Hey Ladies and Gents,
I read @"Nicole Hopkins" ' Group BR Instructional. She mentioned that, if it's an option, you should self BR prior to joining a group BR. Does everyone do this? I've never taken part in a group BR before, but, I've done plenty of self-BRing.
For future BR Groups, I intend on self-BRing prior to joining the group BR. However, regarding this Sunday's BR group, I won't have time to self-BR.
19-35: Relevant enough to drill.
36-38: Relevant enough to use as full-length practice tests.
Hey Everyone!
I will be withdrawing from the December test by Monday. I will likely register for the June or October test. That said, I think a major problem for me, and likely part of the reason I have to withdraw from the December test, was burnout.
I studied for 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week, for around 4.5 months. By the 4th month, I was drained. I did see a decent improvement (20 points, +-5), but tanked on my last PT.
That said, how should I plan out my breaks? 1 day off per week? Half day off on Sundays? Other suggestions are welcome.
When using the fool proof method for LG, should I be doing the games in groups? For instance, 6 grouping games on week 1, 6 hybrid games on week 2, etc. Or, pick a few random games and do them, then use the fool proof method. The latter makes more sense, since the actual test is not ordered by game-type.
Random question: When you guys grade your PTs, do you count the questions that you guessed on? In other words, do you input them into the grader, and count them towards your final, scaled score? It makes sense that you would, but then again guessing is hit or miss - for instance, on 1 test I blindly guessing 9 questions right, on another, only 3 of my blind guesses were correct.
Thank you!
@.busis That's the plan! Thanks, David!
@ 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!
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.
Hey Everyone!
So, LG and RC have always been my weakest sections. I'm working on RC now, and don't feel like I should post a thread requesting help since I haven't been able to isolate what it is about the section that drives me crazy -probably timing.
However, I've been drilling LGs on and off for the last 4 months, and I've yet to complete an entire section. The most I've completed were 3 games, with a -1 score between the three.
That said, I know my issue with LG is timing and sometimes the initial set-up. It takes me anywhere from 10-15 minutes to complete a game, regardless of how simple the game is. That said, is there any advice you guys and gals can offer? Now that I have another 6-8 months to study, I'm going to implement the "fool proof" method more than I have before.
Also, regarding LG when should we try to draw out all of the possibilities? Often I'll look at my initial set-up and think "Well...there are probably a ton of possibilities...off to the questions!" I then find out from J.Y's video that there were only 6-8 possibilities. After watching the videos, I beat myself up about not realizing that I could have cut my time in half by just writing out/finding all of the possibilities. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess.
My issue with determining whether I can write out all of the possibilities is timing. I worry that I'll waste time only to find out that there are more possibilities than I assumed, and that my now-random hypotheticals won't apply to any of the questions.
@ 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.
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.
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").
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.
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.
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?
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 @ 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.
Hey Everyone,
Hope your studies are going well! I just have a quick question, and would like to read about your experiences regarding the matter. I have been studying for the LSAT since mid-July (~6 months). When I first started, I could push out 6 hours pretty easily.
As of late, I have only been able to study for 1-3 hours/day. Not sure why, maybe it's my new, temporary schedule. All I know is, by around 8 P.M., I'm tired. Not tired as in "bored." But, slightly exhausted - think tipsy...slightly buzzed, what have you.
What do you guys and gals do in such a situation? Power through until your "set end time" (10 P.M for me)? Or, stop and rest for the rest of the night.
To give you an idea of what I mean by "tired," I often find myself reading a sentence two or three times before I can say "Ah, I get it!" Under optimal circumstances, I could glaze over the same sentence and understand it immediately.
Hey Everyone!
Just out of curiosity (I've already decided to withdraw from the December test), do schools seldom admit students who do not fall within their "25%, 50%, and 75%" LSAT/GPA numbers?
A friend of mine graduated from USC, and mentioned that he knows two people who were accepted with LSAT scores that were about 5 points below the "25%" number. I'm not sure if he was referring to USC law, but either way, how common is something like this?
I know that my GPA falls within the "75%" for the vast majority of schools, but my LSAT is lacking. Regardless of where I apply, I am aiming for a 165+, for the purpose of receiving a decent scholarship.
Hey Everyone!
With the December test coming up, I'm seeing more and more of these threads appear. That said, I really am in need of some guidance. I was scheduled to take the October test, but realized that I was nowhere near my target score. I thought to myself, "surely, if I take it in December i'll be ready!" Turns out, I was wrong. Here's some background information about my situation:
Cold diagnostic (July 2015): An embarrassingly low 137. LG and RC destroyed me.
Most recent PT and average, respectively: 157 and 155.
UGPA: 3.94 (or 3.95...probably the former)
Target PT: 165
Target schools: UCLA, Northwestern, USC, UCI, Iowa, and pretty much any school in the T25 (I prefer to attend the ones listed).
So, what you all think? Postpone, again, and take it in June? Or, take a shot and cancel if things don't go well? I've gotten pretty good at ball parking my PT scores.
