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206 posts in the last 30 days

Hello! I'm in desperate need of some advice. I am scheduled to take the LSAT for the FIRST time next Monday, Dec 4th. I have been studying since July, but not studying correctly. This is how my studying has been since July:

JULY: Start reading Powerscore LR book

AUGUST: Reading Powerscore LR book

SEPTEMBER: Reading Powerscore LR book

OCTOBER: Finish Powerscore LR book, Start reading Powerscore RC book, Got Powerscore LG flashcards and reviewed almost every day, start taking LSAT prep test sections (untimed) at the end of Oct

NOVEMBER: Finish Powerscore RC book, Started reading Powerscore LG book (halfway through now), Reviewed LG flashcards every few days, Have taken maybe 10-15 practice sections so far, Took two timed full tests one week apart (scored 137 on first one and 139 on second one - did blind review for second one and the potential score was 149)

*** NOTE: I looked into tutors and courses in August and they were all incredibly expensive, but I found out about 7sage less than a week ago and I signed up for the Beginner's course thinking it might miraculously help -_-

I feel like I went about studying all wrong and did not take it as seriously as I should have. There's no way I would apply to law school with the scores I've been getting on the practice tests, so I'm wondering if I should just cancel the test on Monday and create a new study plan to take it at a later time. Or if I should just go to at least "see the beast" so that way I at least know what to expect when I take it again.

Thoughts?

0

Hello everyone,

I am REALLY struggling with the level 5 difficulty Flaw questions. Even during the blind review I’m getting tripped up. I sent the question where more people got it wrong than those who got it right to a few friends of mine (one is an engineer studying for the patent bar and other is an ESL student)... They got it right on the fly... I feel like the core curriculum has shattered my intuitive side and I am not able to get it back...? Some of you might be familiar with the book by Dr. Kahnemann, “Thinking Fast and Slow”, and it talks about two systems in the way people think. One is the intuitive side that just instinctively does something and other is the slow, analytical and thorough side. I feel like I’m stuck on the side that is being “thorough”. Whenever I get to these questions, I can’t just do them “on the fly”. Can I get some perspective? Lol

0

Hello fellow December test-takers! I'm brushing up on PSA questions for this Saturday, and I came across a question that I think is an excellent learning opportunity in regards to domains and precision within the wider scope of tackling LSAT arguments that deal with assumptions. Below I offer my explanation of the question, PT68 S3 Q02, (link to JY's explanation: https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-68-section-3-question-12/) and a link to another question with a similar layout of argument and trap answer choices.

I’ve noticed that PSA questions that are “curvebreaker” level difficulty often have a very tempting trap answer that exactly mimics what you would formulate as your pre-phrase, and the right answer uses more veiled or sideways language that requires you to stop and think about the argument for a second. An analogous PSA question is PT 67 S4Q08, regarding burden of policy changes and salt on roads. Link: https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-67-section-4-question-08/

For the parsley question, a general pre-phrase would go something along the lines of,

“If you have two varieties (V) of a cooking ingredient, and one is LESS GOOD on two particular qualities (T and H), NEVER use the worse variety.”

Note that the reasoning never tells us what variety we SHOULD use, only what we should not; and that it’s a comparative statement, not absolute.

But here’s where the curvebreaker feature of a PSA question comes in: PRECISION. Especially, precision in relation to which domain of item the argument is referring to. The trap answer will use all the keywords that sound appealing to you, so if you aren’t reading carefully, you might just think you lucked out on prephrasing the answer, choose it quickly, and move on.

But WAIT: D is a trap because it is out of the proper domain of the argument, so it’s useless to justify our conclusion. D tells us that we shouldn’t use V that have no T and H. But that doesn’t apply to dried parsley: all we know is that it has LESS T and H than fresh parsley. It’s an unwarranted assumption to say that it has no T and H at all.

B, on the other hand, seems at first to not be substantial enough to justify the argument, and it doesn't use all of the matching keywords from the argument; but remember, we’re laying out a sufficient condition (Pseudo SUFFICIENT assumption), so if an AC points the precise premise to the precise conclusion in a pretty much airtight way, then we have a winner. And B definitely does this, because it correctly references the COMPARATIVE quality of the argument, and tells us to not use the lesser T & H Variety.

