So I've studied pretty much 6-8 hours a day since last Friday. Should I take a day off today since I plan on taking Feb 5th (the day before the Feb administration) off? I've had amazing momentum and I worry taking a day off will throw me off... then again since I plan on taking a PT tomorrow and doing zero work the day before next week's administration, taking today off would be more of a real simulation... Fellow Sagers, sway me in the right direction please!!

Whats up team sage.

Question for those of you in a similar position. I've studied like crazy this past year and have managed to raise my score from the low 150s to where Im consistently PT'ing between 165-168. However, I can't seem to get over the final threshold to hit 170. I don't have any issues in particular that stick out with LR, and I go -2.7 on games. RC is the true problem where I average around -7 per section. Were any of you in a similar situation and have any recommendations on what I should focus on for the next month? I feel like it may be a little late in the game for a drastic change to my RC approach, but if there are any particulars some of you think I could consider within that section I'd really appreciate the input! That being said, I guess the next step is to master the substitute/equivalency question on LG for another point, but any other advice is also greatly appreciated!

Not looking for a pity party, just some advice from others who have shared similar experiences. I was doing well, scoring in the low160's for the majority of PT's in the 50's... But as I got to PT 58, 59 and 60 I noticed a considerable drop... especially in LR. With 5 weeks left, I'm starting to panic a little.. Should I go back and review some weaknesses or should I just keep trucking through with practice tests/ BR ? My logic games and RC seem to be OK, but now I'm second guessing myself left and right with LR -- I get the answer down to two possible choices and, what it seems like, that I always manage to choose the wrong one. I know I need to tweak the skills of my weak question types, but I feel like nerves are starting to play a factor... I'm much quicker to get flustered and throw my hands up in there ready to say fuck the whole thing. It's been three tests in a row now where I haven't been able to crack 160.. and now I'm about to take another (161). Ugh, the psychological mind fucks on this exam are unparalleled to anything I've ever come across in my life. Any advice is appreciated, cheers!

Frustrating question.. The first line states "Mammals cannot digest cellulose and therefore can't directely obtain glucose from wood.."

I chose answer A, which states that "mammals obtain no benificial health effects from eating cellulose."

I understand the explanation for the other correct answer choice, HOWEVER in explaining why "A" is wrong, Jon says that "it may be the case that it (cellulose) strengthens their (mammals) teeth." This could be a plausible explanation, if the answer choice didn't read that mammals obtain no benificial health effects from "EATING" cellulose. How can you attain health benefits from eating something, but not being able to digest it?

Maybe if it read that Mammals received no beneifical health benefits from "chewing" cellulose I'd understand the strengthening of the teeth example cited, but it explicitly states that the mammal would be "eating cellulose." So can someone please explain how you could possibly receive health benefits from something you eat but can't digest..? I doubt the LSAC counts illicit drugs like shrooms to be of a health benefit. Thanks

Feb re-takers, what do you suggest is the best way to go about PTing? I did all of the 70+ tests, most of 50-69, getting ready for December, so now I worry that my LR drilling isn't as effective because I recognize a fair amount of the questions. For example, I just did PT 63 and I recalled quite a few of the LR questions as I've done these questions before in preparation for December. LR is my strong point, and I know I can make gains on LG/RC too, but I wanted to bolster LR because there is a small, and some what trickier shift in LR stimuli in PTs 70-76.. Through the analytics on here I can see that I've dipped a considerable amount in the 70+ tests in LR. Should I just focus on the more recent exams and BR the hell out of them, or should I focus on earlier exams like in the 30s/40s for fresh(er) questions ? When it comes to RC and LG, I feel that those can be recycled because you can always get quicker in your deductions for LG and more proficient with RC.. Thanks for the input!

No formal announcement, they just wanted to stick it to us. Glad someone caught it before. EVERYONE needs to adjust.. savage.

Here is the email since others were afraid of sharing.. Im at a loss of words.

Beginning with the September 2016 test, all administrations of the test include five sections and a writing sample. Please see a description of the test at

http://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/about-the-lsat

and

http://www.lsac.org/docs/default-source/jd-docs/statement-of-need.pdf.

Your accommodations for the June and September test are identical. The only thing that has changed is the format of the test. You were not previously granted a waiver of the non-scored section as an accommodation nor are you entitled to one now.

Admin edit: A user posted a screenshot of their email from LSAC as well.

@hope.brinn

http://imgur.com/a/iL4bP

Hey there, has anyone on here seen of, or complied a list of the more difficult RC sections in LSAT history? Wanted to try and tackle them all before sleighing the beast in two weeks.

