Hi everyone!

After fluctuations in PT scores (My most recent was a 158, BR 167 after a high of 166, BR 175-yikes!) I've pretty much decided that I will not be taking the June LSAT. With such a variance in my score range, it just doesn't seem stable enough. Plus, the closest testing center is all full anyway...

Anyway, I'm at the point where I'm wondering how to keep myself motivated and make sure my head is in the game. There is still plenty of time before the October LSAT but I'm not sure how to go about utilizing my time in the best way possible. I've started typing out my reasoning for eliminating LR answer choices but it seems to take forever and I'm not really sure that my reasoning is even correct (another question: how to best attack and eliminate wrong LR ACs?). I've gone through the fundamentals again and feel stronger with lawgic but lawgic isn't always the easiest way to approach an LR question.

I would like to have my apps in by Thanksgiving but that means working on personal statements while studying and working full-time. I'm just afraid I'm going to burn out! These past few weeks, I've been slacking on studying because I've resigned myself to not taking the June test and I'm worried that this will happen throughout the rest of the summer months as well. What are all of you October/December test-takers doing to stay motivated and how can I best utilize the remaining time to make sure that my score doesn't plummet down?

Thank you for your help :) I really feel comforted by the stories and questions I see in the 7Sage Discussion Forum!

Hello 7sage! As always, thanks so much for all the help and resources.

I was wondering if there will be a price discount since the PDFs of LSAT questions are now all gone. I really want to enroll in the Ultimate course but its quite over my budget. Thanks!

I have The Ultimate subscription tier and for some reason, when logging in today, the logic games bundle has vanished from my syllabus.

Is anyone else seeing the same thing?

Hey 7Sagers,

Had someone email me with this question and thought you could help! Here it is:

I have completed my degree program in Strategic Communication and would like to read International Law. However, is it true that I would have read Law for degree and masters for five years ? Again, is it true that if I pass my LSAT exams very well I could read Law for three years ? Lastly, I desire to enroll at either Harvard or Yale University, how do I get admission and a full time scholarship?

Hey guys, I'm starting an in-class LSAT prep in San Francisco called Nathan Fox LSAT prep. Has anyone heard of it? It has really good reviews online and I was wondering if anyone is in the area. The books he writes have really good reviews as well.

I already have a ton of the PrepTests you can find on the LSAC website, but they don't correlate with these much older (PrepTest 30-40ish) versions 7sage used. I've tried searching for them, with no luck. Any suggestions?

Back in February I made the decision to write the LSAT in June. Currently still in my undergrad: I choose to drop 2 of the 5 courses I was registered in to take this past spring semester. I went out and purchased all the "PowerScore" prep books and used their 4-month study plan as a guide. I found myself studying non-stop balancing school and the LSAT was difficult, but I am a highly motivated individual with a strong work ethic and was able to keep up the pace (for the most part). However I was stuck in my decision whether or not to write the LSAT in June, I'm currently 1.5-2 weeks behind that study schedule (PowerScores 4-month). If I were to follow through with that study plan it would require me to pretty much "rush" through prep-tests (waste valuable resources). So I’ve made the decision to hold off on writing until Oct. I believe that I can score so much better if I’m not rushing through materials and various prep tests (also I’m not where I want to be in terms of my score). It's not that I don't know the concepts. I've pretty much completed all of PowerScore’s publications (Bibles LR, RC,& LG), I know how to answer questions and don't struggle very much applying any of these concepts to LSAT problems whether it be games, reasoning (RC is a bit more challenging for me), however time is an issue (applying the concepts quickly becomes tricky) that is why I think I just need more time to solidify these concepts and then work on performing them quickly. However I don’t really know the proper approach for my studies going forward? I know "pretty much" all the principles (already been studying for 3 months) so starting with the basic's (Like every LSAT course/study plan does) would not suit me (or do I actually need to re-learn them if I’m not where I want to be) I don't believe I need to re-learn basic concepts (ex, sufficient and necessary, cause and effect etc…?). So my Question is what do I do going forward? Do I just use these next 5 months writing 1-2 prep tests a week and then take the time to go through it all week? Consistently do timed sections in LR and RC every couple of days and then review? Repeatedly bang out logic games? I'm just stuck and don't know how I should study for these next 5 months?

Some advice would be greatly appreciated thank you!

