Ok, I am joking about this being the hardest LR question of all time. Of course, there have been harder questions, but for some reason, this one took me days and days to get....

First of all, this is a very unique principle question. Usually, the correct answer to a principle question is a conditional or just look likes a principle-you know, has a "should" or the equivalent of a should in there somewhere....but this problem looks more like a "find the necessary assumption question."

I get why A is the correct answer. It fills in the gap between the premise and conclusion. The premise is that certain factors can increase or undermine a witness' confidence without hurting the accuracy or reliability of identification. Then there is a big jump to a conclusion (which comes out of nowhere!) that states that thus, based on the abovementioned premise, police officers are advised to stop suspect lineups in which witnesses can hear one another identifying suspects...So the big assumption here is that the confidence of witnesses in suspect lineups is affected by hearing other witnesses identifying suspects, and that's how A connects the premise to the conclusion.

But the thing which took me so long to get was, why would this matter?!?! Why would police officers disallow suspect lineups in which witnesses can hear one another identifying suspects because it might affect their confidence levels, if their level of confidence has no effect on the reliability of their accuracy?

So I talked to my dad about it, who is in the military and thinks more like a cop, and he said that if a witness' confidence is lowered, they might not be as forthcoming about what they think, and they might be less willing to cooperate.

What do you guys think?

Hi 7Sagers!

I'm Jonathan; or, as some folks at the NYC Overlook meetup called me, "the other guy". If you've watched any problem set explanation videos, some of those are mine; I have a bunch of videos in the full test explanations as well. I've also been popping into the forums a bit more often lately, as a few of you have noticed.

As you're all aware, the LSAT is hard. And while 7Sage is awesome, sometimes you might need additional help with a certain question or concept. I've worked closely with JY and 7Sage since the beginning, and I also happen to be a full-time LSAT tutor. Rather than clutter discussions with shameless self-promotion, we thought this announcement post would be the best way to inform you folks about how to go about getting private tutoring.

You can have a lesson with me from anywhere in the world via Skype or Google Hangout. Whether you want a someone to walk you through the entire process, or just someone to talk to for an hour or two about a couple of sticking points (or anything in between!), I'm your guy.

My standard tutoring rate is $250/hour. However, due to my excellent working relationship with JY and Alan, I'm giving a 10% discount (down to $225/hour) if you're enrolled in the 7Sage program! Just send me a study buddy request and some kind of proof that you've paid for the course (any tier).

You can see testimonials from my students here:

http://brightlinelsat.com/

If you decide that you'd like to receive some tutoring, don't post in this thread - drop me a line via the contact form on my website and we'll make it happen. Be sure to include your 7Sage name and any relevant information you'd like me to know. Please also feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

See you guys around the forums, and happy studying!

Does "In fact" function as a transitional indicator? That is, does in fact signal the switch from context to argument?

eg (PT 64 section III Q 22)

scientists astounding success..........causes public to believe that science can solve any problem. IN FACT, the problems selected by scientists .... etcetc etc

Check out this really great NY Times article about women empowerment. What's really neat about the article is how causation theory is used to substantiate the need to educate women globally.

Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/opinion/sunday/kristof-whats-so-scary-about-smart-girls.html?_r=0

If you don't have time to read the whole article, here is the excerpt that I found relatable to our causation lesson:

"One study found that for every 1 percentage point increase in the share of the population aged 15 to 24, the risk of civil war increases by 4 percent.That means that curbing birthrates tends to lead to stability, and that’s where educating girls comes in. You educate a boy, and he’ll have fewer children, but it’s a small effect. You educate a girl, and, on average, she will have a significantly smaller family. One robust Nigeria study managed to tease out correlation from causation and found that for each additional year of primary school, a girl has 0.26 fewer children. So if we want to reduce the youth bulge a decade from now, educate girls today."

^-^

As the June test is fast approaching, I have been focusing on what seems to be my weakest section which is reading comprehension. I miss at best 8 or 9 questions, and usually do not finish within the time restraints. I would like to reduce this number to about -5. This would help me boost my score by two or more points. Does anyone have a specific way that they attack the passages which has led them to see an increase to their score on this section? I employ certain techniques such as circling keywords and names as well as evidence/conclusions. I have also tried looking at the questions before reading the passages but it does not seem to help me improve. I am open to any suggestions anyone might have. Good luck with your studying!

Hey folks, I was curious as to the typical distribution of a test writer's scores. I am beginning to write full length PTs and i'm wondering how indicative they are of my true 'mean' score. For example, should i expect +/- 2, 3, or 4 etc.? I realize the answer to this is likely to be dependent on each individual person but I was wondering if anyone could offer insight.

