I've been reading a lot that most softs don't matter at all except in tie breaker situations. Is this true? I just did my LSAC GPA calculation and it dropped my GPA a whole point and a half (sigh) but I have extremely relevant work experience (negotiate contracts/represent individuals in arbitrations and employment hearings for a union) and military service. I'm kind of hoping that's still looked at, but the more I read on the subject the less important softs seem to be.

Simple question really, when can you register for the September 17 test? Since I'm fairly certain I want to take it in September I want to register early to get the testing center closest to me. Just wondering if anyone knows roughly around when registration opens.

After much deliberation, I have decided to attend the University Chicago Law School. I came really close to picking Notre Dame because they offered me a near full ride but as others have mentioned before, the doors that Chicago opens are just unmatched by most schools. The debt was a hard thing for me to move beyond but at the end of the day, I think it will all be worth it. I have heard people tell me that I am a dreamer but today that dream becomes a reality.

Hi everyone,

I'd like to share a RC strategy that's been working for me.

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHER SITES/ COMMUNITIES.

I'm just trying to give back to this community that has given me much.

Quick note about me:

When I first began the LSAT prep, I didn't think that I needed to focus on RC much, due to my arrogance.I majored in Political Science (Political Theory) and got a master's degree in humanities. I'm very used to critically reading and analyzing dense, complex materials. I also happened to get a perfect score on GRE verbal. I didn't have much trouble with the GRE RC passages, so I thought that my experience would be the same for the LSAT passages.

I was wrong.

When I first timed myself, I realized that I go over 10 min easily per passage, with 1+ wrong. I'd be missing on average 5 questions wrong per section, way over the allotted time. Since then, I have been studying and researching various RC strategies to help me, such as Nicole's webinar, Corey's active reading webinar and @"Cant Get Right" 's, (they were also super duper helpful. I really highly recommend watching them), some discussion postings from here (the posting from @theforms is also very helpful) , some from TSL, Mike Kim's trainer, etc.

After synthesizing my own strategy and using it, I am now consistently 2~3 min under with 0-2 wrong per section.

Here's my synthesized strategy from the various resources above.

Success to RC = a seamless integration of 1. active reading + 2.reading for structure.

My strategy is on how to INTEGRATE the two. I'm not going to go into details on explaining what is each, because there are many resources out there already.

Before I go over my strategy, I will still briefly mention what active reading and reading for structure are.

What is an active reading? It is engaging with the reading as if one is having a dialogue. Think of it as active listening; it is about being totally present, but mindfully detached. We all know some of the crucial techniques to actively read well. Below are the especially effective techniques for me.

Here's an example sentence. "LSAT passages are like paper tigers: they appear to be formidable at first, but get easier over time."

When you encounter the sentence, think about what question would prompt the above sentence as an answer. My question would be, "how difficult are the LSAT passages?" Here, it helps you to articulate the essence of the sentence: It is about the difficulty of the LSAT passages.

Reading for structure

Like I said, I won't get into the details of reading for structure.

Now here's the crucial integration piece I'd like to share with you- how active reading and reading for structure integrate and feed off from one another.

The key is to

Step 1. find the central theme (the key subject matter that forms a basis for an argument, hypothesis, claim, finding, problem) in the opening paragraph and treat each sentence as revealing the aspects of that central theme. Compile the aspects of the central theme as you are reading, and add them on to the central theme. This is pretty abstruse, so I will use an example (PT 32 Passage 4 opening paragraph) to explain.

sentence 1: something about wine. - (hold this in thought as you are reading. Something about wine is the central theme)

sentence 2: wine - distinct. (Here's an aspect of the central theme, wine: it is distinct. try to utilize the active reading techniques mentioned above. What question would the sentence be answering?

sentence 3: wine- distinct b/c of health benefits (there's another aspect. It is distinct. Why? Because it has health benefits)

sentence 4: wine- distinct health benefits- obscured by the scientists.

Do you see what I am doing? I am simply adding on and connecting the previous information to the new information. Going from simply "wine," the central theme as revealed by sentence 1, I now have a more clear picture about this central theme and its aspects by sentence 4.

The paragraph ends here. What do I have now in sentence 4, the last sentence?

The scientists (who? go back to sentence 1) have obscured the healthful benefits of wine that other alcoholic beverages do not have.

Step 2. Find the structure.

What does this compilation of the central theme + its aspects signify? What does it mean? Why did the author write this?

Simply try to articulate using this mantra, "the author is trying to..." with the compilation that you have at the end of the paragraph.

The author is trying to... 1. suggest that wine has a health benefit that other alcoholic beverages do not have (this is the author's position) 2. counter "the scientists."

So think of having 2 mental columns as you are reading.

