I plateaued around 168 and did PT65 this Wednesday (six sections).

I finally break 170 (this is my 6th PT) and scored 174 (with a BR score 179)!!!!

Here is my breakdown:

-2 LR (BR -2; still haven't figured out "the domesticated animal problem")

-1 LG (BR -0; caught my mistake during PT but did not have enough time to change)

-6 RC (BR -2 still need to work on RC)

-0 LR (my best LR so far!!!! really excited!!)

Do trust yourself (I basically gave up the hope of getting a 170 before September) and the process (it usually took me 1.5 days to finish BR and listen to JY's explanations; i have to admit BR is a painful process) .

I also find using a clean copy to BR a much better method!

Hello fellow sagers,

I'm looking for advice from people who have been on the same boat and who have ideally gotten out of it successfully by doing (x).

I am consistently scoring +70-72 which is anywhere from 157-159. I am aiming to break 160 but I know on test day there's a high possibility to miss a few more points vs during PT's at home... Thus, I want to be consistently earning 80 points per practice test.

I have been BR'ing very intensely and the only thing I seem to be consistent in is LG's. For some tests my RC is very low (-12) while the other sections make up for it, in other tests, I get -3 on one LR section and -11 on another LR. I attribute the discrepancies in LR to unfamiliar stimulus vs the cookie cutter ones I get correct and have seen time and time again. My RC usually never exceeds (-7) therefore, I know this is something I should be doing more timed sections in.

I am reaching out for advice because I don't really know how to best utilize the last couple weeks before test day. Maybe investing in a private tutor would help? If any of you have seen one or have a good method of how to go about what I've discussed, I'd really appreciate any feedback!

Thank you,

Stephanie

Hi All,

I remember being able to print off prep tests on 7sage the last time I logged in (about 2 months ago) under Course - Syllabus but I can't seem to find them anymore. Are they taken off from the website now? If not, where can I go to find them? Thanks for your help in advance!!

Hi all,

I hope all of your studies are going well! I'm writing to ask about any tips for the final climb (presumably the hardest one) from a 165 to 170+. I'm still registered for the September LSAT, but I'm thinking of either taking it and canceling it OR just taking it again come December.

My LSAT journey has been long and turbulent, and I'm ready to just MOVE ON with my life come December. That said, I'm almost there. I've been consistently scoring 165 with the occasional 170 or so, which have been rare but also on the "easier" tests with a more generous curve, or I get lucky with a really easy LG/RC section. My BR scores are nearly perfect -- almost always a 180, and a few 177-178s. Any ideas on how to close the gap?

My score breakdown is as follows:

LR (-3 to -5 per section)

LG (-0 to -2)

RC (-2 to -8)

As you can see, my range for RC is ridiculous. On a good day, I can score -1 or -2, but on a bad day, I can miss as many as 8. I am STILL running out of time for some RC sections -- at the 5 minute mark, I'm either halfway through the last passage, or just starting it and rush through the questions. So any tips on STABILIZING RC scores would be much appreciated.

I've also been studying part-time, so the sheer fact of not being able to dedicate 8 hours a day to studying may be a factor. I have the option of taking off of work for two months starting in September. It would be good to know if this would be a worthwhile endeavor.

If you know of any tips to really gain those last few points, please share! I'd be eternally grateful.

Thank you in advance!

Hey all! I find that whenever I do RC (and sometimes even during LR) I feel panicky and rushed which causes me to not absorb what I'm reading properly. This only happens to me on timed PTs as during BR or when I'm not under time constraints I can read the passages fine and get the questions right. Also this doesn't happen to me during LG as I feel much calmer during that section haha. Does this happen to anyone else? Or does anyone have any tips on how to stop this and calm down when reading?

Thanks everyone :)

Do the early LR sections (PTs 10 - 20) seem a little more difficult than the sections in the later PTs? I find the language in the stimulus for many questions to be a little convoluted. Is that just me?

I am using the early PTs for drilling but I'm getting more questions wrong per section than for the most recent tests. I really want to write in December and I have limited time to study, so trying to figure out if I should keep going or ditch the early PTs.

Thanks!

