Hi,

So I was drilling RC passages, but I do not see much improvement which is really frustrating...

I thought I want to try different methods and I did find lines for each questions, tried to understand what all sentences mean, what makes wrong answers wrong but...unlike LR, would those not be helpful in improving at the section?

Doing more passages is not helpful?

I took the LSAT after self studying with some popular study aids and didnt do as well as I hoped. I vowed to do better the second time around and signed up with your program. After studying for 4 months, I took the LSAT again and my score went up 8 points! I also met a great person in the discussions forum that would trade personal statements with me. I critiqued hers and she did the same for me. Finally, I sent out my applications. I applied to 15 schools, got rejected to two, waitlisted 3, and the rest not only accepted me, but offered me scholly money.I m almost done with my first semester! I'm not at Yale or Harvard, but I'm in a great school and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys and that girl that helped me with my personal statement. Thanks again.

Hi, all! Do you have some suggestions for RC, I cannot remember the content after I finished the reading and cannot overcome the questions, thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m excited to introduce our new admissions editor, Amy Bonnaffons ( @amycbon ). I’ve known Amy for a long time, and there is no one I trust more for this job: she’s an essay ninja.

Amy earned her BA from Yale and her MFA in fiction from NYU. Her work has been published everywhere from The New York Times (check out this one) and The Wall Street Journal to Kenyon Review and The Sun, earning awards and fellowships galore along the way. She has deep editorial and admissions essay experience, and she happens to be the first person I send all of my own fiction and essays to.

You’ll find her full bio on the About page, but I’ll share a couple more facts that she’d be too embarrassed to tell you herself. She recently landed a high-powered agent for her brain-exploding novel about angels (humans too), and she has grapheme-color synesthesia, which makes her a real-life editing superhero.

For the time being, everyone who signs up for a Premium admissions course or higher will be getting an extra good deal, since we’ll be reading over each other’s work and conferring to make sure we’re giving you the best possible advice. (You’ll only be communicating with one of us, though.)

Let’s welcome Amy to the community!

Greetings fellow 7sagers. I took the Sept. LSAT and did not score as I hoped so I am retaking in Dec. I am virtually out of virgin study material unless I go way back to PTs that do not have comparative passages (I really hope 79 comes out soon). I just tried taking PT 70 over again but I felt that I remembered too many of the questions even though it has been 3 months since I first took it. I finished every section well under the time constraints and missed only two questions. I feel like the real Dec. LSAT is going to be a huge kick in the teeth because I am out of practice on reacting to unseen questions. Should I do some older PTs (not sure how many of those I even have that are untouched) or does anyone have any other recommendations?

I am struggling with both direction for study and motivation (in part because I feel stuck and directionless).

Please help.

Thanks.

Hi,

A few weeks ago, I applied for accommodations, namely 1.5X the regular time and a quiet room. I just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else wants to apply as well.

I applied during the late registration deadline, so I only had a few days to gather my documents. I have a learning disability with ADHD as well. I was diagnosed during my 2nd year of university, and I had never applied for any accommodations at school or for standardized tests. I was afraid that they were going to reject my request because I had no past history, but they approved it!

All I included in my accommodations package were the three forms required by LSAC, a doctor's note confirming my disability and that I wasn't taking any medication, and a psychological evaluation of my learning disabilities with the test results/analysis. I applied on October 25th, and got a response today on November 9th.

I'm really glad that LSAC streamlined the process and made receiving accommodations more accessible. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Also, thank you to everyone at 7Sage for helping me out as well!

how often do you usually diagram? In which question?

Sometimes I feel not diagraming is easy but other times I found diagraming is better...but not sure when and when not to.

Do you read all answer choices in LR by the way? Especially those early questions...

Hi all,

I'm going to an LSAC forum tomorrow and was wondering what to do/dress/wear. I'm actually applying to the 2018 cycle (not this year's application cycle) so will probably just go to the workshops, not so much talk to reps (I hope to do that next year.)

Any advice appreciated!

Hi,

How can I change my username on 7sage? I created it awhile ago and now when I click edit my profile, my username is fixed and can't be altered.

Thanks!

So I may have an issue.

My photo upload shows most of my face (not the bottom part of my chin) and you can also see my shoulders.

It is apparent that I am the person in the photo but I have heard horror stories.

Hi,

I heard modern RC has questions that are more abstract...which PTs do you think this started??

People say "modern" referring which PT? IT is kind of unclear...70s? 60s? or 50s?

Thanks

I need some advice..

I have been studying for 4 months and my scores are going up (thanks 7 sage!) One area I know I can improve on is LG... I have an average of -9 on my LG PTs..so I can definitely get extra points in this area.

I have spent countless hours going over games in the early 30s-70s. I have practiced timing myself for full sections, single games, and I have practiced without a time constraint.

I have been using a strategy that a 7-sager suggested- with an excel doc recording each PT Game I have done with the date, time and score. I expected the mass of games that I studied to help with fresh PTs, but I still feel rushed under time constraint (often leaving several questions unfinished). I have definitely made a lot of improvement and going over the games has increased my confidence, but what type of prep will increase speed??

