR-152
Average for the past 3 PT's (42,43,45)
154 (LR: -20, RC: -10, LG: -7)
159 was my most recent PT score.
BR-167.5 (LR: -9, RC: -4, LG: -1)
169 was my most recent BR score.
Since the test I took last week, I have made a goal to fool proof all LG from1-35. Is this a proper way to go about LG prepping?
School chilled out a bit now so I can devote 8 hours towards LSAT each day. I am also using analytics to work on my problem areas in LR- (Flaw, SA, MSS and REE) as well. I feel so stressed that I won't reach my goal and it is just eating me up inside!! Any advise would help.
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