@ said:

If it's already covered in your personal statement then don't use it in your diversity statement to avoid being redundant. If you have another option for your diversity statement that would be much better.

Thanks for your input. That’s what I was concerned about. I wasn’t sure if putting a different spin on the situation (why I want to go to law school for PS vs how it adds to the diversity of the campus as a DS) would be too redundant.

Hi! I think there is a middle ground here that you are missing. Clearly, your abrupt and unexpected shift in study habits is in the very least making you lose confidence in your knowledge, whether or not you have actually forgotten it. I think that you would likely benefit simply from reviewing your notes, making and practicing flash cards, and using the printouts and flashcards on the site in the lessons. From there, you will have an understanding of whether or not you do remember the material and if there is anything you need to review. I don't think an all out redo of the core curriculum is what will serve you best here.

I work full time and my study schedule fluctuates, so the flash cards and review is something I do periodically to refresh my memory. I find it very helpful. I keep a stack of flashcards on the indicators, the valid and invalid arguments, and some of the rules that I tend to forget.

Also, definitely try be easy on yourself for your change in study habits during this time. Mental and emotional well-being are also very important aspects of this process and in life in general. If you need a day off from studying or have a day where you only spend 30 minutes reviewing, that is okay. It sounds like you have put in plenty of hours already and can afford a break here and there when you need it. Productivity is not measured simply by the number of hours you put in. Rest and recovery also serve their purpose. There has been such a push for people to be "productive" during this pandemic, but its crucial to know that breaks are also productive and healthy.

Same - I'm in Cambridge and have been studying for a while.

I'll be 27 this year and plan to apply this year, meaning I'll likely be starting when I'm 28. You're really not far behind, even if it feels that way.

I think that as long as you explained how and why what he did impacted you so strongly that the statement is about you.

Yes. You are awarded points based on your number of correct responses. An incorrect guess is not penalized more than a skipped question

I can relate because I’ve had my own food struggles for my whole life, but always wished I could eat better / healthier. I eat plenty, but eat the wrong things lol. I have sensory issues with food that made it difficult for me to eat well because of texture, smells, etc. I dont eat condiments, had a hard time with fruits and vegetables, and mostly liked things crispy, crunchy, fatty, starchy, everything that isn’t healthy haha.

BUT I have been gradually working on this for the past couple of years. So I’ll share with you what has helped me personally:

So first of all, I’d take something I normally eat and try to substitute it for something healthier. Instead of chicken nuggets or fried chicken fingers, I’d do baked chicken breast coated in breadcrumbs. Instead of fries, I tried cauliflower and seasoned it with breadcrumbs and the flavors I like. It was similar enough to what I was used to that I could gradually transition. And I just kept pushing the envelope as I got comfortable. I tried asparagus wrapped in bacon to get used to the flavors so now I can eat it just seasoned.

Second, I made sure when I was trying new things I would make it myself so I was less nervous to try it. I would try it at home so I was comfortable.

So my tips are to find some recipes for things that remind you of the things you like about your favorite foods, but are healthier. Make them yourself in the comfort of your own home. Do it gradually so it’s not overwhelming, but do keep nudging and pushing yourself as you get comfortable. And obviously as far as what to eat, it just is about balance. Vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, etc. Most importantly, be kind to yourself! If you are stressing yourself out, that’s going to hurt you the most when it comes to your score.

So I chose answer choice A and wrote this huge thing explaining why I was confused when I realized that the issue is that JY's explanation is incorrect. C is the correct answer, but not because of whether or not the condition is voluntary.

The question stem asks which most seriously weakens the argument if true and if not taken into account by the calculation

the stimulus:

Study: Sedentary Lifestyle → cost society $1650

Argument: Voluntarily No Exercise → Burden on Society

The correct answer is C because it implies that a medical condition was a cause of the sedentary lifestyle AND the medical care. If this was not taken into account by the study, the figure the researches arrived at would be inflated because it would be counting costs that are actually driven by medical conditions and not sedentary lifestyles.

As for JY's explanation being incorrect: the argument is that people who voluntarily choose to not exercise are creating a burden on society, so mentioning that some people involuntarily do not exercise and also receive expensive medical care is irrelevant. This is essentially negating the sufficient, which is not a valid way to weaken an argument. (Voluntarily No Exercise → Burden on Society vs. Involuntarily No Exercise → Expensive care). What do those who are sedentary involuntarily have to do with those who are sedentary by choice? It can still be true that some people can be sedentary by choice and create a burden for society.

Hope this helps.

#admin

I hate this question so much. I was down to A and B. I ruled out A because one, I don't think of a recording of a speech as a reproduction of the speech. It is a documentation of the same exact speech that took place. If I videoed a wedding, that is a documentation of the actual wedding, not a reproduction of the wedding. Also, I do not see a parallel between half-truths and bad sound quality in the same way that I see a parallel between an inaccurate painting and an inaccurate copy of the painting. So this just seemed like a very bad analogy to me and not at all parallel.

I chose B because a painting of an ugly scene is a reproduction of that scene, and the underlying assumption is the same... that if you reproduce or copy something that is X (inaccurate, ugly), that thing must also be X (inaccurate, ugly).

You will not convince me that the LSAT writers are correct on this one, haha.

I have been studying on and off for a few year while working full time trying to find the best method. I took significant time off between study periods due to the stress of balancing work and life with studying. I just picked it back up again after taking 8 months off.

