If you guys are looking to listen to or read the transcript of Obergefell v. Hodges, here's a link: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2015/04/28/listen-oral-arguments-obergefell-v-hodges

I've seen a number of people posting about postponing. Now that we're 1 month out until September, I'm curious who is actually still planning on taking the test. For those of you that are, what is your study plan over the next 4 weeks?

Hey guys! I made a study guide on Quizlet with LR question types (like Mike suggested) that I wanted to share/ get feedback on (particularly with respect to #18, types of arguments). It's purposefully not as dense as it could be because it's what I intend to use to prime myself before taking a PT and the real LSAT.

1. Agree

Step 1: Read the stimulus

Step 2: Underline conclusion

Step 3: Ask yourself the following questions

-- (1) Do they arrive at the same conclusion? POA (point of agreement): conclusion

-- (2) Do they use the same premise to arrive at different conclusions? POA: premise

-- (3) Do they use different premises to arrive at different conclusions? POA: subject matter

2. Disagree

Step 1: Read the stimulus

Step 2: Underline conclusion

Step 3: Ask yourself the following questions

-- (1) Do they use the same premise to arrive at different conclusions? POD (point of disagreement): conclusion

-- (3) Do they use different premises to arrive at different conclusions? POD: premise

Note: It is really important to understand what they are talking about. Think back to the ESP disagree example -- you would have gotten this question right if you thought about the fact that what they're talking about is the extent of public opinion on the existence of ESP.

3. Explain

4. Flaw

Step 1: Underline conclusion

Step 2: Find premise

Step 3a: Use typically fallacious terminology to properly identify the flaw (e.g., correlation =/= causation)

Step 3b: If you cannot draw upon existing knowledge of term bank, write down what exactly the argument doesn't take into account

Step 4: POE (process of elimination)

- Wrong flaw (not in the argument)

- Mixing of flaw (gets the right elements of the flaw but in the wrong order)

- FIC (factually incorrect)

- OS (out of scope) (specifically when they talk about information that isn't present in the argument -- this can feel odd when you're in the test because you won't know how to classify this answer choice since it almost seems like no parts relate to the main argument)

Note: It's really important when you're eliminating answer choices to really understand what the answer choice is doing. There will be some instances where you get two answer choices that relate to S/N confusion but will reverse the wrong one (so it will say confuses the sufficient for the necessary). You need to be extremely careful and if necessary, come back to these to give you the time you need.

5. Logically Completes the Argument

Step 1: Read the stimulus

Step 2: Underline conclusion (if you can)

Step 3: Identify what part is missing (typically the conclusion but could be a supporting premise)

Step 4: POE (process of elimination)

- Eliminate AC's that aren't the correct AP (argument part)

- Eliminate AC's that aren't MBT

6. MBT

Step 1: Underline conclusion

Step 2: Link up premises

Step 3: Chain them up if you can

** pay very close attention to a solitary conditional statement

Step 4: Go to answer choices and POE

- Mixes up terms (very common)

- FIC (factually incorrect)

- MS (modal shift)

- DS (degree shift)

- OS (out of scope)

8. MSS

Step 1: Read the stimulus

Step 2: Link up concepts (if you can)

Step 3: Go to answer choices and POE

- Mixes up terms (very common)

- FIC

- MS

- DS

- OS

Note: Be extremely wary of very strong answer choices but do not eliminate because they are strong.

9. Necessary Assumption

Step 1: Underline conclusion

Step 2: Identify premises

Step 3: Diagram into P -- C format

Step 4a: What's missing? Term shift? Do you need to eliminate alt. causes?

Step 4b: If nothing's missing, then the necessary assumption will need to actually link P -- C (ex: P actually has an effect on C)

Step 5: Find the correct answer choice and use POE (the wrong answer choices will typically focus on the wrong part of the argument so knowing what terms or links you need to focus on is crucial to not getting messed up)

Step 6: Confirm the correct answer choice using the negation test

10. Parallel

When reading the stimulus, look out for and write down:

1) Underline conclusion

2) Argument structure in stock variables (A --> B, B --> C // C)

3) Pay attention to the degree

4) Pay attention to the modality

When going through the answer choices, the fastest way to eliminate them is to eliminate based off of degree, modality, and then mapping out the argument structure. Even if you don't really understand the argument, look out for these three things: argument structure, degree, and modality.

11. Parallel Flaw

When reading the stimulus, write down the flaw you are looking for (luckily, these can be easily categorized or identified).

When going through the answer choices, find the answer choice that matches. If stuck between 2, compare the argument structure, degree, and modality.

12. Principle

Step 1: Underline the conclusion

Step 2: Identify the main premise

Step 3: Put into argument core (P -- C)

Step 4: POE

Note: Principle questions can be like Sufficient Assumption questions where the AC tightly fills the gap between P and C OR they can be like Strengthen questions where the AC helps fill the gap between the 2 but doesn't necessary fill it.

