Hi guys-

For those of you that are studying for this test while still in school and also balancing a job, honestly what do you do when you are just feeling like you are up to your ears in things to do? I get so frustrated at the limited time that I have. At times I feel as if I cannot give the LSAT the time it needs and deserves sometimes because your GPA is forever and I would never want to potentially compromise that.. and with midterms going on for me right now, I am just feeling so overwhelmed :/

Thanks guys (3(/p)

7Sage,

I just saw an email that my account will expire in a few days. This service and community was instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. Happy to answer any general questions about 1L (so far), LSAT, application cycles, whatever. Hope this can help someone!

Hi everyone!

I’ve noticed that when I’m doing BR, I sometimes struggle trying to come up with an explanation for why an answer is the wrong answer (especially when I’m picking between the last two). It does get frustrating at times and gets me tempted just to check answers lol. Any advice on that? Thank you! ?

Hello! I have been looking at the LSAC website, and I'm starting to get discouraged about receiving accommodations on the LSAT. I have a few long-term, documented diagnoses that could qualify me for accommodations. I know this is personal, but it would be really helpful to hear about some experiences with applying for accommodations, especially if it pertains to the conditions below. Thanks!

"First, here are a few undisputed facts about Robert Pruett. He is 38 years old, and has spent every single day of his life in prison since the age of 15. The crime for which he was convicted at that age—the murder of a neighbor—was in fact committed by Robert’s father, Sam Pruett. The prosecution’s theory was that, even though the senior Pruett actually stabbed the victim, Robert was present and liable as an accomplice. At an age when many children have just finished middle school, Robert was given a 99-year sentence in the Texas penitentiary."

On Thursday, Texas plans to execute him. Edit They are executing him for the murder of a jail guard, the case for which is circumstantial.

I find this story abhorrent. But it is very important to read, not to mention how well it is written.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/10/the-autobiography-of-robert-pruett

If I choose to upgrade to the ultimate+ course will I have access to video explanations of all the PT's RC questions as well as LG questions? I hate only being able to see the explanations of the games. From the list of what the higher package says it sounds like it does but wanted to be absolutely sure before dropping another $400 bucks.

Has anyone had luck studying while working out - particularly doing cardio? I've tried drilling while on the treadmill but find it tough to write steadily. Any ideas/suggestions on other ways to be productive while at the gym?

Hey everyone,

Sorry if this has been posted previously but I wasn't able to find any threads relating to actual video recordings of people taking timed LSATs. I do know they exist, as I've seen people referring to those in the past on the 7sage discussion board. I'm at the point in my studying where it would be super beneficial to watch a top scorer go through the test and see their timing strategy.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I know I posted something like this a few days after the LSAT scores were released but I've come to realize that at that point I didn't mean it. I'm not sure if this serves any particular purpose but hopefully someone who reads this finds themselves in a similar scenario and it looking for a comparative experience.

Just as some background for those of you who didn't see that previous post, I received a 165 on the September LSAT and was devastated. I had been PT'ing in the low 170's and seeing a 165 in that email was gut wrenching. After initially opening the email, my first instinct was to criticize the test and the perhaps undue worth that applications officers give it. I mistook that anger for fuel and claimed to have rededicated myself to studying. However, over the last few weeks I have done some LG, taken a PT which I got a 169 on, and reveled in my anger. Over that time, I have come to the realization that even if the LSAT is overvalued and there are issues with the test, it is what it is. I realized that I had practiced "willful ignorance" leading up to the September test. The margin of error between the 170's and 160's is so slim that I had been getting lucky on the questions that pushed my scores into the 170's. With that being the case: I need to get better at timing my RC, start filming my PT's for insight, get more consistent with LG in order to go -0 consistently, and hold myself to a higher standard on BR. Criticizing the test gets us nowhere, bettering my own skills will.

So for those of you who underperformed your expectations, take some time and face the hard truth. The score is what the score is. The LSAT is what the LSAT is. You can either chose to criticize circumstances, or work to change them for December. Below are some quotes that I've been reading over from my Bartlett's book the past few days and if you've gained nothing else from my ramblings, maybe these will make your attention worth it. Good luck to everyone and their studies.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Thomas Edison

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” -H. G. Wells

I just came across this explanation and I realized how much J.Y.'s humor has had a positive impact on keeping me upbeat while studying over this past year. Here's a post to appreciate the Yoda of the LSAT study.

