I’m new to this Flex thing, since I just restarted studying last week (after taking a year off).
Can anyone do a brief overview of their Flex experience? You have to do it on a computer with a webcam - will you see other students? Do you see your proctor? What’s the format?
I have a brand new Mac Air 2020 that I’m planning to use for exam day, bc the other computers in my house are 2015 and older and don’t run as fast.
I saw somewhere that someone had issues with their new Mac which makes me a bit nervous. Just wanted to see what past test takers took their exams on. Or any general tips for a smooth testing day.
HEY Nov takers!
Now that we're at the T minus 6 weeks mark, I was just wondering what everyone's study plans are to get in their best shape for November.
Personally, I struggle the most with RC (consistently -7 or -8); do fine with LG and LR (-3 to -5). Therefore, I'm going to try to drill historically difficult RC passages, drill historically difficult LG games, and then hopefully take 12-15 Full Practice Tests before Nov 7.
I feel like I'm still lacking a bit of structure. Curious as to what others are doing to gear up for Nov 7 to see if I can get a bit of inspo. Happy studying & best of luck to all!
I would do individual, timed (35 min) sections frequently (i.e. at least once a day, if not twice). Then do a thorough blind review.
I would drill the LR/LG question types that you get incorrect most often.
RC is a tricky one, because for me I had to do about 20 to 30 full, timed RC sections over a period of weeks to see improvement - but that was also my weakness so that's just based on my personal experience. The biggest piece of advice I would give is: (1) Consistently do 35 min timed sections and thoroughly BR and (2) Make sure to home in on your weakest question types
@ I'll PM you
@ I suppose we look to other resources! Although, if more people decide to join, at least having a discussion about the right/wrong answers would be insightful.
I find doing RC studying by myself so dull and monotonous, so I'm hoping being around others, while working toward the same goal, will help motivate everyone!
Hi guys!
Reading Comprehension is the bane of my existence. Ugh. I just got really complacent - my diagnostic RC section was my highest, so I thought to myself: I mostly need to spend time on LR and LG. Totally overlooked improving RC and now here I am...
Thankfully, I've made huge gains on both LR and LG compared to when I first started studying, and I generally average -4 LR and -3 LG (-0 BR). Right now, I'm averaging around -7 on RC, but on a bad day that could be -10, on a good day -4. I really need to reduce that range.
I'm looking for those in the same boat (good LR/LG, weakest RC) so that maybe we could help keep each other accountable (we know how dreadful studying for RC is) and share tactics/strategy skills and boost morale. Looking to form an inclusive and welcoming group hyper-focused on improving RC. If anyone's interested and taking the Jan 2021 exam, please comment below or PM me! Thinking of doing Zoom sessions, maybe twice a week, and also focusing on the newer PTs i.e. 60-80s.
P.S. Plz only join if you intend to come to sessions focusing on RC!
Interested
Trying to really grind on RC section before Nov 7 - does anyone maybe have a list of really difficult RC sections from previous exams? There's so many organized people on 7Sage, I would think this info is out there somewhere lol...
I’ll be taking 4 PTs between now and then - probably all from PT 80s.
Any recommendations to which PTs I absolutely should take (ie difficult ones, trick games, etc)? Non PT 80s also fine.
Want to be ready for any tough scenarios come November!
I took my test at American University (School of Law), and I was so surprised at how disorganized everything was. We weren’t even close to being seated at 8:30 am because they were still trying to figure out the tablet and wouldn’t let us in, and when we finally got into the room, they handed everyone their tablets one by one (there was like 40-50 of us so it took forever) and then their seating chart was messed up so it caused even more delays.
We started a full two hours late. IMO this is forgivable for the July exam (due to the special conditions and people knowing they would potentially walk into something like that), but not forgivable for a normal test where all the kinks should’ve been worked out and the proctors should’ve been trained properly.
We started at 10:30 am and many of us were fatigued from the anxiety of the last two hours. To make it worse, the proctor didn’t say “start”, he just started the exam and we all looked down and saw the timer going and panicked. (Someone yelled out “you can’t just start the exam without telling us”) but we all carried on, but it was so frustrating and just sad.
Should I report this to the LSAC? I really think the disorganization, lack of competence on the proctors’ part with the tablets resulting in a two hour delay, was a detriment to a lot of people.
deleted
TLDR: about 7-8 months of studying for round 1; but I was also working full time + overtime then (yikes lol DO NOT recommend), then about 4 months of studying for round 2 ( while job searching with a small side gig)
My timeline isn't linear but I'm still happy with it, so I'm writing this to show that it's okay to not have a linear timeline and everyone has their own timeline that works for them!
I started January 2019, got 7sage subscription around that time and took the June 2019 exam (aka PT 87 and in retrospect, that was an awesome and fair exam, I just wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be...) Then, I took the September 2019 (aka PT 88 which was a DISASTER on all fronts - really horrible proctor experience with the digital exam which led LSAC to refund me and PT 88 is just a cruel exam in general). I did my master's from September 2019-May 2020 so I couldn't really do anything about my LSAT situation.
