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I finished all the Powerscore Bibles and went through the whole 7Sage core curriculum.

I have PT'd from 36-44 and my timed scores are only averaging in the low 150s (150-152). I am BRing around low 160s.

My weakest area is definitely LR in terms of accuracy. However, during timed sessions, I find timing and speedto be the biggest obstacle regardless of section. Most of the time, I will not be able to finish a whole RC passage and also likely not be able to finish a LG game (around 14 points gone right there). For the games, I usually have 5-8 minutes left for the last game but unable to even start it because I don't know how to diagram. These games are generally in the "Misc" category.

I also go through all the explanations for questions I got wrong/unsure of and make detailed notes of why the answer is right and wrong.

Should I continue PTing? I am taking the June exam but unsure if continued PTing will increase my score. I don't mind if the increase is gradual if I continue to PT, but I just want to make sure I am making the most out of my time. I am a bit averse to taking another course as I understand the technique to attack each question but I feel the time constraint is the main issue I am having.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. As you can probably tell, I am in a big dilemma...

Thanks,

Kevin

1

It has occurred to me that every time I take the 15 minute break after the third section and come back to start section 4, I lose focus and I can't get back into the questions until about 15 questions in... I am not very attentive and overlook some of the details in the Question Stems... Has anyone experienced this as well and does anyone have any advice?

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Hello all!!

I'm currently enrolled in the Lsat starter program but want to upgrade to the Ultimate + level. However, I noticed that originally if you first bought the ultimate + you should have access for 18 months. But when upgrading from the started to the ultimate + it just says that you would get an additional 3 months access (which would be a total of 6 months access to the program since the starter gives you 3 months access). Does anyone know if this is a mistake and if I will actually get a total of 18 months access if I upgrade to the ultimate + rather than just an additional 3 months of access?

Thank you!!

[Admin note: Ultimate+ includes 12 months now]

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Good morning my fellow LSAT compatriots! I have been asking questions on this discussion board the past couple of weeks and have received a lot of really awesome and helpful responses. I want to contribute to the community, but feel like I am not strong enough at the test to help anyone out! So I am here to give motivation instead!

Just remember everyone, you are good enough! You have what it takes, you are a great individual and you are awesome! This test can not beat you, because you are an Iron Woman/Man. You have limitless potential and you will succeed. Every obstacle, hard question, or score, does not represent you as an individual. These challenges are just there for you to learn and grow from. If your score is not moving, and you just cannot figure out how to solve a certain type of question don't worry! The code will break for you eventually. Just keep going!

Enjoy your morning/afternoon/evening 7sagers!

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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

LR failure

I have grown disheartened in the past few weeks as my PT scores but particularly my LR scores have fallen. I feel like every question has two right answers and always seem to pick the wrong one. I'm currently studying full time (7hrs/day) so I was hoping I would see some improvement but I'm only getting worse. Any tips?

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Hi guys,

I'm working through the core curriculum at the moment in preparation for the Sept. LSAT, and I'm getting a bit hung up at the logic section. A lot of my undergrad has been formal propositional and first order logic, and so many of my intuitions are being challenged by the unconventional way 7Sage teaches logic. For example, I would immediately translate the statement "No pilots are blind," as:

~∃x(P(x)^B(x)) - there does not exist an object that is a pilot and that is blind.

And of course the negation of that would just be ∃x(P(x)^B(x)) - there exists some object that is a pilot and that is blind.

Do you think it's worth 'reprogramming' myself to do things 7Sage's way, or just stick with the way I've been doing it for years? I guess I'm just a bit concerned that there is something specific to the LSAT where conventional logical notation would fail, and it would be worth knowing 7Sage's method.

1

Before taking my test in February, I went with the route where I drew out most/all possible combinations of a game before solving it and it DOES make the questions easy to solve...