Hopefully other 7sagers can share their favorite explanations too. :)

Hey guys, I wanted to hear the general opinion on explaining medically backed semester drops. I had to withdraw from an entire semester, but my G.P.A was unaffected because of documentation. On my transcript, it clearly states that the semester in question was a medical drop, but I was wondering if it would be necessary for me to disclose why the drop occurred. Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

I've been reading up on personal statements and seem to be finding some conflicting information on whether or not the personal statement needs to address "why law."

Berkeley seems to suggest that the personal statement does not have to touch on why you're interested in law - "You don't have to write about your interest in the law. In fact, your statement will probably be more memorable if you don't!" However, other sources seem to suggest that the whole point of the personal statement is to talk about why you're interested in law."

Ideally I understand that the best case scenario is if the two happen to coincide, and your personal statement happens to explicitly or implicitly relate why you want to do law, but what happens if the story or stories you want to tell reveal growth that doesn't necessarily explicitly explain "why law"? Does anyone have any insight on this / or have any examples of essays that have worked (and how much or how little they addressed "why law"? Wondering if @david.busis has any words of advice. Thank you!

Over at blueprint.com, someone posted predictions before the Sep. LSAT. He predicted (correctly, it turns out) that the LG section would not have any weird games. He thinks that this will be the norm in the future, because LSAC is scared of turning off potential test takers who might take the GRE instead. Wondering about what others think about this. Plausible, or not?

This is an emotionally-charged topic that has sometimes led to threads being closed by @"Dillon A. Wright" but there's a great article in the New Yorker about the topic. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/09/the-limits-of-diversity Highly recommended for anyone interested. I think it could actually be made into a really good RC passage.

As title. Am I allowed to use the Core Curriculum as I'm going through my BR?

Hey guys! Two questions.

I am going to take the test in December, which coming up pretty quickly. My timed tests are consistently at 160 and my BRs are 166-170.

Would I be able to make my BR score a reality in two months?

Also, I am currently doing two PTs a week and BRs between the two, but I have trouble concentrating when doing BR and so even just the two days between the two PTs feels like it's not enough time for me to learn much.

Should I switch to doing only one PT a week and spend the rest of the week with BR?

You've seen his explanations in the curriculum, and now's your chance to bring your questions to him. Ask him about specific questions. Ask him about strategies. Ask him about staying cool under pressure. Ask him what to do if you missed the deadline on your tax extension. Whatever question you've got, he's likely got your answer!

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Just had a question regarding writing personal statements and other essays. Any insight from others would be appreciated!

@"David.Busis" also if you have any time/interest to add thoughts.

I'm in the final stages of writing my applications for here in Canada, and I notice that some schools have word limits for their personal statements and optional essays. University of Toronto and Western for example have very clear-cut word count limits and topics to focus on.

There are other schools though that don't offer any word length limit that I can see. I'm struggling with the latter because I don't know how long to make the essay. I'm especially struggling with this for my Osgoode application because they have SOOO many factors that they say to include or potentially include in the personal statement, but no word limit. Should I err on the side of doing a shorter essay? or does the lack of word limit mean they want it to be super long? Based on all the factors they say could/should be included, I could make it a 10 page essay.

Thanks for any thoughts!

I'm writing my personal statement and I talk about my fathers business in the auto industry and how I've grown up helping him and learning from him and working by his side..and using this knowledge and his connections to start my own business.

I put it in a way that talks about how I can be a GOOD and hard working student and how these things have prepared me for my future endeavors, but it doesn't really answer the "WHY" aspect. I want to shoulder the weight my dad carries and I love thinking and reasoning and debating and writing (I actually do, I'm not just saying it to sound law oriented). I want to be paid to think and let the pen be my sword (is that how the saying goes?).

But so what? Why not write a book , ya know? Lol. My reasons for going to law school aren't based on really concrete things but more so these abstract ideas of representing what I think is the symbol of higher thinking in human beings.

What should I avoid doing in talking about "why law"?