I've taken a look at the curriculum that 7Sage has to offer; I'm very impressed and ready to purchase the course but before I do so, I'm wondering if it's applicable for the Canadian LSAT. I'm not even sure if they're different, I just don't want to spend all that money and time for a poor score due to this over site. So, I guess my question is, does 7Sage prepare you for both the American and Canadian LSAT?

Thanks in advance!

I have been trying to upgrade from my free account, but when I click on "Payment Information" nothing happens!

Any advice?

Like many of you I read that NYTimes article featuring Jonathan and grew very concerned. Jonathan (and the other 7Sage mentors) represent a high bar: obviously smart, entrepreneurial, and graduates from great universities. I know that Jonathan clarified some of the article's mischaracterizations in an earlier post, but the point still sticks: now seems like a terrible time to go to law school. I'm considering pocketing my LSAT score for a few years till the market recovers. Thoughts?

article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/business/dealbook/burdened-with-debt-law-school-graduates-struggle-in-job-market.html?src=xps

If you guys are looking to listen to or read the transcript of Obergefell v. Hodges, here's a link: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2015/04/28/listen-oral-arguments-obergefell-v-hodges

Hello,

I downloaded all of the PDFs from the link that have subsequently been removed; however, I'm not sure if these still exist in the course contents list. All of those PDF files used to exist right beside the lessons. Is that still how it is? If not, how do we know when we should be incorporating the PDFs?

Hey Guys,

I studied roughly 6 months for the February LSAT, took the test and scored relatively lower than my PT average. I had a pretty bad test day; they tried to kick me out off the bat et cetera. I scored a 159 while my general average was around a 164 or higher.

I am thinking about retaking the June LSAT. After taking a small break, I feel so much better looking at the test. Things just come to me naturally in a way that seemed so foreign before. HOWEVER

the problem is I only have roughly 3 PTs I have not taken. What should I do?

I took about a month and a half off, and when I look at old PTs I don't consciously remember any of the questions, however I am scoring oddly higher (167 range). I don't know if this is due to the break, or subconscious memory.

What do you guys think, can I learn with these 'old' PTs?

Should I reserve the untainted PTs to one a week?

I'm at that point where I'm consistently scoring in the 168-172 range in Blind Review, but still trying to get the hang of completing sections in the allotted time. I've been told that setting the time to 40 minutes and slowly inching my way down to 35 minutes can help with timing. Is this true? I've been kind of wary of this because I feel like it's a waste of valuable preptests. Can any high scorers attest to this strategy?

Thanks.

anyone else having trouble with the way the correct answers show up below the LG videos? i can hover my mouse over the choices, and see the % selected, but i can no longer see them highlighted in green... thoughts?

Hello all,

I am working full time while studying for LSAT, and I took a two months break due to my hectic work busy season. Now I am back and all the PDFs are gone! This is almost impossible to use this website training lessons without the PDFs.

Can anyone please email me the PDFs if possible?

[removed]

Thank you.

[Mod edit: Please do not send PDFs as they are against our TOS (http://classic.7sage.com/terms-of-service/) and LSAC's TOS (http://www.lsac.org/aboutlsac/policies/terms-and-conditions).]

Has anybody here on 7Sage tried Lumosity in addition to LSAT prep? If you're not familiar with Lumosity, it's a website with brain games designed to help you improve things like attention, memory, flexibility, problem solving etc.

NECESSARY ASSUMPTION QUESTIONS

HOW TO FIND NECESSARY ASSUMPTIONS Lesson 1 of 23

“I play basketball. Therefore, I am one of the best basketball players in the world.”

SA (declare argument valid) NA (subtle, it gets little done)

Wow the MVP 10 years in a row I know how to dribble

I’m a beast I am alive

SA**Almost perfect argument u could hope for. (You don’t need any of them)

NA*Crappy argument yet they are all necessary. (You need all of the above) u can have 100 NAs and still have a crappy argument. But if u throw one of them away your argument is screwed

HOW TO FIND NECESSARY ASSUMPTIONS 2 Lesson 2 of 23

P1 + P2 → C (Valid argument)

P1 + P2 - - - > C(not valid)

P1 + P2 + SA → C (valid)

[P1 + P2 + SA → C ] → NA (Valid argument (VA) → NA)

VA→ NA

/NA → /VA

HOW TO FIND NECESSARY ASSUMPTIONS 3 Lesson 3 of 23

VA→ NA

/NA → /VA

_____________________

Two test from these two

1. MBT

2. Negation- try to negate the answer choice, if you negate the right answer choice you will wreck your argument.

NA:

1. Blocking: protect something

2. Bridging: To get you from point A to point B

I know strategy. Therefore, I am one of the best generals I the world.

