A friend of mine and I were discussing PT 76 (a PT I had never done before), and I went rummaging through my LSAT material, when I found PT 76, its cover a sort of sea green. Now, my first reaction was that PT 76 does NOT "feel" like a sea green to me. My friend said the same and voiced his dissatisfaction with PT 77's vibrant red, a point I myself was about to make!

We both agreed PT 72 felt right with its purple cover and that PT 77 needed a more neutral color. Does anyone get this way when looking at these PTs? There's some psychology to this, I just know it!

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-48-section-4-question-13/

I understand why "A" is correct but still cannot arrive at why "E" is incorrect. My thought was that "E" allowed for the possibility that instead of not believing the testimony, some just did not find the testimony (which may have been one that implicated the defendant) significant enough to render a guilty verdict. In other words, all members of the jury could have believed the testimony, yet some may not have viewed it as significant enough to decide on a guilty verdict.

Does "E" just not draw upon the flaw in the reasoning behind the conclusion from the premises?

I was close to understanding this in last night's BR call, though I think I still need more input to clear my mind up on this.

Thanks in advance!

I have three, great professors who all agreed to write an LOR, and I picked each of them for various reasons, one being that each has a different perspective on who I am as a person and on my strengths applicable to law school.

Do other 7Sagers ask their recommenders to write on specific subjects or to focus on certain points? Or do you simply send them the necessary forms for LORs? Do you view these LORs yourself?

Thanks in advance!

I just started scoring in the low 170s and noticed that I'm averaging a bit over 5:00 minutes left per section after having gone through all of the questions. This, of course, allows me to check over answers and even get a few right that I would not have otherwise. As exciting as this is for me, I'd like to know if this is something I can expect.

Summary: The perfect test center, at least this time around. To anyone in Cincinnati, Columbus, or even Indianapolis, or in any surrounding areas, I highly suggest you consider taking the test here. The university is situated in a town with a population of a few thousand, and the university itself has a student body of a few thousand. The campus is thus relatively small and quiet, and the building used as the test center is on the quiet end (the very end) of campus. I'm biased because the university is my alma mater, but the 2.5 hour drive to get there was more than worth it.

Setting Pros: The rooms were large, and with only maybe 15 test takers, we were all placed far apart from one another. There are no desks in the entire building, only long tables. The room we were in had especially long ones, which curved around the class and were divided into two sections, with a walkway in between them. The room was quiet with little to no background noise, lighting was good, and the entire building was absent anyone aside from test takers and the proctors. The bathrooms are ten seconds away from the testing room, and parking is free and more than plentiful. Parking spaces can be found on the side and back of the building, and the parking lot is immediately adjacent to the building. Chairs are padded and have nice backs to them, and given that I deal with chronic back pain, I'd like to think my perspective on the chairs is a telling one, haha. The inn is a two-minute drive from the testing center, and the drive is down the town's main road. The inn itself is nice - not many breakfast options, but I brought my own breakfast. During off times, 90-100% of the people staying at the inn are in their 60s, and the inn was thus very, very quiet.

Setting Cons: Usually, the rooms in the building have really good air conditioning, though it was noticeably warm on test day. This may have been the result of the recent heat wave that had just come in. I was wearing pants and a buttoned-down shirt and was fine enough, though I tend to get cold more than warm when indoors.

The building used for the testing center is a bit tucked away, though that's hardly saying much given the small size of the campus. I knew how to get there, of course, so I can only guess the degree of difficulty finding the building. I saw a few handmade signs that read "LSAT" along the town's main road and in campus, but I only noticed them after the test.

There's only one small inn in town, and it will be booked well in advance should there be any big events on campus. I was able to get a room a month out, though I don't think they had many rooms available. All other hotels are at least twenty minutes out, if not farther.

Proctor Pros: Both proctors were practically perfect. I heard them quickly and quietly whisper to one another three times during the entire test, and even then, it was basically undetectable. Time was held to a tee. The proctors were nice, patient, and not overbearing. I had a proctor walk by me maybe two or three times during the test.

Proctor Cons: The proctors quietly whispered a total of maybe ten words to each other the entire test.

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-74-section-3-passage-2-questions

Okay, so I really debated between "C" and "D" (the former apparently being a crappy choice), and ended up selecting "C" only because the term "approving" in "D" seemed too strong and altogether inapplicable for describing the author's attitude. "C" to me seemed like a piece of the author's overall attitude, but is this in itself reason to not select "C"?

In other words, do questions regarding one's attitude inherently ask for the overall, holistic viewpoint as opposed to something the author may or may not agree with? I don't think I have ever seen a correct answer choice claiming the author has a particular viewpoint or judgement on the topic discussed when the author seems to have no such voice at all. The author points to evidence supporting the lawyers' claim, yes, but even if the author believes there to be sufficient evidence for the legitimacy of "stealing thunder," there is no indication of his approval of the use of it. By "approving," does the author believe that the use of "stealing thunder" is logical and sound? If "approving" were to take that meaning, I can completely understand why "D" is correct.

