@ said:

I just got accepted into the University of South Carolina School of Law Class of 2023!! You would be hard-pressed to find a more excited 62 y.o. right now! Press on everyone!!

Congrats, that's awesome!! 🎉

No problem! :)

Thanks for the shoutout @!

@, I've created study plans with other students plenty of times so I'm happy to help! My rates are the same as on the Approved Tutor's Page that @ linked to, so feel free to PM me if you're interested!

Thanks for the shoutout @ ! :blush:

I agree with @ about finding the right fit for tutoring! Definitely check out the tutoring page and read the bios to see whose background/story/tutoring-style you connect with. If you end up being interested in tutoring with me, feel free to send me a message or an email!

It really depends on the school so you'll have to check what your university says. There's an ongoing reddit thread for updates:

https://www.reddit.com/r/LawSchool/comments/ha8xwg/tracking_fall_2020_remote_or_inperson_learning/

I believe more people would choose to defer than withdraw (since you'd have to apply all over again if you did). I'm also guessing law school applications will increase in the coming years as people choose to go back to school following the economic downturn, so it might be rough to re-compete against what I'd imagine to be a larger pool of applicants.

I would do all of the in-lesson quizzes, but leave some of the actual problem sets for later. Since the problem sets tend to increase in difficulty, if you're struggling a bit more with the lesson I recommend going in order one by one until you you're feeling more familiar with the material (e.g. problem sets 1-5 out of 10). Totally fine if you end up going through all of them, too. If you're feeling good with the lesson, I would skip through a bit so you get to experience the range of difficulty (e.g. problem sets 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 out of 10).

I feel like this is risky enough (with students complaining that both answers are right) that LSAC wouldn't give both in the same question unless the stimulus matched one exactly. But if I had to pick I'd lean towards (1). In the end A --> B, B--> C is just A --> C. If we then erroneously say C, therefore A, it's generally the same as the stimulus since we're affirming the necessary condition in both cases.

I tended to write it down! If it was a super simple passage with a basic structure and clear main ideas, I'd sometimes just keep it in my head. But it was reassuring to write it down (especially recommended if you're someone who tends to forget or mix-up information under pressure), and it didn't actually take much time in practice. Just make sure you don't spend too much time deciding on what to write for your low-res; you want to get proficient at coming up with it quickly regardless of whether you choose to keep it in your head or write it down.

Edit: On a side note I never used to annotate/highlight anything else (so the only writing I did was the low-res)

Definitely don't let it get to you! One-off score drops are pretty normal.

For now I recommend just reviewing effectively to figure out what went wrong (hopefully your BR score didn't change much from your average BR?), drilling, and taking your next test when you've ironed out any issues.

If you continue to see drops in your score, definitely reassess. You might just need a short break from the that point.

But for now I definitely wouldn't worry about a single data point!

I definitely believe retakes are valuable and can highlight true improvement. However, the variance you might see from even vaguely remembering two or three questions isn’t as insignificant as it may seem, even if you saw the test over ten months ago. Especially with high scores, one or two questions can take you from the 160s into the 170s; slight recall could mean extra time for another question that you may not otherwise have had the chance to tackle effectively, and there might be other factors that are harder to measure or less noticeable, but still benefit you in a way you won't be helped with a fresh test.

That said, one thing you might try to compensate for the retake score inflation is to give yourself less time with retakes, like 30-33 minutes instead of the standard 35. This won’t completely address having seen questions before, but it will add a little bit of difficulty and will also help you improve your overall pacing through sections for fresh PTs.

In the end, retakes are incredibly valuable for further improving your skills--it's telling when you miss the same question(s) again and again, familiar subject matter means you can focus on question structure and quickly outline cookie-cutter stimuli/trap answers, and it's helpful in improving your timing. The score is the least 'useful' part of a retake.

This is awesome!!

@ said:

@ thanks for this great advice!

I'm actually doing my fourth take, too! I took a couple years off in between and I'm applying to law school this cycle. I'm retaking in a couple of weeks and going to take PTs in the 60s that I haven't seen in a while given your advice.

I also only saw PT81 on one of my actual test days so haven't seen it in like 2 years. Will take that one this week. Then, next week I'm going to crank out my last unseen PT - PT88 - in preparation for the actual exam on Nov 25.

I'm solid on LG, RC I always miss a few (but let's face it, RC has gotten harder and I'm willing to lose a few points there), so I really need to minimize my LR mistakes. I'm going to go back over all the LR questions I missed. I think that's a good strategy.

