Ok here’s an odd question and probably not of much practical use, but I’m hoping some of you might be able to relate to this and shed some insight.

You read the stimulus. It’s a tougher question. You read it slowly once. There’s a sentence whose meaning you couldn’t fully process. You re-read it, it’s become clearer- the argument’s become clear and you’re ready to answer the question. You’re down to a couple answer choices, D and E and the more time you spend looking at it, the less clearer the right answer gets. It feels like you’re all maxed out in terms of your reasoning capacity. It’s gotten counterproductive to keep staring at the question.

You do a few other problems, and then come back to it- and the right answer jumps out at you. Not D or E. But A or B or C- the answers you had dismissed the first time around. I’m inclined to wonder why the right answer can become so clear and obvious on the second go.

Why is it that a question can seem a lot easier when you come back to it? Does your mind/brain naturally come away with a fresher perspective after a break? Is your subconscious mind doing the work for you even when you’re not consciously thinking about that very question? Maybe this is a question for a psychologist; I don’t know but I can’t help but think about it. It’s gotten me curious.

I find this tendency to be counterintuitive since one might figure the first time around you’re at an advantage as opposed to the second time when you’re having to re-process the information in the stimulus.

Thoughts?

Just curious, has anyone been able to figure out when it was administered? It has a comparative passage (which suggests it is post 55ish) and it has a substitution rule logic games question (which suggests it's post 61ish). The Superprep 11 book was published in July 2015, which is right after PT 75. So, do you think it is fair to say it is close to a 60s or 70s PT? I haven't taken it, and I'm trying to decide where to place it in my PTing.

Any strategy used to guess, say the last 5 questions? Eg. BBBBB, ABCDE, ACAAC? Any strategy that is statistically beneficial?

I'm just curious what type of prep work those of you who took the exam in October did between the October and December exams to improve your score before the retake or to better prepare in general? I'm hoping it won't come down to this, but just in case I would like to have a game plan in place to be able to make any necessary changes to my study techniques in case it is necessary to retake in February.

I know there are some of you who have also been studying for over or close to a year, for those of you who were able to make substantial improvements, what techniques did you use to get to your goal score before your retake other than the obvious (taking many PTs, and BRing)?

Also are there any other websites or forums (youtube videos) etc... you have used during your prep for the LSAT that you have found to be helpful?

Thanks in advance for any feedback or suggestions.

Hello All, I just withdrew Dec and am really hoping to make it for Feb. I realized that my level of expertize is not the same for each section. For LR and LG I am working on better timing and getting my BR closer to my timed score. On RC I am working on strategy and will later work on time. Given that I was thinking maybe to do timed sections of LG and LR for various tests and save the RC for later ? Meanwhile practice strategy on pre-36 RC passages. Or are there any other ways to address this ?

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Hey, I'm looking for an alternative to The Trainer's explanation of 29:4:20. Id like to see what Jy has to say about this question because im still having trouble eliminating e. How do I look up particular questions from a prep test?

Hey all,

I'm currently averaging a 20 on RC (23 BR) and usually do better when I go for less passages with more time on each (3 and a half). I'm wondering if there are any passages with more than 8 questions? and what is the best strategy for picking the objective passages to hit?

Thanks

For those that have taken the LSAT actual exam before, what works best for you, to bubble after you answer each question or to bubble after each page, or two pages? Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone,

When filling out your answer sheet at the start of the test do you need to know your LSAC account number by memory? Or does admission ticket enter with you?

I keep hearing that LR questions are getting more pointed or trickier on tests 70+. Also I have heard some say there are similar differences in the other sections in tests 70+. Given that my PT 70 and PT 71 substantially lower than my scores on PTs numbered in the 60s I am worried that I am not ready for new trends that might be coming our way on Saturday or in February. Was down in all three sections. Are the 70+ PTs really different? If so how and what is a good strategy for coping given that there are only 7 of them and I've taken 2. Will appreciate everyone's input -- thanks!

Do you think we will get our scores back before Christmas?

Can someone please help me with the embedded conditional for choice A. Answered it correctly by POE, but having troubles breaking down the s/n.