The left column: find a central theme--> find the essential aspects of this theme in each subsequent sentence and add on to the central theme found. (like what I did above. wine-> wine is distinct -> wine is distinct in x way -> wine is distinct for x way but that distinction has been obscured by Y)

The right column: after each paragraph, think about the final compilation in the left column and simply ask, "why did the author write this?" Why did the author write that "wine is distinct for x way but t hat distinction has been obscured by Y?" The answer to this question = the purpose of each paragraph.

Repeat this for each paragraph.

Using this strategy, I read the passage in about 4:15 min and answered the questions in 4 min. Total: 8:15 and 30 seconds under the allotted time / passage.

I am curious what is the relevance and weight that will be placed on work and internship experience for law school admissions and then also (and perhaps more importantly) once one gets into law school and needs to find a job once in law school & upon graduation. I currently have no legal experience but am not sure how important it is that I gain experience before entering law school -maybe not so much because I believe it could harm my chances of getting in as I am afraid it would harm my chances of getting a job in or after law school. I am in my junior year of undergrad and at this point desire to apply to law schools this fall and go straight to law school after graduation. According to my pre-law advisor at my undergrad university (UC Berkeley), law schools do not place as much weight on experience (as LSAT and GPA) in terms of admissions. However, I am unsure exactly how much it would affect me after getting into a law school. Does anyone have concrete advise on this issue?

I was on a different forum when I had a question about meditation. I recently downloaded "Headspace" on my iPhone and it's been great. What it does is it gradually guides you, in increments, in the realms of meditation. I've felt a lot more optimistic and less anxious, and generally more apt at adjusting to my LSAT/life-induced stress since I've started meditating.

When I first read about it in the CC, I was really skeptical of its effects. The term 'meditation' seemed intimidating and kinda hardcore. But this app makes the experience a lot more intuitive, simple and enjoyable. 10/10 recommendation.

TLDR: get "Headspace" on your phone

Please help. I don't understand why (C) is wrong.

Stimulus: No combining publicity appearance and competition. So it is "not both" rule.

PA-->/Competition, or it could be Competition -->/PA

PA-->/Competition

Competition

_________________

/PA

(C)

Tomato thrive --> Hot Summer

/Hot Summer

______________________

/Tomato thrive

I was also having trouble subtle differences of serious emergency and critical emergency.

(B)

less serious emergency -->/critical emergency

fairly minor emergency

____________________

/critical emergency

I would think fairly minor emergency would also be non critical emergency....

The first video for PT 31, Sect 1, GM 2 does not match the printed sheet or the silent video provided.

Hey all!

First, I'd like to thank 7sage for everything it's offered! It's been so invaluable to me. I got into a lot of schools with scholarships I can be pretty happy with.

There's only one thing; I was wait listed at my dream school (Cornell) and I'd really like to make that happen. I've been thinking about taking the June LSAT since I heard the idea, especially since I took the February one and panicked under pressure and ended up with a lot lower of a score than I had been scoring on PTs.

But how does taking the June LSAT work for wait lists? Do you have to let the school know you're going to take the LSAT and notify them when the score comes in? Should you ask the school if they'd even review a June LSAT first? And my biggest worry--if a school somehow sees on your application that you're going to take a June LSAT, do you think they'd deliberately postpone letting you off the waitlist if they might have done it sooner? I'd hate to unnecessarily prolong this process.

Anyway, regardless of what happens with Cornell, I'll be really happy to be attending Emory in the fall with a BIG scholarship that I'm pretty excited about!

Thanks so much for all your help!

In case anyone needs a brief study break: The plaintiffs' reply to Buzzfeed's Motion to Dismiss a libel case is hilarious.

http://www.businessinsider.com/buzzfeed-dossier-lawsuit-aleksej-gubarev-2017-3

Hi 7Sagers,

On Wednesday, April 5, at 9 p.m. EST, I’ll give you a bird’s-eye view of the admissions process. We’ll touch on almost every component of your application:

I’ll take questions at the end.

Admissions Overview Webinar

Wed, Apr 5, 2017 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/506396333

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States +1 (872) 240-3311

Access Code: 506-396-333

First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: http://help.citrix.com/getready

Proctors: There were about 3-4 proctors circulating the room, with 1 main proctor reading off the instructions and calling time. When monitoring us, they were very quiet and did not linger for long when passing through the tables. I don't believe I ever heard them whispering during the test either. (Granted, I was towards the back and no one near me asked questions during the test.) With enforcing the rules, I was quite surprised at how strict they were as we were only allowed to wear our jackets if the hood was tucked in. Otherwise, there were no jackets allowed on the backs of our chairs. With the exception of the timing mishap below, I would consider them to be quite good overall.