Thanks 7-sagers you are the best!!!

-Hannah

I recently took PT 59.

I've been scoring in the low to mid-160s, but this time it dropped to 156. I suppose a 4ish point drop isn't that big of a deal, but let me explain why I'm panicking (and not just because the test is less than 30 days away)

On Sec 2 (LR), I got 6 answers wrong. Not my best, but I suppose it's not terrible either.

However, on Sec 3 (LR), I got 10 answers wrong -- #15 through #25.

Has this happened to anyone, getting this many consecutive answers wrong? If so, what do you think happened here?

I know usually questions get harder by the end of each section, but I didn't perform like this on Section 2. Maybe I was tired especially hitting Section 3 (but usually this doesn't happen to me). Maybe it was just a bad day and it's not indicative of my other PTs. But maybe not. I want to know if any of you have gotten this many consecutive answers wrong? Could you shed some light on what you think caused it and how you improved (both test-taking strategy and reviewing your answers)?

Thanks!

I've just gone through the "Grouping Games with a Chart" lessons, and for each of the four games -- two in the lessons and two in the problem set -- as an experiment I did NOT use a chart but instead used a "standard" grouping diagram that allows members to have multiple memberships. Multiple memberships is said to be the condition which dictates use of a chart. In none of the four did I have any more of a problem answering questions than JY did.

Furthermore, for a couple of the games the final question not only added a rule but removed one of the original ones. For these, JY abandoned his chart and started over with a new one. I didn't do this with my diagram, and am unclear as to why JY started over. In each case it seemed easy enough to see the implications of the rule change to my original diagram. JY's motivation for starting over seemed to be that he was afraid he would miss a required change to his original chart.

My challenge: can someone cite a game for which a chart definitely saves time?

Does anyone else find the games in the earlier PTs (35 and under) to be harder than the newer ones? In the 70s, the first 3 games are always so easy, and then there's just 1 really hard one at the end. But the earlier exams I feel are so much harder. No clue why.

during the timed test i got to the 4th game and froze. any similar games? i kept rereading the paragraph to understand the set up for it. what were your thoughts?

Hi everyone!

I just created my account today and I'm happy to join the 7sage community :) I am a second year university student in Canada and I have had my heart set on law school since grade 9. I've worked for a criminal defence attorney over the summer and I loved what he did (and I did) so much that I've just wanted to get into law school darn badly over these past few years haha! I do alright in school, I believe i'll finish with about a 3.8-3.86 GPA on the 4.0 scale (no higher or lower). So, I feel good about that...However, I wrote the June 2007 LSAT today because I wanted to see if I was any good at it and it went horrible and I know this sounds pretty weak but I'm feeling awful right now. I scored a 137 and it's just a brutal feeling because I want to go to law school so badly and already seeing this huge wall that I will have to somehow climb is super discouraging. Has anyone had any similar experiences? If so, did you end up finding your way to a score of 156+? That's my goal at this point lol

Thanks for taking the time to read this everyone!:)

Hello,

I am considering buying a 7sage prep course; the Ultimate package. I was wondering, for the drills/practice, which Prep tests are used for those drills? I was hoping to keep the more recent prep tests "fresh" for assessment purposes.

Also, I noticed that only PT's 36 and onwards have explanations in this package, what if I need explanations for the earlier prep tests?

Thanks!

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For those of you on the PT 55 BR call -- sorry it took me so long to get this up, but below are my notes on Principle questions and subtypes. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions! Hope this helps.

Principle/SA Questions and Subtypes

Sufficient Assumption, Pseudo Sufficient Assumption, Conform to the Principle, and Principle Example are all closely interlinked question types. (And are also closely related to Strengthen questions). However, there are specific tasks demanded by each. The below descriptions are a loose guide to how each of these questions function on the LSAT.

1. Sufficient Assumption

-Supply additional premises/assumptions to make the argument valid. Will directly link up with some premise/assumption in the argument to make the argument “airtight.” The correct answer must always enable us to reach the conclusion given in the stimulus.

Question stem: “Which one of the following, if true, enables the economist’s conclusion to be properly drawn?”

Specific ——> Specific

Stimulus (specific situation):

Jamal will not go to the store if Greg buys apples today and the canned soup isn’t expired. The canned soup isn’t expired. Therefore, Jamal will not go to the store today.

Answer choice (specific premise):

At some point today, Greg will buy apples.

2. Pseudo Sufficient Assumption

-Typically given a concrete situation and are asked to supply a “blanket” principle that would allow the conclusion to be properly drawn (although maybe not as airtight as with SA)

-Sometimes, albeit rarely, PSA questions are more like a strengthen/PSA hybrid — we are asked to supply a blanket principle that “most strongly supports”

-As with sufficient assumption questions, the answer choice may be more expansive than it needs to be in order to properly arrive at the conclusion.

Question stem: “Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning above?”

Specific ——-> Abstract

Stimulus (specific situation):

Sally knew that John wanted the last slice of cake, but she ate it anyway. Therefore, Sally’s action was morally wrong.

Answer choice (abstract principle):

A human action is morally wrong if that action denies any person of a desire that could have been fulfilled had the action not been taken.

