Hi All, I took my first lsat in December 2013 after 4 months of studying. I have a bad case of test anxiety and during the LSAT in December 2013 I freaked out and decided to cancel my score. To my horror, I received an email from LSAC three weeks later with a 145 test score. I thought it was a joke, but turns out my proctor didn't properly explain how we should fill in the cancellation bubbles and since it wasn't properly filled in LSAC counted the score. I took a year break since I had to plan my wedding and move overseas and now I am back in full swing on LSAT studying so I can retake the LSAT in October 2015. I think I have been able to suppress my anxiety, but I have been studying about 6-10 hours a day for the last month and a half (following 7sage and PTing religiously) and my highest PT score was only 153. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and bummed with the reality of my scores and want to know if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this or if anyone has had similar experiences? With a month and a half to go before the exam I'm already thinking I need to take it in December -_-

Quick question:

I've taken some PTs since finishing the curriculum and consistently score at 164 but BR in the low 170s. How do I translate this discrepancy into appropriate adjustments to my study habits?

I'm pretty good with LR, often getting only -2 or -3 and having time at the end of sections to look over tough questions. LG is my worst section.. usually score -7 but get between -3 and -0 on BR.

Basically, does my BR score indicate decent fundamentals but a need to focus on timing and staying cool under pressure- especially during LG? Want to be consistently around 170 timed before I sit for the exam.

Thanks!

So I'm on my 15th PT now (just took PT50) and I've been noticing that the Logic Games section in the last like 8 tests I've taken PT43 - PT50 have all been listed on 7sage's score tracker as a difficulty of only 1/5. Is it typical for LSATs in later years also to consistently have easier logic games sections and more difficult LR and RC sections? Or is it pretty random and this has just been a crazy fluke streak of really easy logic games sections?

I'm just wondering because I used to do pretty spotty on logic games and would have a lot of variability in how many I missed in that section, but by the time I fixed it and was able to get much more consistent (I've thankfully gone -0 on the games for like 7 tests in a row now) I started to notice that the game sections themselves were actually easier too. Hoping that my skills haven't only been honed for the easier games or at least that what I've been practicing so far is representative of the typical relative difficulty of the section as a whole

I just redid the logic games for preptests 75 that I took live and panicked over causing me to cancel my test. I scored a 20/23 and 2 of the misses came on the ridiculous last game. Things I thought were difficult on test day were likely just missed inferences and overthinking. Good luck to everyone in October.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-67-section-2-question-13/

I've no idea where to begin on this. Twas the only question I missed in the section.

Hi everyone,

I've been a 7Sager for quite sometime but just the quiet type. I've been studying on an off for this test for over 18 months now, juggling work and study just as many of you are. During this last stretch I've been performing my best: BRs in high 170s and timed PTs in the high 160s. but, I have a huge problem that i can't seem to control. During the course of preparing for this test I've noticed that as i pick up the pace with studying, i start to develop a situation where, I could read the same sentence ten times and not understand a word. It's almost as if someone turns of a switch in my brain and i go dark. when this happens, everything suffers: RC, LR, LG. I'm still able to BR pretty high but my timed PTs are horrible. I've tried reading hobby related material or something not LSAT involved but the trend follows.

This test surely brings out the best and worst of me.

If anyone out there could offer some advice i would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

PM

Hi 7Sagers,

It's David, the editor who's writing 7Sage's new personal statement bundle. I'm still looking for a couple "Why X School?" and addenda essays. Send them to info (at) davidbusis (dot) com. If I choose your essay, I'll edit it for free so long as I can use an anonymous version in the course.

Happy studying.

Hey guys,

I came across a main point question from preptest June 2004 Section 3 #23 "Each of many different human hormones can by itself raise the concentration of glucose in the blood"

I can't understand why the first sentence isn't the main point. I'm having a difficult time understanding why the second sentence, the sentence explaining the phenomena is the main point. This argument structure was very confusing to me..

