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How much consideration does law schools place on academic performance in graduate school?
Hi everyone,
When I started to study for the LSAT, I was originally planning on taking the June exam, but I wasn't making enough progress on LG and thought I would postpone to September. Even just 3 weeks ago, I was hitting -8 on LG. I don't know what happened, but I woke up one day and things started to "click" : now I am somehow managing -2 per section. I thought it was a fluke, so I PT-ed about 6 sections and they all average about -2-3.
Now I'm in a dilemma: I only have less than a month left till June but I've only taken 4 full, timed PTs (just here and there in between to evaluate progress.) I was saving PTs 40s up for later. (I've used maybe like 5 PTs past 40s to get myself acquainted with the more recent PTs).
**So my question is: should I start full, timed PTing NOW?**On the one hand, I am scoring only 2~3 points below my target score, and if I want to take the June exam, I guess now is the time to start taking the full, timed PTs. Perhaps, I can reach my target score by June by doing so.
On the other hand, I want to really take the time doing more drills. I am still incorporating some concepts and playing around with some strategies in LR and RC. I definitely know the concepts well, but I haven't mastered them. I don't want to move onto the full, timed PT until I feel extremely comfortable with each section. I recently bought the Manhattan Prep books and am finding them pretty helpful in mastering the concepts and strategies. I originally wanted to finish the books first before full-on PTing. I think I need at least a couple of more weeks to really incorporate the concepts.
I think I can score close to my minimum target score in June, but I don't think I would reach my full potential by then. Or who knows? Maybe I will after a full-month of PTing? It's really hard to predict how much I'd improve in a month. Should I take the risk?
I'd ideally wait till September, but given my sleep cycle and insomnia, June is a much better option for me.
Sleep cycle is brutally hard to change for me. Even if I practice sleeping at 10pm and waking up at 5~6am for 2 months, I sort of already know that I won't be able to fall asleep the night before the exam day. Exercise doesn't work. Melatonin doesn't either, and neither does Nyquil.
I'm a bit wary of waking up at 6am to take the 8:30am exam.
So hard to decide... Only if the September exam were also held at noon...
So I'm working on these question types and have found a pattern. When it is a Causation strengthen question, the answer choice becomes apparent very quickly to me. I am able to identify it, and explain why the rest are wrong with a decent amount of ease. Once the question stem changes to weaken however, I no longer can see the answer and missed all of them. J.Y. said in his explanation that these two types of questions are really the same when it comes down to identifying the answer choice. So what am I doing wrong?
This week it's crucial for you to read this post and check the calendar and link to JY's review of PT 80.
Please do not burn PT 80 if you are not going to take the June test and if you have not been PTing at a level that you want to test at. We will be reviewing advanced material so you need to understand and have a good grasp on the fundamentals if you're going to be reviewing PT 80. Be prepared to be an active participant and to explain your reasoning.
The Full Schedule
Read the calendar for specific session times (EST):
PT 80 Review
https://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/10723/pt-80-blind-review-multiple-sessions
Click the link above for details
Note about PT Review:
Might be a stupid question but should I, after copying down the inferences, answer the questions or am I only writing down the inferences? TYA!
June will be the first time I'm taking it. I'm shooting for 155-160, but I'll be happy with 150. Been PTing around 144. Haven't even started studying for Logic Games, but I figured I'd do that now and in between then. But the window to postpone and switch is quickly closing. I'd rather have one good score, than 2 scores. Someone said it's better to not have all your eggs in one basket, like if I were to just do September, but I also don't want to go in and do poorly and it reflect badly on me, when I apply this fall.
What should I do?
Thank you
Hey, so I find myself having a constant desire to take a full PT. I do sections of the CC and instantly want to take a test to apply what I've learned and see if it makes a "huge" difference in my score. I am wise enough to know this is not the case but I think I really crave that "reward" of seeing my score. This is actually hurting my studying because I'm so eager to jump right into a test after each CC section that I don't hammer the core concepts home. How often do you PT? Do you PT only once you are done with the CC? or did/do you PT during the course? How can I find ways to "reward" myself without wasting an entire test?
I'm not sure exactly when it opened up, but I just wanted to let all those wondering about when September's registration would open up that it's allowing registration now! Good luck, everyone!