HUGE THANK YOU!!

Of course! Good luck on November!!

@ said:

@ got an amazing score with only retakes leading up to the last exam, so im sure they could offer some great advice

Thanks for the shoutout! 😊

Yeah, I only had retakes left between my third and fourth takes, and they were incredibly valuable. I did a mix of drilling LR questions I'd missed before and retaking full-length exams. Some (maybe most?) questions/exams I was seeing again for the third or fourth time.

Like @ said, you can focus on the structure and patterns within retake questions. When I missed retake question again, it became clear that it was a question I needed to work on more intensively than I had the first time. A good grasp of the pattern meant that I could see beyond the subject matter and recognize that "new" questions were just the same old same old with different flavoring; it became even easier to focus on completing the task and to not get bogged down by the extra stuff LSAC adds to make their basic arsenal of questions seem new or difficult.

A big note though is to not put a lot of stock in your retake scores. They're a good general benchmark of relative progress, but are almost always inflated. Another tip is to up the challenge a bit by giving yourself 30-32 minutes/section instead of a full 35 minutes, just to compensate a tiny bit for having seen the exam before (especially with exams you've taken more recently).

@, @

I don't remember exactly what I said anymore, but I know I got to a point where I felt so good with the form/mechanics that they turned into instinct that I could use in stressful situations--almost like learned reflexes. At the same time, if all else failed, I had the mechanics to solve the problem more systematically (like if I felt frozen and my instincts weren't taking over--hopefully, you get to a point of comfort and confidence with this test that this rarely happens).

To put it simply, in the beginning of prep I tell students to step away from intuition because it's often wrong (founded more on assumptions than on sound logic). But you rebuild your intuition as you get better with the test, until your "gut feeling" now rests on the deeper understanding you have from digging into (hundreds of) problems.

I always used to BR LG the same day as my test, and get started on RC (1-2 passages depending on how tired I am) before finishing up the next day. I rarely finished BR the same day I took a PT--and only later in my prep when I had very few questions I need to BR. But even then, I sometimes took two days so I could get away from the test a bit.

If you're clean-copy BR-ing (where you do every single question again, i.e. a blank test), then I strongly recommend two days, maybe even three if you need it. I recommend clean-copy BR-ing consistently earlier in prep, and intermittently (once everey 3-4 tests) thereafter.

If you're just BR-ing the questions you circled, probably two days.

Congrats!! :blush:

@ said:

@ Thanks for the comment! For drilling, do you recommend reusing PTs I have already taken or new ones?

For drilling, I'd always stick with retakes (full PTs, or individuals sections or questions, whatever my focus is for that drill) and questions/sections from PTs 1-35. No need to burn through new tests!

Hey! This test can definitely be mentally draining, but in your case I honestly think you just need some time to get used to this test.

You can, of course, practice by drilling 2-3 sections back to back during the week, but PT-ing a couple of tests more will likely get you in the groove with this test either way. Also, I found that as I got better with questions the test felt less and less draining because I could just get through it more comfortably.

For concentration specifically, I recommend meditation or some other activity that helps you feel calm. I used to (and mostly continue to) meditate once a day and to go for a 20-45 minute walk or a 2-3 mile run before PTs because it just helped get me in a "zone."

Imma echo @ haha! Looking forward to a full course!

Before I start I need to say that I highly, highly doubt that the individual questions on the flex are easier--they're supposed to be from undisclosed exams.

But I do agree with others in that the length of the flex exam likely makes stamina less of an issue. I know when I was studying a part of my prep was actively working on my mentality/stamina. So things like purposefully organizing my PT in a way that would kill my energy on the real exam (RC-LR-LR-break-LG or RC-LR-RC-break-LG-LR) or be distracting (testing in libraries, noisy coffee shops, home with silence, home with the tv on) because who knew what the environment would be like. I was also one of those nervous people who practiced getting to the test center without my phone via the subway (lol), and prepared enough extra sharpened pencils to make the proctor question if I'd robbed a stationary store, etc etc, so maybe I'm not a good example. But I do know plenty of other people who worked on their stamina, too, like taking a test after a long work day or two exams back-to-back (I really, really don't recommend that though!). But now I wonder how much does stamina actually impact scores?

Of course, I think mental and emotional fatigue are a part of the flex test, too (or any important test, for that matter).I think you still benefit greatly by organizing and scheduling your PTs/PT environment in a way that's representative of your real exam, even for the flex, but you don't need to plan so much around the length of the test anymore.

