Special shoutouts to @DumbHollywoodActor, @"Quick Silver", and @"Nicole Hopkins" for this amazing webinar because without them I never would have had these notes, which I know will help me as I start going through RC again. I know the webinar was long but I highly recommend that anyone struggling in RC check out the webinars because there's tons great amount of wisdom shared in each one. I apologize for this being so long but there was a lot of great information that I didn't want to leave out.

RC Question Types with @Quick Silver

General RC Tips:

1. Use the LSAT Trainer to supplement for RC:

• Tons of good information and complements the material very nicely

• Also goes into Question types and tries to get you to focus on passage structure when reading, which is very useful

2. What to annotate in RC?

• Nicole Hopkins did an amazing webinar focused on RC annotations but in both they stressed this:

i. Have an annotation system that works for YOU. What other people do, might not work as well for you, so try different things and tweak and make your own method that works

2 things to annotate:

1) Main Point of the Passage:

2) Author's Opinion/ Point of View

1) Main Point of the Passage:

How to do this:

1. Follows JY’s memory method somewhat, take the main point of each paragraph and write a phrase or a symbol that represents the main point of the paragraph

2. Look at all of the main points after you’ve read the passage and see what the main point of the entire passage is

Modifications to this system:

1. Timing Issue: If you run out of time because you’re writing slow then consider taking a few seconds and running through the main point of each paragraph in your mind and then the main point of the passage. While this isn’t the best it’s useful to at least start engaging with the passage

2. Main Point Sentence: If there is a sentence that encapsulates the main point of the passage somehow to annotate that (box it, circle it, underline it, star it etc.)

a. This RARELY ever occurs because the reading is very difficult and having one sentence that gives away the main point is considered far to easy.

Why this is important: Both of these are forcing you to engage with the passage much more than one had originally thought. The material is very difficult and you don’t want to get lost or fall asleep and this is forcing you to engage and internalize the material

2) Author’s Opinion/Point of View:

How to do this: when you’re reading if you see the author’s opinion or someone else’s view on a certain topic annotate that somehow (Underline it and mark AO or POV)

Why this is important: Whenever someone gives their opinion generally this is either tested directly or indirectly

1. This can also be combined with Nicole Hopkins Pivot annotation so that you know exactly where the point of view’s switched in the passage and can go back if necessary to answer a question

3. I seem to struggle with natural science passages, how can I deal with this?

• Last Resort: If you know a passage is going to be challenging for you personally there is no harm in saving it for the end. You keep your momentum going however, psychologically it’s good to move away from saying “something is challenging” we want to go into this LSAT war aware of our strengths and weaknesses but we don’t want to go in defeated

• When we read any passage we don’t have to understand everything in the subject matter. WE’RE TRAINING TO BE LAWYERS NOT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. When you realize that you read and approach the passages in a different way.

i. Read for the big picture and not the details

ii. Read for function: What is the author doing in this paragraph, “why did he write this”

iii. You only need to identify the big picture and be able to seek out the specific pieces of information when necessary

• See the structure of the passage rather than the subject manner and you begin to see that many natural science passages are formulated in a similar manner. (Watch the Story of Science in the 7sage Curriculum)

i. Introduce a hypothesis/theory

ii. Introduce new evidence against hypothesis/theory

iii. Original theory is either accepted or rejected

iv. If rejected outlook for future is given (whether new theory is accepted, whether problem will ever be solved, etc.)

4. RC is definitely possible to improve dramatically on:

• One of the biggest myths is that LG improves a bunch, LR improves a little less than that, and RC improves little to none. You’re in control with how much you can improve every single one of those areas.

• Tips to improve RC:

i. See how much similarity there are between various questions. We categorize every other section but for RC we go in with a “I’ve been doing this all my life, hope for the best kinda thing”

ii. Have an annotation system that works for you, whatever it may be

iii. Feel free to make some changes and try to experiment with different strategies to find which works the best for you and break through plateaus

1. Go to BR calls

2. New annotation system

3. Ask yourself if you’re reading for understanding or just to attack the questions?

4. Are you reading for detail or for structure?

5. Are you actively reading and engaging with the test or are you just surviving RC?

RC Question Types:

1. Main Point: What is the passage trying to tell me, what is the passage looking to convince me of, what is the central argument

Tips/Traps:

i. Make sure that you don’t supply a sub-conclusion as the main conclusion

ii. There are specific questions that won’t talk about the entire passage, they will talk about a specific paragraph and these are NOT main point questions. These are Purpose of Paragraph questions

1. Read carefully so you actually do what the question is asking

iii. Similar to doing a Main Point LR question

How is this question phrased:

i. “What is the primary purpose of the passage”

ii. “What is the main point of the passage”

Strategy:

i. Want to actively read the question and determine are we having to supply the main point of the entire passage or just a paragraph within the passage

ii. This should fall right in line with both the 7sage memory method and the annotation system because we should have a good pre-phase for the main point of each paragraph and the overall passage

iii. Pick the answer choice that best matches your pre-phrase

2. General Organization: How is the passage structured, from a bird’s eye view what is going on in each paragraph

Tips/Traps:

i. The answer choices won’t always be specific they will be intentionally vague

1. Ex: “Idea is introduced, critique is given, idea is rejected on the basis of critique, and possibility for a new idea to emerge is deemed unlikely”

ii. Anticipate Answer Choices whenever possible:

1. Forces you to engage with the passage from a macro level

2. Makes you less likely to fall for trap answer choices

3. Gives you a standard to apply to each answer

How is the question phrased:

i. “The passage proceeds by”