However, recently, as I've been studying for the June exam, I've noticed that when I just graph out the bare minimum of where things go and the rules, I find myself finishing the games much quicker... It might take me a little more per question to graph possible solutions to a certain scenario, but i find it more beneficial that not having to spend time graphing scenarios (before answering questions) allows me time to brute force certain questions if needed. Afterall, filling out the game in like 3-6 different outcomes is a kind of brute forcing itself right?

What do you guys think... is my method of minimal planning before answering questions okay? Or is it a rule of thumb/ better in the long run to pre-fill as many as I can in a decent amount of time?

I feel like what I'm doing now is sort of a noob method....but idk, i think its working. Anyone else?

0

My accepted school gave me a scholarship and told me to withdraw from my current waitlists. Is that allowed? I know they can make you withdraw from schools you've been accepted to but what about waitlists?

A second related question - if I do have to withdraw to accept the scholarship, do you recommend that I email my waitlist school and tell them about the situation and that if they accept me now, I will definitely commit? Help!!

1

I honestly did not think I could break into the 170's. But on Friday I scored 174 on PT 76.

I just let go of the results of each test and did my best to BR every test.

Something that really helped me was BRing the next day. I was too excited to check my score and so the bulk of my br's were sloppy. Once I did that I got a few 169's and lo and behold

12

Hey everyone so I am going through the CC and need some help.

1: How much time am I suppose to spend on the question sets at the end of each section?

2: Also I realize that on the more difficult problem sets I am getting more questions wrong; problem is that while I am doing them I feel very confident that they are correct because most of the time I am narrowing the answer choices down to two answers and end up selecting the wrong one due to my inability to eliminate the last remaining incorrect answer choice. Any advice on what I should do or any advice on eliminating the wrong answer when stuck between two?

3: And when reviewing the questions which I got wrong but did not circle for BR I am having a difficult time breaking my thought process that led me to the wrong answer choice.

Thanks for the help, and good luck everyone :)

0

If you are in a school, say American, and want to transfer to say Vanderbilt. Lets say you get 15k a semester from American for tuition. Would you be able to get a scholarship if you transferred to Vanderbilt? How does that work?

0

Hey guys,

I'm in the middle of studying for the June LSAT and am currently taking the preptests...which PTs do you think are most similar to the LSAT as it currently stands? I'm only in the PT 40's but am thinking of jumping to the more recent PT's to better prep for the real thing as I'm not going to have enough time to do all of them. Where should I start?

2

Let me be honest, hearing the word digital next to the word LSAT is daunting. So I took on the brave journey, drove 4 hours and took the 5 hours Digital test and here is my honest review.

*** I am not receiving benefits from any source or entity.***

I am also not sure what people meant when talking about NDA. I read everything and the only thing that was mentioned was not to share the content of the test, which I haven't in this post. But ADMIN if you see anything that shouldn't be shared, please feel free to fix it

  • Overall experience:
  • Let me give a bit of a background. I am one of those people who have been postponing the LSAT because taking the actual test is nerve wracking, and it is almost impossible for me to take practice test because I am not discipline enough to sit that long when nobody is watching. That is my biggest struggle, the timing and sitting down for that long. So taking the actual test with LSAC proctors made it so much easier for me. Now that I have done it once I know I can make myself do it again and again (time practice tests) So the experience was definitely worth 100%. I was prepared with my watch, sharper, pencil, easer, and bunch of other stuff you need for taking the paper test, but the Digital experience is so much easier. All you need is an ID and the ticket. That's it, so bye bye to the watch, pencil and all that stuff that you have to worry about. Take all that out of the equation.

  • Pros
  • Bye Bye to bubbling! YESSSS! The tablet is in landscape mode and at the bottom of each question is 25-28 small circles that get bubbled in automatically as you fill the questions. This definitely saved time since I didn't go back and forth between sheets.

