http://spiveyconsulting.com/blog/first-look-at-the-2014-2-15-application-cycle/

It's a great year to be applying!

I am taking the LSAT this Sunday in Asia. And I was doing relatively well with RC.

I'd read the passages and answer the questions relying on my memory without having to go back much and usually get 3 wrong. Right answers seemed to just pop out for me. But that changed with the most recent ones.........

I'd get stuck between two answer choices with a number of questions and run out of time. My biggest problem is with Comparative Reading. They used to be my favorite. I usually got them done in 5 - 6 minutes. But for some reason with the recent ones, I just feel utterly lost.......

Did RC get harder in general? Or my approaches were wrong.

With the test just a day and a half away, I am so utterly confused.

I've been studying for the LSAT for a while now, currently just started my PT phase and I'm still not near my target score (aiming for Feb test right now). I've also been getting into heavy lifting within the last three months and I recently made the connection of how lifting is very much like studying for the LSAT.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with lifting, and I can't really call myself an expert-- like I said, I've only just started but maybe it's because I'm a newb that it's really easy for me to draw these parallels between the two. First, lifting heavy really requires you to have proper form just like having a good core foundation of lessons for the LSAT. You must have good form before you move onto heavier weights-- by jumping ahead and trying to lift a ton without the training of proper form, you're putting yourself at risk for injury. In a similar way, I've realized that I can't just burn through my PTs when I notice that my foundation isn't solid. I can easily tell through my BRs and my attitude during the test-- sometimes during a PT, I'll see a question and freak/stress out because I know I should be more familiar with it and yet I know I'm not. When moments like these happen, I know it's time to revisit those core lessons again just like when I realize my form is off with lifting, it's time to lower those weights and reassess what I'm doing wrong with my form to see how I can fix it.

Something else that I've realized is that, progress is slowwwww with both lifting and the LSAT. And it can get frustrating, but you just have to believe in yourself, trust the process and that the numbers will come. Personally, I know I have to listen to my own advice about the LSAT more because I've been slightly discouraged lately. On the other hand, I've been really seeing some great progress with my lifting! Something that I've noticed that really helps with all of this is to track the progress-- no matter how little it is, whether it's an extra rep or an extra 5 pounds-- progress is progress! Now I'm able to squat, bench and deadlift and I've made significant progress for all of them! It also doesn't hurt that I'm starting to see those changes in my body too ;) I think I need to start feeling the same way about my LSAT prep and maybe start tracking not just my PTs but every kind of practice I'm doing every day.

And last but not least, I've learned that I just need to jump right into it- no matter how scared I am. As a girl, I've always been curious about lifting heavy/power lifting but was slightly intimidated by the guys in that section of the gym. Once my guy friend decided to switch to my gym, I had him bring me to that section and then teach me all the basics. Even though now I still get slightly nervous walking into that section of the gym at the beginning of each workout, I know why I'm there and I just jump right in. And once I do that, I feel much better. Similarly, for the LSAT I've had this huge mental block about studying and taking the exam because it always seemed like this huge nerve-wracking thing that was going to determine my future (almost a 170 or bust kind of deal) and I've realized that by freaking out and being scared will never get me anywhere. I need to jump right in and face it head on by doing the lessons, practice the things I'm learning from 7Sage and then take those PTs to improve.

Sorry for the super long post, but these are just some things I've noticed through my journeys with weight lifting and the LSAT. I still have a long way to go for both, but I won't stop-- this is just the beginning! And if anyone takes away anything from this post, then.. yay :) I'm glad it helped in someway or another.

Best of luck to those taking the exam tomorrow and shout out to those that are still studying for the exam! We're in this together!

Music or something like NPR while driving in. What do you guys think? Enjoying to some music or something more to listen and comprehend on the way in. What will you guys be doing?

