Hi all. So I took pt 43 and got a 172 yesterday. Today I did blind review, and was up to a 176. Idk if it's technically blind review , I just took the test and redid it with more time and finished maybe around 4 hours along my start of the sopranos lol.

Now, I want to see which answers I switched over correctly and incorrectly and break them down into question type and practice those sections with some questions.

Is there anything you guys think I could do better here or is my process okay? And I'm really pleased with the 172 since it was my first actual PT since the June lsat and I'm doing a lot more untimed questions by section type and I think it's paying off. I'm aiming a PT a week whereas before I did like 4 PTs a week (very stupid as I've learned). but idk, I got in the 170s a couple times pting but didn't break 160 on the actual test. I basically did much lower than my PT average and I treated this studying like a full time job. Still do for September? So idk maybe I'm missing something and it was those beers all along. Jk. /rant

Thanks

Hello Fellow 7Sagers,

I am interested to see what your overall thoughts are of the PT. I am even more interested to see what your thoughts are regarding the logical reasoning sections. Thank you.

I have been studying for the LSAT for 4 months now and have been consistently getting 156-157, and have been working my way to 160. I took a PT on Sunday only to get a 152... and I am feeling extremely discouraged because of it. Any tips to help remove myself from this mindset?

Hi 7Sage,

It's my great pleasure to introduce our newest admissions editor, Micah Bateman.

Micah is an Iowa Writers' Workshop alumnus, PhD candidate, and experienced word ninja. He's the kind of editor that other editors go to for help.

Micah's also a bit of a genius. I'm going to embarrass him now, but I have to brag: he took the LSAT on a lark, without studying much, and got a 176.

I've worked with Micah for years at the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, a summer program for talented young poets and fictionauts, and I always enjoyed watching Micah answer student questions in our morning assemblies. He speaks off the cuff in eloquent paragraphs.

In addition to editing personal statements, diversity statements, and anything else you can throw at him, Micah will be our in-house résumé specialist. If you want a set of eyes on your résumé, he's the right guy.

Hey guys I have been stuck inbetween 156-158 for the past 2-3 weeks and need some advice about how to proceed with my studying and ultimately achieve my goal of a 160. I began the 7sage curriculum at the beginning of June and scored a 140 on the diagnostic. After the first month I made significant gains getting into the low 150s and then into the range I'm currently stuck in. I find that I struggle the most with LR particularly (SA/NA/descriptive weakening/flaw type) questions and for most of my wrong answer choices i always narrow it down to two answers (one of which is usually correct) but happen to choose the wrong one. In addition, with blind review I have reached160, however during the PT's I make some silly errors simply because I feel pressured due to the timer. So what Im wondering is if it would be more beneficial going over past exams and drilling questions i got wrong and fully understand what led me to the wrong answer and how to identify the correct answer or continue taking PT's? Because from now until Sept 16, 2017 when i write the exam all i have left are practice exams but i feel like I'm wasting my time because I scored almost the same on literally every PT in the past two and a half weeks and because I'm on PT52 of 72 for the package I've bought and my schedule created by 7sage requires i take at least 4 a week, which gives me no time to review. In other words, will it cost me on the actual exam if I don't take all these PTs?

Sort of irrelevant but I did book a one week trip next week to take my mind off things and relax, and i was wondering what sort of studying/review/PTs i should do there and how much time i should still allocate for LSAT prep. Finally, for the 5th section on the exam (essay) should i be practicing this and actually doing some from PTs, or since it doesn't account for my grade not worry about it.

I know I asked a lot of questions but I'd appreciate some advice/feedback.

Thanks!

Hello all,

Applied for LSAT accommodations around the end of July and still have not heard back from the LSAC. It will be 14 business days this Thursday, so they are still within their window, I was just curious, from those who have gone through this process before, is it common for them to take the full 14 business days to reply?

I'm currently at the point where my test scores range between 166-172 and I rarely miss more than two questions per reasoning section. However, my performance on the other sections is more volatile, particularly on games (-1 to -8). I studied intensively for about 1.5 months in preparation for the Dec 2016 test, which I cancelled. I then took roughly 8 months off before recently resuming studying for Sep. My improvement on games has been steady but slow and I still often run out of time on 2 or more questions. Can anyone offer some suggestions for study methods beyond the foolproof method? I drilled 20 dif games so far today but my performance started slipping by the 16th or 17th game...thanks!

So my last few PT's have been 168, 170, 173.

Obviously the random noise is evident here - days I felt good, days I felt bad etc.

My question is for those of you who went in with similar scores on test day, what were your methods to prevent the dreaded 3-4 point drop from PT to actual score. Obviously there is no 100% answer, but did you do anything to keep yourself calm and focused? What did you do to prevent yourself from slipping?