The thing I've noticed is MOST important is making sure you take enough time off to really take care of your own needs. It is crucial to make time for social activities and fun. It is so easy to get stuck in this rut when you are working full time where you don't feel you have a significant amount of down time and have to devote it all to studying. The last time I studied (ending in May), I had been feeling unproductive during my study sessions due to burnout, which would lead me to feel guilty and refuse to take any time away for fun, which led to more burnout and more guilt, and the cycle continued. So after taking some much needed time away, I've come up with a method where I've created a schedule for myself, including for personal time. My rule is that I HAVE to devote at least some time to the scheduled activity, even if it's only 30 minutes, that way I won't feel guilty or give myself an excuse to fall out of my schedule. I've even devoted one of the days as a trade day, so that if I'm absolutely unable to do my studying on a scheduled day, I have a day to trade it with. I'll give you mine as an example:

Sun - gym

Mon - study

Tues - gym

Wed - Day off / Available for trading with another scheduled day

Thurs - study

Fri - Gym

Sat - Day off!

I hope my trial and error helps someone, and good luck! Don't be like me and push yourself so hard you need to take years off haha.

Hi! I too graduated in 2015, am 28, and am still studying for the LSAT. You are truly not alone. My advice is to really focus on what works best for you as far as getting your best score and when you are ready to attend instead of feeling like you are racing the clock.

I have been planning on attending since I was an undergrad and used to stress that I was way too far behind. Life happens and finding the time to study while working full time (I’m not sure your situation but that is mine) is a lot to take on. People from all backgrounds and all ages attend law school, so you won’t be alone at all. As a bonus, I’ve actually found my years experience working full time has actually helped me somehow — some things just seem to click a little better. I also think I’ll be a much better student when the time comes than if I had gone right out of undergrad. Long story short, just do what works for you and it will all work in the end! It feels like you’re behind but there are so many other people in the same boat. The extra stress also will do nothing to help you achieve your goal score.

Good luck and feel free to reach out if you ever need to speak to someone in your situation.

I’ve done it twice :)

The first time I was studying, I was a senior in college and I had to stop because I legit had a panic attack lol. So I needed to take some time and let life calm down because I was tackling way too much at once.

A year and a half went by before I started studying again. I took the LSAT, took a few months off again and I’m back at it.

I can tell you that it’s more of a mental hurdle because you feel rusty and discouraged and, for me at least, I worried I would have to put in the same amount of effort to catch up and re-learn. You don’t though. You pick it up back up, and I think the break actually gives you the ability to reapproach and have a better understanding.

My advice is to go over the basics of conditional logic, the question types, and the strategies. You’ll get the refresher you need and you’ll be reminded of the little details you may have forgotten. Make an outline or a cheat sheet to refer back to. And once you’re comfortable there just get back into practice tests and reviewing and you’ll be back to where you were in no time.

The most important thing is to be patient with yourself and to not get discouraged. That’s pretty much the most challenging part of picking it back up after some time off in my opinion.

Good luck!

@ said:

@ said:

Let me ask you, would you dread doing another X amount of months of test prep if you knew that a great score and admission into several really good schools was at the end of that road?

A 162 says to me that you certainly have the ability to get into the 170 range. The process of identifying and eliminate your weak areas will be tough, but doable: this process becomes tougher the smaller and smaller our weak areas are. I think dread is intensified if we start to worry about putting X amount of months into something and not seeing a payoff. Studying smart with a clear plan will go far to limiting the chances of that. And I think 7Sage affords us the opportunity to study smart.

-David

https://media.giphy.com/media/xTiIzqPM4tCxJJIjQc/giphy.gif

To throw in my two cents, I know that you're working 40 hours a week and to have any energy after to study, let alone get a 162, is amazing. It just sounds like that you need to tighten up some fundamental or on a extreme level, change your fundamental approach. I don't know your personal situation, however, I do suggest getting a meditation app on your phone and doing it twice a day if possible.

Dave is a Jedi Master, so trust the process.

Thank you for the suggestion. I do have a couple meditation apps after they were suggested by multiple people, so I guess I should actually start consistently using them!

I found the 162 to be so discouraging and almost like a sign that my goals were not attainable. Maybe I’ll just look at this time off as time to reset and allow me to approach from a new angle.... and I just need to suck it up and try instead of worrying about failure.

Thanks for all your tips, guys!

Also, could anyone offer insight as far as which version would be best for me to purchase?

@ said:

I imagine that if you're getting around 162, you're not getting -1/0 in Logic Games. Seriously, I was scoring a 165 before I came to 7sage, getting around -8 on Logic Games, and 7sage literally worked their Logic Games magic. Just that bump in Logic Games alone made a huge, huge difference. I couldn't recommend 7sage more highly!

No, that’s spot on. I’m terrible at logic games. I was watching the YouTube videos from 7sage and made some progress but I would still miss a minimum of one full game and up to like -12. Will the course help even more than just the video explanations? That’s probably what I’m worried about most. I can go -1, -2 in logical reasoning and get to logic games and miss half the questions. I don’t know why I have so much trouble.

Thanks David.

Yeah I completely get what you are saying. On the one hand, yes logically I know that at the end of the road, the payoff would be great if I could get into a really good school. On the other hand, having to actually go through the process is so emotionally draining on top of a full time job that i worry about the toll on my mental health. That’s what makes it so difficult to start the journey despite knowing the payoff. Even telling myself what the reward would be hasn’t been enough to get me going again :(