My takeaway: be concise when figuring out what the conclusion of the argument is, and make sure on PSAs that your correct answer is connecting the premises to THAT conclusion, and not just repeating words from the stimulus. With a clearer understanding of what the conclusion of the argument is, you'll be able to solve all assumption questions more quickly and with increased confidence.

2

Hey guys, so we are just under a week away from the December 2017 test and I know nerves are high! For many Sagers it is their first time taking the actual LSAT. There are also many Sagers who have taken the real test once, twice or even more times before. I wanted to start a thread where we could come together and ask questions and relieve some nerves before the test! Feel free to comment advice, tips, or questions so we can all help each other out and we have a useful thread to refer to!

Helpful Links;

1.) Photo requirements - https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/day-of-test/photo-requirements

2.) Day of test information (what to bring) https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/day-of-test

3.) Dates and deadlines (Including predicted score release) https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/test-dates-deadlines/2017-2018/us-canada-dec

4.) List of common questions - https://www.lsac.org/jd/help/faqs-lsat

My Advice;

Understand that the test doesn’t start right at 8:30. Depending on the size of your testing center it will probably start closer to 9-9:30. You will have a bunch of time where you sit and wait. Followed by directions.

Be weary of talking to other test takers about the LSAT. You don’t know their level of preparedness and it might get you nervous if they say something you were not expecting.

Use the bathroom before the test.

Scout out the location before you go. My test center has one bathroom, and it’s small. The line, especially for girls, is HUGE.

Bring a snack! You might be hungry by the time the break comes.

Don't try "cheat drugs" - don't overload on caffeine - go to bed early!

Try not to change your routine at all.

Stay calm, don't get into your own head.

Listen to the proctors, follow the rules. Don't be the person who bubbles after time and gets flagged!!

Please feel free to add your own advice, questions or experiences guys!

2

Hello All,

I had a question regarding whether or not to negate "NO" in the translations section and how that works. Below, I have highlighted why I am unsure about this. I have recently started the course so if this is something that is touched on later, I have yet to reach that point.

Group 3 Translations 3 with Answers.

Question 4

"Without brown being present [BP], NO new large store can be attracted to the downtown area[NLSA}"

My answer

/BP--->NLSA

/NLSA--->BP

JY Answer

/BP--->/NLSA

NLSA--->BP

In JY's answer, he negated the sentence that included NO. However, in the previous section, he did not and I was confused as to whether that was a preference or following a rule.

Group 3 Translations 2 with Answers

“Until there is NO shred of doubt that nuclear dumps are safe (100% safe), it makes sense to situate them where they pose the least threat to the public (SLT)”

My Answer

100% safe—>SLT

/SLT—>/100%

JY’s Answer

/100% safe–>SLT

/SLT–>100% safe

For this question, it was explained to me by another Sager that you have to understand the context of when NO is used, which is why this was not negated.

Question 5

“Unless something is done about the alcohol problem at this university (DSA), I’ll have to transfer to a university where there are NO fraternities (TU)”

My Answer

/DSA—>/TU

TU—>DSA

JY’s Answer

/DSA—>TU

/TU—>DSA

For myself, if it was read as "I'll have to transfer to a university where there are fraternities (TU)," I can understand why it is not negated. But with the NO included, intuitively I assume it should be negated since you are stating the opposite. Semantics of course are crucial but is there any rule of thumb that can help with discerning when to negate or not?

Thank you in Advance

0

Hey!

I am having a strange problem on logical reasoning – I consistently predict the correct answer (I identify the precise gap for a SA for example), but then somehow choose the wrong answer choice. This keeps happening despite my attempts to be more careful. I’m curious if anyone else has had this problem, and if so how they were able to get past it?

Thanks!!

0

I have been seeking clarification on a frequent logic game rule. If the rule says A1---->B2, does that also mean if B is second A will be first?

