HI All. I'm interested in how others are using prep tests as they make their way through the (awesome) 7Sage curriculum. Are you taking tests sporadically? Once a week? Saving tests until the end? What have you noticed has been most helpful?

Have you guys heard the Planet Money podcast about hunting for the hundred dollar bills? Apparently, 80% of cash is in the form of $100 dollar bills but when's the last time you saw a Benjamin Franklin? The fact is we don't know where most of the $100s are.

Why is that? And just how many $100s are floating around out in the world? Well, that's exactly what the Federal Reserve wanted to know. They begin with a hypothesis that the $100s are "hiding". They guessed that the $100s are used as long term stores of sketchy wealth, stored in vaults and in between pages of books, by international drug dealers and their ilk.

Working off that hypothesis, they concocted a way to "count" how many $100s are out in the world.

They borrowed a clever technique from fish biologists that wanted to count fish in a lake. Like $100s, fish hide too. What you do is you catch say 100 fish, you tag them and you set them back into the lake. Later, you pull up another 100 fish, randomly. You check to see how many of the fish are tagged. If all 100 are tagged, then there's probably only 100 fish in the lake. But, if only 50 are tagged, then there's probably 200 fish in the lake.

The Federal Reserve used the same trick. They tagged $100s and tossed them into the world's lake of $100s. They waited, they resampled, and they got their "answer".

Regardless of the results, my question concerns their technique. What you do think about their technique? Would it yield accurate results? Would it over or under count?

Source:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/08/13/339827662/episode-560-hunting-for-the-hundreds

5:48 is where they talk about the fish biologists sampling technique

Hey all,

I am getting ready for the December test. This will be my second time testing. I am aiming for a score in the 170s and am currently averaging the upper 160s. I feel like I can get to the next level but feel a little lost as to how to get there. As of right now, I do prep tests and review questions that I mark for BR or that I got wrong and then do them again. I feel like this is a "20% of the work gets you 80% of the way" situation.

Does anyone else who is shooting for or has achieved this kind of increase have advice for how they went about doing it? I work well with laid out plans and I feel like there is potential for me to improve to the level I want if I have the right studying methodology.

Thanks so much

The "Sections" tab no longer shows graphs, percentages, or section difficulties. It shows up as "no data". Anyone else having the same problem?

Guys! How can I best drill to increase my sections in these last days? I unfortunately signed up already and am thinking of taking the LSAT for the experience even if I cancel my score. Any tips?

Also do you guys think it's a good idea or does a cancelled score just look real bad?

Help!

hello,guys! how many times have you practised before the test?

Hello J.Y. and 7Sagers!

I love 7Sage and would like to suggest some improvements to the site.

1. Include an Up&Down voting mechanism for lesson comments a la Reddit

2. Include a delete function for lesson comments (if it is there, I cannot find it)

3. Create an additional sub-forum under "For 7Sagers only" to house meta-discussion such as suggestions

4. Create a lesson or permanent forum post that contains all of the skills, knowledge, and other attributes common among high-scoring students. I know there are several of these hidden throughout the curriculum but I don't think they exist in aggregate.

Can anyone please direct me to the link for LR videos on 7Sage? It would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

Hey J.Y.

Is there any prep information regarding the essay portion of the exam?

I'm looking for someone to take five sectioned prep tests with - we don't have to take the same tests, I just find it very useful to have at least one other person writing it with me. I've been doing 2-3 tests weekly, will be doing at least three tests/week in September.

I'm planning to take the September test. If we take the same prep tests - yay - BR together. Otherwise it'll be motivation/support.

Quick question. I've only taken the initial pretest. I've been through the syllabus once but that was some time ago due to various reasons. I plan on signing up for December. Should I go ahead and begin on PT? At this point they won't be timed but I think I need to start figuring out my weaknesses. I was thinking about taking the PT and referring to the lessons when necessary. Does that make much sense, or should I continue to make my way through the entire syllabus again before taking PT?

Hey guys... here is an alternative source of LR explanations for free courtesy Manhattan http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/logical-reasoning-f4.html

If you're feeling nervous or stressed (or both) before the exam this Saturday, just sit back and listen to Beethoven's Fur Elise. It does wonders.