Thank you guys, please ignore the messy and terrible writing here I promise my PS is better! If you'd like

To Exchange essays slide in those DMs.

I'm going to be the 9,000th person to post this thread on 7sage, so I'll cut to the chase. Here are my stats: 3.78 LSAC GPA, 166 LSAT (first take), solid PS, and (what I'm assuming will be) great LoRs since I'm so close to these professors because of all the work I did with them in undergrad that I'd call them friends. I'm 26 and have been out of college for going on four years. My average LSAT score is a 169 and the errors I made on the September test were almost exclusively due to test-day stress and strategic fumbles. It's a bummer that my score is below my personal average, but I am confident that buckling down on procedure and timing (coupled with the comfort of my first score being a good one) can boost my score in December.

So here's the issue. My PS is good, I'm happy with it, and I think it sends an important message about me. The editorial work I do professionally is freelance and the furthest thing from earth-shattering, but the flexibility has made it possible to commit my time to the LSAT for the past year. I have led a pretty ordinary, comfortable life, so that paired with my lackluster work life has made me pretty attached to this statement/terrified of what in the actual hell I'd write about if I had to reapply to my target schools, which are Cornell and Georgetown. Everyone around me is saying "just apply to Cornell and GULC this cycle super early and then reapply if you need to." I could realistically get my applications out by the end of this week (10/20), but again, the thought of writing an entirely new personal statement if I need to reapply is giving me nightmares. My gut is telling me that I should just wait until even earlier next cycle, much as it pains me to do so. Essentially, as most other people who post this sort of thread, I'm probably just looking for validation that waiting is the smarter thing to do here. That said, any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

So I've been looking into books to help me better prepare beginning my pt's. I've obviously ran across powerscore, but am unsure as to whether or not it's worth it due to the reviews I see here and there. Suggestions?

Hi guys,

So as you can tell by the title, I signed up for the December exam. However, I am feeling extremely demotivated to study. I have been studying since Feb. I had written the June lsat and scored poorly on it. 148 (but I knew i was not ready. I was only doing max 152 before going into the exam). My diagnostic in feb was like a low 130.

I then continued to study all throughout the summer and started PTing around 154-160 (which is my target range). However when I wrote the September lsat, I just got really nervous. It was like my brain froze & I knew I did bad. I got a 149.

My whole summer wasted for just a one point increase. It kind of makes me wanna cry - not going to lie. I was only away from answering one more question correctly to get at least a 150.

I went

-7 on LR and -14 on the other LR (I was just so damn nervous, couldn't even read properly), I went -10 on games and -12 on reading comp (I don't see myself improving on reading comp - I either get the passage or I don't.).

I took the month off from Sept 16 till now. My first break from the lsat since FEB (focusing on writing personal statements) . However, I don't know where to start. I have about 9 PTs printed to take. Should I focus on drilling? or take full timed PTs?

I have gone thru the CC twice, lsat trainer and I go back to the CC multiple times.

I just feel lost at this point. I felt I knew my stuff to at least get 155-157 but I did so bad AGAIN. and I knew it went bad because I was contemplating canceling my score. I am trying for Canadian schools, so my applications are due in about 15 days - so most of my attention has just gone to personal statements.

It would be really helpful if the custom study schedule generator allowed you to input the number of PTs you wish to take before test day rather than just including every single available PT in the schedule. While I agree the more PTs taken the better, I feel that because the generator includes every PT available in the scheduler (at least for Ultimate+ members) it makes for inaccurate/unrealistic study schedules for the core curriculum content. It would be cool if there was a feature to generate a study schedule of just the CC with the option to include however many PTs a person would like to take during their preparation; like 15 or 20 for example.

If this is already an option someone please fill me in!

Thanks!

#7SagerRager

Hey guys! I have a quick question. I am applying to law school in Georgia, and I got into a rear-end car crash a year ago. No one was injured and the damage was minimal, but I was cited and paid a fine. Do I need disclose that? Thank you so much for your help!

I just wanted to make sure my idea on weaken is correct.

Let's say we are given A-->B....

.

Can I Say "A(O) B(X) = Even when A was present, B did not appear" and "A(X) B(O) = Even when A didn't happen, B still did appear" to weaken [A --> B] ??????????