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flhelms775
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flhelms775
Thursday, Jun 04 2015

Thank you @2543.hopkins. I don't know if I will have time to do a PT this weekend especially Saturday, my niece's birthday but if I do I may join the BR group. But maybe some one-on-one will be good. I will think about my options and get with you if needed. :-) I'm excited about getting back in LSAT land.

I saw this comic today that made me think of reasoning flaws and I had to laugh. http://www.gocomics.com/frazz

I hope that works my basic HTML is very rusty.

And thanks again for your words of wisdom from another super splitter. :-)

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Wednesday, Jun 03 2015

flhelms775

I'm back.

Hello everyone,

I guess let me start with a brief overview of my story. I originally made the decision to pursue law school about a year ago. I prepped (and slacked off) all summer and took the September 2014 LSAT. Not surprisingly I blew it; I got a 145. But I tried to stay confident. I took a few months off to collect my thoughts and relax. I purchased the 7Sage course and the Cambridge packets with my Christmas bonus and started prep. I went pretty hard for a few months then I hit a standstill. I tried getting back into studying, but my brain was not focused enough for the LSAT. I felt guilty for not studying and I felt hopeless. I made the realization that I would have to put off school another year mainly due to financial woes, which was discouraging. When I first made the decision on pursuing law school, I wanted to start fall 2015. I turned 30 this year, I'm ready to get life going. I also had a lot of stressors in my life between work, school, and family. By Easter, I was in a deep depression (again). And I very nearly admitted myself to the hospital (again). So, I took a step back and said a big "screw you" to the LSAT. I got my meds adjusted, started one-on-one therapy, attempted to eat healthier, and increased my involvement in group therapy. I knew I had to get healthy before I could even attempt LSAT prep. So, for two months I haven't done anything related to the LSAT. I'm not all the way there but I feel like I am ready to start slowly welcoming the LSAT into my life. I know I am basically going to have to start from scratch but I feel better about that now. I feel like I can finally read about the LSAT and not feel despair.

I guess today I just wanted to share my story and see if anyone had any advice for my situation. I feel like I need to start slow perhaps do some logic games (my favorite and strongest section) to get back into LSAT "fun." I work full-time so I am fully aware of the stress this puts on me especially after what I've been through the last few months. I feel like that if I am just able to study an hour a day at first that is a step in the right direction. Of course I want to do more but I also don't want to wind up where I've been. Time management has been an issue. I also need to make sure I take the LSAT and my issues very seriously.

But I am looking at hopefully December for a retake. At this point, I'm definitely not taking it until I feel ready. I'll probably see how I feel in November if I'm not ready plan on February, if I'm not ready in January, wait until June so on and so forth. I'm hoping for a retake no later than June 2016 but we will see. My GPA is not too great so I need to score in the very high 160s to low 170s at least. And based off my BR scores in the past I think that is possible. Timing is the biggest issue on LG and some on RC, on LR practice will hopefully make perfect.

What I am thinking is maybe this weekend if I have the time take a timed diagnostic and BR it just to see what taking months off has done to me. I've taken the June 2007 PT so many times so I'll probably use some other random PT I've never taken. And then start back prepping slowly Monday.

I guess I'm just mainly rambling, but if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated.

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flhelms775
Friday, May 08 2015

@flhelms775 First off, I apologize for not getting back with you sooner. I've been out of the loop a lot. Its kinda a long story but I worked for the company I work for now and then I left for a while for another job and now I'm back. I asked for the LOR when I wasn't working for them. So, I asked via email. When I came back to work for them though I had to be clear about my plans of law school and its actually been pushed back even further than initially planned.

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flhelms775
Tuesday, May 05 2015

@2543.hopkins yes I am :-)

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flhelms775
Tuesday, May 05 2015

@2543.hopkins thank you. The ones that need erasing are early PTs too. :-)

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flhelms775
Tuesday, May 05 2015

I'm not sure if I am the best person to give advice. I'm stuck in the middle of a lengthy break. My mind is not the right place right now and will probably post this exact same thing when I get myself put back together. My only advice for you and myself is to start slow. Only you know your limits. I don't think there is a magic number for the amount you should prep. I think its different for everyone. Also I've learned so much through LSAT prep. But one of the biggest things I've learned that is that its ok if you need to wait to take the LSAT. Law school and the LSAT will always be there.

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flhelms775
Tuesday, May 05 2015

@2543.hopkins I have a PT book I got cheap on eBay or Amazon but I need to erase markings in it, any recommendations on erasers?

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flhelms775
Monday, May 04 2015

I've been mostly out of school since 2008. I turned 30 in January. I've been working in customer service. One of my LORs is from my current boss, he was more than willing to do it.

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flhelms775
Thursday, Apr 23 2015

@2543.hopkins I like the idea of referring to it as starting a new chapter. It makes it sound more like I am building from the past instead of starting from scratch. It sounds like maybe all the time I've spent on LSAT prep has not been as wasted if that makes sense.

