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Hi everyone,

I'm applying for accommodations for the June exam and was just wondering if someone who has applied before could provide some guidance. I have the "qualified professional" statement ready to go, but is it necessary to also send my own statement ("Candidate Statement of Need") as well? If so, any tips for how to write a decent candidate statement? Many thanks!

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Note I am applying to Australian Law School meaning that my application is due in September 2017.

I originally took the LSAT in Feb 2017 and was quite disappointed with my score (it was 7 points below my average). Since then I purchased the 7sage course and have been aiming for a re-take for June 2017. I'm now thinking of pushing that retake back to September 2017.

The positives are:

  • more time to study
  • less to study each week
  • The drawbacks are:

  • more time juggling LSATs, study, my thesis and work
  • more time with it on the back of my mind
  • What would you guys recommend?

    0

    For the early birds out there, come ask David @"Accounts Playable" about the LSAT!

    Office Hours with Sage David

    Saturday, April 15, 11:00 AM EDT

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

    https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/912696957

    You can also dial in using your phone.

    United States: +1 (312) 757-3121

    Access Code: 912-696-957

    First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: http://help.citrix.com/getready

    4

    Today is pretty weird. I am usually quite positive and optimistic when studying the LSAT, but today I'm fraught with anxiety and sheer frustration. I think the reason is that when I was working on PTs in 20-30s range, I was doing very well and established all my strategies based on them. Now I started to solve PTs in 60s-70s, and I noticed a score drop and having to rearrange and rethink some of my strategies. Now I am redoing some problems in PTs in 20-30s (the ones I usually do well in) and I notice a time lag and anxiety as well. My mind is not focusing at all. LOL...

    Right now when I am reading, I have this urge / anxiety to comprehend every single thing I am reading, to be in control of everything. I don't think I've been this frustrated with the LSAT before. Usually, when I am frustrated, I don't mind much and I still keep a positive attitude. Today is just a disaster.

    Anyone know a way to get out of this slump?

    0

    When you take a re-take do you wipe your old data from the analytics section? That is what I've been doing after transposing my old answers on the backside of the bubble sheet. That way I can update my analytics to see my current weaknesses but still have the ability to compare my newer test to my old answers. But I just took a retake (PT 56) and think I did waaaay better so I'm not even sure it's worth it. I don't want my average to get too inflated.

    Thoughts?

    0

    Hi Everyone!

    So I just got 7sage and it's really wonderful, but I only got the starter pack that gives me limited access to the question bank. I do have PT 52-61 as a book that I could use as extra practice and I was wondering what my approach should be? For example, I just finished Main Conclusion videos and did the 5 problems at the end, but should I also do the MC problems in my book or wait until I've learned a few different question types and then do varied practice? Also, if I do them is there a way for me to mark whether I got the answers right or wrong in the Analytics section without completing an entire test?

    0

    Hi Everyone,

    I was hoping to get some insight from some of the members of this community. For a couple of weeks, I was hitting somewhere around my target score and averaging just 1 or 2 points below my target. However, I just took another 2 practice tests over the course of two weeks and my score dropped 6 points or so. I've been feeling a lot less confident with my answers and I can't tell if it's because of the way I've been studying, or if it's the types of concepts the tests are covering, etc. I was wondering if anyone here had this experience before and had any insight as to what I can do about this. I'm starting to get a little bit worried.

    Thanks so much!!

    0

    I've been wondering if it's advised to do all problem sets associated with a lesson before moving on to the next lesson, or if the problem sets are there for us to utilize later in the curriculum as a refresher. I understand that this could be entirely subjective and based on the individual, but was curious to see how others approach the problem sets. I've been completing at least half of the problem sets associated with the given lesson before moving on, while saving the rest for later after completing the course to drill and test my ability to remember how to attack the various question types.

    0

    So, I've been battling with the idea for the past two weeks to either take the LSAT in June or take it in September. I have not been feeling ready at all for the test and I want to get the best score possible. Today, I went to log into the LSAC page to see what testing centers are available... well looks like ALL of the Philadelphia locations were booked. A little blessing in disguise I'd say.... (although I know I can just take it somewhere else).

    To be honest I'm actually excited about this! I feel like I'm just starting to grasp things and was hating the pressure I was putting on myself. This way, come September I'll feel full on ready :)

    3

    This is me since Monday night about everything LSAT...and I only drink DECAF coffee and tea!