Finally, I assume "C" is wrong at least in part because of the term "anecdotal evidence," which doesn't fit at all with the speculation discussed at the end of the paragraph. My two concerns, then, lie with the use of "approving" as well as the inherent meaning of Attitude questions in general.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Okay, BR-group people, don't get at me for this one (though I won't blame you if you do)... but I missed this question in my personal blind review, which was before the 4/23 BR group and didn't catch it until afterwards. I initially selected "A" but changed my answer to "D" during my blind review.

My issue with "A" was that I didn't see the astronomer concluding "there is evidence against [the hypothesis that life evolved extraterrestrially]" but that the hypothesis could be regarded as false simply because proponents of it only had evidence against another hypothesis and no evidence to support their own hypothesis. Is this in itself the "evidence"? In the final half of "A," what is the word "evidence" in "that there is evidence against that hypothesis" referring to exactly?

Thanks in advance!

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-70-section-1-question-09/

Same deal as Oldies but Goodies - just different title!

RC got you like this?

https://m.popkey.co/621615/MYrv7.gif

Thanks to Josh (a.k.a @"Cant Get Right" ), we're going to work on changing that!

While Josh will continue to handle (primarily) LR from the old PTs, I'll now be hosting an RC-focused Oldies but Goodies, following Josh's PT schedule along the way. Eye-roll-inducing, artsy fartsy passages? Obnoxiously dull and dizzying science passages? Inference Questions? Obligatory GIFs?? Yes to all!!

If you're able, swing by after having already done the RC section of the week. We'll breakdown one or two passages, the respective answer choices, and strategies for expertly and efficiently moving through the section. Our sessions will always be best with input, so don't be afraid to chime in!

Let's make RC something to look forward to!

Oldies but Goodies - PT 35

Thursday, August 24, 8:30 PM EDT

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/853312053

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States: +1 (872) 240-3212

Access Code: 853-312-053

First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: https://care.citrixonline.com/g2m/getready

I have a clear top choice for law school, and while I would love to apply Early Decision, I will likely need some scholarship money. Obviously, Early Decision reduces that chance of receiving money you would receive otherwise. But is it still standard for a law school to dish out money to an Early Decision applicant? My application for this particular school will likely benefit from an LSAT score at the median or 75th percentile but a GPA at the 25th percentile.

Thanks in advance.

Hey, everyone. I've been studying for the LSAT for a while now and would like to more fine tune my studying in LR. I remember some mentioning packages by question type, but I cannot remember where they can be found. Would anyone be able to help with this? And if such sets exist, do they interfere with PTs currently left untouched by 7Sage?

I'm doing pretty well overall with RC, but I can't breach past the 2-5 missed average. On harder passages, I'm almost always getting 1-2 incorrect. At this point, I am able to comprehend just about every passage thrown my way, but the questions themselves occasionally leave me scrambling to find the answer.

I realize there's really no strong consensus on RC tactics, but for those within the near-perfect range, what is your average time spent on simply reading the passage (this can include notating, note-taking, et cetera). I typically spend just under three minutes (2:40 is a relatively reliable number for reference) with moderate underlining/circling as well as minor note taking. The rest of my time is spent of the questions.

Thanks in advance for any input!

I've been steadily and consistently studying for about two years for the LSAT, and I've managed to score in the low 170s a total of about ten times (a little less than this). With this, however, come the occasional hiccups (e.g. a 164 on my most recent test), though I think these somewhat infrequent though dramatic drops in my score reflect the stupid mistakes I make more so than anything else.

This stated, I'm getting awfully tired of scoring in the low 170s for a few tests with a bad test that follows. I've fallen into a frustrating repetition despite feeling like I know more about the test than I did when I was first scoring in the 170s, which was as long as a year go.

As noted in my header, I want to see anyone's input on where I should go from here. With more 170s than not, I'm confident I have a good grasp of the material, especially of LG sections. RC sections fluctuate for me, though consistent practice seems to solve the problem nicely. My LR is usually good, though my last test was severely marred by miss after miss in LR. Has anyone been in this situation? If so, did simply PTing and BR-ing solve this for you, or did you have to go back to study material and possibly drill by question type?

Note: When I refer to BR-ing, I mean my personal process of circling questions I do not feel super confident about, though I BR the entire test anyway.