Hi everyone,

I am sure most of us are anticipating the big day tomorrow... I know ideally I should be completely ready, and I feel good about the material but my final issue comes down to timing. I keep having moments when I am taking practice tests where I tell myself to move on but then I also tell myself that if I just had one more second I could figure it out. This tends to go on for a long time until I spend WAY too much time on a question, don't get much closer to answering it (or maybe I do but at a great cost) and I end up running out of time. This is especially true with reading comp and towards the beginning of sections when I tell myself I can make up for it later by just speeding up even more.

I know we are supposed to leave the harder questions for last. I really want to get most of the questions right though, and I have this fear that if I move on, I will never see that question again and it will take even more time later when I am going back to it to re- familiarize with what it is so I would lose even more time. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting out of this mindset?

I know I need to listen to that voice that tells me to move on but because of this fear and I guess because I'm stubborn and don't want to move on until I feel certain, because I know with enough time I'll get it, and then I don't move on and it really costs me later. On days when I do this I often don't even get to the last reading passage.

Another issue is if I DO get through things fast, for example on the games I might get through the first 3 games really fast and then all the sudden I have a ton of time and I relax and slow down, maybe reread the rules 3 times and play around with scenarios more than necessary. But the reason I had this time was actually because the first 3 games are easy and last is brutal and I didn't have time to relax. Then I run out of time again!

So ya I guess my question is what do other people do to force themselves to move on when they know they are supposed to even when that voice is saying, just a few more seconds and you'll get it? Specifically, do you think that it takes a lot of extra time to familiarize yourself with the question again if you wait to go back to it later? (Because that is my biggest mental block on why I don't move on.) How often do you guys look at your watch? Do you ever get lost in the test, forget to look at your watch and then mess up pacing? My internal clock kind of sucks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Good luck to everyone tomorrow, we have worked so hard and as long as we've tried our best and keep trying our best throughout the test... we can't regret anything! Plus we have had a major advantage with 7sage... this incredible secret that most people probably don't know about! So we are going to crush this tomorrow!! :)

I printed my ticket and the yellow ink was low...the top left corner that says "LSAC" turned a pink color. Does this matter? Everything else turned out fine.

Hey everyone,

I hope you are all relaxing before the test and not exhausting yourselves! I am unfortunately posting this message because I woke up today feeling very very ill. I have a fever, soar throat, and my whole body is in pain. Even coughing causes pain.

If I remain at least as ill, my cognitive performance will be significantly impaired. Not to mention, I may very well get other people sick.

I already took the test once in June and I did not reach the score I needed, so I definitely don't want to attempt to retake the test without being in maximum mental and physical shape; doing the contrary will show no significant improvement. So, my question is, how much am I negatively affecting my chances of admission by taking the LSAT in February? I have read a lot about this topic, and almost everyone's opinion is that I am cutting my chances by a high margin.

Please let me know what you think, any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you very much!

I don't know how this is possible, but I really suck at answering Strengthening Questions, even though I answer Weakening Questions with ease. I understand that I should be going about S questions in reverse, and after trying it that way, I still find myself answering it incorrectly.

Am I just not understanding how to answer Strengthening Questions then? What am I missing? I know I have to strengthen the support, and I narrow it down to the last two potential answers and I always pick the wrong one of the two. FML. I don't know if this sounds like mumbo jumbo but if anyone can offer some insight on my problem, please let me know!!

Anyone at USC studying for december/February?

180!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trying to delete this.

Of course you are. You're about to take an important test. It's not the most important test though. That one you will be taking in February.

Just kidding. This is likely the last LSAT you'll ever take.

I'm only trying to remind you that for something this important, there are second chances. That's not true for a lot of other important things in life, so that's something to feel good about.

For most of you, you already know what score you'll get. Take your last three recent properly administered LSAT PrepTests (e.g., 71, 72, 73) and average your score. You'll get plus or minus 3 points of that average.

There is nothing separating you from that score except the mere passing of a few day's time.

