@ said:
Hello everyone,
I’m feeling a little down. I just took my second prep test today and scored a 140. I’ve been studying for the LSAT for almost a year now. I started with Kaplan and took two real LSAT tests. On my first one I scored a 141 and on the second one I scored a 146. Not great. Then I decided to start with 7Sage and give it another try but so far I am not seeing a huge difference (not saying that the course is bad cause so far it’s been great). I even quit my full time job recently to take a break and fully focus on studying and practicing for the LSAT which I will be re-taking in November 2019. I usually understand the material and I do great in the practice assessments after each session, but for some reason when it comes to taking the actual prep test or even the real test, the timing messes me up and I have a hard time focusing. If anyone has any helpful advice on how to improve or tips to apply when taking the test please let me know.
I know it's hard and mentally draining. I've broken down so many times with this test. I have the same experience as well. I've been studying for about a year too with a full time job. Sat for the test two times, with one cancellation and one real score of 148. I was devastated and ashamed. I've fallen down a lot of times. I've wanted to give up so many times.
But you just gotta push through!!!! You will get there. Be patient with yourself. It's okay to not score well right away. Keep doing PTs. Keep practicing. You will see improvements. If you get a low PT, it's okay!! BR the shit out of that PT. Make sure you truly understand why you got the questions wrong. Blind Reviewing is a really good studying method. I just took a PT last night and scored a 158.
Reading and posting the 7sage forum have helped me mentally too. It's comforting to hear that other people are struggling too and not just you. Join a study group. Have people to keep you accountable. Study until you're ready to take the test to sign up. Don't just schedule for the test and think that you will ready.
Feel free to DM me if you ever feel down and we can encourage each other!! Hang in there.
@ said:
I had the same problem. It took me a long time before I could even take a practice timed exam because my brain would freeze up and it killed my concentration. I feel like this exam is equally a mental as well as a skills test and these two go hand in hand.
I started researching how to focus under pressure and I came across a lot of insights from professional athletes who could "get in the zone." This is where you need to be to master this test. I've learned that on sections I perform my best at, my mind is 100% in the zone. Most notable I think is Tiger Woods who's arguably the best golfer because of his extreme focusing ability. He said his dad used to train him to focus under an intense amount of distraction which is why he can block things out and perform so well under pressure.
And when you can block everything out, you can focus and perform your best - you can allow your skills and intuition to actually work for you. This also requires you to cultivate a relaxed state of mind which goes into more terrain. This test is hard because it's inherently stressful and it demands you stay in a state of mental relaxation in order to perform the best.
I spent nearly a year mastering extreme focus and concentration through mindfulness and meditation, primarily for this exam. You have to train your mind to not react emotionally to the clock or to questions that trip you up. That's not easy. It's an emotional response to allow the time to distract us. This was for me the hardest thing to work on with the LSAT because it felt out of my control - but it's not. And although my score on the last test wasn't what I wanted, I was happy with the fact that I was able to go into the exam and put everything out of my mind without any anxiety and just perform. To that extent, I called it a win.
I recommend practicing meditation and mindfulness to cultivate intense focus and concentration which is ultimately what you need if you're having trouble with the clock. Also, let go of any fear of failure which usually causes test anxiety. As you get better and improve your skills, your confidence will also improve which will make it easier to concentrate as well when the clock turns on. Hope this helps.
This is a great answer!
How bad is it that I'm PTing with my Macbook Pro instead of Surface tablet???
Hi you guys,
I'm starting to freak out about the upcoming March test. The anxiety is kicking in. I feel like there's not enough time in the day to study. I'm still not hitting my target scores. I'm still struggling with LG. I just need some pick me ups right now. :( Is anyone else feeling this way?
@ said:
Hi there,
I prepared solely on my laptop as well, and I thought the transition to the tablet was really quite seamless! If you use the LSAC familiarization tool, the format is truly identical, with the caveat that the screen will obviously be smaller. If you really want to account for this, you could just downsize the browser on your laptop a bit. You also get time at the beginning to set up all of your preferences before launching into the actual test, and it takes you through a tutorial, as well.