Hello! I've been practicing timing with a Timex watch but I find that the seconds hand ticks waaaay too loudly for my peace of mind. I can usually zone it out but I'd rather not have to focus on doing that. My current watch also lacks a bezel so I want to rectify that situation as well. I was wondering if anyone has a recommendation on a watch (with a bezel) where the seconds hand doesn't tick loudly? Preferably silently? Trying not to spend too much $ here but also want a solid watch for test day. I also don't care if it's a men's or women's watch, how it looks doesn't really matter to me as long as the face/numbers/hands are clear.

Hi All,

Quick question--we routinely refer to our current "PT average." I know J.Y. must have addressed this somewhere in the CC (I went and looked for the video and could not find it, so maybe I'm making that up), but what constitutes our "average"? Most recent 5 PTs? 10? All of them?

Also, what's the standard outcome regarding performance on test day? I vaguely remember someone (J.Y. maybe?) saying that you can expect to score +3 or -3, depending on how you personally handle pressure and nerves.

Just want to get a realistic range of what I can expect come September. Thanks in advance!

Hi All,

As the title states, I'm torn on whether or not to take the February or June LSAT. I'm out of undergrad and working full time, planning on applying to schools in 2018-19 and enrolling Fall '19.

That said, I've been studying a decent amount (comparable to a light jog) for the past few weeks with the idea of ramping up to a full sprint for about 3-4 months.

I've taken a blind diagnostic and got a 150, and then took a prep test after studying for a few weeks and got a 155.

Any insight on when to take the test would be greatly appreciated!

Just took this PT and got wrecked... like... 13 points lower than how I did on PT 72. My last 4 or 5 PTs have all fallen within a 5 point spread, but this one pretty much matches my initial starting point with no studying :O :(

Did anybody else find this one particularly hard? I recognized I was struggling with LG as it was happening but I also got really low scores on LR, which are usually my most consistent sections. Any insights? HALP.

So.... I'm having a hard time finishing more than 17-19 Questions in LR Sections and about 15 in RC.... I always thought I was a fast reader... until now :( .. How do I become faster at reading all of this and yet have time to answer the questions?

English IS my second language, but still I'm a faster reader than some of my american friends... so I'm not sure if that has something to do with me not being able to read fast enough for LSAT.... Its really stressful... How did you guys become fast in those sections???

So, I signed up for the September LSAT and although I have been studying for a couple months, I know I won't be ready. I have a 3.8 GPA and right now am around a 157 LSAT score. I may increase it a little before the test, but I think it's time I make the decision to postpone until December. Do you guys think I'm making the right call on this? Just wanted some insight before making the final decision.

Thanks!

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I will preface this post by saying for most of my life race/ethnicity was not a big part of my identity, nor did I really research or probe my parents about my ancestry. My parents are both from the Philippines, so naturally in Undergrad admissions I merely put "Asian" as my race.

However, throughout college my ethnic background and ancestry has become more important to me. In fact, my personal statement will be about how my family's immigrant history pushed me to pursue law.

I found out that my ethnic background isn't just purely Filipino. I always sort of knew this, my dad doesn't look Filipino at all and my mom is more pale-skinned.

My dad is what Filipinos call a "mestizo-pinoy" - 1/2 Spanish (from Spain), 1/2 Filipino. My mom is 1/2 Chinese, 1/2 Filipino.

I mean my dad literally gets mistaken for purely Hispanic (he has really really curly hair and pale white skin). Our mixed genetics has made all my brothers look very different - one looks Mexican, one like a Hapa, one like an Italian, and then me - the most Chinese looking one.

To mark my application as just Asian - Filipino/Chinese feels wrong. It's not an accurate portrayal of what my ethnicity really is, nor is it what I identify as.

But how do I mark "Spanish?" Caucasian? Hispanic? Also, while the U.S. Census Bureau's understanding of the definition of "Hispanic" is those Latin American countries or other countries that speak Spanish, others define it as those countries that were colonized by Spain and had resulting Spanish influence. The Philippines, a country that was colonized by the Spaniards, has pretty evident Spanish influence (a high level of Catholocism, the food, even people's names (dad's name is Alberto, mom's is Trinidad (Spanish for Trinity)), and is grouped in as being a Hispanic nation according to non-Census standards.

