Slightly off topic post.
Kobe is one of the people who inspired me the most in the LSAT - I just wanted to be like him. Aspire to that level of greatness. His work ethic, desire to always be the best, and always improve truly inspired me and has kept me going in difficult time, both LSAT and life related. Mamba Mentality Forever.
Damn. RIP Kobe.
@ Bro, thank you for this !! Just hearing the stories of other people who have done it like yourself really do make all the difference. Congratulations on getting there. I love what you said about the silver bullet! That's exactly what it was. I feel like we all want to wake up and find some silver bullet to 170's, even though there isn't. No shortcuts. No silver bullets. I love that. When you say BR and then Review, you're just talking about reviewing your BR and the practice stuff, right? Also, if I could ask one more question: how long was your overall journey? Thanks again for all your kindness.
Wow. this is amazing. you're an inspiration!
@ preciate this update sir. This has been a big fear of mine. I'm on the earlier ones still BUT I've done a few of the later ones and have done significantly worse on them, so this makes me feel better. Just more of an adjustment thing?
Hi, first post here!
I am taking the LSAT in September, and have been studying for a couple of months now. Currently, my highest PT score has been a 158. My goal is most definitely 170s.
On my last PT, I got a 157, with a -7 LR, -11 LG, -7 RC and -3 LR. I haven't really studied LG much and haven't studied RC at all. as evidenced by my score. I've been focusing on LR thus far, and have improved my scores a decent amount. I'm also further encouraged just because 6 of the 7 LR questions I got wrong on the first one I had to guess because I ran out of time. On the second LR section, I had to guess on 2. So I'm just working hard on getting my time a lot quicker.
I'm studying around 5-6 hours a day, 5 days a week, and then a PT once a week.
I am enrolled in the PowerScore in-class program, which starts July 17. I wanted to improve my score as much as possible up till then.
Any suggestions for studying, etc.? I've used the PowerScore Bibles so far, with 7sage YouTube stuff for further clarity. Should I be taking more PT's? Should I be studying less? Should I focus on LG for a bit?
Just wanted a bit of direction in regards with this.
@ ah, fair enough. I appreciate the info!
you really are the goat.
I've been doing a lot of RC sections lately as it's one area I'm trying to improve at. My scores have definitely gone from an average of -10 to -8, to about a -2 to -5. Normally I'm at about a -4. However, I've been doing older RC passes - 20's and 30's, because I've been wanting to save the newer ones. I've become concerned upon reading that RC passages are generally easier the older they are (some people have said significantly so) compared with the newest preptests. Is it even worth doing the older ones? How much harder are the newer ones?
I read Scientific American. It's helped me get more comfortable with some of the language specific parlance
I also think "c" is wrong because it says "the government", whereas the stimulus is talking about an "elite few". So AC "C" could be talking about a whole different problem entirely.
It's not bad. It can help form a solid foundation (although it sounds like this is an area that you probably don't__ need help in). I would say if some of JY's concepts aren't clicking for you, it can always help to have a second look at it, and it can be useful for that. I don't think there's any negative habits you'd pick up from the book.
Can I keep it a buck with you guys?
The 7Sage community really is wonderful - it's full of love and encouragement and a realization that we are all in this together. I've (silently) read along with so many posts, both people down and up because of this God-forsaken test, and have rooted for you all every step of the way. I figured it's time to write my own post and to seek some general tips and advice from you all; sorry in advance for the length of this post.
I was a legal studies major in college and I knew from day 1 that I wanted to go to law school. I fell in love with law and all its related concepts (politics). I found my passion and was ecstatic about it. I've always been an ambitious person and that carried on through where I wanted/want to go to law school. That meant T-10, with my top goal being H/Y/S, especially H (Barack Obama is my role model, lol). I first took a raw LSAT and scored a 156. I was a junior in college and my mind began racing with possibilities. After junior year finished, I studied - for what I thought was - really hard until I took my LSAT in September of that year, September 2018. That's about 4 months of straight studying.