You are as prepared as you can be. You have already seen everything those crafty LSAT writers will throw at you and you've amply demonstrated your ability to respond with craftiness of your own.

Saturday will not be a new day and the December 2014 LSAT will not be a new LSAT. It will only be "LSAT PrepTest 74" which will be just like PT 73 and PT 72 and PT 71 and so on.

For Saturday, remember only this: keep moving.

You will encounter a few insanely difficult curve breaker questions. Every LSAT has them. Every student who has ever taken the LSAT before you has encountered them. You will encounter them (again) on Saturday. I am telling you this now, so you will be prepared. Skip those difficult questions. Maintain your rhythm.

Keep moving.

You got this.

I really think I am burned out. All I am thinking about is the LSAT, and took 3 tests in 3 days, with review after. My average is about 160 and my scores have been 165, 152, and 154. I know I didn't suddenly get dumber, but I don't think studying anymore can benefit me at all. I've read so many stories about how people did well after taking a few days off before the test, so I think at this point that's what I'm going to do.

With the following comments, I'm hoping incite from people some input, be it advice or general opinion:

First, a little about me: From a modest upbringing, my parents, though nice, do not have a high school education. I wasn't poor or significantly disadvantaged, just a regular blue collar Canadian lower-middle class family. I had a very late start in my academic life; I was diganosed with ADHD at 12, had a Grade 3 reading comprehension in Grade 9, and essentially stopped participating in Math in Grade 5. After dropping out of high school, I decided my type A personality wasn't suited for manual labor so I obtained my high school diploma and enrolled in the local community college. After two years studying 12+ hours a day I had high enough grades to transfer to a reputable University, where I finished my last two years and obtained a Criminology degree with a 3.5 GPA. It was an absolute grind but I managed to do it.

Since University, I spent several years working in law enforcement and as a Youth Counselor. During this time, I realized I wanted to be a lawyer. I've written the LSAT four times, once in 2011 and three in a row in 2012-13. Because of the three times rule, I was prohibited from writing it for a year only to return again this December 2014 exam, of which I am registered in. My first attempt in 2011 I was practice averaging 150-156 and scored a 149 (often 16/25 on LR, 3 passages at 14/25, and only two logic gams at 12/25). I then spent over three months studying logic games specifically and was able to reach a third logic game giving me 15/25 and moving my practice scores to 153-158, I would then officially score 153, 151, 151.

This last round I completed all of 7Sage's material, with a heavy focus on LR. I have managed to improve my LR scores to 20/25 but my RC and LG have not improved. I cannot reach a fourth logic game or reading passage. With 12 practice tests this month I am consistently scoring 155-159. I've been studying 30-40 hours a week since September.

I should note that although I don't have panic attacks, and i'm generally stable, I get a lot of anxiety. I tend to think of the worst case scenario(s), assuming them to be probable, and then lose sleep and be stressed out all day. This last week I have slept 5-6 hours a night, have become extremely irritable, and have dropped to 155 on my last two practice exams.

I want to be a lawyer. I have the schools picked out I would like to (and could be admitted to) attending. I have great references and great professional experience. I have applied, but all that stands in my way is this stupid exam. Unfortunately, I can't help but wonder, after all this effort and studying, given my score only ever rising from 152-159, and my pattern of choking on test day... am I just not intelligent or stable enough to do this?!

Should I finally throw in the towel? Thanks for your input in advance. I would have sought advice from friends and family but they don't seem to get it.

Brad

Hi everyone! If you are like me, you are probably trying very hard to study for the LSAT. Perhaps sometimes you feel like your efforts aren't enough. Or you get frustrated when you feel stuck in area or section. I am a self-declared cheesy person and I love listening to motivational speeches. So if you need any motivation whatsoever, regardless of whether or not it's for the LSAT, below are some motivational youtube videos. If you can, download it into MP3 form and listen to it anytime you need some inspiration. The videos are like mixes of inspirational speeches from films and speakers along with amazing inspirational film scores, which I'm a sucker for. (Who doesn't love a film score from The Dark Knight?!) So if you need that extra push, take some time to watch one of these videos, I promise you will feel refreshed afterwards! Enjoy!!