Other than that, they give you a stylus that co-functions as a pen. I used the stylus sometimes, but also found using your fingers and clicking was easy, as well.
That's great to hear that we can set up our preferences beforehand! I was worried about that! Thanks for letting us know. What center did you take it at?
I understand the worry of running of PT; I used to think the same thing, but you won't. There are so many, lol. I used to hate doing PT because it was such a commitment and it just seemed soooo arduous. But now, that's pretty much my main form of study.
Now that you've completed the course. You need to practice and practice and practice. You need to practice being in the testing setting, sitting for three hours, know what questions to skip, time management, and a lot more. The more I do PTs, the more I feel comfortable about the whole thing. You can do it!
@ said:
How was the Irvine Marriott test center in the end? I read this post on Reddit about a horrible experience some test-takers had in June 2017 so hoping things have changed
Shit! Are you serious?! I was stuck with Irvine Marriot when signing up for the November test!
@ said:
Hello everyone,
I am signed up for the November and the January LSAT. Was hoping to hit a 162-165 November but my last PT indicates that I may not be ready.
That being said, would anyone have a 2-3 month study plan that they’ve used or perhaps some advice?
Some context on me, my BR is at my target score but my timed score isn’t. I finished CC a while ago. For the past few months I’ve been revisiting the CC and redoing questions and also taking timed PTs here and there. Since August I’ve taken 3 PTS only since I felt I wasn’t ready for most of them.
I’ve also been redoing difficult games.
My main problem during PTs is that I get thrown off by a few questions and it just throws me off for the rest of the PT.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!
I'm in the same boat! Following.
Hi, I'm in California, but would love to have someone keep me accountable. I've sat for the LSAT two times and hopefully November will be my last.
Congrats! Any tips or advice to get us there???
Ugh. This was so good to read. It's so comforting to hear that there are other people out there where their target score isn't 170+.
Congratulations. I am so happy you are done with this shitz! Please let us know how your application process goes!
What kind of pen and scratch paper did you guys receive to do LG?
@ said:
JY's mentions that one of the biggest mistakes is to register ahead of time and study until the registered date. He suggests that students do the opposite, so study until you are ready, and THEN pick a date. I've done the former, and I can vouch that it's very stressful to register for an exam and realize you're not ready for it. This leads to a waste of an attempt because you feel obligated to go test, since its already registered.
I highly suggest studying until you're ready and then picking a date.
This is so true!!
Thank you for sharing this.
Just want to say congrats and that's amazing!
I'm in California, and would love to join in.
This is on point of how I feel.
@ said:
Anyone who unlocks the solution to this conundrum will be a very rich human (or very popular with 7Sagers) LOL. I think practice practice practice would be the solution, although I know that is what you do not want to hear. You can take solace in the fact that you are probably testing quite high on your BR, which means that you fundamentally understand the concepts, but time is your limiting factor. I'm in the same boat, I BR at like 175 but am usually 10-12 points below that under timed conditions. I feel your pain!!
practice practice practice!!! I hate it, but it's the troooooth.
@ said:
Everyone makes this rookie mistake. I even did. Do not take the test first. Do not take the test after just minimal study, either. I know what you're thinking. You're a smart cookie. Always aced ever test you ever encountered. Never had issues in school at all.
This is nothing like that. You will not just do surprisingly well and be done without having done any prep. This is a special kind of hell that you have probably never encountered before. And the LSAT will make you think you are doing great, as you choose every single trap answer. And then you will have used up one of your tests, which matters even more now that limits have been reinstated.
As someone who has been there: Study. Put off the test until your timed PT's are within the range you want to score. Preferably, higher than you want to score. Then go. If it takes two or three years (especially because you're still in school), it takes that long. Trust me: this is fine. Fairly normal, actually.
This is the best answer. And we only arrive here after committing this rookie mistake ourselves!
How long have you been studying? It's normal to study a year for this test!! Fool proof the LGs. Have you gone through the course? Do you truly understand the concept?
Is doing LG on scratch paper different from doing LG directly on its page? Any tips or advice?