Following! Same issues with RC

The webinar was free only if you caught it live. I live in Germany and it was at 3am my time so I missed it but if you are a PowerScore student you can watch it for free on the online student center OR if you are NOT a PowerScore student, you can sign up for their minimum digital analytics package (2 months) and have access to it that way. Otherwise it is not published for the public.

I have been doing this technique with my LR sections and it really helps! I have a "Wrong Answers" excel sheet where I type the following in different columns: question type (weakening, MSS, etc.) the stimulus, question stem, answer I chose, correct AC, why my choice was wrong, why the right choice is right, tip for the future with this type of question. I fill out as much as I can before watching the explanation video from JY but sometimes I need to watch the video if I can't get it on my own. It is a painfully tedious process, but it WORKS. Also, I create problems sets from my wrong answers which helps solidify my understanding. It is time consuming so also make sure you work that into your timeline. I've been doing this for months and have seen significant improvement but it all depends on you and if it helps you without taking up too much time. I hope that helps some, it isn't for everyone but it sure has helped me!

Same here!

I'm sort of panicking. I think LSAC messed up. I am testing in the EMEA region and not only is my test date wrong, my times are all US time zones and I live in Europe??? How is it possible that the earliest I can take my test is a 1:00pm my time? I tested in June and was able to test at 10:00am my time and it was no issue. Also, now my test date is one week earlier than what my email last week said. Emailed LSAC but am low key having a panic attack:)

@ Thanks! So, LG was the first section I perfected and I would get around -3 on LR but always -7 to -9 on RC. It was my worst section and I dreaded it. In addition to the things I did in my comment above (and reading Atomic Habbits and doing following OptimalWork), I started to tackle each RC paragraph like an LR stimulus. RC is just a little longer LR. This did wonders for me, once I re-wired my brain to not treat RC like some crazy different difficult thing and just as another LR section, it did the trick. Hope that helps, good luck!

Hi! I'm in a similar spot, aiming to break 170s and have been stuck on 168 for a few PTs. I also had been PTing back to back but this wasn't helping. My LG is usually -0 so I started to instead focus on LR (usually -4 to -6) and RC (usually -2 to -3). Instead of doing full PTs, I suggest working on doing timed sections of your problem area. For example, I've started doing timed LR sections everyday and this morning's section I got -2 timed and -1 in BR (I changed on right answer to wrong in BR ugh!). Don't worry about full PTs now, you have to pinpoint your problem area and even narrow it down to question types. Other than that, I recommend getting up at 4am to study (I work full-time and study before work), meditating, eating well, and getting 8+ hours of sleep EVERY night. Good luck!

I am stuck at 168-170 and can't seem to break the barrier! -0 at LG but always -3 to -4 on LR and RC. Would LOVE some tips!

Hispanic: Referring to any ethnicity that shares Spanish as a common language. This includes people from Spain.

Latinx/o/a: Refers to people from Latin America and South America. This includes Brazilians which are excluded from "Hispanic" since Portuguese is the common language. This term also includes Haitian/Brazilians who speak French or Portuguese or both. This does NOT include people from Spain.

Under the umbrella of the aforementioned terms are a myriad of ethnicities: Mexican/Chicanx, Guatemalan, Peruvian, Brazilian, Afro-Latinx, etc. which typically would fall under both ergo, Hispanic/Latinx.

@ This helps A LOT! Thanks! The difference between restating a premise and validating a premise just clicked, thank you soo much for putting it this way! At the moment I miss 1-3 on LR and it's usually these curve-breaker level questions with minute language discrepancies in the ACs that are getting to me. This changes it :)

Hi! Full-time worker here, though I work from my home office so I'm not sure how relevant this can be for you. I've been studying for the LSAT since January and took it in June but scored below my testing average so am taking October again. I started getting up at 5:00 am, taking one hour to go walking with a coffee in hand and listening to a book, then I come home, eat breakfast, meditate, and study from 7 to 10 before I start working. I even talked to my boss about started the work day later so I can have more time. I'm a paralegal and they were happy to make it work. At lunch and in the evening I squeeze in more studying if I'm feeling up for it, but usually I leave it to walking my dog or spending time with my husband. I do go to bed pretty early around 9 every night but working early has really helped me.