Thanks so much in advance

Just thought I'd share some great news. Took preptest 38 yesterday and scored 166 and a 170 after BR, which is my highest score ever with 7sage or PS. I barely broke 160 with PS and I scored a 165 on 7sage on Preptest 36. Not that I had doubts, but this really just reinforces my love for 7sage and their techniques. For anyone having trouble or stressing out, just know that you will get better as long as you put in some effort. Just for reference, I scored a 156 on the June LSAT using PS after having studied for 3 months. I work full-time and was concussed in April playing hockey so the concussion symptoms and post-concussion symptoms made it tough to focus (which I didn't realize until just recently, I guess I now know what to sat to schools when I explain my one LSAT is higher, hopefully, than the other). Again, the reason I am sharing is just to encourage others, even if you have a lot of obstacles, a job, injury, etc., you can still score well, just work hard. Good luck!

Hello,

I had a few questions about my current prep and figured the answers might be helpful for some of the other retakers out there. Long story short I have been "flirting" with the LSAT for about a year now. I took a prep course last fall, bought the LSAT Trainer, took the 7sage course, canceled my feb score, and then grossly underperformed in June (164). That leaves me studying for October with my 3rd and final LSAT try with the high hopes of getting into a top 5 law school. I have taken pretty much every recent LSAT (2000 and up) and score on my PTS generally range anywhere from 171-177. With 6 weeks left I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on what to do to be in peak performance for October 3rd. I also am curious what sort of time you think I should be putting in on a daily or weekly basis to avoid burnout but still improve my skills and stay fresh. My current plan was to review the 7sage course and the LSAT Trainer, train flash cards, do a couple of sections with BR every day, and take a PT on Saturdays. I was also thinking about taking sections and tests with a 30 or 32 minutes time frame in order to challenge myself. I also have considered taking 2PTs back to back to build stamina. Sorry for the long winded post, I am looking forward to hearing your responses. Thanks!

Jake

Hello LSATers,

how many PTs should I do the week leading to the Oct 3 LSAT? i was thinking of 3 but I am wondering if that's too few

I don't know how representative my score is when I see what I get on the PT that I split up to use as a 5th section for 4 other tests, but I got a much higher score than I have been getting recently and I suspect, aside from regular fluctuations in performance, that a big factor behind this boost is the mental preparation I do beforehand. What I mean is that I'll insert the first "experimental" section at the very beginning of a PT, then I'll put the second section as the second, the third as the third, etc.

I read that people recommend doing a game, a few LR questions and one RC passage before doing the actual test the day of. I'm not too much of a morning person but I've been trying to wake up earlier. It hasn't been that easy and I know that grogginess can definitely hinder my performance. What I'm trying to figure out is if my experimental PT (the one I split up) is better because most, if not all, of the sections are written after having done another section from the "real" one I'm doing that day. Perhaps this is just speculation but I'm wondering if people have gotten into the habit of doing some light preparation before going into their PT and noticed an improvement. I hope this post made sense. Essentially, I think if I can wake up earlier, it will save me a few points.

I'm writing in October. Although the examination time is listed at 8:30, I know it doesn't start exactly then. Nonetheless, what time do you suggest I wake up to not feel groggy and to prepare by eating and doing some light prep? When I simulate/do PTs, should I be starting my test at exactly 8:30?

In a recent reply to someone's post, I saw @Pacifico recommend using a clean sheet for BR. I'd never thought of doing that before and my BR scores have been in the 168-180 range the last several months. I wanted to hear your different views on why you choose to use your old copy or use a clean copy when BRing. Personally, I like using my old copies so that I can see which questions I circled. I also find it useful to try and dissect my thought process the first time I answered a question so I can see where I went wrong on some questions. Inevitably though, on the toughest questions I do second-guess myself and have a hard time making a decision between two answer choices (my old one and a different one). Definitely thinking about switching to clean copies to see if it helps my BR scores increase. What do you guys think?

Alright folks... I feel as though I'm missing some brain cells when I do SA and PSA questions. I just did the Marsupials question.. I'm certain some of you know that one. And MY GOODNESS what a fucking terrible combination of sentences!!!! I'm going to go take a break before I decide to throw my computer into a pit of fire. But what am I missing??????? I've reviewed the SA section a couple times because I still lack in this area. I've now memorized the valid and invalid argument forms and have scored perfectly on the logic quizzes leading up to the actual SA questions, but when the questions are incredibly convoluted, i get really lost and my logic game goes south.