Did you do any sort of warm-up problems?

Hey guys,

I've been looking up 509 reports for schools I'm interested in, and I keep seeing where school report how much grant money their students are given. I know there are federal grants and private grants, and in undergrad I qualified for a federal pell grant based on my mom's income through the FAFSA. Does anyone know anything about how hard grants are to come by in law school? Especially federal need-based grants? And I should probably already know this, but do we have to fill out a FAFSA for law school? I think I read somewhere that we do, and even if we've been out on our own working, we still have to include our parent's financial info on the FAFSA. If anyone could shed some light on this that'd be great! Thanks.

Quick question. I am a natural worry wart. I worry constantly about anything and everything, even when I'm asleep. It seems like every night I toss and turn dreaming about LR, LG, and logic in general. I can't explain or remember the structure and details of the dreams, but I know they have something to do with a puzzle I must figure out before I wake up.

So, I end up waking up feeling more tired than when I went to sleep.

Any ideas or advice on how anyone else has dealt with this problem?

So I've been trying to develop a circling method for BR/time saving.

The best thing I've come up with so far is one circle for questions I'm not a 100% sure on, two circles for questions I found the answer choices difficult, and three circles for questions I plain just don't understand. I tend to finish my sections with a bit of time 2-5 minutes so I'm hoping this can focus my spare time. Does anyone else use a similar method for which questions they address first?

Hey y'all,

We got an email from Dean Rodriguez this morning that provides in relevant part:

At Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, we are firmly committed to meeting the evolving needs of the profession, and this means constantly evaluating the law school experience. ... With this in mind, starting in Fall 2018, Northwestern Law will allow JD applicants to submit either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for admission the following year (Fall 2019).

The GRE is a holistic exam that comprehensively evaluates qualitative and quantitative skills and is broadly accepted by thousands of graduate and professional degree programs, from biochemistry to public policy to philosophy. Gaining access to GRE test-takers, many of whom are engineers, scientists, and mathematicians, could benefit Northwestern Law and the legal profession at large by diversifying the applicant pool. Additionally, the GRE is offered a number of times throughout the year and in locations worldwide, making it easily accessible for prospective students.

This decision was made after careful evaluation, including a study conducted in conjunction with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the organization that administers the GRE. In accordance with the American Bar Association (ABA) Standards for Legal Education, the study assessed whether the GRE is a valid predictor of first-year academic performance at Northwestern Law. Results showed that the GRE is in fact a strong predictor of first-year performance at Northwestern.

The ABA Council is currently reviewing its standards in regards to mandatory standardized tests required for law school admissions. ... In the end, we are optimistic that they will allow law schools greater flexibility in the admissions process, to the benefit of students, schools, and the profession alike.

Hopefully this will be of some encouragement and not distract you from your LSAT studies. LSAT remains the best preparation for the skills you need to succeed in law school. One of the reasons I've done well is because I'm super fast at assessing arguments and articulating assumptions: two skills you will not get from the GRE on its own. Also note that our JD-MBA program already accepts GMAT exclusively.

Do people actually study words commonly used on the LSAT? Thoughts?

Hi friends,

So I took the LSAT two years ago (October 2015) and scored pretty terribly. I had definitely underestimated the test, and foolishly thought that taking a two-week intensive course just a month before would set me up nicely. In the week counting down I was PTing at about 150 and for whatever reason, was content with this score. I ended up getting blown apart on test day, scoring a 145 officially. I was pretty devastated, and at that point realized that I needed to approach the test much more seriously than I had been.

In the end I got cold feet and didn't apply to any law schools, instead entering a Masters program. Law has always been my end game, and two years later, nearing the end of my Masters, I'm making a push to write again. I think I'm on pace to bring myself over the 160 hump if I stay at it -- PTed at 157 Sunday evening -- but am worried that in the end, my old score will deter schools from accepting me. I'm wondering if anyone is able to either provide me some assurance that there is yet hope, or otherwise, let me know if I've got the odds stacked against me. If it helps to gauge my chances, I'm from Canada, which I understand has much fewer schools and is thus very limited.

My GPA is solid (3.7), I have strong academic and professional references, and think I have some good soft creds with my Masters, sports involvement, and volunteering. How do you think I would fare with two scores of 145 and (hopefully) 160-165? Your insights would be very much appreciated!

AE

Hi 7sagers,

A little bit of background. I have a 2.4 ugpa. Needless to say, my chances ride or die by my score on the LSAT. After working as a paralegal for two years, I loved it enough that I decided I would be willing to go to law school for full price.

Given my low gpa, my goal is to just go to a west coast school in the top 100, preferably Richardson at University of Hawaii where I'm from and want to practice. I got a 156 on my first LSAT and made a lot of progress prepping for December (was prepping in the high 160s over seven practice tests before the exam). After taking the December test though, my gut feeling is I scored in the low 160s. Not good enough.

