Hi Leah! Northwestern is one of my top choices, I'll PM you. I live in the Midwest and can easily visit the Chicago area, BUT, who knows if/when there will be an opportunity to visit campus. So I appreciate the offer.

You and I have a very similar trajectory, I just wish I had been studying and using 7Sage as long as you have! Your hard work has really paid off, congrats friend!

@ I can't do it for all of them (hence that corn passage reference lol), but I think what helps me is to find something even remotely interesting in the passage. I'm not a science person at all, which I bet is a lot of us here as if we were science people, we wouldn't be trying to be lawyers! But I like history, so if the science passage has something historical, I try to look at it from that way, or if it's about the environment, I can get invested in that. I'm also a huge trivia fan, so I can think about it as gaining something trivial that might help me in the future. And when that doesn't work, I tell myself I only have to be interested for a short period of time. Again, it doesn't always work, but it helps!

It is totally possible! I hit 170 this weekend (still riding that high tbh), and I'm averaging -5 on RC. But I did not start that way! I highly recommend the method of writing down a super brief summary of each paragraph after you read it, and live by JY's rules of spending more time upfront on the passage to get more accurate on the questions. Also, one of the somewhat seemingly more trivial advice that has helped me is to pretend like you are interested in the passage and are trying to learn something from it. I find that I do better on the passages that I find more interesting than a boring Science one about like corn and rice. But even if I pretend like I really want to learn about corn or whatever, I find myself recalling the information more. Best of luck and it is possible!!

My first PT was around where you were in April and I just hit a 170 this weekend! So what you aim for it totally doable, if not even aiming lower than you can achieve. I like others here would advise you work on LG, get your timing and accuracy down and you will see major improvement in your scores. I also saw a huge improvement when I started on 7sage's curriculum, before I was pretty much just doing problem sets alone without understanding the logic theories behind them. So keep it up! Your goal is within reach!

I echo what a lot of others have said, it sounds like a break is in order! I'm taking the August Flex too and I am trying to take it easier this week and focus on my mental and physical health. A big part of this test is being in the right headspace, you don't want to burn out right before. If you still feel like you need to devote some time to studying, do a few logic games or read a passage, but don't overdo it :)

Sounds like burnout to me, which is totally normal. Breaks are so important. This is a test of skills, you won't lose any information if you take a few days off. In fact, I tend to do better if I recognize I'm moving close to burnout and take a few days off. It really is counterproductive to take so many PTs in a row. I'd suggest slowing down, take some time off to relax, then come back and review answers you've missed, let it soak in. You'll improve and thank yourself for it. At the end of the day, this is just a test. And you're not alone in this, even if it feels that way at times.

I've been drilling with these drills from Power Score, they help you see what works for you and what doesn't. https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/41/

I also recommend simply doing many difficult passages. The problem sets feature here lets you filter and sort for harder passages and topics, like science or law. You start to see patterns after awhile and get the hang of how these passages are set up. I still struggle on some RC passages, but you can improve on RC!

Your plan sounds a lot like my reality! I had the same diagnostic score and my highest PT score is a 170 after 3 months of studying. So you got this! RC is also where I struggle most, yet working on LR actually helped me with RC. Once you get a grasp of the logic concepts, I would say drill on tough RC passages. I use these drills from this Power Score podcast, they make drilling more enjoyable https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/41/

Finally, I've heard a lot of advice to read things like the Economist or the Atlantic daily just to get used to this kind of reading. I haven't tried that tactic yet myself, but I hear it helps. Best of luck to you!

This happens to me and I am glad to find that it is pretty common. I've been hard on myself when my scores dip, but in reviewing those tests, it happens when there is an insane RC passage that I just didn't get at all, or a LG that I struggled to get a good diagram for. What I try to tell myself is that PTs are for practice, that's it. They can gauge where you are, but show you where you can work on, as well as your strengths. Your journey sounds totally normal to me! Best of luck!

I've still been practicing them, but more to keep myself on my toes in case there are any tough misc games that show up. I've been trying out these games https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/lg_10-hardest-logic-games.cfm just to make sure I am ready for whatever they may throw at me.

Interested! Hoping to gain some insight as to how I can tighten up my scores, I have been seeing some fluctuation lately.

You're doing great! First of all, those two are really hard tests, so don't be too hard on yourself. I think I tested way below my average on both of those! It takes some time to also soak some of this stuff in. You'll keep improving, it is just how this process works. Some of my best advice was to take breaks when you feel you need them, you'll come back feeling refreshed and motivated.

Did anyone else misread #6 answer C? I read it as all corridos have at least some lines in common with each other? Not that within the same corrido, lines repeated! I thought that one was totally wrong as I thought there was no way all corridos shared lines with each other. Just goes to show you how careful reading of grammar really matters.

Sounds like you found your answer, but I just took the LSAT on Wednesday. The RC section is pretty similar to that of 7Sage. I didn't feel like there were major differences other than general appearance.

For me it's location, rankings, and looking into the courses, clinics, and other opportunities the school has. For instance, I am interested in immigration law and found schools that have opportunities for students to travel to Mexico to work with migrants during the summer, or that have dedicated immigration clinics. If you have an idea of the kind of law you want to specialize in, there are schools that are better for those types of law. And of course cost is a major factor!

I'm taking October and took the August Flex yesterday. Mostly as a "just in case" measure, I felt good about yesterday's test, but figure it can't hurt to try to bump up a few points in October. I plan on taking the rest of this week and weekend off, then mostly do PTs every few days and review questions I've missed in the past. Will likely throw in some logic games or hard RC as well.

Haven't taken the writing yet either so hoping to see some good tips!

Are you able to take both October and November/December? I signed up for the August 31 test and realized I may not meet my goal so I decided to go ahead and schedule for October too. It gave me peace of mind knowing my August score wouldn't be my only shot, and it is nice to know I can improve. I also work full time and am a splitter, so I feel you! I think my advice would be to take October, get your feet wet, and sign up for a later test date too. But if you aren't able to take 2 tests, it might make you feel better to wait til later. You'll still have a shot if you apply a little later.

@ I think that timeline is doable for sure! Big improvements come early on, I think it was within the first month for me with LG. In that time, you'll also get a better handle for timing and feel less pressure. If you keep practicing and get the fundamentals down by October, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to exceed or surpass your goal! Best of luck to you!