    No matter where you are in your studies: in, out, or back in CC again, get thee into "Oldies PT Mondays" study group! You won't regret it! It's working wonders for me already and I NEEDED a miracle!

    Watch for Can'tGetRight's thread posting soon! Can hardly wait to work with y'all! (3(/p)

    ...now where's my pom poms...

    0

    I noticed that the video interface has changed recently, and after the change I've been having serious lagging issues. This lagging problem especially prevalent when I put the video speed above the regular 1.0x. The video would run for ten seconds, lag for 3 seconds, run for another few seconds, then lag again....

    Am I the only one who is having this problem?

    1

    Hi All,

    I would love to get some feedback from you guys about how you approach the issue of "misreading" questions in any of the sections, but specifically LR. I heard once (probably from someone on here...can't remember) that you are doing yourself a great disservice if you realize you got a question wrong because you misread the question, but just chalk it up to a careless mistake and you do not take it seriously enough to address the issue properly.

    I'm wondering how to "address the issue properly." I have had this issue more times than I would like to admit. I will take a PT timed and end up really struggling with a question, only to return to it during BR and get it correct in 30 seconds because I realized I was misreading something crucial. Like for example, as I first read PT58.S4.Q15, I could not for the life of me figure out what was going on, mainly because I didn't know what types of "proofs" they were referring to. Film proofs? Printing proof? During my BR, I reread the question and recognized immediately that they were talking about math proofs and I was like "Man...how do I train myself to recognize that this quickly during the timed test?"

    Sometimes my misreadings are less content based and more structure based. For example, on the same test mentioned above, for question PT58.S1.Q21, I missed this question because I did not register the word "not" in the last segment of the argument. None of the ACs made sense to me due to the fact that I missed such an important part of the argument because of careless reading. I want to chalk it up to an endurance/attention span issue, but there has to be a way to train myself out of this carelessness. I don't want to be overly cautious at the expense of my confidence, but I would love to eliminate the avoidable mistakes. I have no intentions of getting questions wrong on the real test that are within my reasoning capabilities to answer.

    Thanks in advance!

    2

    I thought I had burned through nearly all tests last year during prep, but I just took inventory and I have 18 remaining!!!

    Wow, I've never been so happy to be so wrong.

    Side note: @"Dillon A. Wright" do we have access to the bundle for RC? I only see LR and LG. Thanks

    3

    I wrote my first diagnostic today and surprised myself with a 154. Definitely not the score I want on test day, but happy to start in the 60th percentile. I've signed up for the powerscore two month in-person class, and im currently working through the 7sage curriculum. Is it overly ambitious to want to write the test in June? And is there any benefit to writing in June vs September ?

    0

    I took the February LSAT and scored a few points above my average! But 7 points from my best score ever... I am planning to write again in September with the hope of being a little less nervous and having a much more solid grasp on the principles, rather than a sometimes-vague understanding that got me by but left some of the harder questions as a total guess. My goal is to increase my score by 5-7 points.

    My study plan is this:

  • start from the beginning of the core curriculum, taking notes and reviewing learned principles (whizzed through the videos last time and assumed I understood because I got the sample questions mostly right - not the case)
  • be diligent in my blind review (got really lazy with it last time around) and try out the technique of writing an explanation for every answer (this sounds painfully slow for me but I guess it's necessary)
  • 2.5 months to get through the core curriculum while working full time. then a month off for a busy time at work (necessary but can maybe do some timed sections a couple times a week to stay warm). then 2 months for prep tests and (painfully thorough) blind reviews while working a little less than full time.
  • Any advice of what else to consider to gain a rock solid understanding? I struggle with the harder RC (especially the science topics) and the hardest level of LR. I mastered LGs so just need to maintain there and practice hard miscellaneous questions to avoid panicking in the face of the unknown.

    Gosh, even if there isn't any advice, this was so helpful to write out!!

    1

    Most beers in are cans. Most cans contain beer.

    Conclusion: The number of beers is not greater than double nor fewer than half the number of cans.

    B (---most---) C

    Conclusion: 1/2C < B < 2C

    Most cans contain beer. Most beers are in cans. Most beers contain alcohol.

    Conclusion: Some cans contain alchohol.