• Bridging: knowing strategy is somewhat relevant to being the best general in the world. Very subtle statements.

• Blocking: protect argument from wrecking balls coming in from all directions. Trying to knock down your argument.

o “Men that you command don’t respect you. You’re psychotic”

o To block u say you’re not psychotic, men do listen to you, you’re not crazy.

NA- STRENGTHEN-PSA-SA QUESTIONS Lesson 4 of 23

NA___________STRENGTHEN_____________________________PSA___________________SA

NA: prevents you from dying. Harding any support.

HOW TO APPROACH NECESSARY ASSUMPTIONS QUESTIONS Lesson 5 of 23

Necessary assumptions can wreck an argument.

First, let’s understand what a necessary assumption is. It’s an assumption (definition: unstated premise) that is necessary for the argument. “Necessary” here means the same thing it does when we talk about a “necessary condition” (as opposed to a “sufficient condition”). Let’s put the relationship between argument and necessary assumption in Lawgic and then run the contrapositive.

Argument (valid) –> Necessary Assumption (true)

/Necessary Assumption –> /Argument

• In English, this means that when we negate the necessary assumption, the argument falls apart. No necessary assumption, no argument.

• Necessary Assumption questions present you with an argument (premises + conclusion) where in order for the conclusion to be valid, there is a necessary (critical) assumption not stated in the argument. Without this particular assumption, the argument falls apart. Your job is to find this sucker, a necessary assumption, in the answer choice.

There are two types of Necessary Assumptions (NA).

• NA Question Type I: The Shield

Consider a simple argument:

As trees age, they grow rings. Therefore, counting the number of rings a tree has will tell us how old a tree is.

• Before we get into necessary assumptions, let’s establish a point of comparison with sufficient assumptions. What are some sufficient assumptions we can make this argument valid? How about trees grow 1 ring per year? That will make our argument valid. Given this new information, we can say that it must be true that counting the number of rings a tree has will tell us how old a tree is. Because we know that as trees age, they grow 1 ring per year.

• But is this sufficient assumption (that “trees grow 1 ring per year”) a necessary assumption? Well, is it necessary? Let’s negate it to see if it wrecks the argument: It’s not the case that trees grow 1 ring per year. Okay, so does this wreck our argument? Well, no. Because so what if trees don’t grow 1 ring per year. Maybe trees grow 3 rings a year, or .5 rings a year. Or whatever. As long as it’s a function of time, we can determine how old a tree is by counting its rings. So, I hope you see that while “trees grow 1 ring per year” is a sufficient assumption, it’s not a necessary assumption. Given the additional premise of trees grow 1 ring per year, our argument becomes valid. But, we can also say trees grow 4 rings a year, which would also be sufficient. For this argument there are plenty of sufficient, but not necessary assumptions.

• Let’s consider now a necessary assumption. Trees don’t skip its ring growth every once in a while. Is this necessary? Let’s see what happens when we negate it: trees do skip its ring growth every once in a while. Well, there goes our argument. How are we supposed to reach our conclusion from our premise if this negated statement is true? We can’t. Our argument is destroyed. It falls apart. If trees skip its growth rings every once in a while, there’s no way that we’ll be able to tell how old trees are by counting its rings. The assumption that trees don’t skip its ring growth every once in a while is necessary. What else is necessary? That trees don’t grow additional rings during years with lots of rain. Answers to shield type necessary assumption questions protect your argument from being wrecked.

NA Question Type II: The Bridge

• Just as the name suggests, these answer choices point out gaps in the logic of the argument. For example, the major premise of the argument might tell you: you edge out your fiercest competitor in a race. The conclusion then claims that you win the race.

• The argument has jumped from one idea (beating your fiercest competitor) to another (winning the race). Bridge questions trade on your inclination to conflate two different ideas. They’re assuming that your fiercest competitor was the only competitor that had a shot of beating you. What about all the other guys? Maybe the dark horse will be the one to win the race. The necessary assumption here may say something that edging out your fiercest competitor is in some way relevant to your winning the race.

• Think about building a bridge. The premises left you at one side of the river and the conclusion is way over on the other side. It’s your job to find this bridge in the answer choice that takes you from the premise to the conclusion.

Some sample Necessary Assumption question stems:

1. The argument makes which one of the following assumptions?

2. The argument assumes

3. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?