13. Reading Comprehension

-- As you're reading, answer the following questions:

1) What is the MP?

2) What is the AA?

3) What is the structure?

4) What are the main examples?

-- When you're answering questions, pre-phrase the correct AC before looking at the correct answers. Find the AC that matches the correct answer. It is even more important in RC to read every single answer choice carefully because 1 word can make or break an AC.

-- Typically, answer choices will be wrong because:

- MS

- DS

- OS

- FIC

-- If you don't know how to answer a question or are really struggling with a passage, eliminate as best you can (do not OVER eliminate) and then move on. Do not get sucked into spending 3+ minutes on answering a question right.

14. Resolve

(1) Are the 2 groups treated the same?

-- Correct AC: needs to show how the 2 groups are different

(2) Are the 2 groups treated differently?

-- Correct AC: needs to show how the 2 groups are similar

15. Role / Argument Part

Step 1: Read the stimulus

Step 2: Identify the argument part

Background -- sets up context for the stimulus

Premise -- supports something (note, even if the premise supports the IC, it is still the premise)

Intermediate Conclusion -- both is supported by something and supports something

Conclusion -- is supported by the argument and supports nothing else in the argument

16. Strengthen

Step 1: Identify conclusion

Step 2: Diagram argument core

Step 3a: If causal, strengthen the argument by showing SC --> SE (same cause, same effect), NC --> NE (no cause, no effect), lack of reverse causation, and lack of alt. causes)

Step 3b: If not casual, strengthen the argument by linking terms

Step 3c: If the argument draws on evidence from 2 groups, then show that the 2 groups are similar (if the argument treats them as such) or as different (again, if the argument treats them as such)

Step 4: POE

- FIC

- OS

- MS

- DS

- Weakens

- P+ (premise booster) (this can be tricky)

Note: Sometimes, all it takes is one word to destroy what might seem like a correct answer choice. Pay very close attention to the answer choices.

Man, I got my first sub-170 PT score in months and I'm feeling really defeated. Did anyone else find the first LR section to be extremely difficult? I haven't missed more than 3 questions in an LR section since I started studying again in June. Am I going crazy? BLEGHHHHHHHHH

Is anyone else having a really difficult time loading videos? I don't think it's my internet speed...

HALPP!!!! For all you 175+ scorers, how did you get from the low 170s to the mid to high 170s? My BR scores are 177-180 but can't seem to get those few points to translate into my practice tests.

On a related note, have you guys identified weird quirks that nobody really talks about (preptests) but that got you to realize what's making you misread a question? I rarely get questions wrong because I miss the argument but there are times when (1) I don't 100% understand what's going on in the argument or (2) when I don't really understand what the answer choice is saying. I want to take this knowledge of my lack of understanding and dive further but don't really know where to start. I've talked to a few people and they mentioned things like, "I realized I misread the word 'and' in a stimulus and therefore didn't know what it meant" or "I didn't fully internalize what the difference between 'presumes without warrant' or 'fails to recognize' for flaw answer choices." Mine thus far have been missing a specific type of causal argument where you're implicitly given "2" causes for "1" treatment, which I know is a big no-no in LSAT land.

What are your strategies? What are your quirks?

Do you guys have a strategy for what to do during a PT or a test when you just don't understand a passage after repeatedly reading it and are starting to run out of time?

I'm going to stop checking all LSAT related discussion boards starting tomorrow so I just wanted to wish everyone on this forum taking the September test good luck -- we got this :D!

https://media.giphy.com/media/OHZ1gSUThmEso/giphy.gif

What are YOU doing in these next 3 weeks to maximize that score?

As for me, I'm going to be taking PT 63-74 and really nailing LR & RC. Both have been thrown out of wack for me once I started PT'ing in the 60s so my goal is to figure out what is going on in order to prepare as best as I can for June. I'm also going to take 5 section PTs for the next week and a half and then ramping that up to 6 section PTs so I'm not fatigued in the 5th section. I was shocked to see how much my brain hurt by the 5th section, even though I was completely 100% fine at the end of the 4th section.

What are your trade secrets?

I just took a PT today. I debated not taking it because I was super tired and I've just been not channeling positive LSAT energy these past few days. Still, I told myself I could do it and took it.

I was pretty happy because I thought I had been doing well, applying my processes and whatnot. Then I graded it and was floored: -6 in RC, -6 in LR1, and -4 in LG. I haven't seen such consistent bombing in a long time -- usually it just requires warm up and MAYBE I'll just rank one section, but rarely 3 in a row. What kills me is that I did much worse on this PT than I did 2/3 months ago, meaning somehow my score indicates my reasoning ability is getting worse which I know logically doesn't make sense but still feels that way.