Why Do We Fail:

Dream:

Desire:

Unbroken:

Idea:

Hey guys I heading to Hong Kong in few days and will be staying in the Kowloon from early-December to mid-January. I am aiming for the February test and have been PT in the 165-175 range. I plan to do PTs and fine tuning RC and LR sections during my stay at Hong Kong.

Personally, I find it extremely helpful to form a LSAT group in order to PT efficiently and rigorously, as well as stay motivated. I mostly need a group for PT and not for studying or going over PT purpose, but I am also open to studying together if it turn out to be efficient. I don't care about your PT score range. If anyone is interested, please inbox me.

I know it's going to have an impact on some deadlines but I need 8 more raw points to guarantee acceptance at my 1st choice school.

The most difficult for me is the Logical Reasoning and I was wondering if anyone had a perfected study guide for me use. I would really appreciate it! Im taking the LSAT in February and am in dying need of help on this one section as of now!

My name is Michelle. I have been preparing LSAT for more than a year. I took a TestMasters and 7 Sage prep courses; also covered several materials including LSAT Trainer, Bibles, Manhattan Strategies Books and Multiple PTs. I have developed several strategies and would like to share with yours.

I made a decision to take a leave from work in order to completely focus on studying – this shows how much I am serious and determined. I am looking for someone who can share this motivation and be a supporter and a couch for each other. I’ve studied with few other people and found it very effective to analyze questions together and talk it out and explain to each other; way more than just listening to the lecture. I would also like to take the entire PT together under strict time limit.

My Skype ID is michellemoon0708. I am down to talk any time. I am willing to work on any time frame/schedule. Please contact me at michellemoon0708 at gmail dot com. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Michelle

sooo frustrating. i did well on the lessons, I do the question before listening to J.Y. But then when it comes to the problem sets, I dont do as well. AND, sometimes i get the same amount of answers correct the first time around as I do with blind review but becuase I have changed some of my answer choices the 2nd time around. I dont know how to fix this. Are the “lessons” easier than the problem sets? thanks

So i wished I started preparing for the newer LG types much earlier, but anyways, any tips and suggestions for the ones where the game setup and rules aren't as obvious? Like JY said, put your pencils down and peek at the questions. Any other suggestions? They seem to be getting the better of me.

Anybody in Chicago looking for a study buddy?

Hi,

I just want to know if other people have this same issue and what methods you used to overcome it: I know the LR concepts pretty well, and when I take un-timed tests, I do really well without spending a lot of time on the questions (as much as I would spend under timed conditions). But, when I take the actual test, I get considerably more questions wrong. When I do the blind review, I usually don't look at the answer I picked, I go back to the question (on a second set of the same test without any marks) and read the question again and most of the time (8/10) I get the correct answer and I look at the answer I picked during the exam and it makes no sense to me. Is this me? Am I going nuts? :/

I've been at this since the beginning of May, first by studying completely by myself, I took a few weeks off to compete in a bodybuilding comp, but I went right back into it. I work full time, but squeeze it in in the morning, in my lunch break, and after work. Now that we're a week from the exam, I literally find myself wanting to cry when I am studying.

I know they say "the moments before you reach your goal are always the hardest" and "if you really want something you'll push past it", but I honestly just don't know if I can put another full week of killing myself studying into it.

Does anyone else feel this way? What would you suggest?

Hello,

I will start studying for June's test. Following the starter schedule, it says that I do full tests at the end of my prep i.e. last some weeks. My question, how relevant are the older tests? let's say 19's or early 2000's? When it says to practise a section, which year am I to choose and which ones do I leave for the full exam? I assume that the sections I chose for training shouldn't be part of the full exam.

Good luck to all Saturday's writers.