Only now do I realize how negative it was - I was doing a mixture of 7Sage and Powerscore books. I wasn't Blind Review'ing, I wasn't intently going over wrong answers (maybe only superficially) and definitely not right ones. I would use Adderall all the time to study and take tests. My life was a bit of a mess - I was living with my then girlfriend at the time; it was incredibly toxic. My whole life was. My life consisted of infidelity, some drug use, and excessive and heavy drinking. I had a chaotic life. I now realize that my studying was fueled by narccisim, ego, and superficialties; I had lost my way.
Eventually, I realized that taking Adderall every single time before a test might not be helpful - I stopped, and my score went up straight away. I wasn't making many gains at all until I made a big jump from 159 to 163 on PT49 and I was ecstatic - I still remember the feeling. My target goal was a 175 and (once again proving how foolish I was) thought that I could get up to where I wanted to go in such a short time. I bounced around in the 160's, though never surpassing 163 again on all the rest of my PTs.
It didn't happen. I took the LSAT in September, and I knew immediately I did terrible. I don't even remember taking it - it was a blur. It was a complete disaster. I got a 153 on that test.
That really hurt me. It felt like a repudiation of my entire self. It hurt me to my core. (I know how foolish it seems).
I fell into a deep depression. It started to seem like the things I wanted to achieve wouldn't be possible. It was my first real smack in the face in my life. Things ended with that girlfriend, I isolated myself, and it was just generally rough.
I soon realized how bad my situation was. I spoke with my older sister and other family members and they helped me through it. I realized I needed to reexamine who I was. That next whole year, essentially, I stopped doing the LSAT. I became much happier. I had an amazing senior year and by the end of it, I knew I wanted to delay law school and go to the Peace Corps. This is what I did and I was stationed in Ethiopia. It was an amazing experience, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to leave early, and I'm back home in the US. While I was there, though, and through that year, I felt healed. I found myself again. Rediscovered my faith, got closer to my family, read a lot, and just discovered more of who I was. It's been amazing. It helped put the LSAT into perspective. It's not the end-all-be-all, even if it can seem that way.
It took me a long time to work back to the place I am now. I have found my immediate future; I am about to accept a position with Teach For America, so once that starts, it'll be a 2 year contract, and then I want to go to law school.
I've recently started studying for the LSAT again. With all these new tools at my disposal - trying to be healthy and do it the right way this time. I've been using the LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim as well as some explanation videos from 7Sage, because JY is amazing and so is this whole community. About 3 weeks ago I took another LSAT - it was a big deal for me to finally take one again, to finally dive in again. I got a 159 and was happy with this score. I forgot for a second to BR, so I only BR'd 2 sections, but I immediately realized how helpful BR'ing is. I was ecstatic.
I took another one last week, that vile September 2018 LSAT again, and this time got a 156 (BR 161 - weird). I was a little disappointed, and realized it was really impacting me - even though it shouldn't. I'm not worried I'll sort of spiral like I did last time, but I don't want my happiness to rely on this test. I just want to do the best I can.
So basically, I wanted to see your guys thoughts on where to go from here. My target goal hasn't changed. I'll study for as long as it takes, as much as I need to to get where I want to go. If it's studying straight for 2 years, I don't care; I just want to make sure I'm doing it right, I know what to expect, and where I can attack it. Any study plan recommendations or stories of people from a mid 150's to a 170's, as well as any sort of usual timetable? I'd love to hear them. I guess I just need to know this is possible - sometimes it feels as though it isn't.
Also, just FYI, my splits on the last two tests:
PrepTest 71: LR -16, RC -8, LG -6
PrepTest 85: RC -10, LR -18, LG -5.
Also don't really know what happened here because normally I'm strong on LR and very weak on LG. Idk.
I'm so thankful for this community - it's held me up and helped me in so many important ways - not just the LSAT, but for mental health, positivity, and encouragement. You all are the best.
