Cold 152 - 173 Final
Paralegal and ESL Tutor
I worked fulltime while studying for the LSAT, it was difficult but it can be done with motivation and persistence. My aim is to help you reach the score you want while life happens!
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@niakbotti I don't believe that was an option back when I did the curriculum. I did it when 7sage was still on the old website. If you were choosing now I'd probably recommend you decide based on your timeframe of when you want to apply. I'd be happy to setup a free 30min consultation if you need help creating a study schedule.
For LR be in the habit of finding the conclusion and predicting before heading into the answers. For RC focus on creating little summaries for each paragraph so that they act as little mindmap anchors. Also always predict the Main Point for each passage. I also have some other general tips in my post you might find helpful.
@Mail_Jabrayilov Hi! Yes I'll be posting another more detailed breakdown of the resources I gave above in a few days in General. I'll update you when I do.
@AbenaAfriyie Hi Abena! Thanks so much for your kind words! 174 is definetely an achievable score with enough persistence! If you do need any help along the way shoot me a DM! I'd be glad to help!
@MargaretEvered Hey Margaret! It really depends if you're a morning or night person. For me I would come home, walk the dog, have dinner then do 1 hr of studying, which covers a section and review. However, I also have a student who does 2hrs in the morning before work and it works great for her. So I think it depends on when you are the sharpest and most importantly whether you can stick to it for a few months.
@cookiecutter Don't be in a rush to hurry all the questions, that's how you loose points on questions you would've got right. Instead as you practice you'll see patterns emerge and you'll know exactly what to look for when it comes to different question types, you'll also get better with predictions that will help a lot with speed. So basically, don't look at the time, practice more to improve accuracy and you'll see your speed improve.
@aidanpierce16 You got this! It's going to take time and dedication, but with consistency I'm sure you'll hit your goal score!
@KindlyQualifiedChampionship During lunch time! The articles don't have to be too long, 20mins is enough each day. For super long articles like law review or the ocasional opinion I would span it over a few days. The point is to treat it as RC reading and do recaps to summarize author's main points. But yes, I don't have children so that definetely gives me more time.
Hi there! I'm in PT timezone as well, I'd be happy to meet with you and see if I can help. Shoot me a DM!
IsaacZhb
Independent Tutor152 - 173 Working Full Time | Tutor | LSAT & Extracurricular Tips You Should Know
Hey guys, my name is Isaac and it took me over a year to get from 152 to 173. I know that's not as impressive as many of the "4 months from 157 to 178" posts you see on Reddit or in various success stories, but I got there while working full-time as a paralegal and have probably made the same mistakes most of you have. I'm sharing some tips for the LSAT, as well as other material that helped me on my LSAT journey. I am also offering one-on-one tutoring if that's something you're looking for.
LSAT Tips:
Plan Your PTs
This is my No. 1 tip because I see students wasting their PTs all the time by starting to drill and do sections with 140+ only to end up left with mostly the 130s for full PTs. DON'T DO THIS. Instead, plan based on your goal score and timeframe. Generally, I advise 145+ for full PTs, 130–144 for sections, and the 110s to 120s for drilling, with the caveat that pre-110s should only be used for RC drilling, as those LRs are very different than modern ones.
Make a Routine
This is super underrated, but especially important given that testing has moved in-person. Create a routine and stick with it every day. It's the only way for you to normalize PTing and get to treating the official test as just another PT. For me it was Mon and Tues drilling, Weds and Thurs sections, Fri wildcard (drill or section based on results that week), Sat full PT, and Sun PT BR. Routinize what you eat and drink on test day by doing the same thing week by week on your full PTs. I worked full-time, so what works for me might not fit your schedule.
Find a Study Buddy
No matter what level you're at, explaining a difficult LR question is a great way to test if you fully understand it. Being able to explain the LSAT in plain words to someone who never took the test is a great way of confirming your own understanding.
Staying Fit Physically and Mentally
A lot of people ignore this, but the LSAT is both physically and mentally exhausting. I highly recommend incorporating working out into your daily schedule, as there's extensive research on the benefits of exercise for cognitive ability. Also, be in the mindset of treating the LSAT as a marathon and not a sprint, you complete a marathon through consistent training of both body and mind.