Sam

As the title says, I just completed all of the 7sage course lessons and took my first timed PT last week ago. I blind reviewed this PT as well. The timed and blind review scores came back the same as the cold diagnostic (about mid 140s and mid 150s respectively.) Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

Today I tried to take another PT (62) but in the middle of it I blanked out. I started off strong with the RC section (mainly because it was topics with which I am familiar, or that I actually give a crap about), then I started gassing through the first LR section and by the time I got to LG (section 3) I completely lost motivation. By the second LR section I was running on fumes and I wasn't particularly confident in my answer choices. It didn't help that I was having issues with the proctor app which kept freezing on my phone, making me go over the allotted time. I'm feeling pretty discouraged at this time since its seeming like all this coursework was for naught. I also decided to scrap PT 62 entirely since I was feeling pretty disgusted with myself by the end of it.

I had originally planned to take the June LSAT but I don't think I'll have enough time between then and now to sufficiently address all of my issues so I'm likely going to reschedule to September.

So with all of that I could really use some pointers as to how to proceed with my studies. As JY mentioned in one of his blog posts, there are only a limited number of PTs available and I want to make the most efficient use of them so that I don't fuck it up for myself come October.

Edit: Sorry, I meant to say that ideally I'd like to correct some of the mistakes I'm making, whether it be from not getting mentally fatigued so quickly to working on weak spots before I resume PTing.

did you see great improvement if any between your diagnostic test and 2nd exam? and between your 2nd and 4th test?

please give me a brief insight on your journey through these prep tests and your performance. I know it's different for everyone but I'd like to get an idea of what's going on.

Website asked us to check availability of admission ticket on June 11th for the June 29th test. That's pretty late. Is it normal? I believe they usually issue the ticket at least a month in advance. Shall I worry about it?

I was not a very talented reader and have been struggling but I found correlation between my ability to understand the content of this book and my ability to read RC passage with accuracy.

It is called Cleopatra: A life by Stacy Schiff.

I did not major in History so understanding the flow of this book was a challenge but and also this book is written in a manner that required identifying tons of referential nouns and also drawing out inferences.

I recommend this book for those who did not major in English or History and are struggling with understanding complex passages. Just read during your break or before going to bed!

I usually score around 149-150 on actual timed PTs however, after Blind review my score goes up by 10-11 points- end up around 160-161.

This has been going on for a while now, I would like to see some improvement on the actual timed PTs. Do any of you have any suggestions/tips on how I can turn my BR score into my actual score. Any input would be valuable and appreciated. Thank you!!!

Hi everybody. I want to practice Reading Comprehension but I need passages to drill with and we need 6-8. Where are you all getting your problem sets from aside from 7sage? I strangely remember the answers so I can't recycle 7sage material unfortunately. Thanks!

Hi guys,

June 2014 LSAT test is a month away, and many of us probably still need to improve on all of the three LSAT sections. I have noticed from reading the recent discussions that most people are struggling with LR, especially with completing it on time. I think that maybe we should share our tips on how to improve on this section to help each other do better on the upcoming test (or later tests for those who are not taking June 2014 test).

For, instance what I have learnt after struggling with this section is that there are a lot of questions which talk about some sort of experiment. Those are usually Weakening/Strengething/Resolve Paradox questions. So, to answer these type of questions faster, it is important to know how proper experiment is to be conducted, especially, keeping things other than the thing being measured similar/same. The correct answer choice would often be the one that would address the issue of other things being equal/not equal depending on the type of question. Sometimes, they would specifically say in the stimulus that the experiment was held under similar conditions, but include an incorrect answer choice which would say that the conditions were different.

So, we you guys can make some input on how things you need to know to go through LR faster, I think it would help at least some of us improve on it.

I apologize in advance for the long discussion post. I am sure there are others in my shoes, so I'd like to ask the community for some assistance on my progress thus far and some guidance going forward. My story is that I began studying last summer before my last year of university, but have yet to write an LSAT (Did not sign up for Oct 2013 as planned). I studied hard last summer, but once school began in September I fell off the wagon and dramatically reduced my studying. I have began to study hard again for the June 2014 test and have noticed my progress over the last 2 weeks has slightly improved. I don't know how to properly diagnose myself to determine the best way to improve.

My biggest weakness is LR, I can typically complete a section in 35 minutes (though some sections I cannot) and achieve anywhere between a -6/7 - /12/13. Two things I have noticed looking back at my test and blind reviewing them. First, there does not seem to be ONE particular question type that chokes me up, rather all the question types seem to be in the mix of my wrong answer. So, how do I actually determine which areas I need improvement on most, since it seems to really only be the most difficult questions for all types that choke me up. Second, when I go to check my answers against the correct answer, I have a hard time firmly reviewing because once I see the answer it seems so obvious (i.e: I either make a really dumb mistake a lot, or I fell for the trap).

My second weakest area is RC, I cannot complete a section in the 35 minutes and any hard passages take me over 10 minutes and include me getting completely demolished on the questions. I have noticed a slight increase in my ability to read for reasoning structure, but I cannot figure out a way to increase my ability to answer questions while at the same time learning to reduce my time. I understand that drill drill drill is what needs to happen for this kind of improvement, so my question is how did you drill RC and what exactly did you do that made you see the improvements you desired?