I have been studying for the LSAT since September, I had planned to take it in February giving myself enough time to conquer the beast. However, around late October I began to see great improvements on my score, and the LSAT began to click more easily for me. I decided to take it this December 5, a couple of days from now believing that i would have enough time to get to the high 160's. Yet to my dismay, I can't get over the mid 160s, and I know that I could get it higher if I wasn't pressured by time. Now my question is this, considering that my money has already been spent and there are no refunds, should I take the exam and wish for the best, or should I just sit it out till February? While also having in mind that I must score in the 168-170+ range for my top choices of schools.

Another question is that if I take it in Dec. and perform badly, will I still have a chance of entering the Fall 2016 school year considering that I take the Feb. exam and perform well.

Thank you for reading! All feedback will be appreciated.

Not to sure how to be spending the last day of studying. I haven't taken PT 75 or 76 yet. I don't know how I reasoned this earlier, but I was hoping to "save up" for one of em and PT after I had the most knowledge/ability I could possibly have in order to get the most accurate reading of what the actual test and my score is going to be like. Obvious mistake. So should I spend all day going over wrong questions, difficult question types, or go ahead and PT 75 or 76? I just don't know how much it'd benefit me, if at all. Most likely taking Friday off...

Thanks in advance!

Can someone explain to me why the answer isn't A

Hey guys! I noticed that a number of you are interested in this clinic, which is so exciting (thank you for sparing me some awkward few hours with me talking to an empty room while my roommate thinks I'm crazy). There will be a formal poll coming your way shortly but for now I want to get a pulse check in the virtual room. For all those interested, I would really appreciate it if you guys could answer the following questions in the comments below or PM me if you're not comfortable sharing information:

1) Explain your study history. How long have you been studying for the LSAT? (does this include extended breaks?) How long have you been using curriculum for? When did you start using PT?

2) What scores have you plateaued at? What did you do to overcome plateaus?

3) What materials have you used while studying?

4) What is your PT average over the last 5 PTs?

5) What is your LSAT goal?

6) What are you struggling with when it comes to assumption questions and flaw questions?

7) What are you hoping to gain from the clinic?

Quick question, took 3/4 of prep test 53 before I realized I was so burnt out and needed a break in general. Did both LR sections and LG, never graded it or looked at the answers. A month later I took it and got a 171. I'm in the 160s generally speaking and I have above average memory. How should I interpret this? Thanks.

Wondering if anyone has a clue how to figure which section is fake over the real lsat test.

Hey Everyone!

I'm just curious, what are you guys and gals reading on your free time? I'm looking to boost my reading speed, which I believe can be done by being a tad more well read. I know it has been suggested that we read The Economist, Scientific American, or The New Yorker. I'll likely subscribe to one of these magazines - either The New Yorker or The Economist, since Scientific American is the most expensive out of the three.

I absolutely despise economics and the test writers clearly don't share my dislike of the discipline...so, what's the most sensible thing to do? Subscribe to The Economist! Please feel free to bash me for this - I appreciate the criticism :).

Hey Everyone -- Just wanted to hop on to wish you all the best this Saturday --

Also wanted to try and offer one more small bit of motivation/inspiration in case anyone needs it --

This is a clip of a speech by Robert Kennedy that I often reach for when my spirits need a bit of a pick me up -- whatever your political affiliations may be, I’m sure you can agree with his hopes and ideals --

To be perfectly honest, I am not, personally, that interested in the LSAT --

The reason I teach it is to be in the company of people like you.

J.Y. and I have talked in the past about the fact that many of the students working with us today are going to be the people that lead the world tomorrow (not in those cheesy words :)) -- to me, it is just amazing that my abilities with this random standardized test have lead me here --

The test will be the culmination of your efforts, but it will not be the biggest of your obstacles -- you’ve already passed those, when you decided not to be satisfied with your diagnostic, and when you chose to spend all those hours preparing for the exam when you could have been doing something else, and in all the countless similar decisions you’ve made throughout your life.

Saturday is the day you want to be aggressive in getting your just reward.

So, I wish you all the very best. A fundamental (dare I say, “necessary”) characteristic of success is the ability to embrace challenges, and this too, like many other things, is a force of habit. There is nothing to fear -- the test will be just like all the ones you’ve seen before, and worst comes to worst you can just take it again. Embrace the challenge, take it to the questions, and again, make sure you get the score that you deserve. Good luck, everyone!

