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37 posts in the last 30 days

Hello fellow 7sagers,

I'm trying to decide whether to sit out another cycle. I'm blind reviewing in the 170s, but I can't seem to get my actual score up from the low 160s. I've gone through JY's course twice, the LSAT Trainer, and Manhattan RC. My brain often turns to mush on the harder, convoluted questions under intense timing conditions. I started taking timed PTs around mid October but can't seem to get over this anxiety. I've taken about 10 PTs. Clean copy BR each time. I really need advice on how to get over my timing issues. LG is my strongest section. The timing issues only affect me with RC and LR.

I'm considering postponing until February, but I know applying that late in the cycle would severely hurt my chances at getting accepted to high ranked schools with a scholarship, as most of the seats and scholarship money will be gone by then.

I've been studying 5+ hours everyday (8+ on the weekends) and work full-time. I've been at this since late August, so I fear I'm risking burnout. It would be extremely painful to have to keep pushing through until February, but I know the golden rule is "Don't take the LSAT until you are 100% ready." :(

Things to consider:

- Very scared I won't have new stuff to work with if I sit out another cycle. Only about 30 fresh PTs left.

- Aiming for 165+

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I was hoping to find a search function so I didn't have to start a new discussion, but I couldn't find one. Anyway, I was looking at the different course subscriptions, and there was a line where the description went from "easiest problem sets" to "easy" to "easy and medium" then "easy, medium, and hard." What exactly are "problem sets?"

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As I am spending most of my time working on recent PTs for the December test, I have been solving some of old LR questions as well (I would consider PT 1-30 old).

After working on both, I think a conspicuous difference between old and newer ones is that old LR questions are not as tightly worded as new ones. I feel like old ones are cruder while newer ones are more refined in terms of their writing styles.

Assuming there are differences, I don't think they are about different flaws or different assumptions but more about different writing styles. I don't know if this is just me but I definitely spend more time reading/understanding old LR questions' stimuli than those of newer ones.

Do you guys think that there are any differences between old LR questions and newer ones? I would love to hear your opinions about this :D Thank you!

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The other day, I came across a question in a practice test that used the phrase "results in," and I really struggled with the question because I wasn't sure how to translate that into "lawgic," as J.Y. calls it, or if it even could be translated. I don't remember what PT is was exactly, although I know it was somewhere between PT 65 and 68, and it dealt with bees. The sentence in question said something along the line of "Excellent pollination requires the presence of bees and results in a better harvest of fruits and vegetables," or something along those lines.

I know the first half translates to EP ---> PB, but is there a way to translate "results in?" Would you say EP ---> BF&V because if you have excellent pollination, then you know you'll have better fruits and vegetables, or would you write it as BF&V ---> EP because if you're garden produced better fruits and vegetables, then you know that you had excellent pollination?

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Hi all. I am looking for some input on a realistic timeline to prepare for the LSAT. I am currently active duty Army with about 8.5 months until I start ETS leave and transition into a full time student. Currently I attend a university part time near my post so that is added in along with my full time job. I will have approximately two years of college left once I exit the military. I see this upcoming period to be my best chance to focus on the LSAT and would like to aim to take the LSAT June 2016 or September 2016 if that is more realistic.

My work schedule is the normal military schedule with my day ending around 1700. I have my own office to spend breakfast and lunch break studying which could add about 1.5 to 2 hours of study time throughout the day. Along with this I will have a few classes but nothing too hard or time consuming and after February I will not have any classes at all to worry about. However classes are accelerated.

I am contemplating purchasing the Premium, giving myself right at 6 months of study time to nail concepts and take as many PTs as possible. Then if I am not averaging 170+ over the last 10 PTs look at extending and aiming for September. I already have paper copies of 17-38 and 52-71.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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I'm notice that doing the questions timed I tend to get them right but when I go back for the blind review I tend to get them wrong. Its like I look for reasons for my 1st answer choice to be wrong and then start to psych myself out and proceed to choose a different answer.

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Do you guys find your elminating skills getting better by doin it constantly? I haven't devoted my time solely to it, but I'm willing to try anything to improve my score. It seems when I eliminate, I can only elminate two at most. So I'm wondering if i eliminate it more, does it become easier to do?