I wonder if the LSAC would even need to go back to a full-on 4-section/5-section test post-pandemic (unless they need an experimental section for new questions). What will they say then to justify a draining 3-hour exam?

In the end I've never taken the flex and I resonate with the people saying each question is worth more on the shorter exam--that's still incredibly stressful. I personally don't know if I'd score differently on a flex vs non-flex, and would wonder if the score difference (if any) would be minimized as you get into the higher score ranges where each question has a bigger "point" impact regardless.

Anyway, just my ramblings! Some of my classmates and I were talking about this. I realized I don't have strong opinions about it except on the stamina front. The test is still a challenging, emotional roller coaster 😂 Keep at it y'all got this!

I just want to echo what others have said here--retakes are incredibly valuable! In my case, my final jump from a 168 to a 174 was completely with retakes (some exams/sections I retook for the third or fourth time) because I'd burned through all my PTs by then. So I strongly, strongly advocate retaking old exams.

Later, as you fill in the gaps in your knowledge and improve your skills with this exam, you can intermittently take new PTs (while continuing with retakes) to better benchmark your progress.

Also recommend PTs 1-35 for foolproofing and drilling! There's been a resurgence of misc LG in recent exams similar to the ones in 1-35, and the RC from those exams are also notably difficult and solid practice for the RC in recent exams.

Hey,

We're not admissions consultants so I would reach out to one of the 7Sage consultants directly since they'll be able to give you more reliable advice imo!

But that said, I definitely think a GPA addendum would be a good idea; you made a mistake (took on more than you could chew, let's say. Also sports + hard subjects is a compelling explanation unlike sports + any random class), accepted responsibility and learned from it, and have improved since. I wouldn't include the bit about extra classes to boost your GPA though. Saying that you graduated early is enough--admissions can make their own judgements about that.

Again, definitely reach out to a consultant. You could also post on Reddit's r/lawschooladmissions. There are a lot of people there so you might hear from people with similar experiences who've applied this cycle.

@ Thanks for the shoutout :blush:

@ @ I'm happy to help if you're still interested in tutoring sessions! Feel free to message me anytime :)

@ said:

My tips for RC:

First, I ask myself “why” while I read each paragraph. Why is this author saying this? What’s the point?

Next, after reading each paragraph make a quick mental summary of what it is saying. Think big picture and function instead of details. For example: para 1. “Background of artist”

para 2. “Support for why she is unique”

para 3. “Critics’ opinion opposing viewpoint of para 2”

para 4. “Rebuttal of criticism and author opinion”

While reading, make mental notes of the structural elements: who’s saying what, overall tone of the passage, etc... the big idea is to understand the structural and reasoning elements of the passage while retaining enough to know where to look to find information for those pesky specific questions. RC is one if the hardest to gain points with in my experience but I was able to go from -10 to -4 average by focusing on the above.

Also, I never write any notes or highlight and I only read each passage once. The key is to make sure you are understanding those big picture items as you read.

Wanted to say exactly this! It's what I do as well. Go through each passage paragraph by paragraph and focus on the broader main idea of each paragraph, how the paragraphs connect to each other, and what the author is trying to highlight. In the end, these ideas will culminate into the main point. Always pause to think about tone at the end as well. If you ever get stuck when reading, that's okay, just note what lines you're confused on, accept the ambiguity, and move on. The gap might be filled in later, but it might not even come up. Either way, there isn't much point wasting time on it now.

One thing I would add is, the first time through the questions pretend that the passage doesn't exist. Just use your low-res summaries (I recommend writing these down on your scratch paper) and your memory. Spend time up-front, trust yourself, and do your best to eliminate ACs with just the knowledge you have. After that, you can focus on just the questions you need to when checking the passage. Avoid using the passage as a crutch to assuage self-doubt.

But like others have said here, this all takes practice. Good habits + practice and you'll definitely improve on RC!

I applied in September and most of my results came back in January-March. One school I applied to got back to me almost seven months later though so it can be a long haul.

Other than work, I read a lot of novels, caught up on shows my friends had recommended, got back into a couple of hobbies that I hadn't been as committed to while studying for the test. Also I spent more time with my close friends! It's a little hard now with everything going on, but it can be nice to check in on friends you might have not talked to in a while!

Either way I recommend doing what you enjoy when you have the time, since time is a luxury once school starts (assuming it isn't already!)