Can someone just give me a vote of confidence or tell me how they overcame their struggle with these type of questions? Please know that I am complaining, but not giving up. I am going to keep drilling, just needed a little venting and break time.

But seriously, fuck these questions.

:-) Sliz

Just got a 144, blind review 151 on my first ever PT (June 2007). I've only been studying for about 2 months, and I'm not very far into the course. Thus, I know my score will naturally improve by December or Feb when I take it for real.

However, that score is absolutely terrible, obviously, and I'm more than a little bit scared. Would love to hear from some other fellas and ladies; where did you guys start out when you just began studying? Is 144/151 a normal PT for my stage of the game? My goal is roughly 160 or higher for the schools that interest me. Fully aware that I'm not T14 material, but I also am not going to go to some scrub school just so I can say I have a law degree. I'm striving for slightly above average, which means improving approx 15-20 points. Is this realistic???

Sweating this....

I cannot find full test booklets for prep tests 39-51. Must one buy these individually? If not,would someone please post a link to where these tests can be purchased in a booklet. Thanks!

I've been doing 3 PTs a week for the last month.

The goal was to go through 39-75 until the Oct test date.

(Currently at 57 )

I've been realizing that the progress is slow and I am feeling burnt out.

So I've decided to do 2 PTs/week instead even though I may not get through all the prep tests.

I will spend more time reviewing questions from old tests as well as thorough BRs.

Furthermore, if I have to retake in December, I may still have a few fresh prep tests left.

Does this sound like a solid plan?

Or should I stick to doing all PTs before the Oct exam?

Thanks!

So I've been printing out pdf versions of tests to practice test as well as using the book of 10 that you can buy that is in softcover form or whatever. My question is, since the lsat is a ton of pages (like 40+) how is the actual test given?(is it just all of the sections stapled into one big group or is each section stapled separately to be easier to work with?) Because those book form tests are annoying because you have to hold them from trying to change the page or close on their own.

Hi y'all,

I'm aiming to take the LSAT in October. My average PT score is 1 pt under my goal, with wide variation (9 pt range) and I haven't started taking 5 section PTs.

Suggestions how to avoid plateau-ing/burning out in these last weeks? Also, when to start taking 5 section PTs?

Thanks!

Hi guys! I'm wondering what your opinions are about the relative difficulty of the PTs in the 70s range compared to basically everything that came before them (PTs 30 and up). I've found that especially in the LR sections, the questions are SUPER nitpicky and rely on you finding very subtle nuances in the stimulus, which is difficult to do under the pressure of the clock. Also, many LR questions seem to have needlessly wordy structures and are confusingly phrased. It's making me nervous for the October test, especially since I feel that only tests 70-75 are exact indicators of what will be on the October test, and that's a limiting amount of study materials. June administration ruined my life. :(

Does anyone else feel like the recent tests got harder/different?

Hi guys,

I recently just finished my undergrad dual major degree at the end of July. I was the Director of Student Legal Services at our university and am now planning to attend law school. However, with work and summer classes I was not able to dedicate as much time to studying for the LSAT as I should have and now I am weary about taking the test in October. Are there any HUGE reasons why I should NOT take the test in December?

Thanks guys

Does anyone know if Mike Kim included anything substantially new and useful in the 2015 version of the LSAT Trainer? I have the older version (Black and teal cover with the orange fishy) and am currently giving it a 2nd read-through.

Hi guys!

Just a brief comment on the "trends" page of the score tracker.

You recently changed the score tracker so that instead of showing a wide range of scores and graphing your scores within that, it shows your maximum and minimum score as the maxima and minima on that page, and then graphs all other scores within that range.

I don't like this change at all. The reason for this is that it creates an artificial level of volatility in your scores. So, for example, when I graph my last 15 or so scores, the maxima and minima are 173/179. Therefore, with that limit on the graph, a score even decreasing from 178 to 177 (much less 179 to 175) looks like a huge leap, and honestly makes me feel a little bit anxious when I am looking at the page.