Just needed to vent because I'm trying not to feel so distraught. I've been doing a good job of maintaining a positive mindset but my positivity is wearing out and now I'm feeling incredibly anxious.

Are people finding that the LSAT is harder in the 40s? I took some in the 50s and some in the 20s/30s and was within a consistent score range. I've taken multiple in the 40s and have seen my score drop by 4/5 points. FREAKING OUT since June is super close. HAALPPP

For those of us that are taking the June test and are in Orange County, do you want to start meeting regularly to take timed tests in person at the library? I'm in south Orange County but typically study at UC Irvine with @connie1130. It's been really advantageous to have another person taking the test with you and timing it together so I wanted to know if people in the area wanted to do this on a larger scale.

Hey guys! So, I find myself going through a list of questions whenever I approach an RC passage that has proven to be helpful and was wondering if you could add to the list. These are the questions I currently ask myself:

1) What is the Main Point?

2) How do the paragraphs relate to the MP?

3) How do the examples relate to the MP?

4) What is the author's attitude?

5) Is the passage descriptive or prescriptive?

Can somebody please explain the correct answer choice? I thought all of these answer choice were terrible/unsupported.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-53-section-4-passage-4-passage/

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-53-section-4-passage-4-questions/

Ideally, I wanted to be able to send my LORs my personal statement but I realized this isn't going to happen. I already asked them a month ago and they said yes so it's not like my LORs don't know they are writing LORs - they just want it to be as tailored as possible.

I'm curious as to what you guys asked of your LORs - did you send PS? Did you send them blurbs/short summary about what your PS was going to be?

Background: I used to be super active on 7sage in 2015 as I was gearing up for the June 2015 LSAT. I took a year long hiatus after I dropped 10 points from my PT average on the June 2015 LSAT and have only recently started studying again.

Today, I finally decided to see what exactly went wrong on the June 2015 test and just finished blind reviewing it (an honest blind review, not like, oh I guessed "D" here so I know that one's wrong so of A, B, C and E, which one is right). Omg guys I'm so mad at myself. If I hadn't second guessed my logic and shed all my good habits (like consistently diagramming the argument core and not getting frightened when my pre-phrase didn't match my the answer choices after the first round), I could have scored 9 FREAKING POINTS better -- that's the difference between my actual 162 and a possible 171.

I just wanted to share this to reiterate how important positive psychology and mindset is on game day (coming from someone who clearly could not stay mentally positive during the test).

For those retakers who went from a 160 score into the 170s, how did you define drill? I do feel as though drilling is different depending on the band of scores one is scoring in (e.g., drilling in the 150s typically means still figuring out the lack of fundamentals while drilling in the 170s may look like ________).

- Do you define it as timed sections?

- Do you define it as Cambridge drill packets (for those that are lucky enough to still have those)?

- Do you define it as re-doing questions that you previously missed?

- [insert other option]

What is everybody doing to warm-up on Monday?

Lend me your advice! I'm planning on taking the June test after having taken the June 2014 test (basically a 6 month hiatus away from the LSAT minus some tutoring here and there). I'm trying to think about how to get back in the groove and specifically how to use practice tests.

I've been studying off and on for this test since 2013 and I really need to get a 172+ to get into my target schools (ideally, a 175+). I took my first test in February 2014, scored a 166, took it again in June 2014, score a 162 (pretty much had a panic attack during the test), and have exhausted a lot of my practice test materials (I have about ~5-7 clean PTs left). I have some practice tests I've seen once, some I've seen twice, and some I've even seen three or four times.

I know that studying for your third retake, especially after a hiatus, looks a bit different, namely that I should take my PT and BR average with a grain of salt. Any advice on how you approached your third retake successfully?

Hello you beautiful, beautiful people. So, I've had a wonderful month or so of consistently okay scores. Not where I want to be by June but 3-5 points shy.

I'm now experiencing a dramatic decline across all sections in accuracy and I am FUHREAKING out (e.g., missing 5 per LR section when I had up until last week been averaging minus 4 total for LR). Needless to say I've been pacing like a mad woman who has something to hide because JUNE is now less than 5 weeks away.

Any kind words and/or suggestions would be much appreciated. Kind of at a loss for what to do because my blind review score is still the same, just not in my PTs or drills of timed sections. Merp. Knope out.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-72-section-4-game-4/

So I was blowing through the games section of section 4 and then I got to this last game with about 13-15 minutes to spare. I saw that there were only two rules given and knew that I had to make some deductions ahead of time -- except I didn't know what they were. I tried to do as many questions as I could but realized I was missing something crucial (for instance, I saw that almost every answer choice had something about K-L but I couldn't tell if this was significant -- turns out, it kind of is). I missed every single question minus the elimination question for this game.

