It's hardest to improve on RC, but that doesn't mean that it cannot be done. Here are some tips that have been floating around 7sage that have really helped me...

1) Read the passage as if it's the most interesting thing you've ever come across

Yes RC passages are notoriously boring as all get out, but you have to overcome this. I'd imagine that legal documents aren't extraordinarily fascinating either. Reading it as though the topic is your favorite topic really helps you remember what you're reading. Fake it til ya make it!

2) Take your time on the passage

So, just the other day I had a breakthrough. I went from getting like 66% on RC to 78% (it's my worst section so I'm happy with this). All I did was spend that extra minute or two on reading. After each paragraph I stopped to process what it was saying, what the tone was, and jotted down a few notes to the side. It REALLY helped. I know that RC always seems extremely rushed, but if you take the extra time to comprehend the passage, the questions are MUCH easier.

3) Underline important dates, hypotheses, Names, etc. in the passage

So once you've read enough RC, you realize that there are certain things in the passage that are extremely helpful to take note of. Lots of questions ask specifically for what happens or can be said for a certain time period, what the opinion of someone in the passage is (or the author - make sure to not get those mixed up!), what is an application of a certain hypothesis, why the author included **** key word or example, etc. You don't need to memorize those things during your read through, but definitely underline them. That way, you're making a mental note that it might be important by underlining it and thus you will hopefully read more carefully, AND you will be able to find it again easily in the passage if a question specifically asks about it.

4) Pay attention to the structure of the passage

There is almost always, at least once, a question that asks about the structure. [bracket] the main conclusion or any sub conclusions. On the side of the passage, write "hypothesis 1" "example hyp 1" "hypothesis 2" "counterexample" "context" etc.

5) Pay attention to the author's tone

There are LOTS of questions asking "The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with x" And lots of passages are full of loaded words like "this troublesome thing" or "elegant, but speculative". Pay attention to those. They will help you process how the author feels about the topic on which they are writing.

6) Lastly, pay attention to ALL the people!

So, some passages are incredibly confusing with referential phrasing of ideas, events, and persons. Lots of passages are also riddled with the opinions or studies of 3 or 4 people. They are meant to confuse you. Don't let them. Keep track of what Barbie thinks about pottery, and what Ken thinks about it, and why Kelly doesn't agree with either of them. A question might ask "Kelly would be most likely to disagree with which of Barbie's ideas" and you'll need to know what Kelly thinks vs. what Barbie thinks. There will be trick answers that state what they agree upon, or what Ken thinks vs. what Barbie thinks, or what Ken thinks vs. what Kelly thinks. They are confusing. But you're better than that.

If you practice all of these things you'll get better. Definitely blind review so you can recognize your mistakes and improve. The timing will come. If you're timing yourself, I think it'd be best to maybe start with a goal of completing 3 passages during the allotted time perfectly, then move on to 4. I hope this helps. It at least helped me to write it out (:

Thanks for all the advice guys! Unless the February scores are back by March 1 then it needs to be December :/

I will definitely take all of this advice and try to power through the test. If I feel like I bombed it due to being sick I can always cancel my score....I'm hoping for the best!

I would love to read yours if you'd read mine?

What is your journey through your employment speaks of your determination, willingness to do what needs to get done, hard work ethic, etc? I feel like my 'work experience' hasn't been a 'normal' one.

Hey,

So I just got done taking and Blind Reviewing PT 75. My LR score improved to just about normal on the first LR section, but for some reason dropped SIGNIFICANTLY for the 2nd LR section (talking about 80% correct vs. 44% correct) When taking the test, I remember having a difficult time concentrating on the 2nd LR section for some reason. I kept second guessing myself and the questions seemed much harder than they usually do. I take the test on Saturday, so I'm hoping this is a strange fluke that won't happen again. Any thoughts/advice on this??

Haha I'm at work now, do most of my studying there actually (sh!)

I pre-photo copy LG and work on 1 game at a time under timed conditions. I just do the same ones over and over until I have completely mastered them. I find that since each game requires less than 10 min, I can spare those intervals throughout the day. Having the photo copies is not nearly as obvious as having a book open, I hope this helps!!

Thanks for the response! Yeah, I've been BR'ing them but I thought it strange to see such a leap in scoring. When I do BR them, it usually is some little word discrepancy I didn't catch, so I guess I have to be on the lookout for that more often.

Thanks everyone! I really like the idea of a pump-up song. Don't know why I didn't think of that!

I guess another factor in my lack of motivation is that I already got into the school I want to go to, but I'm delaying it a year to try to get more scholarship money. For some reason the money isn't as much as a motivator as simply getting in haha.