Hey everyone, I'm just posting here to see what people might think of my decision to postpone taking the LSAT until September. My goal is to test 170. My average is in the mid 160s but the only tests I've been able to score in the 170s have been retakes. Fresh tests are all in the 160s. :( I don't want to postpone because I feel emotionally ready but I think it's the wisest thing to do. The most annoying thing is how expensive it is!! And $100 to postpone vs 180 to just sign up again. I know that's not nothing but... fricken LSAC. Anyway, what do people think? To postpone or not to postpone?
Also, this is a related question to getting out of 160s plateau. I've seen on here that top scorers get through LR with like 10 minutes to spare. That's never happened to me and I'm not sure if my goal should be to just "work faster" (a mentality that, when I adopt, just makes me rush and be careless) or if I should continue to be cautious, to utilize POE unless I'm almost 100% sure of an answer, to give myself two read throughs if I don't understand a stimulus right off the bat as opposed to immediately skipping. Is there merit to a 'slow and steady wins the race' type of approach for top scorers in LR?
Did anyone take it after they'd seen major improvements (my diagnostic was a 153) but not quite reached their max? Any thoughts on LR strategy would also be appreciated.
Good luck to those who know they're ready for June! Jealous!
I am so confused by the video explanation on this one. At 1:27 the video says that an answer choice is "totally compatible to the statement above because they have nothing to do with each other"
===> WHAT??? Compatibility is not having anything to do with a subject? I can use some guidance. Thanks.
https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-38-section-4-question-25/
Not going to lie, I'm pretty nervous about this. I definitely am still not near where I want to end up (going to do fool proof method next) but I'm ready to see where I am at. Really struggling to break out of the mindset of I'm the same person that I was when I made my half-hearted attempt to study for the LSAT during school (I was sub-150). I'm looking to write in September and I know 3 1/2 months is a lot of time but I'm still pretty nervous.
Any tips or advice for taking PT's?
My question is on what Law Schools will they be looking at GPA from? I went to a community college to get my Associates and then finished the other two years at a University. My grades at University were not as good as they were at Community College. At community College I finished with I believe around a 3.45 GPA, and at University with a 2.88 GPA. That averaged to about a 3.25. I'm hoping Law Schools will look at that 3.25, and count Community College, as that was work towards my Bachelors and that was about 80 credits. I don't see why they wouldn't look at that. My University Transcripts show some of Community College classes but they don't show the GPA, they indicate it as 0.0, meaning they're not counting that towards that University's GPA.
So what can I expect they'll look at?
Thank you
I've noticed that some of the LGs in the most recent PTs don't fall into the strict sequencing/grouping/grouping and sequencing categories. In several places on 7sage, users note that they found games from earlier PTs helpful in practicing for these nontraditional games. Can anyone recommend specific games from specific tests to practice?
thanks!
Hi! So I need some advice about whether or not to stick with my June test or take the test in September. I took the test in December 2016 and got a terrible score (145) and I really am aiming for a mid 160s but I have been still averaging -9 on each section, I am understanding the material a lot better but Im just nervous if I take this test in June I wont be where I want to be, does anyone have any advice? Thank you so much in advance!
Hey guys so I registered for the September lsat and I am having a difficult time figuring out what i should be doing next. I'm considering purchasing the ultimate package to get access to the more difficult questions, so any recommendations regarding that? Also I don't feel that I am improving on logical reasoning at all. I went through the course curriculum already and I'm lost as to what needs to be done next. Please any advice would be great. Good luck to everyone!
Anyone interested?
Doing a quick review of concepts that I struggled with early on.
I remember the following rule being simple to diagram:
L is before M but after K.
K-L-M
But I also remember that there is another type of rule that is similar to the above but it involves and "or". I think it goes like this:
K is before M or after L, but not both.
M-K-L, or L-K-M?
Does anyone know what I am referring to? If so, could you link to the lesson or a game that highlights the above?
I can't remember where it came from but the difference between the two above really stumped me at some point....
Hi everyone!!
I GOT ACCEPTED TO THE SCHOOL I WANTED AFTER BEING ON THE WAITLIST! Which, is obviously awesome and I'm very excited. However, I already accepted a 1 year leadership position with AmeriCorps because I got nervous about not hearing back for a while. Also, this is an awesome position I genuinely want.