I'm curious as to what I could have done differently if I got this on the real test. Paging experts here: what would you do if you saw this game and realized you were missing the key deduction? How would you get yourself to see the game a bit differently?

Hey guys! I noticed that a number of you are interested in this clinic, which is so exciting (thank you for sparing me some awkward few hours with me talking to an empty room while my roommate thinks I'm crazy). There will be a formal poll coming your way shortly but for now I want to get a pulse check in the virtual room. For all those interested, I would really appreciate it if you guys could answer the following questions in the comments below or PM me if you're not comfortable sharing information:

1) Explain your study history. How long have you been studying for the LSAT? (does this include extended breaks?) How long have you been using curriculum for? When did you start using PT?

2) What scores have you plateaued at? What did you do to overcome plateaus?

3) What materials have you used while studying?

4) What is your PT average over the last 5 PTs?

5) What is your LSAT goal?

6) What are you struggling with when it comes to assumption questions and flaw questions?

7) What are you hoping to gain from the clinic?

Has anybody tried and found success with energy gels? (http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/nutrition/everything-you-need-to-know-about-energy-gels_44642)

I'm trying to find a 15 minute snack that will provide me the most amount of energy boost with the least amount of liquid.

You are not alone. I wish I didn't need to write this thread to release some catharsis and I wish other people wouldn't need to find company in misery as I would not wish such disappointment even on my worst enemy.

I experienced a 10 point drop from my PT average this test day, and 4 point drop from my first real test. I was averaging a 171.8, a PT range of 167 to 177, and then received a devastating 162 in June. The score I received in June isn't a number I've seen on a PT when I was studying for February, let alone June. While I can never be sure what exactly happened, I'm 99% positive it had everything to do with my mental state.

I had a rather ideal testing order -- LG (experimental), LR, LG, RC, LR. I felt great after the first section to the point where I had 5 minutes to check my answers for every single game. In theory, this sounds great. How could I have been mentally defeated at this point? Except I was. By the time I had re-visited the first game (I went in reverse order), I realized I had made a simple error on question #1 but couldn't change my answer in time. I was livid. And this is when things went sour. It took me about 5 minutes to get back into the groove for LR. All I could think about was the fact that this test and that one question was going to derail the hundreds of hours I've poured into studying. I could already imagine the disappointed responses I'd get from my parents, my extended family, and my friends. I could hear the subtle derision and condescension in their voices -- maybe she's just not smart enough. Maybe this is all she will amount to. I don't know why she can't score well on this test when all she does is study -- she doesn't even have a job. These were the thoughts in my head while trying to answer a tough necessary assumption problem. This was the mental condition I was in when taking this test.

Then, when I hit section 3 (the real LG), I actually laughed out loud in the middle of my test. I had wasted so much mental energy and lost so much precious time because of a stupid section that didn't even count? Of course at the time I couldn't be certain that the first section was in fact the experimental, but in my gut I knew it to be true. I think this is when I probably gave up on the test. I blindly guessed on the last game and to my pleasant surprise, I only missed 2. I tried to regroup my brain and will it to not give up during the break -- "you still have 2 more sections" -- but I was never wholly present again for the test. I hardly remember RC and I feel like in the last section I wasn't applying the processes I had honed in my studies on actual test day.

In hindsight, I should have cancelled but I'm glad I didn't. What happened to me in June 2015 is a testament to how important your mental state is for the LSAT. I dedicated my entire mental energy to this test to the point where I couldn't separate my LSAT world from my real world. I'd be out with friends and all I could think about was squeezing in a game or an extra LR question. I'd watch TV or be at the gym and think, "Hmm, maybe if I do one more problem set, maybe that'll guarantee me the 170." I was constantly stressed out to the point where I almost irreparably damaged some of my closest personal relationships. I wish I could say I was being overdramatic (just typing this out proves to me how manic I was) but this is the ugly truth. I was at my absolute worst physical, emotional, and mental state so the fact that I took a hit wasn't really a surprise to me. The fact it was as much as a 10 point deficit was, though, very shocking.

If you're like me where you've blown the LSAT out of proportion into an unstoppable, unconquerable behemoth, we CAN destroy the test. I have no doubt that many of us possess the fundamentals to do well and I just flat out refuse to believe that my PT average was a history of flukes. My goal for October/December/February or whenever I decide to use my next and final retake is to take the test when I'm most psychologically sound. My "study plan" over the next few months is simple: PT and blind review. And hey, maybe this will finally give me the opportunity to join those wonderful BR group sessions that Nicole and co. spearheaded (silver lining :]). That's my only LSAT related plan. The rest of the time I intend on spending with friends and family, exercising, eating well, reading, and meditating. I firmly believe that a happy mind (plus the knowledge of the fundamentals) will lead to a desirable LSAT outcome.

Solidarity, friends.

Where you at, where do you wanna be, and what are you going to do get it?