With those metrics I don't see a problem getting scholarship money from UCLA at all. You can also check out LSAT Demon's scholarship estimator (estimator being the key word here) which estimates based on each law school's 509 data, your GPA, LSAT score, and whether you're a URM whether you would have a chance at funding and if so about how much.

https://lsatdemon.com/scholarships

I did PT 88 two days ago for the first time in preparation for the June-Flex. I missed 4 total for the entire games section, -1 on Game 3 and -3 on Game 4. I just ran out of time and panicked a bit. In BR I got -0 so for me it wasn't comprehension but just the time running out stressed me. I usually am -0 on LG so this games section really destroyed me so if it was hard for you, just keep at it, you will get there! The games are really learnable so if you have a tough game, just do it over and over until you hit -0 and make sure you practice game types you struggle with e.g. I drilled sequencing with a twist games for 3 weeks b/c it was my weakest section and really honed it a few months ago and now it is second nature. The games are the easiest section to improve on, so if you have LR and RC down, don't stress! You will get LG down too :)

@ I think they did this to student who have their permanent address in LSAC different than their registered testing location as students must test in the location they are currently at. It is totally okay for students living outside of the US to travel to the US to take a test on a US testing date (there are many more testing dates available to US than Int'l test takers); these are the students who get the audit email b/c if they stated that they weren't in the US and are trying to take a US test then their registration is cancelled. I do think they should have done this a long time ago and not cancelled tests last minute though...

You can't do that unfortunately. They check to make sure your mic and camera are on and if you mute your mic there will be pop up alert on ProctorU and you definitely don't want to have your test interrupted by a proctor and be distracted. Also, it is against the rules to read out loud. I think they do this because they don't want students to record themselves (or have someone outside the room recording you) reading a passage or answer and risk test info being shared. Try mouthing to yourself silently instead and see if this helps! Otherwise, you can try to apply for an accommodation to read out loud, this is an option too: https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsac-policy-accommodations-test-takers-disabilities/accommodations-may-be-available-lsat

@-1 Hi, thanks for asking! As I said above, please take my personal techniques with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own techniques that work better for them and ultimately this may not work for everyone. I used to read the question stem first as I learned this through Kaplan, 7Sage, and The LSAT Trainer. I did okay and scored a 163 on my first LSAT take but found I was a bit stuck after scoring the same in Oct 2021.

I changed my study materials and techniques and one thing that made a big difference for me was to read the stimulus first. I found that by reading the question stem first, I was focusing less on the stimulus content and was doing a "word search" style approach looking for what the stem was asking. I also have pretty bad test anxiety so I'd panic and think I had found the conclusion when I hadn't, but because I was searching for it specifically I would just think it was it (e.g. starting with "thus"). If I had just gone in with a clear head I think it would have made a slight difference.

I switched to reading the stimulus first since October and I saw a drastic change in my approach and score (scoring in 170s now). By doing this I can quickly discern the conclusion, premises, assumptions, missing logic, etc. and can even anticipate what the question stem will ask.

There may be some test-takers who struggle with this approach because they NEED to have a goal in mind when tackling the stimulus and that's okay. I just think you'd be silly to not try something different than what you're used to if you are looking for a change :)

Hope that clarifies!

Take my steps with a grain of salt, everyone has their own technique. The only one I really advocate is reading stim first. This was a game-changer for me in LR. It was hard to switch after 10 months of reading questions first but I urge anyone to give it a shot for a few days and see if it helps them.

Read stimulus.

Identify Conclusion.

No conclusion? Summarize in my head what this is saying/inferring

If there IS a conclusion, think of what could support/weaken argument.

Is there gap in logic? Identify the gap and fill it in (in your head) so that conclusion follows logically

Read question stem.

By now you should have already predicted the answer or something really close to it. For tougher questions it won't be what you predicted so this will take a little more analysis.

Cannot identify AC: Eliminate ACs and narrow down your choices. Focus here on subtle changes in ACs e.g. strength of language, some vs. all, etc.

Reread question stem and see what you need: e.g. NA vs SA , match language in AC to what the stem is asking for.