3. Conform to the Principle

-Given specific situation in the stimulus and must choose a correct answer that states an abstract principle the information in the stimulus matches.

-Very similar to Parallel Reasoning question — you are given a situation and must “match” that situation to the abstract thinking that underlies its reasoning

-More so than with PSA questions, it’s very important for every element of the correct answer to be descriptively accurate. Why? With PSA/SA questions, you are trying to get to the conclusion by any means necessary — this means that they could, in theory, give you a correct answer choice that is way more generous than necessary to arrive at the conclusion. But in Conform to the Principle questions, you are trying to sketch out the speaker’s reasoning in exact, even if abstract, terms. Extraneous information that doesn’t match the speaker’s specific reasoning in the stimulus should be approached with caution.

-PT52, Section 3, Question 11 provides an apt example of this. Answer choice D) provides enough information to arrive at the conclusion set forth in the argument. However, it is incorrect because it does not do so by using the premises the speaker uses in her reasoning. Therefore, answer choice B) is a far more appealing answer choice.

Question stem: “The reasoning above most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?”

Specific ——> Abstract

Stimulus (specific situation):

Controlled burning of forests in the area may be beneficial for rejuvenating the soil and lessening the impact of natural fires. However, we still don’t know the consequences controlled burning might have on the wildlife in the area. Since we have an obligation to protect the wildlife in the area at all costs, we should not implement controlled burning at this time.

Answer (abstract principle):

If it is not known how a proposed action might effect something one is obligated to protect, then that course of action is impermissible.

4. Apply the Principle

-Given an abstract principle and must choose a correct answer choice that is a specific example of that principle

-This is basically an application of the principle — you must follow the conditional logic and/or reasoning of the principle exactly (again, similar to parallel reasoning questions in this regard).

Abstract —-> Specific

Question stem: “Of the following, which one most closely conforms to the principle that the passage illustrates?”

Stimulus (abstract principle):

A person is morally right only if their intentions are good and they do no harm.

Answer choice (specific situation):

Clarissa told Murat that his paper on the War of 1812 was factually inaccurate because she intended to help him improve the paper and receive a better grade. Despite these good intentions, Murat was hurt by her critique. Therefore, it cannot be said that Clarissa’s actions were morally right.

5. Violate the Principle

-Given an abstract principle and must choose a correct answer choice that is a specific violation of that principle (most often, violates the conditional logic given in the principle)

-Very important to know how to violate/contradict a conditional statement

Abstract ——-> Specific

Question stem: “Which one of the following actions most clearly violates the principle stated?”

Stimulus (abstract principle):

One should never lie to another person unless one thinks that doing so would be in the interest of that other person.

Answer choice (specific violation):

Carlos lied when he told Alex that he couldn’t come to his birthday party because he had to work that evening. However, Carlos had no opinion on whether this lie would advantageous to Alex; he simply lied because he needed an excuse.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some advice as to what I can do, and what my chances are of success at this point. I wrote the September LSAT, and while awaiting my score I had a bad feeling that I didn't perform as well as my PTs. I emailed LSAC wondering if I registered for December in advance (to ensure a seat at the seating closest to where I live) if I could receive a full refund if I liked my September score (similar to what is happening for December/February takers). I was told no, but I can register late and request a refund for the late fee, and a refund request form was attached to the email. I got my score back and it was a 167, lower than any of my PTs and much lower than my average. Right away I registered for December LSAT, and a few days later requested a refund for the late registration fee (filled out the form, and explicitly asked in the email for a refund just for late registration portion). Just an hour ago I noticed that instead of refunding my late registration fee, they gave me a partial refund for registration and canceled my registration. I looked closer and apparently the form they sent me was only for asking for partial refunds (which I kind of already knew but since mine was an unusual refund request, I assumed they just didn't have a document for it, which is why I explicitly stated I wanted a refund for late fee). And so now I'm stuck not registered, and am wondering if I call tomorrow what my chances are that they rectify this problem. I want to apply for this admission cycle and know I can do much better than a 167, so I'd be devastated if I have to take a year off to allow me to rewrite LSAT. My dream is Harvard, so a 167 will likely not cut it in combination with my 3.85.

After the September LSAT and studying independently for three months I was extremely discouraged when I received my scores and knew I could not get into the schools I wanted with the performance I showed. However, I did notice after reviewing my exam that I completely tanked on Logical Reasoning (getting only 8-10 right in both sections). With Logical Reasoning counting for two of the sections on the exam I am hoping with being enrolled with 7Sage I will be ready to tackle Logical Reasoning that will significantly improve my score. Is this a pretty valid assumption or am I reaching for the stars on this one? Please help. Trying not to become too discouraged before the December exam since this is my last shot.

Hi,

I just received "final notice" about the photo...

Does this happen to you?

Is there some problem in my photo?

Why do I keep receiving the emails?

I deleted the background using the Photoshop, would this be bad?

For everyone applying, I just read this article and thought it would be interesting to share =)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/581fcf1ee4b044f827a78fa2

Dear 7sagers

Is there any way of obtaining the September LSAT (paper copy or an electronic document)? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Thanks,

Piotr