Wow, I know for the most part if we apply the skills we've come to learn then we should be OK with the slight variations of the more recent exams, but honestly, holy shit.. they are definitely harder. Maybe not so much the questions, but I guess the length of the question stems. Super frustrating, I wish I started PTing these 69 and up 2-3 weeks ago. Any advice on how to tighten up LR on these more recent exams? I just took 70, and my confidence is shaken. Is it just an adjustment period with reading these longer stimuli? I sure hope so.. or im fucked 13 days from now

Hey everyone, I wanted to see if anyone could share some insight on their strategy for Feb. I took the test in Dec. but cancelled the score. Anyway, I was averaging around 164/168BR through pt 69, then dipped to 160/164BR through Pts 70-76. I believe I have a stronghold over LR.. I feel like I just haven't fully adjusted to the nuances with the 70+ tests. That's not to say they're harder per se, but one can't deny a subtle shift in LR stimuli and harder RC passages --- sans the most recent administration ;) . I average around -5.4 for LR, -7.4 for games... and -9.7 for RC on PTs 70-76. Where do you guys think I can gain the biggest improvement in time for the feb exam? Should I focus on games? I know I can do better with RC, but I feel like I can make quicker gains in the other sections... thoughts? Should I start PTing asap or in Jan?

Hey everyone,

So with Feb. fast approaching i've been trying to master my morning routine but can't seem to figure it out. I'm waking up at 6am, but frankly, its just not enough time for me to cook breakfast, meditate, go on a light jog and conduct a proper warm-up session --especially if you consider i'm gonna have to drive at least 30 minutes to get to the test center on test day (which I'm yet to factor in/emulate). Does anyone have any suggestions on any adjustments I can make going into the next few weeks? I went through my analytics and noticed I frequently struggle on the earlier sections (regardless of section type) and fare much better on the second half of the test (also regardless of section type). Perhaps I'm not warming up sufficiently/enough? On the flip side, I don't want to burn out on the warm up because it usually takes me at least 30 minutes to do 12 LR questions, 1 game, and 1 Passage. I'm considering eliminating the passage and replacing it with a read from the economist or scientific American while I eat breakfast. Thoughts?

For you TV fans, it's times like this I wish I had the discipline and efficiency of Dexter's "Morning Routine."

.

http://i.giphy.com/UKFpFlyebts6k.gif

Funny part is i'm not satisfied. Im still hungry. I see you Feb... 173... COME AT ME LSAT, YOU AIN'T SO BAD

Year + in the making.. Wow what a ride

Hey team,

Wanted some input on the optimum time to conduct a BR session. Do you find it more beneficial to BR an hour or two after you PT, or is it more effective if you wait to BR the following day? Since I'm a re-taker I'm cutting ZERO corners this time around, at the same time, I know for BR to work you need to be very meticulous and disciplined during review. I know this process, however rewarding it may be, is still taxing. What approaches did you take to properly PT/BR in conjunction with drilling your weaknesses whilst avoiding burn out?

Thanks

Happy Saturday!

Long story short I'm retaking in Feb. I've taken the 25 most recent PTs so I needed fresh material to go over in preparation for the retake. After noticing a subtle difficulty shift in the 70+ exams, I decided to combat the trickier LR/RC by drilling straight from the Cambridge difficult packets for RC AND LR. Granted they draw questions from PTs 1-38, but every question there has a 4 or 5 star difficult rating. I figure if I can train myself to combat those questions, and drill 25 of them at a time (for LR) as if they were a "normal" LR section I'll be much faster and more comfortable with the lengthier and more convoluted 70+ stimuli. I plan to drill all the difficult RC passages in the same fashion, using 4 difficult passages as if it were a normal RC section...Then with about 2.5 weeks until the Feb exam, I plan to retake/BR PTs 71-77. Has anyone tried this or something similar? What are your thoughts on this approach...Do you guys think it can work or do you think it's too much of a gamble because of the way the "new" LR stimuli is constructed and phrased? Thank you in advance for your input!

,

Does anyone have any insight on when or if we'll have it available for purchase on LSAC's site or Amazon before the Feb administration?

Also, if it does become available, what are the chances that 7sage will have explanations available in time for Feb?

Thanks!

.

Hey everyone,

Could really use your advice. So I took the Dec. 2015 and Feb. 2015 administrations and subsequently cancelled them both after. I know this isn't an ideal situation or move pre se, but it was one I was forced with after bombing both sittings due to what I think is some sort of performance anxiety amongst a couple of other pertinent issues. I PT consistently around the the low to mid 160s.