*For parallel reasoning and parallel flaw: I do steps 1-5 and identify pattern in my head (e.g. confused necessary for sufficient, part to whole flaw, causation/correlation flaw, etc.) before reading ACs

I have since received a load of messages about which tutor I got that kept me accountable and I want to clarify a few things:

What I wrote didn't pertain to me but was merely a tip for people to search for a tutor that fits with their learning methods. All tutors I've worked with charged $200 an hour minimum and gave a study schedule but none of them checked in on me to make sure I'm doing my work. Though, I'm sure if you offered them extra money they would totally do that. I generally am disciplined so I didn't need help with this.

Also, I have gotten many requests for my study wrong answer excel sheet so I've posted the link for that here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fYXBc40tlMKBIEYv34_B5nyXaK5D1ipwt0Kq19P7FsM/edit#gid=0

Note that it's empty, I made a copy and removed all content as I don't want to be sued by LSAC for sharing published test materials.

That being said, I want to emphasize that a tutor isn't going to just give you an answer key and everything just clicks. The "clicking" happened through drilling and taking more than 30 PTs. I have been working with different tutors since May. What made the biggest difference for me was changing my lifestyle and building it around LSAT:

-Wake up at 5am

-Either hour-long walk with audiobook and coffee or at-home workout

-Breakfast

-Meditate

-Study for 3 hours with a stretch break every 45 minutes

-Telling my boss I am studying for the LSAT so I can work 10-7 to study in the AM

-Meditating during lunch break and before bed

-Stopping screen time at 8pm and sleeping by 9:30pm

I also reduced caffeine to two cups/espresso a day MAX. I usually have one in the morning and then stick to tea. I also changed my eating habits, am a vegetarian but cut processed foods (affordable b/c I live in Germany but totally get why this isn't possible back home in the States for everyone).

I also listen to audiobooks or read books that help my state of mind for the LSAT like Atomic Habits or Digital Minimalism.

Finally, the biggest "tip" I can give that really changed my whole testing game was this: read the stimulus first. I scored 163 in Oct and doing this in the last weeks has me consistently scoring 168+. This helped me focus on what's actually happening in the stimulus instead of just looking for what the question asks. Also, I'm usually able to predict the answer and what the question will be as I'm reading which helps.

If you are looking for more tips, I suggest checking out this thread: https://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/30244/146-180-thank-you-7sage-very-tired-mom-edition/p1

@ is super human! She got a 180 on the official test, is a mom with a toddler, and studied and got a perfect score while working a full-time job! Her study routine and advice really inspired me to change everything I was doing and build it around the LSAT. I started this routine in September and it's a game changer. I also have a full-time job and husband I try to spend time with so I figured if she can do it then so can I :)

I hope this information is useful, best of luck to you all!

Thanks so much for your comments! I appreciate your kind words. Actually, what happened pushed me forward because it sort of ties into the law I want to study. Also,

It sounds really intense but I rest when needed:) I got my covid booster two weeks ago and I was exhausted. My boss had given me the whole week off for Thanksgiving so I just laid on the couch and watched Netflix and didn't study bc I was so groggy from the booster (am since fine!). Also, the PT before I got 172 was a 166 last week. So don't freak out when you get a bad PT, the improvement process is volatile and won't be strictly linear.

As for the tutor, different tutors work for different people so I don't want to disclose the name and then people think they will just improve with this person. I had worked with them in April and got a 163 on the June LSAT. In July I switched to a different and more expensive ($1,300) tutor because I saw so many great reviews and people scoring 170+ with them. However, I scored another 163 in October. I went back to my tutor from April and that was just a better fit for me. I have also read reviews about my current tutor where people dislike the methods and it didn't help them.

I would highly encourage you to check out several tutors, read reviews, and think about what works best for your learning methods and general personality. For example, the pricey tutor I got has helped many hit 170+, but she was quite intense and I had a lot of anxiety during our sessions which was keeping me from relaxing and focusing on the materials. I only spent the money because there was such a hype about this tutor but in retrospect, I should have just known better that it wasn't the right fit for me. They would get frustrated with me when I didn't understand and also tell me about other students of theirs that got this question right, which just brought me down. Don't make the mistake I did and spend more than a thousand on hype, look at what they actually do:

-Do you have difficulty staying motivating or knowing what to study? Look for a tutor that pinpoints your weaknesses and creates a day by day study schedule for you.