I had this one right and then got in my head about it. How frustrating
you can tell JY was an economics major lol
Hi all,
I was registered to do a PowerScore in person class in less than a week, because I really like the self study books and thought it would be good for me. However, exactly a week before the class was set to begin, I received a phone call saying the class was canceled due to lack of attendance. Pretty shitty of them. However, I immediately signed up for 7sage Ultimate instead, which I think will end up working out better for me, in the end.
My question now is should I start from the very beginning of the CC, or what? I've been studying hard for about 2 months now (and overall, much longer than that), with the PowerScore books. I started from the beginning of the lessons two days ago, and quickly became discouraged because in a sense, it felt like I was starting from the very beginning again. I became frustrated.
Of some subjects, I feel I already have a very good understanding. That being said, of others, I need to improve mine, because I've plateaued at 157 for awhile now. Really sucks. What should I do? My aim was to take the September LSAT. The only PowerScore self study guide I didn't have was the Reading Comp one, so maybe just start from that for the beginning? But I still feel I need to have a much stronger understanding of Logical Reasoning? Help! Feeling frustrated and a bit lost.
Also sorry for the late replies lol. Sometimes I really struggle to figure out how this website works lmaooo so I'm just seeing these comments
@ Thank you friend!! I felt this post heavy haha. Body image is something I've struggled with a lot so I really understand how it can all just be a totally vicious cycle. We are on the up tho !!
@ Thank you so much for your post - I really found it encouraging and uplifting, I appreciate you taking the time out to pass along your thoughts. Have you heard back about your November score yet? That's incredibly exciting. Yeah, I'd love to PM you and get some additional advice and all that if that's still cool with you?
@ I would love that ! We should definitely set something up with that
@ 9 years! That's amazing! What have you taught?
I've been selected to do between 4-8 grade (I'll be chosen for one of those based on needs in the area and how my interviews with the schools go), and I'll be teaching English and Social Studies! I'm super excited about that because those are two of my passions. Yes, they do teach you. I'll start training in late May and it goes for about 8 weeks - going over the basics of teaching and putting you in a classroom actually teaching.
lmao how the fuck is this only a 3 star passage? this just destroyed me
@ said:
@ said:
@ said:
@ said:
@ Bro, thank you for this !! Just hearing the stories of other people who have done it like yourself really do make all the difference. Congratulations on getting there. I love what you said about the silver bullet! That's exactly what it was. I feel like we all want to wake up and find some silver bullet to 170's, even though there isn't. No shortcuts. No silver bullets. I love that. When you say BR and then Review, you're just talking about reviewing your BR and the practice stuff, right? Also, if I could ask one more question: how long was your overall journey? Thanks again for all your kindness.
No problem man! Yup the entire journey took 18 months for me. I went from 153 untimed to 164 and then 174
@ said:
@ said:
@ Bro, thank you for this !! Just hearing the stories of other people who have done it like yourself really do make all the difference. Congratulations on getting there. I love what you said about the silver bullet! That's exactly what it was. I feel like we all want to wake up and find some silver bullet to 170's, even though there isn't. No shortcuts. No silver bullets. I love that. When you say BR and then Review, you're just talking about reviewing your BR and the practice stuff, right? Also, if I could ask one more question: how long was your overall journey? Thanks again for all your kindness.
No problem man! Yup the entire journey took 18 months for me. I went from 153 untimed to 164 and then 174
Thanks again. That is truly amazing. Just trying to get like you! Lol. So, one more question if you don’t mind: I saw that you mentioned I stop taking PT’s. I have been getting this feeling too - but for how long? How did I know when I’m ready to begin again? You feel me
A good rule of thumb is:
start with untimed work. this is basically BR without a timed run. Once your BR scores are higher or as high as your target per section, move to:
timed sections, followed by BR: Once your scores timed and untimed start to match within each other, you can move on to full PTs
my guy , truly appreciate all the advice you've given. will be following that rule from now on!
Congratulations. Absolutely fantastic.