0

Hey y'all

I have been fool-proofing LG's Prep-test 1-20 and I have a really hard time with the games that the target time is 5 minutes. I'll get them perfect but I'll end up at 6 mins or 6:30 even after doing them loads of times. Is it worth it to keep pounding away at them or is it sucking up my time that I could be doing other games? It feels like the latter. As always I'm looking for efficiency in study method. Your two cents would be appreciated.

0

I have made this mistake more often than I should be. Working PT 28, Game 1; simple sequencing game. My only mistake was misinterpreting the rule: "N must be assigned to a higher numbered position than M." I paused because I have messed it up before but still did it wrong and put N-M. Cost me 2 questions.

My question is in sequencing games how to distinguish which number is higher. Let's use 7 spots numbered 1-7. I have had games where 1 is the highest and others like the one I did that 7 is. When 1 is the highest, I have noticed that the rule specifically states this instead of being as casual as the PT 28 was. Is this typically the case? Should I always assume 7 is highest unless specified otherwise?

Thanks in advance!

0

Hey guys, had a 7Sager message me with a question and I thought you could help out! Here it is:

Hi I had a question regarding the 5th question on Section 2 of preptest 78 (June 2016). you came to the conclusion that B is correct. but cant we also say that A (i.e. QS) is also true? I mean QS were also out so how do we differentiate in the end?

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-78-section-2-game-1/

0

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out a good game plan for this week. I want to be adequately rested, I burned out my first time taking in February and I don’t want that to happen again.

Anyone who has good tips on how I should approach these last few days, I am all ears.

0

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if someone could please give me some advice. I have listened to JY's videos and engaged myself in MANY weakening questions, but I'm still struggling with them. I used JY's advice in terms of "tackling LR questions" via the flow chart, along with focusing on how I can "weaken" the support between the premises and conclusion.... but what I think I'm struggling with is finding other assumptions that would weaken the original support.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Thanks so much!! xx

Ps - I seem to be doing very well on strengthening questions, but weakening seems to be much more difficult.

1

So guys, I found a strategy that worked for me on logic games and this may not necessarily work for everyone.

But with days before the test day, for those of you who are struggling with logic games this MAY help you out. The sections I struggle with the most are RC and LR, hence I spent a lot of my time on these sections to improve my score while I neglected LG a bit since everyone was saying it's the easiest section to improve on.

I went from scoring -6 on LG to 0/-2 in only a few days.

This is what I did. Last week, I reviewed all the CC logic game videos (ie. I watched JY do the diagramming/questions for each type of game type not including the problem sets). I already did the problem sets in the past but it was a while since I touched logic games and I wasn't scoring as high as I would like.

Logic games is one of those sections that you can improve on. People on this forum aren't lying!! Thank you to everyone who helped me out with games btw!

After going through all the CC videos, I would recommend doing some of the games on the CC if you found it pretty hard to follow along with JY's inferences/diagrams etc. I know the miscellaneous games can be pretty nerve-racking but honestly, those games all involve the basics that we have been taught with logic games. Diagramming for misc. games might be the most difficult part but I would honestly recommend visualizing the scenario in your head. This helps a lot with diagramming, especially for me. I feel like once you dive into the game.. they aren't actually that hard since they involve the same type of questions etc. Reviewing the CC videos again just refreshed my mind with the possible types of logic games and I tried to draw the same types of inferences that JY was drawing. The games are really repetitive hence why I think this approach worked.

After I had re-watched the CC logic games videos, I printed 1-2 copies of PT 60-82 sections. I did all the sections timed and then re did the games or sections that I really had trouble with timed. I can honestly say, this process has helped me so much with logic games.

I obviously am pretty proficient with the conditional rules, diagramming, etc. so I found majority of the games to be pretty easy.

Again, this worked for me and may not work for everyone but I think it was worth sharing!

Feel free to ask me questions below incase I missed anything!

Good luck on the December test everyone!

3

Hi everyone. Has anyone worked this question? If so, could you explain to me why D is incorrect? It's supposed to be an easy question being in the earlier portion of the section, but it trapped me. I get it that A is correct, but I still don't see why D (Most workers are earning more than the current minimum wages.) is wrong. Wouldn't it be true that if D is true, raising minimum wage wouldn't hurt businesses?

Just 5 days before the test, everyone. Good luck to us!