Hey y'all. I'm looking for a study partner for the Dec test. Based out of Orange County, CA. This is gonna be my third time taking it and I'm hoping to break the 170 mark. Love to link up with a study partner with similar goals, someone down to motivate one other the next ten weeks, and open to discussing problems any problems with the test. I'm struggling mostly with LR and RC. Feel free to shoot me an email - ahsieh24@gmail.com and we'll touch base. Happy studying!

Strategy question - I tend to actually draw out the arrow and the reasoning like the videos explain it when taking the test. It can be a little tedious and definitely time consuming if the right answer choice is D or E. Do high scorers (-0, -1, -2 in LR) do this as well? If you think you have a better strategy what is it?

when I print out PTs from 7sage, my logic games are always a page, front and back, and it get's annoying to have to flip around to look at my master board and so forth... so sometimes i just practice on another piece of paper and use the PT to fill out my answer. I was wondering if the official LSATs logic games have a format of either a whole spread of 2 pages or just one page?

Hey guys,

I saw a recommendation in one of threads to study up on the weirdest logic games in prep for the test on Saturday given the recent tendency to have one really weird game. Seems like a good idea to me. I have been playing "the ten hardest logic games" according to Power Score (link: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/lg_10-hardest-logic-games.cfm) but thought this group might have additional suggestions on the toughest/weirdest games. Any ideas?

So with only a week left, I'm seriously beginning to contemplate deferring Saturday's exam to December as I'm still having issues with getting timing down. I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on any possible disadvantages of waiting until then. I'm planning on applying to primarily Canadian schools.

Hey everyone, I keep getting around a 155 (highest 157) LSAT score on practice tests. I am very nervous about writing the actually LSAT test next Saturday because I have not yet reached my goal of 160-162. Should I still write the test?

Hi Everyone,

I just came across a free online MOOC from Stanford University called LPL language, Proof and Logic. I think I may be helpful to everyone and didn't want to keep it to myself! There is still time to join - but there is low stress with MOOCs, since you don't have to take it for a grade, etc....

Try to locate it at www.edx.org. You'll be directed to the Stanford MOOC site.

Best of Luck everyone!

What videos in the syllabus help with learning how to approach and ultimately overcome tuff Inference Q's?

I've been consistently within the 167-170 range since June. I can't imagine that I've lost any knowledge or skill in the past week, but my scores have dropped. I scored a 164 on PT 70, and a 166 on PT 72. Logically, I think it's the pressure of the impending administration getting to me, but I can't help but think that somehow the other tests were a fluke, or that the PT's in the 70's are harder than those in the late 60's. I know these recent scores are still "good," but I also know they are not my best. My confidence has definitely taken a blow, and I'm not sure what I can do to regain it in the next week. I had PT 71 scheduled for Monday, should I risk taking it and scoring poorly right before the test? Or should I just work on my confidence? I've put more into this test than I thought I ever could, and I'm utterly disappointed that this is happening with 7 days left. If anyone has experienced something similar to this, I would tremendously appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance!

I went through 4-9 Forms today and I feel overwhelmed.

How did you guys remember all these? Do I just need to watch the Invalid Argument Forms videos to understand? Mind blown.

I took the LSAT in June, and got a 166, which was at the lower end of my average and (I think) worse than I was capable of because I got thrown off (I had to pee like a racehorse through the first part of the test before the break). I'm taking it again Saturday, but my biggest issue is, because I took most of the most recent practice tests in June, the only recent practice test I have that I haven't done is PT 71. So lately I've been working on some older ones, which I know are easier (as evidenced by my score going way up),and I still have practice tests 54-61, and practice test 71 (which I'm saving for the last one I do before the real thing.) I know I can just go over the newer ones I've already done, or even erase all my pencil marks thoroughly and retake them, but I was really hoping to take some live, timed PTs for the first time that resemble what I likely face Saturday. Does anybody know if any of PTs 54-61 are especially worth trying, in terms of how they resemble recent trends?

I am getting ready to take the LSAT for the second time and most of my PT's have been the 40's-50's because I used the most recent ones up during my first go around of studying. Would it be beneficial to retake one of the most recent prep tests again to try and get familiar with the new trends before test day? It's been about 3-4 months since I last took them. I am just not sure if it would be beneficial to go through material and PT a test again that I had already done a few months back. Thanks for the help!