Approaching LR
There's tons of material and books covering this, so I'll go over it briefly. Find the conclusion and predict the answer, that's the main gist of solving 80% of LR questions. Even for weaken and strengthen questions, coming up with an example ensures that you understand the argument, which in turn makes it easier to identify the correct answer.
Approaching RC
Do short recaps for each paragraph and engage with the author throughout reading. Ask the author questions and summarize their idea after each paragraph. I treat my recaps as mind-map anchors, where I can quickly come back to a paragraph and locate supporting details that might be relevant to a question. In general, spend more time reading the passage than answering the questions.
Extracurricular Tips
This is something that isn't talked about very often, but reading outside the scope of just the LSAT is extremely beneficial. Since the LSAT tests you primarily on reading and secondarily on logic, the only way to improve your reading is by READING. Just as there's no shortcut to becoming a great writer, there's no shortcut to becoming a great reader. Here are some helpful websites where you can spend 20 minutes a day reading on topics you absolutely hate on the LSAT (I know there's paywalls but I'm sure you can also google how to deal with them).
Reading:
Science Articles: Scientific American, Quanta Magazine, Nature (if you dare)
Economics: Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Project Syndicate
Humanities: New York Times, The New York Review, The Atlantic
Law: SCOTUSblog, law school law reviews, Lawfare Blog, judicial opinions (lawyers' end boss)
Another great source for getting your head into the law world is podcasts. I commute almost two hours each day, and you should be utilizing all that otherwise wasted time. I really enjoyed listening to Advisory Opinions and Divided Arguments, since they're hosted by YHS grads who either became commentators or academics sharing their opinions on recent federal and Supreme Court rulings. It's especially comforting to hear sane, civil discussions on heated topics — rare in the world we live in.
Podcasts:
7Sage LSAT Podcast (LSAT learning and admissions)
I Am the Law (great for future lawyers)
Advisory Opinions (updates in the judicial world)
Divided Arguments (taking law classes before law school)
Supreme Court Oral Arguments (litigators' end boss)
If people are interested I can post another more detailed post in general outlining the above sources and what my experience of them are like 😊 .
That said, these are the tips I wish someone had told me before I started my LSAT journey. It took me over a year to get to 173, and I hope it doesn't take you as long. If you'd like to see my practice journey, you can also check my profile.
Everyone's journey or process is different, but the common factor is that this test is learnable. I offer one-on-one tutoring and have had great success with many students. If you're interested, leave a comment or DM me and we can set up a free consultation.
If you found this helpful, please upvote so others can see it too!
@77 You're right, but given that no other answer acts as a plausible explaination, D is the only choice. Now it is a weak SA answer, perhaps it's because this was from an older PT.
I have to argue that "Weakened by disease" doesn't mean "will be killed by disease", hard to imagine moose dying from a contageous cold. However, A) isn't perfect since an eagle could be a predator, or a lizard could be a predator too, yet they don't necessarily prey on moose.
Almost fell for the trap but I realized if you negate A): Many of the most beautiful and not the best, then that's literally the same as the "realistic/truthful ones", since the passage says "Many of the most realistic are not the best". If that's the case then it is entirely possible that the most beautiful and most realistic ones overlap are in fact ARE the same.
I don't know I read A) to mean "Of the suitable patterns, few of them are situated near drinking sources". Becareful of reading too fast!!!
I did not realize that social consencus = jurists interpretations. I thought jurists could not represent society in general.
Now I see the issue with B) is it says some species will become extinct, while the stim only says they will lose their habitat. Losing habitat does not mean extinction.
My first thought was: I may be legally obligated to serve a 10 year prison sentence, doesn't mean I've agreed to do it. If B) said, fails to consider instead of takes for granted, might have been more attractice.
@superchillasian I was between A & E too. I ultimately chose E because A was about 19th century painters and what they later did, while the question is asking what happened to painting "since 19th century". The passange only talks about 19th century impressionism -> modern abstract, so it must be that we need to describe how we got from impressionism to abstract. A) only talks about the impressionists in the 19th century.
Sidenote, not to be nitpicky, "other subject matter" is talked about in the last sentence of the passage "painters had more freedom to vary their subject matter", basically not restricted to just portraits which is what led to abstract. Though this is talking about more modern painters than the 19th century impressionists, which is why A is wrong.
@SabinS Hi Sabin, it's definetely possible! Shooting you a dm if you'd like to meet for a consultation!