The consensus is that just about everyone is able to come up with a topic that warrants a diversity statement. In only rare cases is there a cookie cutter profile that just doesn't have a single iota of diversity in its repertoire. I am all but thoroughly convinced that I am one of those rare cases and I suppose I could ironically be diverse in this sense. But I was a first-gen college graduate; my dad tried college before having to drop out a semester later due to finances. My mom went to adult college when I was a pre-teen but never finished. I'm the oldest in my family and was the first of anyone in my family to graduate, though my younger sister did graduate the following year.

I did not have any financial issues during college, nor did I have any upon graduating. Getting into college wasn't a struggle for me like it was for my parents. Both my mom and dad clearly wanted their kids to attend college and to in general live a life that they were unable to live.

While I was fortunate enough to practically trip and fall into a 4-year undergraduate program, I definitely viewed myself and my potential in a harmful light. My mentality throughout high school and throughout most of college was that I obviously wasn't a genius; therefore, I shouldn't bother striving to achieve a 4.0 or to stand out from the rest, and I think being a first-gen graduate played a significant role in this. There are of course more details to this than just that, but what do you all think of me having been a first-gen graduate, albeit an unremarkable one? Is this workable for a diversity statement, or am I stretching way too far here?

What are some of the strategies and techniques you all use to reach a perfect 180 on BR? What is a typical range for questions circled for further review? What do you do with questions you didn't circle but actually missed? What for questions you missed after a BR? What are some of the best ways to collect previous missed questions for future review?

Below are some of the strategies I've used. I haven't scored a perfect one 180 on BR, however, so others' tips would be much appreciated!

- Chronicling the reasons behind my wrong answer choices, tallying the number of times this happens, and recording the PT number on which a respective mistake was made.

- This may seem like an obvious one but wasn't a strategy I adopted until later - I examine my relative strength in each question type (especially for LR) for my five most recent PTs. From there, I review the core curriculum for the question type at issue, review previous missed questions of that type, and drill specifically on that question type.

- Coming into each PT with full awareness of what I am weak at and possibly reviewing these areas beforehand. This way, I am prepared to avoid the many past traps in which I have customarily fallen.

I currently have three (of what I would presume to be solid) academic references, all from professors. I have been out of school and working at my current job for just under two years. I plan on applying during the next cycle, so I will have hopefully been at my job for just over three years. With this gap between schooling and my personal statement centering around my job, should I shoot for a professional reference? If so, is four total references (usually the max allowed, it seems) obnoxious?

I've scored several times in the low 170s, with two 173s being my best scores. But I have dipped as low as a 164 during consistent studying (though distraction and stupid mistakes probably best explain such a score at this point).

This makes me wonder... what are ranges for those scoring in the low- to even the mid-170s?

I live in Columbus, Indiana (near-ish Bloomington and about two hours away from Cincinnati). Anyone with any test center experiences around this area, please fill me in! Area in question extends to Indianapolis and around that region as well or even as far as Northern Indiana near Notre Dame. I'm willing to travel far for a center I trust to be solid.

Figure this might be a way to keep confidence up on test day. Doing this after having completed each section perhaps?

I recently began writing a diversity statement on what I believe to be a unique and transformative job. I've noticed, however, that most if not all are focused on one's upbringing and the diversity within that. The job I want to use is my current one, and I've had it for a year (it will be about 2.5 years by the time I actually start law school). Bad idea or good idea? Or is the unquestionably inapplicable to the diversity statement?

I don't believe I pressed the "reset" button while the timer was still going; regardless, my 180 Watch is off about five seconds, with the long hand setting just behind the "0."

Does anyone know how to fix this? Hopefully, there's a way to do so!

Okay, this question is outside the possibility of signing up now and possibly withdrawing. I am asking specifically about actually taking the test on September with no plan to withdrawal. Here's why...

I've been studying for a while now and have all but completely met my LSAT goals. I'd say I'm about 1-2 points away from the score I want to at least sometimes hit, though this is mainly to secure plenty of leeway to score within a desired range.

Since I've been studying for a while, I have absolutely decided to take the test in order to apply for next year's cycle. With this in mind, I really only have three test dates from now to the application process for the upcoming cycle ends. While I may not be 100% ready for September, I'm awfully close with just over a month to get closer.

Should I not achieve my goal from a September take, I still have two more takes (December and February), and September would only be a wasted take insofar as the potential impact a retake would have on my psyche. But should I count on being fully ready - which I believe I would likely be by December - I would only have one more potential retake available.

I would really love input on this from fellow 7Sagers, and I'll refrain from citing my personal pros and cons for taking in September no matter the circumstances until/if I get some feedback.

Thanks in advance!

What type of decrease, if any, do you all experience when taking too long of a break between timed, 5-section tests? What is recommended as an ideal schedule for PT taking?

I've been missing many "Parallel" (both flaw and not) because of, say, a credited response containing "most" while the passage does not. Am I to generally ignore quantifiers with these question types?

