How many law schools will you apply to?

Hi,

I've been taking a few timed tests lately (after I received some good advice to do so) and have been consistently scoring 164 on all the exams. I took a timed practice test last night and scored a 165 after a few days of extensive blind review. I'm currently trying to take the upcoming LSAT exam (February '16) and my goal is to score at least a 170 (but would ideally like to score 173+). I would rather not push it off until June. I quit my job, moved home to study, and after a lot of distractions there I recently moved back to the city this week and have been putting in a lot of uninterrupted work towards the LSAT. I need to get a job again soon but also know that I have to make the difficult decision of prioritizing the LSAT.

From those who have some insights to share -- do you think that it is possible to hit a 170+ by the February exam date? If I'm scoring a consistent 164/165 on timed exams now? I have until the end of December to register for the February LSAT, so any information + advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Is it possible for the LSAT to have trends where exams are specifically designed to have harder LR or RC and then easier LG or vice versa at particular times? If that's something that is often done is there a way we can get a sense of what the trend will be like or when they might choose to calibrate it a certain way? I feel like there are definite trends among the different months the exams are released on. I'd imagine they'd have to take into account whether students might be improving on LG for example so they balance it out by giving harder LG while minimizing the other sections.

I just finished the 12/5 test. I don't know whether I should cancel my score.

I have two major concerns that persuade me to cancel my score:

1. I did not do well on this test at all. This is my first time taking LSAT, except for pretests. But I am sure I could do way better than this if give me more time to practice.

2. The proctors told me they had to report me because I was rewriting my name on the bubble sheet after the first 5 sections were done. I explained to them that my name was slightly erased by my hand when I filled out the bubbles, so I had to rewrite them just to be safe. They said they would send a note to LSAC and let them know I was rewriting my name instead of making marks on questions. So, they let me sign my name on the surface of the booklet, and I did. I don't know how much negative influence will this cause. I felt very upset about it.

Also, I am struggling not cancel the score, because this is the last chance for me to apply 2016 fall admission. I don't really want to take a gap year. But I do want to attend a really good law school.

So, right now, I am struggling! Really confused.

Please give me some suggestions. Also please let me know if you have any similar experiences and how you handled it! If you have any ideas about what to do during the gap year, let me know!!!!

P.S: I am an international student. I don't know how much difference will this make. So let me know if you have any ideas.

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Proctor: any questions before we start?

Rando: may I grab a sip of water from my bottle really quick?

Proctor: yes.

Rando: [sips water].

Proctor: anyone else?

Rando: can I grab a sip of water during the test?

Proctor: no.

Rando: during the 5 minute breaks, may I grab a sip of water or eat a handful of nuts?

Proctor: yes.

Me: this dude is going to be sorely disappointed when there are no 5 minute breaks.

End result: Rando drinks water during test at the end of each section after time is called and is not reprimanded for it.

[Facepalm]

So I sat the Dec. exam today going in very confident. I've been PTing in the 168-172 range for the past 5 PTs. First 3 section went by amazing, felt like those times I scored 170+. Then the LG came and I just panicked on G3. Sunk too much time so I skipped to G4 but the damage was done, my mental state was gone. Ended up guessing on 8 questions total in the LG games. I'm guessing I'll end up in the 160-163 range. Terrible. Was going to submit my applications by the end of the year but looks like I'm going to have to wait till Feb.

Any tips, to prevent future incidents like this? I'm just going to go and drill the hell out LG for the next 9 weeks.

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.

Jesus Christ, I am usually good at LG but the third game totally threw my off and I was literally blank for 3 mintues and had to jump to G4. Thank god there are only 5 questions!

Hey 7Sagers!

With the LSAT coming up this Saturday (Dec. 5th), I figured I'd reiterate our TOS and rules a bit.

We know that everyone will be excited to discuss what was on the December '15 LSAT, but mentioning specifics about the test (e.g., "Question 4 was odd" or "I got B for question 6" or "the 3rd LG was sequencing") can get both us and you in a lot of trouble with LSAC.

Saying that the test was hard/easy without going into detail is okay, but anything more specific is not okay. LSAC monitors this forum.

One exception is you can say which section was the experimental. For example, the LG with "flowers" was experimental. That's okay.

TL;DR: PLEASE don't talk specifics about December's LSAT!

Good luck everyone! Have a complimentary cute cat dog possum bunny hippo gif to (s)knead(/s) wiggle gnaw binky stumble its way into your heart and melt your stress away.

Is the Lamarck RC experimental or real?

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?

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.

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!

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?

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!

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?

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!

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.

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.

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

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