They offered me scholarship money, but not very much at all...I COULD make it work financially, but I would have to take out a LOT of loans. I applied kind of late in the cycle, and that could be why. Also, I know that I didn't reach my full potential with the LSAT yet, but I was in a rush to take it and just get enough to get in because I didn't know what I was going to do the next year and that was scary. I want to if at all possible defer my enrollment, but I am unsure if they will allow me to do that. If so, I guess I will decline and apply for early admission next cycle. If I do this, I will re-take the LSAT and hopefully get a better score. My question is, has anyone experienced anything like this before? If I don't accept, and cite money as the main reason, and re-apply, will that affect my chances of getting in again? When I do this, should I call the admissions office, visit them, or email them? I'm just so darn grateful to get in I really don't want to mess this up! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
In college I had a shaky first semester (had a c and a b+ for a 3.4) but then maintained a 3.9+ average the rest of the way with nothing lower than an A-. My GPA isn't bad (3.85), but for top law schools, I'm wondering if they care more about stats (3.85 is 3.85) or if they pay more attention to trends. I'm shooting for a top 3 law school or a scholarship (my preptests are generally in the mid 170 range and I'm trying for high 170s to have a shot at Yale). My GPA doesn't really hurt me, but is still slightly sub 50 for those schools. Are schools primarily concerned with their stats, or would it not matter as much for a borderline 50ish percentile GPA?
I got -9 on one section and I was wondering what advice or steps anyone has to reduce that number? I am keeping the main point in mind in each passage and relating the passages to each other but I still got 9 wrong. Thank you so much in advance!
Hey everyone! I was planning on taking the June LSAT, but decided to push back to September because I've had a pretty hard time balancing full-time work and studying. I planned a trip to Tokyo a while ago (before I even started studying for the LSAT), and I'd be coming back a week before the September LSAT. Would it be a bad idea to take the September exam? I'd be in Japan from September 2-9, and the test is on September 16. I plan on taking September 11-15 off from work to rest and prep some more.
Hi Guys!
I hope anyone reading this is having a fine day. I guess I just wanted to make a post because I've been largely silent in the Discussion section. I'm taking the June LSAT and am feeling quite overwhelmed. Working full time at a stressful job and having a two-hour long commute takes a considerable chunk out of my day. I worry I acted too quickly by signing up for the June exam since I only started studying in mid-February.
I just took my first two PTs and scored158/159, my blind reviews 163/166. With the test a month away... does anyone think I'll be able to catch up to my blind review score? I guess I'm just looking for a bit of encouragement :)
Anyway, my apologies for sounding mopey. Let's end on a happy note. GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY STUDIES EVERYONE!!!
Hey guys!
I was hoping to get some opinions on this.....
I put up a post a while back about HOW I should undertake studying for the LSAT. I purchased the Ultimate package and I'm starting to study again..but facing the same struggle I faced the first time, "Do I want to go to law school? Why am I taking this test?" I don't know any lawyers personally, so I'm basing all of my ideas off books, blogs, and websites. I met with a pre-law advisor and he asked what I'd majored in. When I answered history and told them that I also just finished my MA (again in history), he told me that obviously I had a passion and should follow that passion. I've thought about teaching, but I've also read negative things about that too. If someone were to ask me, "why teach history?" I'd be able to run you down a list of reasons why. Ask me "why law?" I'd give you a blank stare...the only semi-positive being the opportunity to earn more.
Anyway...sorry for the long post. Basically, I was wondering if anybody else feels this from time to time - should you be 100% sure law school and being a lawyer is for you before taking this test and investing time (and money)? Do people feel "passion" for the law or being a lawyer?
Thanks! xo
To all the wonderful mothers studying for the LSAT!
I hope you enjoy your day :)
Hey 7Sagers,
I've been studying for at least a year now But for some reason I have so much trouble trying to correctly answer Assumption, Sufficient Assumption and Necessary Assumption questions. I have gone over the curriculum and been utilizing negation tests, conditional logic, etc. But I am simply not improving. Does anyone have a certain method that works for them? Or am I doomed? :/ I have been scoring 16 questions on LR sections but that would be higher if I got more Assumption questions correct. Any thoughts?
Admin edit: Please don't yell! The admins scare easily. (Caps from title removed.)