Facilities: Each floor had men's, women's, and accessible washrooms. Though there was a lineup to use them, it didn't take long as there were about 5-6 stalls available (at least for the women's side). They were very clean as well. For drinking fountains, I don't believe there were any, but you could refill your water bottle on the first floor (only if your test was on that floor) at the refill station.

What kind of room: It was a huge classroom (capacity: 188) inside the Swing Building with fixed, long tables and rotatable chairs. There are stairs to walk down to the front of the room with each level comprised of three rows of tables (i.e. smaller at both ends). In terms of wheelchair access, it is only available at the front and back of the classroom.

How many in the room: I believe there were about 6-7 rows of us with about 10 per row spaced one seat apart, so probably about 60-70 students in our room alone? We were randomly assigned to rooms when we first entered the building. I believe there were 4 rooms in total (i.e. 2 on the first floor and 2 on the second floor), though I don't know how many students were in those rooms.

Desks: These were fixed, long tables with rotatable chairs attached—the ideal desktop to do a test on because it's spacious and comfortable!

Left-handed accommodation: This was not necessary due to the long tables.

Noise levels: Minimal, especially if you've practiced with the distractions on the 7Sage proctor. As I said, I don't recall hearing any of the proctors whispering during the sections. At most, there was just the rustling of pages and the occasional cough. Students chattered a bit during the break, but it was at a tolerable noise level given testing conditions.

Parking: West Parkade is right next door and has plenty of parking space. Because it was snowing that day, there was some backup of cars prior to and after the test.

Time elapsed from arrival to test: I actually arrived at the test centre at 7:20AM and was lucky to have the building open already. Check-in started prior to 8:30AM and I believe the test commenced shortly after 9AM (due to how slow we were in the admin process).

Irregularities or mishaps: In the fourth section, the proctor forgot to call the 5-minute mark but still ended the section at the proper time. However, this caught several students off-guard, resulting in some commotion (approximately 1-2 minutes) between one student and the proctor prior to the start of the final section. The proctor told us that he could not give us more time but he would make a note of it to LSAC and we could file a complaint if need be.

Other comments: I highly recommend taking the LSAT here if you live in Vancouver!

Would you take the test here again? Definitely! In fact, I chose it over a location closer to me because I was more familiar with it and knew it would be reliable.

Date[s] of Exam[s]: February 4, 2017.

Study break/procrastination material!

https://qz.com/932004/the-oxford-comma-a-maine-court-settled-the-grammar-debate-over-serial-commas-with-a-ruling-on-overtime-pay-for-dairy-truck-drivers/

This $10 million lawsuit came down to an Oxford comma, fascinating. Here's to hoping we don't make this mistake as practicing attorneys!

I am nearing the end of the games portion in the CC [total progress %77] and I was wondering if I should have been fool proofing every single problem set or not. I have been studying 55 hour weeks for the past month now and I am still "35 hours" (according to the syllabus) behind in the CC. I think fool proofing the enormous amount of games would take a few weeks.

I am fully open and willing to take the time and fool proof the hell out of these games, but I was wondering if taking two weeks to get all of them done is worth it if it sets me back two weeks on my study schedule.

I do realize that the ultimate goal here is it do well on the LSAT and that this method will enable me to do so. But I just feel a bit overwhelmed as I am always behind in the CC, no matter how rigorous I set my my own study schedule.

Any thoughts?

For most of the time I have been doing the CC, I have been struggling keeping focus as I read the LR questions. When I time myself, I can't keep focus sometimes which causes me to miss key words/details resulting in missing the question. Its extremely frustrating when I have to keep re-reading sentences/the paragraph because I don't understand what I have just read.

I have tried to read random question passages and quickly write down what I have just read to improve memory and focus but I don't know if that is a waste of time or not. I'm about done with the CC and I really need to fix this problem or I'm screwed 6 ways to Sunday for this test.

Are there any drills or tips anyone has with LR focus or just focus in general?

So I've been studying for the LSAT for a year and some change now.

Finally decided to sign-up for 7Sage in December.

I was averaging around 165 with BR's in the 168-9. I went through the curriculum and for my last 4 PT's my actual score is still around 165, BR score has been in the low to mid 170's. My major improvements came in LG and LR.

I miss anywhere from 4-7 on LR (mostly PSA and Flaws)

-0/-1 in LG

5-9 in RC.

I'm hopeful that with another two months of studying I can shave off a couple of mistakes from my LR and consistently hit -0 on LG. But my Reading Comprehension is so incredibly inconsistent.

A lot of times I'll do -2/-1 on RC drills but when I sit to take the real thing all hell breaks loose.

I've watched the webinars on Reading Comprehension and make an effort to read actively but this is just driving me nuts.