I picked up studying again this past September (2020) during the pandemic, because I was job searching and really felt like there were a lot of strings and unresolved feelings leftover from my previous LSAT test taking experience. I studied from September 2020 to mid-January 2021 (I just took the January 2021 LSAT yesterday!) This was my best studying/LSAT taking experience so far because I finally learned what study strategies worked for me and understood the groove of the LSAT. Long story short, this time around, I made sure to do at least one section and blind review every day (consistency is so rewarding for this exam), took about a week break at the end of every month (sometimes longer to avoid burnout), and then the 3 weeks leading up to the exam I tried to challenge myself as much as I could by doing very difficult problem sets (ie hard LR qs, hard LGs, hard RC passages) and difficult PTs. Even though I won't know how I did until next month, I felt like my study experience this time around was the best for me and the healthiest.
I wouldn't advise to map out every single one under timed conditions. The question types that truly warrant mapping are probably Must be trues/falses, Necessary/Sufficient Assumptions. But even then, depending on the difficulty, not all of those need to be mapped.
I think mapping out every question during your drills or practice is a great study strategy. The more you map out, the better you get at doing these questions mentally and intuitively and the hope is that by the time test day comes, it'll have all sunk in.
Agree! I recall PT 80 being preeeetttty bad. Esp RC but that might be just me.
I took it today (Sunday January 17).
LR hit different (as someone who scores -2/3 average on LR) in a bad way :(, but RC and LG were moderate enough to balance out LR. Overall very fair exam IMO.
Proctor was an absolute angel so shout out to him. The very best of wishes to everyone!
Are all the exams this week the same, or are they variations?
Didn’t know you could have coffee and mechanical pencils! Yay
I’m taking my third and final wack at the LSAT on Nov 14, 2020. I am happy with my current score but I still think I am capable of scoring a few points higher.
It seems that the earliest the Nov 14 score would come out is early/mid December. I anticipate to have all of my application materials FULLY ready to be sent by then (literally will be sending the day I get my score). My schools range from T-14s to T40s. I feel like I get lost in the rabbit hole of advice urging you to apply as early as possible (how early?! How late is too late?! November? December? so many questions), especially for competitive schools, so I’d love to hear different perspectives.
Some bg: I have a bachelors in neuroscience (3.78) and masters in neuroscience (3.87). Aiming for high 160s.
@ Exactly what I was looking for - thanks a lot!
I think I've heard that PT70s and 80s have "harder" LR sections, but I want to do one or two of the notoriously harder ones before my flex exam.
Just to be clear - November 2020 is Flex for everyone right?
IDK why I still have to choose a test center. Also, it still says the exam is on November 14.
I'm assuming we will be emailed instructions as to how to pick a Flex time and all that later? Interesting they haven't updated this yet...considering the last day to sign up for Flex is Sept 23.
I might be wrong, but the testing cycle every year is from like June to Spring right? i.e. The first test of the cycle is in June, and then the last test is March or April because that's the last possible exam you can take in order to apply to the current admissions cycle.
April 2021 is the final exam for 2020-2021 cycle, and this entire cycle happened to be Flex due to COVID. So I wonder if the consideration for June is if they go flex, then would they have to make the entire cycle flex in order to "even" the playing field among applicants applying for Fall 2022 admissions? I can't really see LSAC justifying an in-person exam in June, but then again, other standardized tests such as SAT and MCAT have continued in-person so it's hard to say...
how do we find info on prohibited items @ ?
If you're not applying to this cycle (Fall 2021 admission) then I would take a break and come back to it. I empathize with struggling with mental health and anxiety throughout this and I understand how difficult it can be :'(
However, I went through a similar process and came back to it after a year break (I don't think everyone needs this long but my timeline just worked out this way), and I feel much better. Studying is never going to be "easy", but there's definitely a balanced and healthy way to study for this exam and still do really well - so I definitely think it's worth it to take the break and come back to it. Hugs to you!
I feel :'( Mine is more anxiety leading up to the exam...coming from the girl who just lost almost all of last night's sleep because of test anxiety... good luck all
@ Oh no...do you mind me asking what happened? Hope it goes better for you next time!
@ Good on you for being so upfront! So I'm actually confused about this... is it that every proctor is only in charge of supervising one student? I didn't realize you would actually be able to have a convo with them beforehand.
AGGGGHHHH.
I started out with RC being my best section, and since I've improved so heavily on LG and LR, RC is now my worst section. Welp. Currently, I'm averaging -3 for LG, and -3 for LR. But -7 for RC!!!!!!! WHYYYY
I'm taking the November test, and really need to drill RC HARD before then. In total, I've probably studied for the LSAT for close to 6-8 months now (spread out at different times) and I feel like I've made the LEAST effort for RC because it doesn't really excite me lol and I guess I was discouraged when people said you can make the least improvement for RC.