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I was wondering how you would translate an embedded conditional if the conditional in the necessary condition is negated. For example, A--->[Not (B--->C)].

My best guess would be to say that it is A--->(B Some Not C), but I don't think that is a very helpful notation. Is there a way to make this is into an "easier" to visualize conditional chain?

EDIT: Added some brackets to make the embedded condition easier to see.

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I don't know if I'm overthinking it, or the diagrams truly represent different ideas. Logically, they both seem equivalent to be, just diagrammed differently.

What's the difference between these two ideas?

1. Either F or L, but not both, will go before M

2. L will go before F or G, but not both

Are these the same ideas? or represent different concepts?

I diagrammed these ideas in different forms. Can you let me know if my diagramming is merely aesthetic or it symbolizes some other idea

DIAGRAM 1:

1. F---M

L---M

F---M---L or L---M--F

DIAGRAM 2:

F----M

L---M

F----------M

F----------L

or

M--------F

L-----------F

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Hi all,

This is similar to a post below so apologies if it's just askig for redundant advice. I did read that thread but thought I might post my own question with my own score range.

Basically I feel I have plateaued in the mid 160s. The last 6 PTs I have taken I have gotten in the 160-163 range, this includes PT 73 and 74. PT 74 I got 177 with BR which I was quite shocked/happy about. PT 73 I got 173 BR.

Previous to taking PT 73 and 74, I bought LSAT trainer and have been using it and Cambridge packets to drill on my weak points -- namely LR Flaw, Weaken, Strengthen and MSS questions.

I have noticed a marked improvement in untimed Flaw Qs which is great! I can finally identify the Flaw which I was really struggling with. On my last few timed PTs I got only 1-2 flaw questions wrong.

My LG still suffers, usually getting 1-2 wrong per timed section. PT 74 I totally bombed the last two LGs so will foolproof that one.

My RC is quite good - 0 wrong in BR and 2-3 wrong in timed conditions.

So all this boils down to... How can I get my Timed score to halfway meet my BR score?! My goal is 170.

Perhaps it is not possible with just a few weeks left in the game. I am open to the possibility of taking Feb test. However I would like to do everything possible to get my timed score as high as I can in the next few weeks bc I am registered for December and will sit for the Dec test regardless.

Any advice or thoughts is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

3

I've been reading the LSAT trainer and am a little confused about the diagramming of the bi-conditional.

One question was: L will go before J if and only if L is after G. I diagrammed this as follows: L--J (----) G---L--J. However, the answer sheet has two different answers This:: L--J (----) G---L--J. and this: J---L---G. I don't understand the later. Is this supposed to be the contropsoitive or something?

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For those of you who have hired a consultant, or know of someone who has and are familiar with their experience. How was your/their experience working with the consultant & would you do it again? Was it worth it? How did you/they find the consultant? What did the consultant do (advise you to make changes to your personal statement, give tips on how to edit your essays or diversity statement , or help you get scholarship money etc.)? How expensive is it to hire them? Thank you in advance.

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Hello folks,

Here it is me whining again. When I BR, I score in the 160s but when I do timed PT, I can't pass the 146-147. I did most of 7Sage's video twice, and I am redoing The Trainer again now. I really don't know what to do any more. I feel (which probably wrong) that I know the material. Currently I am doing two PTs a week, and I BR after every PT.

I improved by 10 points since I started last December. My diagnostic was a horrible 130's yet my current score is still horrible!

Please, I need your advice :)

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I am wondering if the word "then" introduces a necessary condition and/or the conclusion to premise(s); and if "then" is only pertinent to conditional statements, or to cause and effect statements, as well. Of note, I am wondering this because the word "then" seems to function similarly to words that I know introduce necessary conditions and conclusions -- such as, "requires" or "must" (for necessary conditions); and "therefore" or "thus" (for conclusions) -- but I do not see "then" on any official list of indicator words that introduce necessary conditions or conclusions.

Thank you!

Michael

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Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I got PT 76 this morning - I ordered in Sept when I ordered my 10 actual LSAT series books from LSAC, so if you ordered & haven't gotten it yet, it should be coming soon. Now to decide if I go ahead & take it or save it for a week or two before the Dec exam.