Because of that, I personally identify as having come from a Hispanic country, but this is currently incongruous with the U.S. Census Bureau's definition.

If it were up to what I personally identify as, I would 100% put Hispanic. However, I'm worried this will look disingenuous to the admission's officers or the LSAC in general. I'm contemplating sending an e-mail directly to the LSAC to lay all my cards on the table and get a decision with some finality.

But what do you all think? What should I mark my ethnicity as? Especially mentors/people working for 7Sage. I could really use the advice!

Thanks in advance.

When I go to print PT 81 out, the cover says "Sept 2017". While it would be amazing to see the entire Sept test before I take it, I think we have a clerical error here.

@"Dillon A. Wright"

Hello all,

After finishing the CC and attempting about 5-6 PTs , I noticed I was still hovering around 158-160 so I revisited the CC and that same day, decided to take PT41 untimed and scored a 166. Huge confidence boost because that's the highest I've ever scored (June test scored a 156 so 166 is quite the improvement). I've done a few more untimed PTs after that thinking that perhaps it was a timing issue but still have returned back to the 160 score :( my motivation is a little shot because it's a little frustrating to know that I may be capable of scoring 166 but keep on scoring in the low 160s... My goal for Sept is to PT at least 165+.

The PTs besides PT41 (post and pre) have been around -8 to -9 on RC, -6 each on LR and 0 to -2 on LG. I know my RC needs work and I've adopted the no notation strategy and have noticed a slight improvement in comprehension and understanding the questions a bit better. The Infer Author Perspective is usually the ones that I get wrong though. For LR, I've noticed a huge improvement in understanding after revisiting the CC but the questions I now get wrong are usually the level 4 or 5 difficulty questions (usually flaw or parallel flaw). Also, I've noticed I struggle a bit more with principle questions, does anyone have any tips to proceed with these?

PT41 was -4 on each LR, -6 on RC and -2 on LG.

So close yet so far away! Help :'(

Hi guys,

It was just as I has predicted. I have a Below Average evaluation. That is tantamount to a D.

I seriously need some opinion/advice on whether or not to apply to law school at all even if I get a good LSAT score.

A D evaluation will be regarded as not passing by law schools, so I think my application will go to the bin regardless of LSAT scores.

I am targeting T3/4 law schools, but those won't be possible and might be a long shot.

Advice much needed.

I've heard repeatedly on this forum and others that someone should expect to drop 3 or 4 points from their Testing average on the actual test day (because of nerves, new environment, etc).

I just want to suggest that this is a really self-defeating thought to have in your mind. I'm not saying don't be prepared to potentially do worse, but also don't go in assuming a 3 to 4 point drop in score. I've met at least 5 people that have told me they PEAKED on test day. That is, they scored their highest on test day, sometimes 2 or 3 points over their normal prep test score.

I'm not saying you should go in assuming you will score 2-3 points higher on test day, but I would suggest orienting oneself around a goal of peak performance instead of an assumption of dropping points.

The mind is a powerful thing.

Consider an Olympic athlete. Many athletes have "Peak" performance on the actual day of the Olympics, getting better and faster times than they ever did in practice. Some get nervous and do worse. Point is, it can go either way. I'd aim for thinking about Test Day as your peak day.

Of course work hard and get the best average score you can before test day, and be prepared for anything, but go into the test aiming to peak.

Just my 2 cents.

Hi, can someone please tell me which PTs have five sections? I checked that PT 72 doesn't. I have only been doing PTs with four sections so far.

Hello 7sagers - good luck to those taking the upcoming September LSAT! I'm having some trouble coming up with a personal statement topic. Does talking about my college athletic career and the characteristics/traits its developed in me an overused topic? I've thought about taking the angle of how I went into college with an idea of how my career would turn out, how it didn't, and what I learned from that and how it lead me to pursue a legal career. Thoughts?

So i sparingly take PTs, i see a huge benefit in taking timed sections bc of the ability to BR directly after and to work on skipping, implementing section strategies, and a multitude of other reasons. I take a PT every 1.5 to 2 weeks.

