This was my third time taking the LSAT. I have been studying for this beast for the last 12 months - eight of those months working a full-time job, three of them being an LSAT unemployed bum, and one month (the most recent) at a 30-35 hour gig. In that year, I moved across the country and back, had my heart broken and torn to pieces, reunited with my pooch, applied to law schools, learned how to cook and iron my own clothes, and read every possible Baldwin book I could get my hands own (dm me for Baldwin suggestions - that beautiful man deserves more attention and every prospective law student should read/see If Beale Street Could Tak).

Through all the volatility, the LSAT was the only constant. I fucking obsessed over that test. I never realized in high school what a high standardized score could do for someone like me, and I committed myself to not making the same mistake twice. I sat for September, after consistently averaging around 166 (my diagnostic was a 151/152), and scored a 162. Sat for November, consistently hitting over 168 on my PTs. I scored a 162. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. For someone who is consistently a positive person, I was so incredibly beyond bummed after that score. I felt like giving up and was definitely depressed. I had put so much time on that test, that it became part of me, and, becoming part of me, came to define my worth.

But somehow, miraculously, some law schools looked past my scores and admitted me. Through this process, and I realize my insane luck and blessings, I realized that a score does not signify self-worth. So many things go into an application and a life story, and although a high number is incredibly important, it is just one factor.

With that mindset, I sat for January, felt the same anxiety as always being bombarded with absurd conditionals, and nearly threw up when I read one of those rules in the last game. But after writing January and reflecting on these last twelve months, I realize that this test, this fucking test that has brought me to some really shitty lows, actually taught me a lot beyond differentiating between necessary and sufficient assumptions. I read more intently. I can sit people with some really peculiar needs in a circular table (“are you fucking kidding me Harriet? give me one good reason why you can’t sit next to Karl at this picnic table?!?!”)* which will probably come in handy when figuring out wedding arrangements for in-laws in the very very very distant future. I am more inclined to yell bullshit when I hear x political commentator talk nonsense about y issue.

So even though this test has cost me so much anxiety, and needless to say money, I am glad I spent the time I did and hope that silver linings, whether obvious or obscure, manifest before you all as they did for me. And may waves fall now and forever on my fellow 7Sagers. Thanks for the support y’all.

*PT41, Game 4 for reference

Hi everyone,

I decided to take a break from studying today and finish up my personal statement. I would be super appreciative if anyone could provide feedback on my topic/writing, and I would be more than happy to do the same :)

Cheers,

Juan

Hi everyone,

I have a bunch of untouched older material (PT 1-18, 29-35) that I planned to utilize for my January retake. Am I shooting myself in the foot for studying from these older PTs/would I be better off retaking newer PTs?

Would love any advice y'all can provide. Thanks!

jmpm

Hi everyone,

Not really sure where to post this, but admissions seemed like the most appropriate spot. For those of you who have been admitted to law school or are currently attending school, how did you handle "imposter syndrome." I am currently in a year-long fellowship program with cohort members that are vastly more qualified, both in a professional and academic sense, than I am; navigating the dynamics of these relationships is both new and somewhat overwhelming. It seems like I always "have to be on," and am constantly trying to prove to myself that I deserve a seat at the table. I'm sure dynamics at law school, especially @ T14s, are similar and I was wondering how people dealt with feelings of subtle inferiority.

My access will expire in six days and I will not be retaking the LSAT. However, I have some crazy law school decisions to make and was hoping to posit questions about deciding on schools to the 7Sage squad in the coming weeks and months. Can I post questions/reply to comments with an expired account?

Hey Everyone,

I have depended on this community for nearly a year now, and I need some advice/good mojo. After hitting my target score consistently, I retook the November LSAT and scored six points below my PT average again (162 September, 162 November). I was floored. Honestly expected to reach my average when I opened up my LSAT email, or at the very least done better than September. It is hard not to give in to feelings of inadequacy, but I'm trying my best to stay positive and focus on January. I do not have to attend law school this coming cycle, but I have already dedicated so much time on this test, moved back home/turned down a job to study, and have submitted applications (and paid fees) to apply for this cycle.

How should I approach January? I have 40-50 hours a week available to study for this test, but want to be very cognizant of burn-out. My apps are all submitted, however, so luckily I do not have to juggle admissions essays, addendums, etc.

Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions/advice y'all provide. I'm so lucky to have found this community a year ago.

-jmpm

Hi Everyone,

Tl;dr: help me score above a 165 plz.

I've been lurking in the 7Sage cyberspace for a while, and am incredibly grateful for the community and the resources that I have encountered. I began studying for the LSAT in late January with a diagnostic of 151 (didn't BR...), finished the CC around mid-March, and began taking PT's late March. After five PTs, I am averaging a 155 with a 161 BR average. My section breakdown is -9 LR, -13 LG, and -4 RC.

I think I am studying as much as I can (I work full-time so I usually do Logic Game drilling during the work week before and after work, and PTs/BRs on the weekends), but I am not studying smartly/efficiently. I paid to sit for the June exam but am increasingly becoming concerned with my lack of progress, and am pretty much decided on postponing until July.

A little about my softs: first-generation student, political asylum/refugee background, competitive fellowship, LGBT/Latin@. I graduated with a 3.92 with departmental honors (from an admittedly undemanding major) and completed an M.A. program straight out of undergrad.

My questions for y'all wonderful people are:

1. What are some of the strategies you took to beat the LSAT? (I began the Pacifico LG method and it has helped me tremendously, I just need to improve my timing).