While obviously I can't make a judgement until I actually see what I get, after taking the exam two times, the feeling is discouraging. Is it unrealistic to bank on a good LSAT to compensate for an exceedingly low gpa? Have any of the experienced posters seen it happen? Sometimes it feels like i'm trying to climb out of a really deep hole that nobody ever has before.

UPDATE: Submissions are now closed. Thanks to everyone who sent us their work. After Amy and Chris each pick an essay, we'll email all of you with their decision.

I'll post separately with details about the webinar, but we'll hold it on August 23 at 9 PM ET. Mark your calendars!

Hi everyone!

On August 23, 7Sage Editors Amy Bonnaffons (@amycbon) and Chris Schlegel (@cbschlegel) will do a live critique via webinar of two personal statements, and we need your help!

If you like the idea of a free critique and you're comfortable with sharing your story, send your personal statement to us! Amy and Chris will choose two essays in the coming week. As soon they choose, we'll stop accepting submissions, so the sooner you send in your essay, the better your chances.

Please follow these guidelines:

By submitting an essay, you agree to let us use it in a webinar and, possibly, in the admissions course. (We can wait until you start law school to use it in the admissions course).

I can't wait to see what you send!

Best,

David

--

I have to say that I have been using the Ticonderoga Blacks for the past week and I am really enjoying them. Oddly, I find that my LG diagramming has been MUCH neater since I began using them -- odd. Anyway, I feel more comfortable writing with these pencils and that is enough to convert me.

Obviously, I don't expect any sort of score increase merely form pencil choice, but just like doctors and waiters give thought to their shoe choice, LSAT preppers may consider giving thought to their pencil choice. : )

I honestly do not know if I should register for the September LSAT.

I have now until September 16 without work and school to dedicate time towards studying for the LSAT.

I had taken a Kaplan course back in May before I had discovered 7Sage. So it's not like I haven't studied at all. I have studied all the strategies for all the question types, but now it comes down to actually drilling myself and doing PT's. I have not completed all of the CC, however I have been watching the main strategy videos by question types without actually doing the problem sets (though I have done some questions to see if I understood the technique). In the next two weeks, I hope to complete the LG and LR bundle along with some RC.

For the last three weeks, I aim to do only timed PTs. I will be doing one PT a day, and then review the entire test the next day.

I am not sure if this is enough to be ready by the September LSAT date.

So the question is.. will this study schedule work to my advantage and should I just register for the September LSAT? The late registration deadline is August 9.

HELP! Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Hello everyone. I am taking the LSAT in september. As far as i understand those who have accommodations do not write the experimental section. but yet in my accommodation sheet it says the following:

After Section 1, Break(s) for X minutes

After Section 2, Break(s) for X minutes

After Section 3, Break(s) for X minutes

After Section 4, Break(s) for X minutes

After Section 5, Break(s) for X minutes

so i asked LSAC if this mistake. and they said no.

they even said the following :

There are 5 multiple-choices sections and 1 writing sample section with breaks between each section

does anyone have any thoughts on this

i know this is random but anyone have tricks to alleviate this? it starts midway through the first section and is a pain throughout the duration of the test/is distracting for me.

I upgraded my LSAT course and now it says I'm weeks behind when I checked my study schedule! I'm panicking :( There's no way I could catch up on 40+ hours in one week... (work, other commitments, etc.) What should I do?

Redacted

Hey guys

Its been 5 years since i left college

I think it would be better for me to get a recommendation from the office

Is it a requirement to get a recommendation letter from a professor?

Hi 7sagers,

I am coming back for help again. This time is about anxiety.

I finished the CC and did most problem sets of LR/LG, a few of RC. So I think it is a good time to start timed sections/PT. I am just quiet anxious about it.

One of the reasons is I am kind of worried to see that I am still far from my goal (170+) in the timed tests. If I get a really low score, I might start to question whether I am in the right path/whether the last 2 month study really make any improvement at all. I know it is wrong to think this way, but I am still quite nervous. And I guess some of you might also went though some anxiety when you about to take PTs. How did you overcome it?

Another reason for why I am nervous might be that I am feeling tired and suffering from insomnia. I began study full time for LSAT in mid May, so it is about 3 months. Now I fall asleep around 3am, and weak up around 11am. The problem is I don't feel recharged after I week up. This started to bother me shortly after I start to study for LSAT. I can still do problem sets with the bad feeling, and I can still see the improvement. But I think if I want to take PT I need better mental status. I know some LSAT takers also suffer from insomnia. Love to hear any advice from people who have gone though this progress.

Thanks a lot in advance! :)