BUT! I also really like the idea of "Just 30 min and if I feel motivated to do more, do it!" I think I can definitely do that - something's better than nothing at all! (:

Also, do I have to submit my high school transcript for one AP class I took to receive college credit?????

So I'm trying to find the answer to how to avoid this....do I need to submit my high school transcript to LSAC for the ONE AP course I tested in and received credit for???

SO THANKFUL FOR THIS!!!

1. If the "Why School X" only allows 250 characters....should location (wanting to work in and better the community/location that is home to me) or a specific program I'm interested in that they offer (Institute for Professional Leadership) take precedence?

2. As far as extra curricular activities go, what is considered "significant"? It's under a section labeled "Achievements"

3. Time after college...it says to please describe in detail (in 500 characters or less). How much detail exactly are they looking for? Should I account for the 2-3 months I spent job searching immediately after graduation?

4. Resume...I am in AmeriCorps, and my volunteer experience is easily 4 pages long. Most of the events lasted 2-4 hours, and all of them are community based. Is this a legitimate reason to make my resume longer? Or, do you have a suggestion on how to make 100+ hours of volunteer experience concise? Like, is there a question I can ask myself about each volunteer experience on whether or not to include it?

THANKS!!

One more question:

The first thing I asked about is under "Education"

There is an entire separate section for achievements asking for "Extra curricular activities, awards, and honors".

Do I repeat everything and add the extra curricular activities?

It's prep test 33 section 4 game 1 (simple sequencing). It seems that if I don't draw out the multiple boards per question I get it wrong because I can't physically see both options. Just a little time consuming and wondering if there is a way around it I am missing?

What about personal statements? Thoughts?

I'm in a kind of similar situation........it really just depends on what you want to do and what your options are. Things to think about:

1. Is time important for you? Would putting a year off affect things timing?

2. Is scholarship money important to you? If you think you can do much better in June, then applying with a better score at the beginning of a cycle is probably better in this regard.

Good luck!

Just follow 7sage!! Really. Focus on logic games first bc they are easy to learn and eventually fun, then move on to the rest. But also, keep doing logic games weekly (at least) while studying the others so you don't lose your edge! Good luck!

Most schools take your top score, and that's it. I honestly wouldn't worry about it.

Not as impressive as Not Ralph Nader, BUT....

I took the Sept. LSAT pretty blind (I read a GIANT Kaplan book that I thought would 100% prepare me for the test with little/no actual practice LOL) and got a 153. After meeting with a professor at my school of choice, I learned that I needed at least a 157 (I don't have dreams of going to t14, just want to stay where I'm at and get a law degree). After 3 months of using 7sage, I got a 159 on Dec. LSAT. If I can do that in 3 months, imagine what you can do in a year!!!! Hang in there (:

@ I had LR RC LR LG LR. The first LR section was super tough and LR is my strongest section. I usually only miss 1-3 on an LR so it caught me off guard. I am pretty sure the 1st LR was experimental due to the question types. RC was easy compared to June 2016 and Sept 2016. I remember one on insider trading and African Americans moving up north. I didn't get to the 4th game cause game 3 was so tough.

My thoughts exactly. I really really hope that was experimental

Also yeah, the trading LG WTF!!! I'd say it was worse than the virus one.

Is there a way we can confirm which section the LR questions are from? I had LR, RC, LR, LG, LR. I remember all the questions that are being discussed, but I cannot for the life of me remember which section they came from. It's all such a blur!! I do know I felt I did better on 2/3 of the LR sections though so........any help is greatly appreciated (:

It's just gonna be a situation where there are two options, say a company is deciding on whether or not to franchise. It will then list certain facts about franchising vs. not franchising, objectives of the company, etc. You then decide whether or not the company will franchise, and you give your reasoning using the facts stated above. It's honestly pretty easy and doesn't matter which side you pick as long as you back it up.

@ You should have plenty of time, since between sections the proctor will say, "you will have the next 35 minutes to work in your test-book and answer sheet for section # only. During this time you may not read, work on, make marks or erasers in, or turn the page to, any other section".

Yes. Last time I took the test I hadn't really practiced with an analog watch at all, but it was SUPER easy to reset to 12 during that time. I would turn the knob, and press it in to lock it when he said "Begin." It makes up for the time that you would take calculating in your head exactly when you started and how much time you have left, especially if you end up starting at like 10:42 or something like that. Just keep the watch on your desk in front of you so you can see it at all times.

You do it at the test center. You just need the first page and an ID

https://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/9592/sick-this-can-t-be-happening