A much better way to show the graph would be how you had it before. If you don't like that (which I understand, given that it can be near-impossible to show slight variations in scores) a better way to do it is make the range based on your maximum score+10 (up to 180) and your minimum score-10 (down to whatever the minimum LSAT score is -- 120?).

Otherwise, I feel like it is very easy to lose perspective when you see an "abrupt decline" on the graph from whatever to whatever, which is easy when your range is within only 6 points.

Hello sagers.

I have begun my journey of taking strictly-timed PTs and am currently working away at the BR (PT 41). I have some questions in which I would appreciate some insight on, regarding the BR process and, how I can become more efficient during the BR process in terms of time-management, proper strategy, and utilizing this time effectively so that improvements occur!

As stated, I just finished PT 41 and have been BR'ing for the past hour and a half. I am just finishing Section 1 (LR) of that test, and am wondering what the "right balance" of searching for the perfect answer (or getting every answer correct) and pushing through to complete the BR process in a more practical manor, with the context in mind that I am not at a very strong point in my understanding of the test. I have completed the majority of the curriculum, and have attempted at least 1 of the PS for each QT. I found I got bogged down in the curriculum at times and, in an effort to stay focused and positive, I moved on to the next section of the curriculum without completing every PS.

Even though I felt my timing has improved a little bit (compared to diagnostic and 2 other PTs I have taken) I recognize that my fundamentals are still not yet developed to the point where I understand exactly: what type of question I am attacking; what I am looking for in the right answer, and perhaps most importantly - why the other 4 answers choices are wrong. Essentially, the BR process so far, feels as if I am merely taking another PT (without the time restrictions obviously) where I am relying on a whole lot of intuition, and not really understanding what the question wants.

My plan is at this point, to complete my BR which seems will take more like 6 hours (seems a lot), and then really focus in on the video explanations tomorrow of the incorrect questions (there will be many). After about 5 PTs I was going to take a look back at the analytics, and really start focusing in on what questions (if not all) I can improve on more so than others, while also going back over the PS' of Logic Games provided in the curriculum that I have both completed, and have yet to complete.

To conclude, I ask if I am overdoing it with the BR at this process? Should I break it up into a 2 day review, instead of PT - break - BR/videos? I acknowledge that it is perhaps the most important part of the development process, so is there a better strategy I can use? I'm thinking of drilling question types every mourning, and reviewing the notes I have on different question types and how to attack them - do you think this would benefit my growth? I appreciate all the help and insight provided; please PM me if that works better. At the end of the day, I am not feeling like the BR is helping me grow, and would love to hear about how I can change that! Thanks everybody.

So I'll start by prefacing that I've really been drilling LG hardcore for only the past 3 weeks or so, so not exactly a great deal of time. I followed @Pacifico guide, here's the link for the curious http://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy and I am definitely seeing an improvement. Granted, I'm going from possibly finishing a game and a half, to at least getting to the fourth, but I'm still having so much difficulty up front. I'm at PT 29 and hope to hit the 60's later this month. My biggest struggle right now is time (surprise). I almost always freeze for almost 8 minutes on any given game figuring out the board, trying to split the board, or figuring out whether the game is rule driven, before finally getting fed up and hitting the questions. Afterwards, I find myself hitting the questions and then by the second or third question the light bulb will turn on while I'm brute forcing my way through and I'll realize the stupid inference I missed and then I'll breeze through the rest. However, those initial wasted minutes are killing me and putting me into panic mode before I barely finish the first game. At this point, I've rarely needed to come back and check out JY's video because I'll realize the inference or issue mid game, but by the time I figure it out, the damage is essentially already done. I was really hoping that by the time I started getting into the post PT 36 games that I'd have a more solid foundation to comfortably move on to the more modern games and not waste any that I could use for full PT. I can't tell at this point if I'm actually improving significantly from when I started drilling LG through this process, or whether it's because I'm starting to hit the modern games. Anyone have any thoughts/advice?