I had high aspirations of trying to achieve a 170+, but would of been content with scoring around my average. Unfortunately , on both tests I had pretty bad draws with protcor/ test site ambiguities and had trouble moving on from a section that I know I have gone wrong.

To illustrate this scenario clearer, I opened with back to back LGs and got "the real" LG second during this past Saturday's administration. The easy "mirror game" took way longer than it should have (9) min and I even had to leave one or two circled, although I was a little flustered I was then quickly able to move through the second game .. only to become completely "frozen" from the European cities game. I was shocked, because those games are usually my best.. I tanked a bunch of time just trying to interpret the rules and before I could confidently answer two questions I realized I sank another 11 minutes. Needless to say I freaked out. I jumped right over to the 4th game but could confidently answer only about half the questions. All in all, I believe I bombed the section with at least -11. From that point forward I was so livid, I couldn't move forward. I had LR next and had difficulty just parsing out grammar and finding conclusions -- two of my stronger skill sets-- while I was battling the section. LR is my strong point, but it felt like I just pretty much forgot everything. That trend only continued as the test went on. After 7 months of studying I wasn't ready to accept a potential sub - 150 score. A very similar situation happened to me during the December administration. Nevertheless, I plan to retake in June and conquer this beast once and for all.

Having gone through the curriculum in it's entirety and completing the vast majority of PTs 40--70s, how would you recommend studying for my third, and FINAL, re-take in June. Also, any advice on how to combat the psychological battle with questions you feel you might have missed?

Good luck to the sages taking on the beast tomorrow. Get plenty of rest, relax, and just chill out today.

Don't know how helpful this will be for everyone, but I had a realization a couple of weeks back and it's helped me tremendously during PTs, so I figured I should share. Like many on here, I have issues with being able to skip questions in an effective matter.. and as JY and all the other Mentors on here have taught us; if you aren't able to hone that skill you'll never achieve your max potential score. And as many times as I heard it, read it, tried it, forced it, that notion never really stuck with me -- and that's why I'll be sitting for my third take in September.

However, I recently had a very profound realization while watching Jackie Bradley Jr go on a 28 game hitting streak. (Bare with me non-baseball fans, this story will make perfect sense even if you don't watch). Jackie Bradley is currently one of the best hitters in all of baseball... but for the first three years of his career he was mediocre at best, and some even considered him to be a below average player during that span.

This year, however, something changed. He started swinging at the ball significantly less than he used to. Pitchers became dumbfounded because they used to be able to throw any garbage pitch and he would always swing and miss. Refusing to give up the potential he knew he had, he worked with a new swinging coach to change his approach during the offseason. And now, he rarely, if ever, swings at a bad pitch.. Anyone here starting to catch how analogous this is to combatting the LSAT?

The greatest batters in the history of baseball were the ones who had a great eye for bad pitches. They didn't swing at every pitch that came their way. And something tells me, (though it may be a mere correlation ;) ) the highest lsat scorers are the ones who know they've come across a bad pitch. They don't get flustered, they stay disciplined, and they know when "not to swing" when they come across a "bad pitch" or, in our case, a really tough question.

So go out there, do your best Babe Ruth impression. Don't take swings at questions that are bad pitches. Instead look for that easy fastball, (better known to us as "low hanging fruit"), right down the middle and knock it out of the park. Before you know it, you'll have humbled the metaphoric pitcher in the LSAT and with your confidence riding sky high, there won't be any pitch (or question) he'll be able to toss your way that would stop you from smacking a grand slam. See you all at home plate. Good Luck!

OK... Save the anti-drug bashing, but constructive criticism is invited. I've taken it since college and I've done pretty damn well with it. Now with two months left before the Dec. exam I'm starting to wonder if this is hindering my abilities. Sometimes it works great, other times not so much... For example, I'll dominate an LR section but the very next RC section I'll get lost in a passage and start to panic, which then throws me off come question time and vice/versa. I've been studying since June with it currently scoring in the high 150's low 160's... Is there anyone else here taking it who has a successful strategy with using it correctly? Perhaps a certain time of day you take it? Any specific foods you eat to maintain energy? I'm worried if I stop taking it altogether it will throw me off and by the time I recover and begin to excel it will be too late for the Dec. administration. Any suggestions or pity party invitations are graciously accepted, haha. Cheers #addywoes.

Does anyone have one? Is there one on here that I haven't found yet in the forums?!

Oh and happy new years!