ALL AND ANY TIPS WELCOME for: RC drills, RC improvement, etc.
Hi all!
Taking January and just trying to avoid any potential mishaps as much as I can. Was curious about the devices everyone used to take their Flex exam on (for those who have already tested). I have a Macbook Air 2020 that I'm generally confident about but I also read somewhere that Macs are less compatible with the system - may have just been an anecdotal story though.
Also any other tips for taking Flex? I've heard horror stories of proctors messaging test-takers and causing them to lose time, so I'm trying to avoid anything that could get me "in trouble" lol.
Thanks :)
Hi all.
I am in a bit of a situation and I’m hoping I can hear some advice from people in the same boat as me (and understand this test and what it all means) because it’s not always super helpful to talk to friends/family who don’t really understand (even though they’re really supportive! - you know what I mean).
I took the LSAT once in June, and I scored in the range below my personal target range (which will get me into the schools I want). Wasn’t bummed about my score but wasn’t ecstatic or anything. Summer happened, and I was burnt out from studying so I didn’t put that much effort this second time around. My upcoming test is Sep 21. I don’t feel horribly about it, but I just don’t think it’ll be THE improvement I need in order to get into my target schools.
That being said, what should I do? Go on with the Sep exam and see how it goes? Don’t take the risk and withdraw and take it again later? The biggest conflict right now is that if September doesn’t go as well as planned, I am currently in a one-year intensive Masters program and also conducting research.
Granted, I have a bit of flexibility in my schedule (the program/work load/time commitment is manageable, but nonetheless still a graduate program), and squeezing in test prep would make my schedule FULL. And hectic, lol.
Should I take it in two weeks? In a few months? Or after I graduate from my program in May (I’m worried that’s too big of a break from studying)? Ah!
Thanks for reading. And I wish you all the very best of luck in this stressful but hopefully worthwhile journey.
Hi:
Hope everyone’s studies are going well. I’m hitting a low in confidence and motivation. I was drilling sections (PT 30s and 50s) for a good two months and felt like I was starting to understand LR a little better. I wasn’t scoring crazy high in the sections, however, it was considerably higher than what I started with. (-3/5 at my best) I’ve been redoing the questions I did wrong in addition to reviewing them with JY’s video explanations. I usually get over 20 correct when I do BR. Timing has always been an issue for me.
However, in the last week, I’ve moved onto the newest PTs: PT 70s and 80s (skipping around) and I’ve noticed a huge plunge in my LR and even RC sections (which were never that low). My LG is fine which at least I can hold on to that...
My LSAT is June 3. I’m trying not to succumb to pressure and stress but it’s very disheartening to see my progress dip so low a month before the exam.
Does anyone have any LR studying tips? I have roughly four weeks left until my exam. I was thinking of drilling question types I’m weak on.
All as any input is welcome, thank you and good luck everyone!
-N
167-173 is an excellent range for PTs, so clearly you have an awesome grasp of the exam. If I were you, I would take 2 if not 3 PTs (maybe one every other day) between now and Friday 1/15 after 8:30 PM and see how you do.
If you are doing much worse than your PT average (i.e. 5-10 points lower) that might just because your brain works better at other times of the day, and in that case, I would spend the $125 to move the test to April.
If you're hitting your average even taking it after 8:30 PM, then I say shoot for Jan!
@ I'm hoping that's the case :( The thing is, I've already created a ProctorU account in November so in theory I should be able to sign in...
I first registered for the Flex in November, but then after scheduling my November exam time on Proctor U, I decided to change my test date to January.
In November, I received the ProctorU link to create my account and all - they sent me the email with my acct and temporary password. I'm almost positive I created a new password but now I can't get into my account whatsoever. Even worse, when I click "forgot password" it doesn't send me an email, so I have no way of creating a new password.
Do we get new proctor U info if we sign up for a new exam? I technically have never taken a Flex exam, but I definitely signed up for the November exam through Proctor U. Or is something seriously wrong on my part...
does anyone know that actual curves for this test?
Hi guys -
Since the Flex will only count 3 sections (75 questions I'm guessing), do we have an idea of how this scale will work? Roughly, do we know how many can one get wrong in order to still score a 170, 165, 160, etc.
Past Flex-takers, please weigh in if you know anything since you've received your scores!
I did a full, timed 35-minute section 5 days/week for... about two months (took a 2-week break in between bc too much RC lol). I tried to BR as thoroughly as possible after I completed every section. I also actively engaged with material (asking questions such as: why is the author writing this, what's their point, what's their attitude on this topic).
I can't say I'm a RC-pro still, but I feel much more confident now than I ever did in the past. It takes consistent effort, but the rewards are worthwhile.