I remember when I first started studying for the test, RC was by far my best section (-2/-3). After a year of studying I'm missing three times that much.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone!

I'm kind of stuck with a few good offers, but a lot of silence.

Full scholarships from ASU and IU. (Took Feb. LSAT so I know I'm late to the game.)

Complete silence from: BU, Georgetown, Vandy, UVA, BC, UW. Has anyone else NOT heard from these schools? Afraid of what the silence means.

For some background, currently enrolled in undergrad at Purdue, hoping to work in foreign affairs or for a multinational corporation. Brother in Boston. Parents retiring in Phoenix. S/O in Seattle. Vandy/Georgetown were my reaches, but it looks like I could get in, given their LSN profiles.

Hello all, I hope everyone's studies are going well. I am wondering if it is worth it to purchase the older preptests that are currently sitting in my cart online. Everyday I browse through the discussion board and I believe ran into somebody advising to fool proof all the logic games from 1-35 to help with making inferences. I have really taken my time going through the curriculum because I work a very demanding and hectic full time job and plan to finish by the end of April and complete at least 20+ preptests before the planned target test date of September. I was originally going to complete the newer preptests (60+) and save the older ones for drilling along with the problem sets I have also saved. Through really taking my time with the curriculum I am getting more accurate and faster at completing LR and RC questions everyday, and I heard the key to really boosting your score is to become great at LG. I really want a LSAT score of 160+ to give myself the best chance at my dream law schools and if buying the older preptests is worth it I will definitely do so. I appreciate any insight anybody could offer,thank you in advance.

Hi I was just watching JY's video on grouping games set up 1.

https://classic.7sage.com/lesson/grouping-game-1-game-board-setup/

I'm wondering why "neither nor" in rule 3 is interpreted as not both, as in S -> /Y , and W->/Y.

Why can't it be interpreted as biconditional? S (-) /Y as in S and Y are always apart.

Is it because unlike the in-out games, a biconditional in this a grouping game means that if, for example, Y is not in 1,then S must be 1? (which would be an incorrect inference given that there are more group options now)

If that's the case, if this game was an in/out game, could I still interpret the rule as a biconditional?

Many thanks in advance

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-63-section-3-question-21/

I'm trying to understand this passage fully...

I thought the data on the effects of the weed-killer would be misleading when it was drawn from studies of the weed-killer under a variety of soil condition because the effectiveness fluctuates. That's why I chose (D). I thought the premise was telling us how soil conditions ruin the data.

After watching J.Y.'s video I now (sort of) get (D) actually weakens the argument, but can someone help me understand why my thought process (above) is wrong?

Also why is this not a necessary assumption question? I think the argument has jumped from one idea (the molecules of a certain weed killer) to another (the data on the effects).

One of my friends would participate in coming May. It's called "Digital LSAT Pilot Test".

Hello everyone! I am new to 7Sage. Could someone please tell me where I can find the actual facts/questions explained in the videos?

Hey 7sagers! I am wondering if anyone can provide me with some advice on where to go from here in LR...

LR might be my worst section and I am having so much difficulty improving. It's not that a particular type of question gets me (in fact I tend to actually be better at the more technical lawgic based types like flawed parallel method of reasoning), it just seems that I am getting the majority of the answers wrong from questions 15-22 across every section. Often times I will misunderstand the stimulus or I will understand what the stimulus is implying and what to pick in the answer choice but will get confused about the wording in the answer choices and end up picking the wrong one. Note: English is my first language, I read extensively and have an MA degree and wrote a thesis paper. Is there any way to improve, or is it simply a matter of doing a ton of LR questions?

I have gone through the CC once and paid close attention to every different type of LR question while taking extensive notes, but it was a couple of months ago. Would a refresher be useful? I also have every LSAT from PT 1-75 and the accompanying Kaplan Explanations, so I began doing sections from early PTs untimed while taking notes on my computer to map out my reasoning, but am not seeing results, although it is still early (I have only done about three sections).

Any recommendations on where to go from here? Everyone provided me with amazing LG advice and I have been doing very well in that section so thank you to anyone who is reading this who helped me in that area, it feels great and I can confirm that the fool proof method is sound.

I will also be joining in the online study group for PT 70 this Saturday!

Thanks!

Specifically, what are some of the underlying traits that trip so many of us up? Grammar? Plurarlity of terms? AC order?

How do you improve upon these underlying traits? Marking up the stimulus? Check the conclusions in each AC first?

I have some thoughts on the matter, but I'd like to see what ya'll think.

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-21-section-2-question-15/

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-23-section-3-question-23/

Hi all! I just wanted to know if any of you suggest finishing the course and THEN completing PT's along with the Blind Review as opposed to doing PT's WHILE going through the course. Thanks and happy studying!