I'm also glad that I waited for law school. But I'm getting impatient. You and I are also very close to the same age, I turned 30 in January. If I start law school next fall (2016) which is the absolute earliest I can start, I will be 31. I'm ready to get started with it. And dare I say, I hate my dead-end job in customer service. But my financial and personal situation may require me to have to bite the bullet. Law school will always be there. I need to realize "Vienna waits for you." I suppose another year might not be too bad start at 32 graduate at 35. It's a lot to consider. Thank you for your words of wisdom.

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Thursday, Apr 23 2015

flhelms775

Start Over vs. Review

Hi everyone,

I posted a while back about how I was feeling down and wasn't motivated to do LSAT work. It got better for a couple of weeks but then it got way worse. It's a long story but I'm on the road to recovery. Anyway, I have been out of the loop on all LSAT prep for another few weeks trying to focus on getting my mind in the right place. But now I've been feeling like I'm ready to slowly ease myself back in. I've already accepted the fact that I think I will have to push back to December and may even have to push back law school another year (which I really don't want to do). However, I feel like I need a good review before delving semi-randomly into a question type. I have a decent base of knowledge from being a retaker but this time I've been working through the Ultimate course and I have The Trainer, Manhattan LR guide, and the PowerScore Bibles. I'm thinking it will just be more efficient to just review using my various materials and notes. But there's a part of me that thinks it would be better to just start over. Any thoughts?

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flhelms775
Thursday, Apr 23 2015

Thank you, this looks very helpful. I can see the PowerScore influence.

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flhelms775
Friday, Apr 17 2015

Me too @igbodoe249 lol

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flhelms775
Thursday, Apr 16 2015

I agree that a flash sale would be a good idea even though I have all the PTs. But I also agree 7Sage is great :-) My question is about moving forward. I agree that the LSAC's decision will have the opposite effect than they think it will and the decison to ban PDFs won't stand. I'm concerned about the meantime. I know they can't sell the PDFs anymore and seem to be rerouting people to Amazon. But will the video explanations continue to be sold as we move forward to the eventual release of PT 75, 76, 77, etc?

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flhelms775
Wednesday, Apr 15 2015

@2543.hopkins no it makes perfect sense. I feel the same about The Trainer. I love it but I'm glad I didn't start with it.

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Wednesday, Apr 15 2015

flhelms775

LR-Manhattan and 7Sage

Hi everyone,

I'm at a bit of a standstill in my prep. Burnout is a bitch. But after a lot of thought I made the decision to purchase the Manhattan Prep LR book. The selling point was looking at the table of contents and seeing that 90% (totally out of the blue figure but it is a lot) of the book is on my problem areas. I need a good review before delving back in but that's beside the point. I also have a copy of The Trainer and the PowerScore Bibles that I use rarely. But I am primarily using my 7Sage course. I'm having success using The Trainer with 7Sage. But has anyone had any success using Manhattan and 7Sage together? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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flhelms775
Wednesday, Apr 15 2015

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian but the Spinach and Tofu lasagna sounds awesome. I really need to adjust my diet for mental dexterity.

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flhelms775
Tuesday, Apr 14 2015

I am also using both 7Sage and The Trainer. I prefer 7Sage's LG methods and to a certain extent their LR. But they complement each other well. I am also planning on supplementing the Manhattan LR book. I haven't received it yet but it has been ordered. I am hopeful it won't confuse me.

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flhelms775
Monday, Apr 13 2015

I'm in a similar dilemma. I'm dealing with some personal crap in my life right now, suffering a little bit of burnout, I want to score low 170s, and I am debating between a retake in October or December. I hate being patient but I am planning on seeing where I am at in September and make that decision from there. I would recommend the same as @nielsinha488 S wait to see where you at to make a final decision.

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flhelms775
Monday, Apr 13 2015

Same here. No time in between sections, pretty much about the same as the proctor app.

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flhelms775
Friday, Apr 10 2015

I just ordered my watch. I'm excited about getting it. I got R2 the 4x8.5 counting up, smiley at the end. :-) I think it will really help. Plus, it was one of the styles on special.

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flhelms775
Monday, Apr 06 2015

I want to know about the video explanations as well. @stepharizona288 I think they will remain up because I agree. I don't think they are official LSAT questions. However, I saved all the PDFs for them to be safe.

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flhelms775
Monday, Apr 06 2015

I use the 7Sage proctor. Right now I have it set to "Gayle" she sounds almost exactly like the proctor the first time I took the LSAT. Not sure if that's a good thing though. I need to adjust to using a watch.

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flhelms775
Monday, Apr 06 2015

Thanks for this. I am struggling with RC review as well. This will help me stay on track. Thanks.

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flhelms775
Friday, Apr 03 2015

I get the same way. First of all, I try not to be too hard on myself about it, easier said than done. And I try to get pumped up by listening to a little of my "LSAT Playlist" before studying.

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flhelms775
Thursday, Apr 02 2015

I personally think the no earplugs rule is a little silly. But what can you do? @igbodoe249 Since you and I live in the same metro area, you'll get this. That's why I'm thinking of taking mine in Rock Hill or Belmont. I took a mini-vacation to Raleigh for my first LSAT and also to visit UNC-Law, NC State was super quiet test day. :-).

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