    C (---most---) B ---Most---> A

    Conclusion: C some A

    Let me know if you think this makes sense. Thanks!

    1

    Hey everyone. I hope your studies are going well and ya'll find some time to enjoy the Summer weather between BRing and pencil debates.

    I am nearing the end of the CC -- I've Point at Issue, Miscellaneous, and the bundle remaining. However, I also have ALL of the RC remaining as well : ) because I wasn't able to print anything until recently. My plan is to finish out the CC in the next 10 days and then take a month to Fool Proof as much of the LG as I can, develop an RC approach (experimenting with the various methods that are out there), Fool Proof as many early RC as I can, and continue LR drilling to stay fresh. The end of that fool-proofing month will have me begin PTing by the end of May and I would like to take the test by Sept/Dec.

    If anyone has feedback, advice, cautionary commentary, or words of support I would love to hear them! Here are some particular questions I have:

  • Should I fool-proof all bundle games before PTing?
  • Should I Start PTing as soon as I finish the CC so that I can participate in things like BR calls and @"Cant Get Right" "Oldies But Goodies" or hold off on these things until I get some fool-proofing under my belt?
  • Thanks for your help,

    J

    1

    Sadly, my score has plateaued in the mid-high 150s range. I was in the 160s so I'm pretty discouraged. I've been studying for 7 months and take the exam in June. Any advice about how to get out of a score slump? I've worked through power score books, fox's prep, and used manhattan prep to pull up my logic games score.

    0

    Just curious. I would like to take the September LSAT, so I don't intend on needing it more than 4.5 - 5 months. However the two most expensive courses list extra levels of difficulty in the "problem sets." Do you all think the extra money is worth it for those problem sets, or will the fundamental teachings and practice tests be enough?

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    Monday, Apr 10, 2017

    RC advice?

    Hey everyone. So I've been going at it with this test for more than a year now. I used to solely rely on the memory method and no notations, but now for the past few months I've been doing Nicole's notation strategy with a small kick of just writing like 1 or 2 words next to each paragraph (e.g. background info, evidence, and so on).

    I haven't seen improvement the way I would like to, and RC is the only section holding me back from getting into the 170's. I'm like a machine on LR and LG, but RC just doesn't seem to want to work with me. I miss mostly detail and inference questions, and I usually can always get the bigger picture questions right such as MP and function of a paragraph ones.

    I'm starting to get frustrated as even when I do passage untimed, I still cannot go perfect on them and sometimes miss an embarrassing amount. I read for structure, tone, etc. and all of that good stuff but nothing!

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    0

    I wanted to share a strategy that's been working for me.

    When I do BR, my question isn't "am I comfortable with this question?". My question is rather, "did I tackle this question in the most efficient way possible?" Because in a lot of cases, I might be comfortable with a question, have gotten it right, but have spent way more time than needed. Also, there's usually a reason why I spent more time than needed: I might be lacking some crucial skills.

    I time myself not just the overall time spent on a section, but the time I took for each question. If I thought a question was easy, but spent over 1:25+, I didn't solve that question as efficiently as possible. If the reason, for example, is because I didn't identify the conclusion in the most precise way and had to go back to the stimulus, that tells me that I still need to work on identifying the conclusion precisely. I need to improve on that skill.

    So here's what I do.

  • Did I tackle this question in the most efficient way possible?
  • Why didn't I ? Where did I spend too much time?
  • What does that mean? What skill might I need to improve on? (be specific with the skill: need to pay more attention to the logical indicators, need to identify the conclusion correctly...etc)
  • After writing down the skill needed to solve the question more efficiently, compile them and try to find a general trend. What skill do I need to work on in general?
  • Before starting the next PT, write down on the section: pay special attention to this skill as I am tackling this PT.
  • Repeat

    I think this helps me to

  • Identify and consciously focus on the skills that I need to work on
  • Care more about building the right habits and skills than getting the questions right or wrong
  • minimize gap btw the actual score and the BR score, because I am mastering the techniques to be efficient during the actual exam.
  • GRANTED, there are still some questions that I have absolutely NO IDEA about even after BR.

    Those require the most analysis.

    But usually my actual and BR scores are pretty similar.

    FYI tho, this strategy takes A LONG TIME in the beginning. Sometimes I take 3~4 hours BRing a single section. But I think it's worth it.

    34

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