This may be the most worthless discussion in 7Sage's recent history, but in the event that it may help someone in similar shoes to mine, I thought I'd err on the safe side and post this anyway.

There are perhaps three things that I hate above all else in this world: the never-ending zombie craze, country music, and. COFFEE. The last of these - the putrid, nightmarish toxin eighty-some percent of Americans seem to enjoy drinking - is the worst of them all. I once enjoyed Plants v. Zombies, and I occasionally manage to walk in and out of a store without noticing but for a second some song about a pickup truck, but coffee will never grow one me. A teaspoon of it in even the sweetest of desserts will have me immediately putting down my fork and reaching for what is hopefully a full glass of water. So what did frequently flu-ridden me always do the night (mid-morning) before a half dozen midterms? I drank a crap ton of matcha.

For the purpose of this post, I found a Daily Mail article, which will hopefully do all of the science talk for me.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2713411/Would-swap-coffee-Matcha-green-tea.html

Having been a frequent drinker of matcha for the past five years or so, I am confident that I can speak knowledgeably about its benefits. The caffeine kick isn't immediate and dramatic as is the kick from a coffee break, but the subsequent crash is absolutely nonexistent. You may notice a lengthened alertness that extends beyond the length of the LSAT (a big plus, if you ask me) both from the caffeine, which is absorbed more slowly than is caffeine from coffee, and the plentiful amount of goodies also found in the drink (see article for the actual specifics on this). While tea holds a fraction of the amount of caffeine compared to coffee, matcha is very different, primarily because of the fact that the drink requires you to drink the leaves themselves as opposed to an infusion of them. Leaves used for [quality] matcha are a very particular fraction of a very particular variety, not to mention the delicate and ultra-specific processing these leaves undergo. This leads, among other things, to a higher concentration of amino acids and to a much better tasting product.

One of the greatest benefits of matcha in relation to the LSAT is the amount customarily consumed. As opposed to a cup of coffee or tea, a "cup" of matcha is no more than a few ounces from less than a tablespoon of powder. I don't know about anyone else here on this forum, but I am not about to wait one to two hours before actually starting the test, only to have to keep my bladder from bursting while working on the first three sections of the LSAT for the two hours afterwards. Matcha avoids this issue for me perfectly and also gives me a very positive, consistent, and crash-less boost.

Personally, matcha, and tea in general, is most attractive for its taste, aroma, and history, but for the purpose of the LSAT, the benefits of matcha are especially attractive. It has helped me tremendously in many instances over the years like the one aforementioned. Should anyone take the venture to try this tea, I would recommend experimenting with it a few months out before the test; buying it is a bit of an investment, and several accessories are pretty much required in order to prepare the tea. Making the tea takes some practice as well. And just because a product claims to be matcha a) doesn't mean that it actually is and b) doesn't mean it is of any decent quality. Plenty of green tea powders are marketed as "matcha" even though its from an entirely different leaf, harvest date, production process, et cetera. Fakes and poor products lead to reduced benefits (including caffeine) and at best sub-par flavor profiles. Hibiki-an and Aiya are among the more reputable and reliable sources for purchasing matcha.

As I mentioned, quality matcha is not cheap, but I think for some, it may be a worthwhile investment. I know matcha will be very helpful for me, as will my 180watch and Ticonderoga pencils. And for coffee-haters akin to myself, a drink such as this can be godsend straight from heaven.

Okay, I get I look like a sucker for paying $60 for something I could have paid $20 for, especially in light of the watch's very limited purpose.

But please, "hear" me out on this (if you'd rather not, please buy from me my LSAT Max watch). I purchased the watch from LSAT Max after much consideration. Honestly, I didn't want to buy an LSAT watch at all, but particularly after hearing horror stories of careless proctor's messing with much-coveted minutes, I felt it was worth the plunge. But if you're going to buy a watch to save you any from trouble or perfect planning outside of the actual performance on the LSAT, The 180 Watch seems to be the only one comfortably worth your while.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with the LSAT Max watch or others within its price range, but the fact that you have to manually reset your time (with a second hand that does not reset) is a legitimate thorn in the side. Maybe others here will disagree with me, but I would at least caution those who are thinking of buying a watch to consider what the difference in the available selection actually entails.

The 180 Watch is less distracting, given the "second hand" moves less frequently and is actually within a much smaller frame than the head of the watch itself. I consider the strategic markings (such as the longer tick marks at 8:00 intervals) to be helpful but not deal-makers. The fact that the watch can be reset with the push of a button and down to the second is huge. As one who involuntarily obsesses over little things like the first scratch on a new pair of shoes or a video game case, knowing I'm not (at the very least) seconds off in time lets me proceed much more smoothly. Not to mention, the better accuracy is just simply better.

I didn't know this key difference existed between The 180 Watch and its competitors. Now, I have two watches with the same, very limited purpose.