Lastly, my LG is actually pretty good. I can score anywhere between -3/4- -0. BUT the biggest thing for me in this section is my timing. Games that should take me 5 mins end up taking me 8/9 mins. So, any of the more challenging games just completely throw my timing off, allowing me to only finish 3 games in 35 minutes. My question here is how can I improve my time without hurting my accuracy. Any time that I have tried to improve my time I notice I make sloppy mistakes and rush rather than actually trying to think things through (which inevitably takes more time).

Again sorry for the long post, but I am really desperate to properly diagnose my progress. As of right now I don't know what to do. Obviously drilling and practicing is necessary to improve, but I am curious to know what others think and suggest. Also, given my progress so far what should I expect for test date realistically. My last actual fully timed PT was 153, and I have scored around 163/164 but went over the time limit.

Thanks to all who assist me and provide input! I look forward to hearing all of the responses.

I have been drilling games for months now, using the fool proof method. My score was beginning to increase (last pretest I got 14 correct in the games section) I just took pretest 61 and absolutely did horrible in the section. I froze, was unable to see inferences, and only got 9 questions right! Also, my RC score, usually 19, dropped to 14. The RC section seamed harder than usual. My LR sections greatly increased ( think this is because I took this test 6 months ago. Overall I got 155 with an aim of getting 160 this june! I need to improve my LG, I think thats the way to secure the 160. Any tips? Should I drill full sections? I think my weakness is when I do sections not individual games. Please help. I need to develop a study strategy for this last month that does not kill my mood. I usually tend to freak out and drill like crazy and end up burning out. I am so close to the 160...Is RC harder for the recent lsat's?

This has been my section distribution:

PT 55 PT 56 PT 61

RC 19 , 19, 16

LR 20,16, 22

LR 15, 15, 19

LG 9, 13, 9

152, 153, 155

But things are just not working out with me and this test. I don't know what else to do. In considering just taking the June test and what ever score I get is what I get.

Is anyone else getting a "502 Bad Gateway" message when trying to access the site? I've gotten it a few times now, always been able to load it eventually but it can take awhile.

just writing to say hi

I know the prep test are limited and to be used wisely (i.e. blind review and review all wrong answers), yet I am still scared of the fact that I may use my last 50 prep test wrongly, and will never be able to increase my score again. I know I should get over that fact, and just keep practicing questions, games, and passages, but I just want to confirm that I am using my material wisely. I go over wrong questions and question I am short of 100% certainty with. Can someone please get my fear of using material to go away, or tell me how to correctly use the rest of my practice tests?

Hello fellow 7sagers!

I would like to organize a group prep test. Basically, get together in a quite area and take the test as a group to simulate testing conditions.

If anybody is interested let me know ASAP so I can begin looking for a good place.

Thanks!

The deadline for the June 2014 LSAT is May 6th for the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean! Register soon if you're still intending on taking it for June! Just a happy reminder for my fellow 7sagers!

http://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/test-dates-deadlines/2014-2015/us-canada-june

Is 7Sage no longer supported in Safari? I keep getting a 507/Bad Gateway message while all other websites work just fine.

One day I jotted down "How many do you NEED?" on the front of an envelope. I was asking myself how many LSAT's I really needed to understand the general structure of an LSAT. The reason I need to answer this is because I am debating two different ways of taking practice tests. The first way is the way I've heard JY advocate, which is , as I understand it, circle questions you don't feel 100% sure on and come back to them until you understand how they work (or something like that).. the blind review. I did this and realized there were many questions I THOUGHT i had gotten right and so hadn't circled but had gotten wrong. I only found out such a question was wrong once I had graded the test, and so already knew the answer and so lost the ability to find it myself...

Because of that problem, I decided to just blind review the whole thing, and the logic games section I did, well, over and over again on clean sheets. After I did that, I wanted to see how it would feel to take the LSAT again. I knew that it wouldn't give me an accurate score, but I felt like it would be a good exercise in what it would feel like to perform at a very high level, to maybe learn how quick you need to be in the actual scenario etc.

So yea, took LSAT, blind reviewed whole LSAT, then took LSAT again. That took me a solid week. So this story is a long-winded means for a question I have... Is it better for me to take the WHOLE test 3 times (The second being a blind review), or is it better to merely take the circled questions again and move on to the next test?

If it's better to take the test 3 times, then that makes me think that I might do better to closely study a small number of LSATs, instead of quickly studying a large number of LSATs.

My intuition says closer and slower is always better, but I just wanted to get some perspective....

Thanks for your ear and please respond!

I'm averaging -15 on LR, -6 on RC and -4 of LG. Clearly LR is my biggest issue right now. Should I be drilling only LR sections so my LR score "catches up" to my other sections or should I just keep doing full tests?

I'm about 6 raw points away from my target score for June.

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