As I'm sure that one admissions guy will say, the best advice is to apply with the strongest application possible. If you are confident you will score higher in November, wait and apply then!

You're right that before Thanksgiving is the most advantageous, but before Christmas I think is still okay. If you haven't already, LSD has a predictor where you can see how applying later in the cycle might affect your odds. I know 7Sage is working on integrating timing into their predictor, too, so you can compare what they say as well!

Either way, December 2 is not "way too late"! Hope this was helpful :)

I was you last year! (And also working full time through this process)

I purchased my CAS around this time last year. It stays good for few years, so feel free to buy it now. I got my transcripts pulled and then didn't have to worry about it which was nice.

LORs are another easy one. I would say go ahead and reach out if you want. The portal stays open year-round and the letters don't have an expiration date.

To my recommenders, I sent the same materials and mentioned the skills I would like them to highlight. If you have any specific accomplishments from a class of theirs, you can also mention that.

Chip away my friend and best of luck!

@businessgoose First of all that's amazing and you got this!! I started with a 160 if that's helpful, too.

I work full time, so my strategy was to study for an hour or so in the morning and then finish up and/or review for 30ish mins after work. The morning really was key for me because it was quiet and I put in earplugs to study. I think this helped me get used to the silence of the noise-cancelling headphones and I eventually associated it with "focus mode". I would take PTs on Saturday mornings (which is when I took the real test) and take Sundays to chill and review.

I took the test in a center and that went really smoothly. I tried to focus on staying calm and remembering one or two things that tend to trip me up (missing key words, some conditional lawgic words).

Honestly, I have always been a confident test taker. So, I am not sure if this advice is all that helpful, but I hope it was!!

@emmanator6 I've been taking a break! But I'm also hoping to not need to take it again. (Fingers Crossed!!)

I think it depends on the person! Personally, conditional logic is still my toughest question type, so I will still scratch it out on paper to feel more confident. But I am also a person who usually ends up with 5-10 mins to look over my answers, which is usually when I go back and take the time to diagram in detail on paper.

That keeps me from stressing about wasting time while still allowing me to be confident on a tough question type for me.

I really didn't think Podhoretz counted as a theorist. BOOOO.

I thought C was correct because Passage A sort of provides counterexamples to the critics that say attending sports destroys their value and Passage B definitely provides counterexamples to the claim that sports aren't legit aesthetic experiences.

However, that they are "widely accepted" I can admit is questionable. If you accept that Podhoretz is a theorist, AC B is clearly the best choice.

I was stuck between B and C. I eliminated C because it says "they" (as in the plants) release enough carbon dioxide to substantially increase the CO2. I thought that didn't have to be true (which is correct). However, given the question stem, this doesn't make the AC wrong.

Additionally, in AC B, I missed the differentiation between very slowly and more slowly in the stimulus. I think I also just thought that this AC connected more things and was therefore more likely to be correct given my knowledge of other MSS questions.

Now though, I see that AC C is a more clear cut, defendable AC than B.

I work full time, too! The biggest thing that helped me was waking up earlier to put in an hour/hour and a half. My evenings are full of cooking, debriefing, or extra long work hours. Switching to mornings has made me 1,000x more consistent.

For me, this can be a question type I still struggle with. So, I like to write out the chain and give my best answer within a minute or so and flag the question. Then, if there's time at the end, I like to come back and really double check my lawgic mapping and answer. But that's just me! I've seen most people recommend not using the scratch paper at all.

@Lidiia I work full time, so I am studying for about 1-2 hours per day, seven days a weeks. On the weekends, I take my preptest and then review on Sunday! I switched to morning study sessions which has helped with my focus and consistency a lot.

@businessgoose For me, I was doubtful of 7Sage's claim that you rely on intuition when taking the actual exam. However, as I have continued my studying, I would say that has definitely proven to be true!

I have also been switching up my technique when going back to flagged questions at the end. I kept missing key words. So, when I go back, I make myself read the stim again and then read EACH WORD of the AC. This has helped me latch on to things that make certain ACs wrong.

I also have been using foam earplugs (which they allow you to use during the actual test) and those have helped with my focus immensely. Highly recommend!

@dede Honestly, I have tended to miss a few more on RC than LR. So this one felt like a bit of a fluke. For me, I have always loved reading anything, so staying focused is not an issue. My main problem has been timing. The key for me has been learning when to flag and come back to it. Then, when I have a couple minutes remaining at the end, I like to force myself to read each word of the question and ACs. Gamechanger! I kept missing Qs because of one tiny word in AC.

@OneillGC I started in October last year, but took a break during November because of a house fire and again in February because of illness/burnout. Take breaks when you need to, but stay consistent when you can!

Change it back! Sometimes I want to switch to unlimited time so I can slow down and regain focus. Or just switch it up.

YAY! I made it :)