    Flagging and Elimination: If you are not sure of the question, you can flag it and go back to it if you have time remaining. On the right side of each answer choice there was an option to eliminate the answer, as well as the option to collapse the answer choice if you don't want to see it again. It will show the first like followed by .... but it takes it out of view.

    Timer: There is an automatic timer that is on the right corner, its 35:00 count down. You can collapse it to hide it, but after the 5 minutes warning (which pops up automatically) you don't have an option to collapse. It was really helpful because I knew exactly when to move on without resetting my watch every section.

    User Interface: We were given a pen with a stylus at the back, scratch paper and there was a table holder. The stylus response was quick and I didn't have any lagging or issue with using it. I honestly was shocked at how accurate it was, LSAC really put time and effort into designing this because I went in being very skeptical about the whole process.

    Other functions: Okay so there was so many functions that you are given option to change and customize before you start the test. So there was an option to invert the colors to black and white, customize the font into small, default and large. You could change the brightness as well as other stuff that I didn't use because it was geared towards accessibility for disabilities. So these functions could be changed ahead of time before you start your test. But you had access to change them anytime during the test as well. There was a highlight function that gave you option of Yellow, Orange, Red and an underline. OHH! And an eraser function, that worked well.

    Keyboard: We were given a keyboard for the writing section. Totally loved it. It was smaller than the standard keyboard but I typed and edited that essay like a boss. I know it doesn't count towards your score, but it was still a fun experience. Loved it. Even though I have a decent handwriting, my hands start cramping writing essays. So definitely a plus. And I can see how this section can weigh in more once digitalized because the admission comity will be able to read it since its typed and not hand written.

    Setting and seating: I am not sure if it is going to be for all digital tests but the tables and chairs weren't the regular small separate desk things but a long desk attached with movable chairs, which were 100 times more comfortable than the standard desks. I had enough space for arm rests and didn't feel like everything was falling apart. It was so much more simpler, just one tablet that had everything built in. I didn't need gazillion pencil, watch, eraser or sharpener to keep track of.

    FONT: hate how in reading section (paper version) the lines are close to each other that underlining and circling starts getting messy. So the font feature in the digital was definitely a plus. There was underling, highlighting and a eraser option. Also it was easier for me to grasp the words and sentence structure because it was clear and large enough to read. Keep in mind that I had my setting to small, and even that size was pretty decent for comprehension.

    EQUAL TIME: Everyone's screen froze and started at the same time. Everyone got the exact 35 minutes, and you didn't have to worry about filling the scranton as you got closer to your 5 minutes. That equals to almost 3 minutes additional for each section! I CAN TAKE THAT!

  • Cons
  • Light reflection: The light from the ceiling was reflecting on the screen. I tried laying the tablet down, raised the brightness but I could still see the white lights shining on the screen. The light fixtures in universities are large and rectangular so it was taking over half my screen. Maybe if I switched my seats or if they turned it off? But I wasn't the only one having the issue, people around me were saying the same thing. It eventually faded away because I guess my eyes adjusted to it? I don't notice it at all once the timer started, I was so focused on taking the test, that it became unnoticeable.

    Write or not to write: I have not taken any digital tests in the past, so, I was a bit confused on what I should be writing. For logic based LR questions I like to write stuff down but for some reason I felt moving to another platform (paper) was not coming to me as quickly. If I had prior practice than it would be more natural. The good thing was there it was a stylus pen so all you had to do was rotate the thing and start writing. I did have a difficult time with more difficult LR questions as well as Games, games are just so much easier to do on the paper it self. But again, I could train myself if I knew I was going digital.

    DISENGAGEMENT: I didn't feel that connection, that test taking quickness, that feel of killing the test because I wasn't as engaged with the materials. It is psychological so I am sure one can over come it with a bit of practice. I hate the bubbling part of the paper test but love the whole writing all over the paper. So definitely a choice to make over here..