2a. The fellowship program I'm in ends in late-July and it is situated in San Francisco. I love the Bay but it is incredibly expensive, and even though I could possibly continue working at my placement, I recognize the benefit of being able to study more or less full-time at home (in Pennsylvania) without worrying about rent/adulting. If I decide to return home/study full-time would it even be worth it for me to sit for June/July?

2b. Is the fact that the July exam undisclosed an issue (it would be the first time I sit for the LSAT)?

2c. For those who studied full-time, how did you avoid burn-out?

3. Are there other prep material non-7Sage related that could help out with diagramming/parsing out LR?

Sorry for the longwinded post, and please feel free to dm me or respond if I can clarify anything. Thanks so much in advance for any comments or insights you can provide, good luck to everyone applying, and congrats to those who are finishing up this cycle.

Gracias,

Juan

Hi everyone,

I’ve been living off 7Sage for the past six-seven months and have lived vicariously through everyone’s amazing feedback, tips, support, and World Cup chatter. While I don’t post frequently, I wanted to offer this short post as proof that improvement is possible.

I started studying mid-January while working full-time. I planned on writing June but by the time I started taking PTs I realized I wasn’t anywhere close to ready. I kept scoring in the mid-150s (my diagnostic was 151) and after my fourth consecutive 154-156 score I felt completely dissolutioned. However, six months later, I have finally broken 160.

While I have a lot of work ahead of me, I wanted to share this tiny victory as I have been motivated by stories of people who have broken their own plateaus. I couldn’t have done it without the discussion boards and of course JY’s approach to besting the LSAT (I think a turning point in my studies was losing the lazy and fully dedicating myself to the Church of Blind Review). Good luck to everyone in their studies, and I look forward to future tiny victories that wouldn’t be possible without this community.

Hi all,

Just wanted to tell you all thank you for the support. After starting at a 151 as a diagnostic, I hit a 166 on my third take in January. Despite it being several points below my last five tests average, I have decided to pull the trigger and complete my cycle after being admitted to my dream school. I started this journey a little over a year ago (see my last diatribe which I posted about a month ago) and, while exhausted, every minute I put into this test was worth it. I hope everyones' cycles this year and the forthcoming years are filled with acceptances and scholarships, and regardless of whether or not you end up practicing law, you will each make an impact in your communities and relationships. Bon voyage.

Yours,

Juan

Hey everyone,

I just began studying for the June LSAT and was wondering if anyone who lived in San Francisco or the East Bay would be interested in meeting in person to study for the exam. I work M-F, 8-5 in Civic Center, and am down to meet for a couple hours after work and on the weekends. Shoot me a message if you're down!

~Juan

Hi everyone,

I've been meaning to post about my September administration for some time but I've been too busy studying/traumatized. With November's test coming up, however, I figured I would share my story a) as a distraction from stress studying and b) to make sure no one else does what I did in September.

I took my September test at USF in San Francisco. My roommate, the protagonist in this story, agreed to drive me to the test center in the early morning. I lived in the Mission District of San Francisco, which is a solid 15-17 minute drive away from the test center, and so I decided to get to the test center about forty-five minutes early. I solidly packed my ziplock bag, printed my admissions ticket, and got to USF about forty minutes before the test started. My roommate Bryan drove off with my iPhone (I wrote down his number on a piece of paper and planned to call him on a friendly stranger's phone after I got out of the test), and I decided to calm my nerves across the law school at the cathedral that loomed over the campus on an enormous hill. As my Catholic concentration began to break during my third Hail Mary, I glanced at my ziplock bag and mentally went down the checklist of the things I wanted to have with me in the test center. Beef jerky - check. Water bottle - check. Apple - check. NYT article to read before the test - check. Admission ticket - ...fuck.

I had forgotten my admission ticket in my roommate's car. By the time I realized, there was only twenty minutes left before the test center closed its doors. I began to panic. I ran out of the cathedral and hysterically began asking undergraduates around campus for their phones to call my roommate. In my crazed paranoia, I didn't even think about asking someone to use a printer at USF's library. I needed that admission ticket - it was the only way in. Finally, a Good Samaritan (who I must have terrified by my hysteria) lent me her phone, and I was able to reach my friend. He was home, in the Mission, fifteen minutes away from campus. It was 8:17. I asked him to do whatever he could to get to me, but at that point I was resigned to sit for November.

My friend drove a silver Acura and the law school was situated at an intersection at the top of a massive hill, where one could clearly see each car driving up from its base. Every silver car I saw for those excruciating minutes made my heart rise to my throat only to feel crushing disappointment when it turned out to be yet another San Francisco Prius/Tesla. 8:27. 8:28. 8:29. Those last sixty seconds between 8:29 and 8:30 were the most draining sixty seconds I ever felt between eight months of studying. 8:30. 8:31. It was over. Then, suddenly, I saw a silver car gunning up the hill. I sprinted in its direction, and like a quarterback handing off the football to a running back in the end zone, I grabbed my admission ticket and ran back up the hill to the front of the law school. 8:32. I was the last person in line, and by some miracle, was let into my test room. I had forgotten all my meditation techniques, my negation techniques, my focus on looking for the word "any," etc. All I cared about was that I had gotten into the test center, and although I bombed my first section (my heart rate was through the roof), I was glad I had the opportunity to sit for September.

My September test was about six points below my average and therefore I plan on retaking for November. I attribute the lower score to some personal relationship problems that arose a week before the test and also my self-inflicted meltdown before September. What would I do differently? Probably focus less on making sure my jerky is packed and make sure I secured my admissions ticket.

TLDR: 1) Show up early to your test center. 2) Print more than one admission ticket and staple one on your body.