@ said:
I'm so glad you're sharing your truth. I was in a similar position for two years because of the LSAT. It really ruined my confidence and my mental health. After therapy, reflection and tapping into my strong support system, I am happy with who I am outside being a law school applicant. I didn't get my dream score (five points shy) but I've still been admitted to UVA and Berkeley in this cycle. My point is to anyone reading this is live life outside of studying. It truly is just a test. Your sense of self is so much more important. You will succeed in the long run, I believe, as long as your intentions are right.
Ahh, thank you so much for your words. Glad to know I’m not alone in this struggle. Congrats on the outstanding law schools you were accepted to. Keeping myself focused on that truth - just a test. Thanks, friend.
@ said:
In my personal opinion, it really does not matter where you go to school. It matters what you do with your license as an attorney. You can do big things with a license from any school, no matter the reputation. It's how you carry yourself, interact, and take action with what you have in front of you. My father grew up as a Mexican farm worker, but that didn't limit himself in his goals and aspirations. He pursued a higher education, applied to Santa Clara law school, and passed the bar on the 6th time. As of today he has built a highly successful criminal defense practice with my mom, whom never actually passed the bar exam but did graduate from law school. There are many side stories I could tell that would demonstrate the way my parents have built something from nothing, but that wouldn't do them justice. The one thing I can say is that they have never let any challenge or case defeat them mentally or physically. My parents are the prime example of how hard work and dedication you genuinely love can create big things for people such as themselves who have been historically discriminated against and challenged head on. My parents have defended the serial killer Richard Ramirez and some of the most notorious narcotics cases to this very day. In conclusion, I owe it to my parents to spread the word that anybody from any school or background can achieve what they set their hearts out to do, and can grow larger than their mind allows them to grow.
Love this ! Thank you for your kind words and for sharing that story. It’s incredibly important to keep in mind that where you go to Law School, what your LSAT score is - neither of these will define you. I need to think on that more.
@ said:
@ said:
@ Bro, thank you for this !! Just hearing the stories of other people who have done it like yourself really do make all the difference. Congratulations on getting there. I love what you said about the silver bullet! That's exactly what it was. I feel like we all want to wake up and find some silver bullet to 170's, even though there isn't. No shortcuts. No silver bullets. I love that. When you say BR and then Review, you're just talking about reviewing your BR and the practice stuff, right? Also, if I could ask one more question: how long was your overall journey? Thanks again for all your kindness.
No problem man! Yup the entire journey took 18 months for me. I went from 153 untimed to 164 and then 174
@ said:
@ said:
@ Bro, thank you for this !! Just hearing the stories of other people who have done it like yourself really do make all the difference. Congratulations on getting there. I love what you said about the silver bullet! That's exactly what it was. I feel like we all want to wake up and find some silver bullet to 170's, even though there isn't. No shortcuts. No silver bullets. I love that. When you say BR and then Review, you're just talking about reviewing your BR and the practice stuff, right? Also, if I could ask one more question: how long was your overall journey? Thanks again for all your kindness.
No problem man! Yup the entire journey took 18 months for me. I went from 153 untimed to 164 and then 174
Thanks again. That is truly amazing. Just trying to get like you! Lol. So, one more question if you don’t mind: I saw that you mentioned I stop taking PT’s. I have been getting this feeling too - but for how long? How did I know when I’m ready to begin again? You feel me
@ said:
Good job! The one thing i worry about is using such old tests you will not have practice with the comparative passages which are very common on the new tests, but otherwise again NICE!
Yeah, I have the same fear. I like to use the old ones while I'm still getting sharper and getting closer to that -0 on RC. But thank you!
I was doing an RC section yesterday - from PT 18, and I got 28/28 questions correct. Admittedly, this is a small victory in the general sense, but for me, it felt so good. I had never before scored perfect on any section - always at -1 or -2 being the closest I got. It felt absolutely outstanding to see all green everywhere. I have been improving greatly in my RC ability, and this felt satisfying. Motivation to keep going forward!
Additionally,
#BLM #NoJusticeNoPeace
Some years later and this question is... still fairly prescient.