  • Quick breakdown of differences in each section on digital vs. paper?
  • LR section:

    Paper: logic notations right next to the answer choice is key for me in the LR. I feel I can do better on paper, but at the same time if I were to practice on a scratch pad, I am sure I can work it through. It's more of me never having done that in the past.

    Digital: It was really nice for them to have added an elimination and collapse feature. It was so much easier/ quicker to come down to 2 right choices and just picking one and moving on. It was FAST. Especially the 10 questions under 10 minutes, Now you might be able to easily knock 13 questions under 10 minutes. If you are someone who tends to read eliminated answer choices, than the whole collapse feature will be a magical experience. lol.

    Reading section:

    Paper: I hate the reading section on paper cause its so small and seems like there is so much to read! Even though writing and circling is more engaging. I prefer the digital version for the reading section.

    Digital: In the digital version of the reading section, there was another feature added: You had 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 numbers that you could drop down through out the passage and use them as notation. So you could think of 1 as main point, 2 as opposing etc. In addition to that there was all the highlight and underline feature. So the standard option was a dual thing where the passage was on the side and question on the right side. You could scroll the passage and do the questions one by one. OR you had an option to read the passage as a whole without any questions on the page, do your highlight and number marking stuff and then move to the passage/question thing. IN ADDITION. Instead of looking for the number lines, they highlighted the words in the passage in blue, corresponding to the question. So if I had a question about a specific word in the passage, it was automatically highlighted in blue, it helped me so much. Because I am already super slow in RC and looking for number lines and all that throws me off a bit. Also cause I am being tested on the content, not on freaking find the corresponding line! So yes, I love the RC in digital so much better. ALSO, I am not not sure if it was just easier material but honestly it was so much easier to read it in the digital format, it didn't seem lengthy or intimidating. I was able to color code opposing points, with different colors. It was very easy to change colors and it honestly changed my whole RC experience. I knew exactly when the topic changed cause of the way I highlighted them using three different highlighters plus underlining. I did spend 8 minutes on the first two passages cause I was playing around with color..lol.

    Game section:

    Paper: Love it, you all know how it is.

    Digital: HATED IT, I don't know what I was doing. I was thrown off completely BUT again, if I practiced digital I could have done better. Again, the whole being engaged with the paper thing. If you are a engaged paper kind of person. DO PAPER. I on the other hand am willing to go digital once I get some practice with it.

  • Recommendations to future test takers when making a choice of digital vs. paper?
  • So it is honestly a preference thing. I am a 90's kid, so I went through middle school doing everything in paper and pencil, it was only later that I got exposed to assignments on computer. If you are from the generation that grew up doing everything on computer, I say this is for you. With a little practice on digital you can Ace this LSAT with no issue at all. Try out the digital version stuff LSAC is offering online to play around with. It it honestly not that bad at but it can throw you off if you have no idea or any experience with such testing methods.

    If you are someone who likes to be engaged with paper and it really helps you come up with the answers by jotting down stuff, then go for paper. If you don't mind bubbling and the watch and pencils and erasers, stick to paper. However, I would recommend trying RC and LR digitally to see how you feel about those sections, if those are your weak areas going digital might be something you want to explore more. I think going digital gives you more time, overall.

    Wether or not the LSAT goes completely Digital at some point. I am not worried about our adaptive skills as humans. Time over time have we have adapted to all situations (for GOD's sake, we trained ourself to take the LSAT in the first place). So we are very capable of training ourself to perform equally well if not better. We have amazing resources in our hands, the question is if we are willing to accept the change and take the time to tweak our testing methodologies.

    There are so many benefits for the digital LSAT. The cost to take the test might reduce, which may end up being more cost effective. It might be offered more often and the results revealed sooner. This opens doors to a lot more people coming from different background --> resulting in diversity within the field of law.

    So, to everyone who is freaking out and worried about it, you will be more than fine, I promise.