I have realized after taking a speedy prep course two times and feeling rushed, I was forced to move quickly and not be able to fully understand the fundamentals of logic. (Not hating on them it works for some people but did not work for me). I was advised to push back my test date from Dillon to June instead of February which is a sigh of relief for me because then there is no rush and its about 24 hours of studying per week which sounds awesome. I am learning the basic fundamentals for the 3rd time which kind of concerns me because I feel like maybe I am wasting time doing that? (But then again its really helpful to hear it from a different more methodology that 7sage provides. Obviously my 4 months of studying did not do me well because I only went from a 134 to a 146 and I want to get to the mid 160 range. I am repeater and obviously there is no April or May exam I get that it would be ideal to space out my studying to June especially since it will give me enough time to take around 40 prep tests within the given course curriculum for the next 6 months. I am also not worried about burning out because it would force me to study around 2-3 hours a day instead of 6-8 which I used to do... and proving myself wrong again that it also did not help and is not an ideal range of studying per day as 2-3 hours are. I just feel like the one thing that concerns me is the beginning stages of the course you can get through pretty quickly, so what happens if I finish week 1 earlier than next Wednesday (I started today). I don't want to move forward because then that would make me finish the course earlier which could make me finish a month before the June test or maybe even more who knows. What should I do if I was recommended to space my studies until June for this course and I have a week or even weeks where I finish the lectures quickly. Especially the beginning ones since I am familiar with them. Obviously I wont be ready by February because I cant imagine taking the course in a month and then the last month take 40 exams that would be terrible lol. Please help me ease my nerves! Sorry for the long reply. I just dont want to feel like I am not doing enough.

Hey guys—I've got some game day tips I'd like to share. This is what I'm doing this week; I think about these things very strategically. I believe these steps help to keep stress down and morale up.

1) Between now and Saturday, wake up at 6am. Waking up ~3 hours before the earliest time you're likely to start the test (in October, we put pencil to paper by 9.15 at an unusually efficient testing center) will help ensure that your cortisol levels are up and that you're fully awake. Waking up at this time between now and Saturday helps to ensure that you'll be tired enough to go to bed Friday night. Also, no screens/blue light after 9pm. This will help ensure that you're not artificially stimulating cortisol (waking yourself up) before bed.]

2) Pre-hydrate. Drink a gallon of water today, and every day before the test. It's really not that big of a deal to drink that much water, and doing so will ensure that you are well hydrated the morning of without having to drink much (if any) liquids.

3) Practice your game day routine at least twice. This means wake up at 6am, eat the exact same breakfast you plan for game day. Keep track of what you eat and drink and when you do it. Track your hunger, thirst, and bathroom need levels (just like in The Sims). Pro-tip: if you need to go at 10AM, there's a very strong likelihood that if you follow the same plan/timing, you will need to go in the middle of section 2. Which is what we want to avoid.

4) Day of, general: don't do anything differently from your dress rehearsals. No magic pills. No extra coffee. No tricks. No surprises. I recommend you get to the test center early and just go for a walk around the grounds if feasible. You might see some insane people flipping out. Disregard. You are not them.

5) Day of, warm up: Whatever you do, don't score anything. And don't do any new material. Maybe take a handful of LR Q's, maybe one easy game, maybe one easy RC. Just chill out about it. You're just warming up your mechanics.

6) Day of, during the break: Seriously, don't talk to anyone. People will try to talk to you because they are nervous or want reassurance. You are not there to be anyone's friend. You are not there to be anyone's therapist or life coach. My advice if someone talks to you: tell them you've taken a vow of silence until after the test. Yes, @Pacifico, I see the irony of telling someone that you've taken a vow of silence :) But do whatever you need to ice them out and indicate that you're not available for chatting. However you put up your personal "Do Not Disturb" status—just don't let anyone throw you off your game.

No magic.

No tricks.

No fear.

No regrets.

Game Day, Dec. 2015.

YOU GOT THIS.

<3

Anyone else finding it a bit harder to focus on studying with only 3 or so days until the test? Maybe it's just my undiagnosed ADHD lol

I'm having trouble with this question