1

I took the LSAT this past October and scored a 159. In retrospect, I made just about every rookie mistake in the book: gave myself about 2 1/2 months to study total and two months of that was with 7Sage, set an unrealistic study schedule given my work hours, was usually low on sleep, boozed a couple times, took four practice tests total before the test, didn't finish the curriculum, rushed through BR...

When I got my score (159) I was livid, and I immediately registered for the December LSAT. I had known even on test day that I underperformed, so when my score validated that I became hell-bent on scoring higher. However, for reasons I'll explain below, I'm considering just keeping the 159 and applying.

The 159 is good enough to get me into a law school near home/work. (The school's 75th percentile LSAT score is 154.) I know it's not a strong school (according to LSAT scores), but my boss got his JD there and he's encouraged me to apply for next fall. He's been fairly successful in his law career, and he has expressed a willingness to bring me into his practice if I graduate/pass the bar, and to help out where he can in the process of applying to/attending school. It's an attractive offer.

But at the same time, I still want to retake. I'm worried about attending a lower-ranked school for the purpose of fast-tracking myself into law school, only to see my boss change his circumstances (for example, abandon his solo firm for another gig) and leave me with a degree from a school with a so-so reputation, fending for myself.

What makes this a little more complicated is that I'm almost positive I can score a good deal higher on the LSAT with some hard work. The four tests I took before October I scored:

161 (skipped BR)

159 (176 BR)

156 (159 BR--my first tour of burnout city)

164 (169 BR)

After October, I walked away from the LSAT completely. Following a month break, here are my newest PT scores:

167 (BR 176)

170 (BR 180)

I know these last two could be flukes, but I've also felt like the test made more sense to me as I was taking it each time and in BR. I intend to take a few more PT's in the coming weeks to see if I fall back to down to where I was pre-October. If the most recent scores are flukes, I'll probably retake in December (for scholarship money) and apply for next fall at the school near me regardless of my scores. If I actually feel that I can continue to improve at any rate (I realize 170 on up is slow going for most people), then I'll postpone the retake until June or next October.

The difficulty with the latter is I have to tell my boss that I'm delaying school a year (he's generally impatient, so the thought alone would bother him a bit). He's talked to me a number of times about my attending his alma mater next fall and my eventual move into the firm as a lawyer, and if I give myself time to study and score higher it will be obvious that I'm doing so in order to attend a better school (which will obviously affect the plans for my track toward firm employment).

So, I guess I'm looking for a few people in the 7Sage community to weigh in on this. Given the above, do I take the 159 and apply, or do I cancel December and retake later so that I have the opportunity to score higher, attend a better school, and leave myself a few more options after law school?

My apologies for the post length and thanks in advance.

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Happy Veterans Day to all my brothers and sisters in arms! If any vets out there need help with anything from the LSAT to admissions to educational benefits, I offer a free full hour of one on one assistance either in person or over Skype! Thank you all for your service and have an awesome day!

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I've been taking the infamous birds watchers, fruit stand and cd LGs at least once a day. Why? I like them! JY says in the videos that they're incredibly easy although the rest of society (not really but yeah!) thinks they're among the toughest LGs released. So last night I was doing the cd game and I could tell immediately my timing was off but I kept moving. Long story short, I eventually just put my pencil down, brushed my teeth and went to bed. I couldn't finish it. I have no clue why I couldn't figure it out??? I can't count the number of times I've done this game. I remember the answers for the most part, but not all. I didn't just circle and move on because I already knew the answer, but for some reason it was like I had never seen the game ever in my life! Or even attempted a LG for that matter! I was disgusted! I know I've been frustrated before and just decided not to do anything LSAT related for that day, but that was just unreal to me! First true experience of burnout for me. It's real folks! I've got my clean copies and I'll be back at it on my lunch break!

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I had a diagnostic of 156 in June. By end of September I was averaging 167/168 range. I didn't do as well as I hoped on October exam so decided to retake in december. I have been testing again and scored a 169,170,and 174 respectively on my last 3 tests. This is obviously great news, however, I haven't changed anything up such really such as drilling,new methods, etc aside from a small focus on RC which has been my weak spot but I haven't really improved there much. My biggest improvement has been on LR actually although I've done nothing other than PTs and BR to work on it. Has anyone else seen these types of improvements just "happen"?lol Whatever is happening I hope it keeps up until December 5th.

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