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msami1010493

Joined: Apr 2025
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General · Correlation

msami1010493

Monday, Mar 06 2017

Correlations are incredibly easy to spot, when you have all the time in the world to do so. The problem with looking for a correlation, is that relative to other relationships, they aren't incredibly common - yes, you'll see a few on every LSAT, but it's not like every other stimulus contains a correlation.

Here is what I do: Start reading the stimulus like you should any other LR stim...actively. If you notice that they're trying to link 2 things via a causal relationship, it's probably a correlation. If they're talking about 2 seemingly similar things being connected in some way, they're probably trying to infer that those 2 things are correlated.

In a nutshell: "Factor A is present...so is factor B" = probably talking about a correlation.

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LSAT · Weakening questions

msami1010493

Friday, Feb 24 2017

Practice, practice, practice. I remember absolutely hating weakening questions. The nice thing about them is that they're practically all the same. The more you expose yourself to weakening questions, the easier it'll be to hone in on what exactly weakens the argument.

Something in the argument is prone to an attack. Find that thing (almost always a premise), and attack it.

Like @jhaldy10325 mentioned, sometimes it's difficult to prephrase on certain question types. Specifically, those where the answer could be 1 of 100 potentially good answers. This may sound time consuming, but on weakening questions try to plug the ACs in. Read each AC carefully, see if it harms the argument in some way. If it doesn't, or you're not entirely sure what it does to the argument, move to the next.

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General · What do you guys think about Accommodated Testing?

msami1010493

Sunday, Feb 05 2017

First off, congratulations! I don't know you, but I truly am happy that you beat cancer.

Second, if you feel that accommodations would benefit you, seek them out! Don't let pride or over-humility be the reason why you underperform.

There's a reason why accommodations exist. They're there to even the playing field. You're only cheating yourself if you don't seek accommodations, knowing that you need them.

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General · Tear in the answer sheet?

msami1010493

Saturday, Feb 04 2017

As a TA, I used a Scantron machine a handful of times. A small tear on the side likely won't affect how your answer sheet is graded.

If you're absolutely paranoid, just have them manually grade it, as @jhaldy10325 suggested.

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General · How many pencils can I bring?

msami1010493

Saturday, Feb 04 2017

I brought enough to get the proctor's attention. He saw my bag, started laughing, and said, "guess you won't need that sharpener."

The instructions say to bring 4 (I think), but most of the people around me had 8+

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General · Post-acceptance etiquette?

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 26 2017

@davidbusis895.busis That's the plan! Thanks, David!

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General · Post-acceptance etiquette?

msami1010493

Wednesday, Jan 25 2017

@jhaldy10325 Hey Josh! Long time no speak, haha.

That's what I was thinking! It feels rude to just leave them hanging. Yup, I'll likely attend. See ya' there!

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Admissions · Will this affect their decision?

msami1010493

Wednesday, Jan 25 2017

Educate your friend on defamation law.

But, as previous posters have stated, I highly doubt they will even bother reading through the entire email. They'll probably just look at it, have a good laugh, and toss it out.

Keep in mind, if there is no official record of this "invasion of privacy" (e.g. a police report or arrest record), then as far as they're concerned, it probably never happened.

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General · Post-acceptance etiquette?

msami1010493

Wednesday, Jan 25 2017

@staciaglee275 Yeah, I figured as much. Thing is, I'm not sure if they're automated emails...they look more like copy/paste emails.

I'm assuming no school is going to retract an offer just because an applicant didn't make him or herself seem more interested.

Thanks! I was ecstatic when I got the offer, especially since it would cover half my tuition. That particular school has since sent me 3 more emails - one discussing a program I might be interested in, a congrats on your scholarship offer email, and another congrats on getting in email...all look to be generic copy/paste emails.

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General · Will 1.5 page diversity statements be okay

msami1010493

Wednesday, Jan 25 2017

It should be fine. As a rule of thumb: If what you have to say is 1.5 pages worthy, than 1.5 pages is fine. If you could be more concise and shorten it to a page, that would be ideal.

That said, my diversity statement is about 1 1/4 pages, but, I've managed to narrow it down to 350 words for some schools.

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General · Question Stem: Double Negatives

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 24 2017

Out of the 60+ tests that I have been exposed to, I don't think I have ever seen a double-negative in a question stem. That said, don't assume that there won't be one or a few on your test.

The closest thing I've seen to an annoying, not-so-straightforward question stem are the "Except" questions (e.g "Each of the following weakens the argument, EXCEPT").

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Admissions · How long did it take everyone to hear back from their schools?

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 24 2017

Most schools respond after they've received the bulk of their applications (2+ months from now, as already mentioned).