I was wondering if it is indicative of my score if i were to calculate my overall score for those individual timed sections?

My average on the timed sections is a 172.

I would just calculate my PT scores, but i dont really have enough tests to properly average. Iv taken 5 PTs in the past 2 months but they are so spaced out my first was a 160,166,174,173,169 (165 which im not counting due to circumstances) . The most recent was 3 weeks ago bc i took some time off and am working on a perfected skipping strategy.

Thoughts on split up sections vs timed PTs?

For months now I have been scoring virtually perfectly on logical reasoning, missing 1 to 3 questions on reading and endeavoring to avoid all out disaster on logic games.

I have been progressing through the tests and took PT's 70 and 71 this morning. I recieved a 175 and 176 respectively. The overall score was fine. I'm retaking a 172 and a 175 or 176 is about the neighborhood of score that I am hoping for.

The strange part was that on both tests I was perfect on Games and Reading. All my mistakes came on LR. I just had my best ever logic games and reading comp combination on a test and then sat down and did it again. But both times I ended up right in my normal range overall because I had my worst logical reasoning test in months twice in a row.

Anyways, I caught most of the logical reasoning mistakes in blind review. But, at this point I'm suddenly no longer confident of a couple point increase over my 172. It feels like I could get anything from a score lower than a 170 up to a 180. After all, my LR's could return to their norm and the logic games could maintain this new level or my games could return to their norm and my LR sections could stay in their slump from today.

Maybe tests 70 and 71 were different? Maybe I was in the mood for games? I'll see what it's like tommorow.

I was really planning to cram in as many PT's as I can through this weekend and just prep by reviewing them while I'm in school which starts next week for me. So there isn't much time for much of a fix other than to review all of the LR problems with even more attention.

Has anyone else experienced such a flip in which sections are their strengths? How did you settle it if you did?

So some of you may have seen a discussion I posted about a week ago saying, "I'm never going to get this so what's our worst case scenario lbr." I got some encouragement from our 7sage community and also my husband and friends - took a day off, and got back to it! The update is I just drilled 5 assorted games in 33 minutes and went -3, but -0 in BR. Considering last week I went -13 on two games in 35 minutes, that is a MAJOR improvement. How did I do it? I allowed myself to go slowly (I know, whattttttt), as slowly as I needed to. I watched the videos and did about 4 or 5 games PER day minimum, all different. I wouldn't say I had an epiphany one day, I'd equate it to more of a slow adjustment to a cold swimming pool. But the point is, it can be done. Diligence, patience, and being kind to yourself - these are so important. I used the test question bank as well as some prep test sections and drilled until one day I used a stopwatch and lo and behold I was clocking in less than 7 minutes per game. You can do it! You will do it! Actually, you HAVE to do it! So don't get discouraged, hold your head high, and you'll live to infer another day. (3 (3(/p)

I'll receive a study buddy request, approve it, then click on the message icon to contact them and then I'll get an error message saying the user doesn't exist. This has happened about 3 times so far. Anyone else having the problem?

I really need a strategy that works in terms of doing logic games. I did exceptionally well on logic games a year ago, however I basically have plummeted and now need to re-learn everything since I didn't end up writing the LSAT due to personal reasons.

Is there a strategy people have found that works for them?

So far this is what I have been doing in terms of the Fool-proof method:

Do a timed game.

BR.

Watch video explanation.

Do timed game again.

Repeat steps 2-3 if needed.

Do the same game again the next day and once again a week after to see if I still got it.

I found this shortened method in a previous discussion post, but can't seem to find the link.

I was just wondering how many games I should do a day, since I am still doing the CC so I can't focus entirely on logic games right now but still want to keep the strategies fresh since I have already completed the Powerscore LG Bible workbook and it helped a lot!!!

Totally recommend it to anyone who is struggling with LG.

We were oversubscribed.

There will be another one soon—and we'll post a recording of tonight's. Stay tuned!

[Edit]

Recording of the session here:

https://classic.7sage.com/webinar/personal-statement-workshop/