4. Which one of the following is an assumption that the fund-raiser’s argument depends on?

5. Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

6. Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?

7. Which one of the following is an assumption necessary for the critic’s conclusion to be properly drawn?

Hey guys,

I'm planning to apply for law school this coming fall and would like to attend the fall of 2016. I had been planning on taking the lsat this June, and I've been studying since about October of 2014. Though it's been about 6 months, it hasn't really been intensive studying, just fitting it in with college and work, here and there, etc. I can do some intensive studying beginning in May for a little less than a month right before the test and I'm wondering whether I should just take it in June and then take it again in October, or wait until October. I feel like I'd do better in October after having the entire summer to really study but if I don't take the June test, October will be the first and last time I'll be able to take it (and still be able to apply on time). Any advice would be appreciated :)

HALPP!!!! For all you 175+ scorers, how did you get from the low 170s to the mid to high 170s? My BR scores are 177-180 but can't seem to get those few points to translate into my practice tests.

On a related note, have you guys identified weird quirks that nobody really talks about (preptests) but that got you to realize what's making you misread a question? I rarely get questions wrong because I miss the argument but there are times when (1) I don't 100% understand what's going on in the argument or (2) when I don't really understand what the answer choice is saying. I want to take this knowledge of my lack of understanding and dive further but don't really know where to start. I've talked to a few people and they mentioned things like, "I realized I misread the word 'and' in a stimulus and therefore didn't know what it meant" or "I didn't fully internalize what the difference between 'presumes without warrant' or 'fails to recognize' for flaw answer choices." Mine thus far have been missing a specific type of causal argument where you're implicitly given "2" causes for "1" treatment, which I know is a big no-no in LSAT land.

What are your strategies? What are your quirks?

On 4-11-2015 I downloaded every pdf that was accessible to a middle tier 7sage member. Tonight I reached the point of my syllabus that involves inout LG's and I find that I am missing both problem sets (1&2) for not only inout but also inout with subcategories. All of my other pdf's are still there and I double checked before the deadline that i downloaded everything available to me. What the Hell? These are the hardest ones! Has anyone else had this problem?

Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2 will be available on Netflix (streaming) on May 1st.

That is all.

A great video about the concept that knowledge does not equal understanding and establishes the fact that biases exist. A great follow-up after reading Jonathan's post on why knowledge is not enough -

http://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2584/why-knowledge-is-not-enough

I think this can most directly apply to our reading skills - sure we know how to read, but we need to switch from our version of reading - to LSAT RC reading - to LSAT LR reading - which is a difficult task. In particular, he says when learning to ride a backwards bike - he knew how, but still could not do it. Anyone else feel this way about the entire test? You've gone over all the material and know what to do - but for some reason still can't do it?

This video also helps to explain why some days everything clicks and others it's disastrous. It took this guy 8 months and practice everyday to get there - and I think it's the same for testing - always practicing. But DESPITE all of that practice and hard work:

@3:30 He says, "It's like I could fee some kind of pathway in my brain that was now unlocked...It's like there is this trail in my brain, but if I wasn't paying close enough attention to it - my brain would easily lose that neural path and jump back onto the old one it was more familiar with. Any small distractions at all...would instantly throw my brain back to the old control algorithm and I would wreck."

Which explains why handling distractions and mental preparation and mindset are so key to the LSAT.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-61-section-2-question-23/

So in JY's explanation the stimulus represents invalid argument form 4. But I'm having trouble seeing this. Had the second sentence read "most BRICK houses on river street with front yards also have two stories" it would have been a lot clearer to me. But it just says "most of the houses on river street that have front yards also have two stories" So presumably there could be 100 wooden houses on river street with front yards and only 5 brick houses. The 5 brick houses could have front yards but not two stories while the 100 wooden houses all have two stories. So I'm not sure how we are justified in claiming most brick houses with front yards have two stories. Very confused on this.

I plan on taking the June LSAT and seem to be running out of time. I took 21 hours during this semester at school and it has been kickin my butt! That being said I didn't have anywhere near as much time to study for the LSAT as I had planned. I still have about 30 hours of "course work" left but with the end of the semester coming up I don't know how much extra time I'm going to have. I've taken a couple of PT's randomly and I'm scoring about a 155 - which is no where where I would like to be. I was wondering if it would be more beneficial if I used my spare time taking and blind reviewing tests, or if I should finish and review the coursework and then do some tests? Please help. My goal is around 163-165. Thanks!!