I've heard back from 3 of my schools...~2 weeks after submitting my applications.

If they REALLY like you, you'll probably hear back soon.

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Admissions · Score addendum

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 24 2017

None of those 3 points would make you look like a slacker...just be strategic with your wording.

You felt confident self-studying, but, after months of rigorous studying you realized that a more structured approach worked better (e.g. 7Sage).

You felt up to the task and felt ready to take the LSAT. You didn't expect leaving for the Peace Corp to invoke feelings of anxiety. Honest mistake.

Already worded perfectly. You weren't sure about law school, but knew you wanted a career in law. PC reinforced your desire to practice law, and you became even more determined to attend law school.

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Tuesday, Jan 24 2017

msami1010493

Post-acceptance etiquette?

This is probably a silly question, but I'm wondering if we're supposed to do anything after receiving our acceptance letters/emails. I've heard from a few schools (sent a quick LOCI to the one that I was waitlisted to...more like an email). However, should I return emails to the schools that I have been admitted to?

Oh, and I got a decent scholarship offer to a T40 school, but no offer from the TT school I was accepted to. I've heard of applicants being offered a scholarship after showing that they received one from other schools. How do applicants go about this?

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General · Number of letters for a recommender on LSAC

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 19 2017

@safavisherry877 I believe that it refers to how many letters of recommendation that individual would be writing on your behalf.

This is correct.

If you just want them to write you one LOR that you will use for all of your schools, request one.

Sometimes people like to have a specific LOR for their top school, that way it looks like they put more effort into getting in than the average person.

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General · LSAC Reports

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 19 2017

@staciaglee275 While I can't confirm this, I do believe stgl is correct. I read somewhere that law schools may judge you by your course-load and the difficulty of the courses you took. They can't to that unless they have access to the specific courses that you took.

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General · Is this weird?

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 19 2017

Not at all. If he/she was comfortable writing you a LOR for your MBA program, I'm sure they wouldn't mind writing one for law school.

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General · Places to Study?

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 19 2017

Any university library will do. I couldn't drive down to my alma mater because of the distance. So, I spent 3 months studying at a local university. Best thing is, they're usually open from 7:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.

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LSAT · Do you read the Stimulus or Question Stem first?

msami1010493

Thursday, Jan 19 2017

I started off reading the stim. first...another prep company advised against reading the question stem prior to reading the stim...I realized they were wrong.

Reading the question stem first allows you to narrow your "search scope" and helps you quickly hone in on what the question is asking for.

For instance, if I know I'm doing a MP/MC question, I'll know to look for the MP/MC before I even reach the end of the stimulus. More importantly, I won't bother wasting time trying to find flaws, assumptions, etc.

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General · Study with Spouse?

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 17 2017

@rahelaalam514 But I would not look at it as a way to spend time with him.

Not gonna lie, I busted out laughing as soon as I read this.

PLEASE don't use the LSAT as bonding time...learn from my mistake, haha.

Your husband probably isn't the best study buddy. But, you could have him quiz you on definition-based concepts - problem is, the LSAT is a skills test, and you should be studying with someone who possess or is in the process of learning the skills that they test for.

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General · Transaction games (i.e. game 4 Dec 2016)

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 17 2017

Hmm, that particular game was quite unique. @seema731 might be on to something. The painting game is similar, but certainly not identical.

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General · Anyone know what Q17 of the games section on PT 66 was?

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 17 2017

Only those who took the actual test would know. It's unlikely they'd remember. If I had to guess, I'd say it was a substitution question...LSAC should just remove those from all games. Just sayin'

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General · Are there deadlines for yearly signup to use the program that will keep transcripts, LOR's, etc?

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 17 2017

Yup, that would be the CAS. Just to piggyback off of what @staciaglee275 said, you really should get it soon. It takes time for CAS to request and process your transcript. It only took them 2 days for mine, but I've heard of it taking longer for other people.

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General · Put the wrong current address on 4 of my law school apps... What do I do??

msami1010493

Tuesday, Jan 10 2017

That's not a huge mistake. Law schools probably understand that LSAC auto-fills some of the boxes on the apps using previous answers.

Regardless, call the admissions office, and be upfront and honest. Something like, "Hi, I'd like to report an error that I made on my application...etc."

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General · How Often to Take PrepTests?

msami1010493

Wednesday, Dec 28 2016

@gregoryalexanderdevine723 Covered it all.

Start taking practice tests when you feel that you have all of the fundamentals down.

I took 2 or 3 per week...usually 2.

If, after BRing a test, you feel that you're lacking in terms of the fundamentals, stop PTing...start drilling and reviewing lessons. When you feel "solid" again, start PTing.

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