I feel like I'm wasting a ton of money by constantly moving/withdrawing. At this point, if I withdraw I will have spent around $260 to not take a test. I figure, I may as well take it just to get the experience.
P.s. My issue is with time...I can get -0 to -3 on every section...I just need 50min/section.
By the way, do cancelled tests appear on your record? I know they count as 1 of your 3 takes, but do schools actually see that you took the test?
Thanks!
Hey 7Sage crew! So I'm in the process of fool proofing the games...finally. However, I was planning on taking a PT next week and joining the BR group. Even if I'm not ready to PT, I still want the experience. That and I'm just itching to take another PT. Naturally, I went through my old PTs to see how I was doing roughly 2 months ago. I noticed something odd on one of the PTs. On that particular PT, I had an initial score of 152. However, my BR score was a 170. I went through my other PTs and noticed the same trend!
So, I'd like to hear from the LSAT docs. What's your prognosis?
I did also notice that my weakest sections were RC and LG. I'm guessing this huge discrepancy was likely caused by my inability to complete the entire RC and LG section.
@ 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.
@ 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.
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.
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.
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.
@ 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.
Hmm, that particular game was quite unique. @ might be on to something. The painting game is similar, but certainly not identical.
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'
Yup, that would be the CAS. Just to piggyback off of what @ 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.
Hey everyone,
Long story short, the plan was to sit the October test. I ended up moving it to December, from which I withdrew. The new plan is to take the June test, and apply for the 2017 cycle.
My question is, is there any benefit to taking the June test over the October test? From what I've gathered, by applying around June, you end up competing with less people, for more seats. I've also read that there isn't much of a difference.
In any case, I don't intend on registering for the LSAT until I am absolutely certain that I am ready.
On a totally unrelated note, do you guys take notes while watching the videos in the curriculum? Just curious. That is currently what I am doing and I am starting to realize that it is slowing me down drastically - can't tell if it's helping or not...
Are there technically 2 application fees? One for the LSAC, and one for each school?
I've noticed that some of my target schools don't charge an application fee. So, would the LSAC still charge me to apply to those schools?
Now that the LG bundles have been removed from all sites (I think), how are you all drilling and fool proofing LG? I'm thinking about photocopying the LG sections from PTs 1-35, drilling them randomly, and fool proofing accordingly.
Should of just purchased the bundle when I had the chance :(!
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."
Hey y'all,
So, long story short, I'm pretty sure I "effed" up on the Dec LSAT (yes, I read J.Y's post, lol). Section one went somewhat well, section 2 went fine, I tanked section 3 (which was the experimental...woohoo!), section 4 went "okay," and, section 5 (LG)...well let's just say I guessed on 9/23 questions (damn you games 3 and 4).
Anyhow, my target school's average LSAT is around a 165. I'm not even sure if I scored that high. However, I've never done exceptionally well on any standardized test. I always seem to develop testing anxiety while taking them, but never during my university exams. Not sure why, that's how it has always been with me. If I recall correctly, I scored below the average on my SAT, but, funny enough, graduated with highest honors (4.0 LSDAS GPA) from undergrad.
I know some schools will overlook a relatively low LSAT if the applicant possesses a high GPA. My top picks right now are UCLA, USC, UC Davis, and UCI. Fortunately for me, my career path doesn't require me to attend a T14 (although, I wouldn't turn one down).
Do you guys think it's worth keeping my LSAT score and applying this cycle? Part of me thinks I won't be accepted to any of my target schools. If it matters, I have a few ECs on my resume (Public Defender internship, volunteer work with disabled children, VP of a community service club, multiple teaching assistant positions, moot court, and possibly a soon-to-be City Attorney intern). I also have plenty of LORs - one from an individual who doubled as my moot court instructor and supervisor at the PD's office.
If I had to guess, I would say that I guessed on a total of 25 questions on the December LSAT. I have no idea what happened...
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.
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.
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 @ suggested.
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+
Hey y'all,
So, I have a silly question about the test booklet. What "type" of paper does the LSAC use on their official tests? Is it the same paper used for the PTs?
The reason I ask is because I would like to use #3 pencils for the LG section (#2 to bubble). However, #3 pencils tend to be somewhat difficult to read on recycled or thin paper. Tried using a #3 pencil on a PT that was provided to me by another prep company, and I couldn't even see what I was writing, lol.
Hey Everyone!
I'm just curious, what are you guys and gals reading on your free time? I'm looking to boost my reading speed, which I believe can be done by being a tad more well read. I know it has been suggested that we read The Economist, Scientific American, or The New Yorker. I'll likely subscribe to one of these magazines - either The New Yorker or The Economist, since Scientific American is the most expensive out of the three.
I absolutely despise economics and the test writers clearly don't share my dislike of the discipline...so, what's the most sensible thing to do? Subscribe to The Economist! Please feel free to bash me for this - I appreciate the criticism :).
@ 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.