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-57-section-3-question-06/

0

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-80-section-1-question-24/

For some context, I missed 5 in this section (including this one) and 4 in the other LR section which is typical for me. I BR'd my other misses and skips in this section and was able to get them all correct. This question, I haven't been able to conclusively state why all AC are either right or wrong. I think I'm messing up my diagramming... so if you see glaring errors below, please tell me where I'm screwing up!

I just guessed (A) during the test as I was out of time. In BR I diagrammed as follows:

L > NUem

NU m> WHem

_

L m> WH

which is flawed argument form

A > B m> C

_

A m>C

I skimmed over the AC for quick eliminations and I eliminated C because it contains "never" in the conclusion.

Then I began diagramming the remaining AC:

(A) My question here is do I diagram "probably" in the conclusion as "most"?

CMSMour

CMSM m> REH

_

CMSMour m> REH (probably diagrammed as most>)

I eliminated (A) because it follows a valid argument form:

Ax

A m> B

_

Ax m> B

(B) I diagrammed "generally" as most...

REH m> EG

REHour > /EG

_

REHour > EG

I eliminated (B) because while it doesn't follow the same invalid form as the stimulus

(D)

Cour > MSM > EG

_

C > MSM m> EG

I think this looks like:

Ax > B > C

_

A > B m> C

A m>C

therefore matching the question's flawed reasoning.

(E) I'm having trouble diagramming the first sentence so I reconstructed "Most cities that are regional economic hubs contain major shopping malls." to "Most cities that contain major shopping malls are regional economic hubs." Does this change the nature of the sentence?

C > MSM m> REH

Cour > MSM

_

Cour m> REH

OR am I just complicating this and its as easy as:

REHcity m> MSM

OURcity > MSM

_

OURcity m> REHcity

which follows:

A m> B

Cx > B

_

Cx m> B

E just confuses me... and I can't figure out why.

I haven't watched the explanation, nor have i looked to see what the correct answer is because I'm really trying to work this out! Thanks in advance!

1

Blessed to be a part of the LSAT journey with 7Sagers challenging themselves to raise the bar higher to achieve their dreams. Your dedication to this test and most importantly your dedication to this community has raised the bar for future 7Sagers to gain knowledge to achieve their goals.

Believe in your knowledge and yourself... Be smart in your timing strategies, do not forget to breathe, and most of all - when the sh!t hits the fan, which it will no matter how awesome you are, don't sh!t in your pants - skip and get the heck out of that situation! Confidence is the key to this test and never let this test rule you!! The greatest feeling when leaving the test site is to know that you took the test the way you wanted to - no matter what the score is - no regrets:)

For everyone that I had the chance to meet during our LSAT journey, you made a difference in my life and I am truly thankful and wish you all the best on Saturday:)

Looking forward to the announcement for the Pep Rally - @"Cant Get Right" :)

6

Hey guys, I am having trouble understanding what is wrong with C. Even though I initially picked the right answer which is A I can't seem up eliminate C.

A) the proposed explanation for the decline in applications applies to this case

C) an increase in tuition and fees at the university would guarantee a larger applicant pool

the conclusion of the of this question is "so, if we want to increase the size of our applicant pool we need to raise our tuition and fees"

I just felt like A did a better job of capturing the relationship between the argument and the conclusion. Also even if C is negated it wouldn't destroy the argument because I can reply by saying "well it wouldn't guarantee but there is still a high possibility"

thoughts?

Thanks in advance

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-62-section-2-question-25/

0

I had a problem with the answer choice on this one. I initially chose the correct answer of A, but on second thought, I eliminated because of "disadvantages". I went with E, because of Erik's conclusion that it was pointless = inconvenience rather than a benefit. I can't seem to reconcile the correct answer. It seems too strong in comparison with E.

1

I am taking the test next week, and I want to go from --2-5 to --0. I plan to drill straight for a couple days and watch JY's videos after, and redo any ones that I bombed. But should I strictly time myself or no? I really just need to get better at diagramming effectively, and when I time myself I spend less time thinking about that. I'm wondering if I think about strategy carefully during drills, I can pick up strategies to use during timed PTs? Idk...

0

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