    32

    I know 7sage has difficulty ratings of all the LG sections, but is there something similar for CR/LR? I'm trying to figure out which final PTs to take before writing in June, and I'd like to take at least 2 of the harder overall tests (I've left most of the 70's available for this purpose) and an easier one to boost confidence before test day.

    2

    Hi All,

    I have finished up my LSAT studying and am seeking advice. I understand you aren't allowed to sell LSAT PDFs, but are you allowed to sell booklets? I have purchased about 15-20 LSATs from Amazon and am wondering if they have any value or if I should throw them out.

    Thanks!

    0

    Hey all,

    So this week for me is super busy, I really don't have time to do a full length practice test as I have been doing these past 6 weeks. Would it be a good idea to just do timed sections throughout the week (using a practice test) just as some material to look at when I have the time throughout the next few days. If so, should I just use the next practice test on my list (I think its 44 or 45) or should I use an older one? I also plan on going over some stuff in the CC whenever I get a chance as well.

    Thanks in advance.

    0

    I wanted so badly to burn them, but those just getting started came to mind. Kim and Bible Trilogy 2016, like new, because I relied mostly on JY. I also have every preptest available, but they are obviously used. PM me if interested. Just trying to help a fellow grinder out. BTW, I got into my top choice with a half-scholly!

    3

    Hi, I've been studying for the LSAT for about 5 months in total now and I'm preparing to take the June test. I'm aiming for a 170 and I just took a preptest (PT44) and got a 160 timed score with a 172 BR score. I don't know what is going on with me during the timed test, but I feel like my fundamentals are fine at this point. I feel a little discouraged and would appreciate any suggestions! My score break down was RC -12, LR -12, LG -0. I feel like RC being the first section threw me off because I didn't do any warm-ups before taking the PT, but during BR, I was able to bring my RC down to -1 and LR down to -6. Should I just keep reviewing and taking PTs until test day?

    1

    Hi, during the core curriculum, is it advised to time yourself on the practice sets given (i.e., the 5 questions per set in the LR section)? Or is it better to not time and focus on strategy and comprehension?

    Thanks

    0

    Due to the recent elimination of the 3 take limit, I have been considering the possibility of retaking. However, I'm not exactly sure where to start as I have already studied the LSATs for over 2 years, pretty much took all the exams and went through curriculum and have taken the exam three times. My highest fresh non-official takes were a 163 and a 166, but my highest official take was a 160. Starting from a 140 diagnostic, I do understand that I made substantial progress but I would at least like to be able to score closer to the higher end of my score band or perhaps score into the high 160s or low 170s. How should my study plan look like? RC I have been underperforming on test days because I tend to freeze up on hard passages. LR is an inconsistent section for me as well and I have trouble on those harder flaw questions that don't follow a cookiercutter flaw. FInally for LG, I tend to struggle with sections that have those medium level games that require you to brute force

    0

    Took a very niave PT back in Dec. Scored a 153. Then decided to start 7sage two weeks ago (studying for Dec. 2017). Took June 2007 and scored an actual score of 160. Blind Review-ed even higher! I'm sure this is a fluke because I can't believe I saw this big of an improvement after just two weeks of the CC! Thanks - y'all are inspirational! What's your largest jump?

    4

    I am a veteran, and I received 18 total credits for my time served. On my transcript they show up as "TR". They do count toward my undergrad degree, but obviously there is no GPA associated. They aren't from another school so I can't just ask someone for a transcript. I guess my question is, are these credits just not counted?

    0

    I've been scoring consistently in the high 160's and low 170's for a while now but my latest score on my last prep test was 160 and I took prep test 60 today and scored 155. I'm feeling pretty discouraged right now especially with the June LSAT coming up in a couple weeks. I'm finding the simplest of questions really hard and I have to reread the LR stimulus a couple times to understand it. My mind is cloudy and I can't concentrate fully on the exam. Would this be considered burn out? I would feel guilty taking time off for a couple days when it's so close to the test date. Any advice please?

    0

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