-Are you a little de-motivated and like to skip several study days in a row? Find a tutor that holds you accountable

-Are you perfect in RC and LR but hate games? Find a tutor that has great techniques for LG specifically rather than getting people in 170s. (You can be -0 in games and still score in 160s)

I really hope this helps! I only JUST got my first 170+ PT after almost a year of studying so take everything I say with a grain of salt, I'm by no means in the clear. I'm still grinding to make sure that I can score in the high 160s+ on the January LSAT. Good luck to all of you! Below is a list of other resources I used:

-7Sage

-LSAT Trainer

-LR Powerscore Bible

-Manhattan Prep book LR

-Cambridge LSAT prep books LR

-Fox LSAT prep books LR

-Loophole is sitting behind me on a shelf but I haven't read it yet, will try to squeeze it in before Jan but dunno if I will actually swing it :smiley:

Also, I keep a wrong answer excel sheet. I have been doing that since April. I record each wrong LR or RC question I get. I have different columns for conclusion, premises, question type, why my AC is wrong, why correct one is right, and a column with what I should/can do next time to not make the same mistake. It's a tedious process, but this helps A LOT. I also review my "tips" column before I do a PT, to remember mistakes I made and have that fresh in my head.

@ I have been studying since January of this year. I started with 7Sage and the LSAT Trainer. Different techniques work for different people and I found for me that the LSAT Trainer Style of combining studying for all sections at once wasn't the best. I decided first to focus on games until they were consistently -0, while continuously studying LR and RC but with less intensity.

Then, I focused on LR while doing some LG and RC on the side. Once I got my LR to -1 to -3 consistently, I moved to RC which is my hardest section.

What helped me the most with RC, is looking at each paragraph as an LR stimulus, finding a conclusion with support and premises. I underline the conclusion of each paragraph. Once I'm done reading, before moving to the questions I summarize in my head the passage paragraph by paragraph, and note the structure (e.g. traditional method, reluctance of validity, new method, new method superior).

All of the above took me the last 11 months, and in between I lost 3 family members to covid in Mexico and quarantined bc my partner is high risk, plus worked full time and tried not to fall into an abyss of darkness since I couldn't travel to see my family when times were rough (I live in Germany). So it hasn't been easy. But like I said, I get up at 5am everyday and study for hours before work. I also meditate and eat well to help with nerves.

Lastly, I drill everyday. I try to do 2 LG, 2 RC passages, and 5 LR questions everyday as a rule. I don't do this all at once: I do 1 RC passage in the morning and 1 in the evening, for example. But this helps me stay sharp. I also am doing all of the logic games, I started with PT1 and do two a day every day.

In sum I have taken more than 20 PTs, I do one a week.

Finally, in the very end, I got a private tutor. I have been stuck in the mid-high 160s since July and this finally helped me with using different resources and having a study schedule. This is too much for a lot of people so it really depends on each person :) I have anxiety and panic disorder so doing more than is needed is a way to calm me down and relax in the exam, knowing I've prepared well 🙂

Wishing you luck on your journey!

I see a lot of complaints about this question which I agree with. I missed it and spent A LOT of time on it. I really now understand it and something that helped me find some clarity with the underlying assumptions (that GAs don't last 30 minutes and that there cannot be more than one GA) is the wording of the stim. It says, "...then THE general assembly..." NOT "...then A general assembly..."

I know we look for Lawgic, but mapping this out also means understanding the English language. "The" implies that it is likely the only GA whereas "A" would imply that it is one GA of what could be more. This helped me understand so I hope it helps someone else!

@ This varied depending on where I was at in my studies.

At the beginning I would do 2 hours a day Mon-Fri and then 4-5 hours on the weekends but I was still learning the basics. I of course would take a day off here and there. From August to October I studied 3 hours a day Mon-Fri and would PT and BR every weekend. I also worked full-time so I was getting up at 4am to workout, walk, medicate, eat breakfast, and then study for 4 hours all before 10am when I worked. This is why I bombed October.

There really is no perfect formula and you need to find what works for you. Once I was in the 170s, I would PT on the weekends and just study for an hour a day doing drills and still take Fridays off.