Strategy:

i. After reading the passage combing the 7sage method and the LSAT trainer that focuses on structure you’ll have an understanding of what the flow of the passage is

ii. Use the Main Points of the paragraphs to compliment your understanding of the passage structure so that you can pre-phrase the answer, then select the one that best matches your pre-phrase

3. Purpose of Paragraph: This is looking for the main point of a specific paragraph rather than the entire passage

Tips/Traps:

i. This is what happened if MP questions and General Organization questions had a baby. You use the elements of general organization to understand a bird’s eye view of a passage and then zoom in on a micro level to find the main point of that specific paragraph

ii. You want to be sure that you realize that this is NOT the same as MP question types because there will be a TRAP ANSWER CHOICE that gives the MP of the entire passage

How are these questions phrased:

i. “The purpose of the 2nd paragraph is to…”

Strategy:

i. This continues to build off of the memory method and LSAT trainer foundations, if you have the MP and understand the structure of the passage at a macro level then when you zoom in and look at each paragraph you know how it fits into the passage.

ii. From there pre-phrase how you believe it fits into the overall passage and choose the answer choice that best fits.

4. Purpose of word or phrase (Vocabulary in Context): These you are trying to figure out what a specific word or phrase meant or why it was used

Tips/Traps:

i. Don’t just look at the word or phrase read at least a sentence before and a sentence after to see how it works in context

ii. The biggest trap for this question type is the bias towards our own definition of certain words

1. Our brains automatically favor our definition and what we believe the word means as opposed to what a dictionary says.

2. Test makers prey on this because they know that people approach these as “I know what these words mean and I know that the test is hard so the answer won’t be the easiest definition”

How these questions are phrased:

i. “In line X the author most likely used the word Y to mean”

Strategy:

i. Cross out the word/phrase or cover it up until you can’t see it within the sentence.

ii. Reread the sentence without saying that word and turn it into a “fill in the blank” where you supply what word/phrase you believe should be there

iii. Use whatever word/phrase you put there as a pre-phrase and look for a synonym as the answer choice

5. Contextual Definition: This is similar to purpose of word/phrase but instead you’re applying the same approach to context rather than a specific detail

Tips/Traps:

i. The question won’t be for a single word but maybe it would be for something like asking for a definition

ii. This is more cut and dry because you won’t have to replace a word

iii. Not as common of a question type

How these questions are phrased:

i. “The author defines X in the second paragraph as …”

Strategy:

i. Find where the word/phrase/context is within the passage

ii. Read the sentence before and after the context

iii. Pick the answer choice that supplies the context in the answer choice

6. General Author Opinion: This is the author’s general feelings/position/opinion

a. Tips/Traps:

i. In your annotations be sure to note when there are multiple opinions so you don’t supply someone else’s opinion instead of the author’s

ii. The answer choices will not be as specific or airtight as some other answer choices

How these questions are phrased:

i. “The author would agree with which one of the following”

ii. “The author would be most likely to agree with which of the following”

Strategy:

i. In your annotation system take note of the author’s position or opinion along with when the opinions change between different people

ii. Also look for the way the author says certain things throughout the passage because you might have to use certain words to ascertain his opinion on a topic that isn’t directly given to you

1. “While the second approach wasn’t helpful, the 3rd approach was slightly more effective” we could conclude that the author believed the 3rd approach was better than the 2nd

iii. After going through and noting the author’s position use that to answer the question

7. Specific Author Opinion: This is the author’s feelings/position/opinion on a specific thing

Tips/Traps:

i. Having an annotation system is vital in this because you want to know not only where the author talks but also where the author talks about a specific thing so you can refer back to it to refresh yourself

ii. Make sure that the position that you’re taking note of is indeed the author’s position and not someone else’s opinion. The latter is NOT the same question type (specific opinion)

How these questions are phrased:

i. “The author’s attitude between X and Y can be accurately described as…”

Strategy:

i. Look back over your annotations regarding the author’s opinion on this specific subject and take note of his position

ii. Find the answer choice that matches his position

8. Specific Opinion: This is someone, other than author’s, opinion on a specific subject

Tips/Traps:

i. Make sure that in this you do not accidentally supply the author’s opinion because that’s not what the question is asking for.

1. There will potentially be answer choices that are the author’s opinion and this is not what it’s asking for

ii. The key to answer this question type is again a good annotation system that lets you know when another opinion has started and how they interact with the author’s opinion

iii. Just because it’s not the author’s opinion this does not mean that the opinion cannot be the same as the author’s

How these questions are phrased:

i. “Scientist A would most likely agree with which of the following”

Strategy:

i. By having a good annotation system along with reading for structure you should have a decent idea where the individual in question’s opinion is in the passage.

ii. From there read a few sentences before and after so you can understand his position within context

iii. Choose the answer choice that best outlines his position

9. Strengthen/Weaken: These add information that either strengthen or weaken the author’s argument

Tips/Traps:

i. These are based off of the author’s opinion but actually end up applying the author’s opinion because you have to see how the information interacts with the passage

ii. This is why having a good annotation system where you know exactly what the author’s position is key because if you don’t know his opinion you don’t know what will weaken/strengthen it

iii. Make sure that the answer choice actually does what you’re looking for the test makers might provide TRAP ANSWER CHOICES that do the opposite (strengthen when you want to weaken and vice versa)

How these questions are phrased:

i. “Which of the following would weaken the author’s argument”

ii. “Which of the following provides most support for the author’s argument”

iii. “Which of the following undermines the author’s argument”

Strategy:

i. This all boils down to having a good annotation system so that you know what the author’s opinion is to begin

ii. Once you have the author’s opinion you want to add information that either weakens or strengthens his argument

1. This is the exact same strategy as the LR strengthening and weakening questions

iii. Remember that you’re only wanting to support/attack the support between the premises not the premises/conclusion themselves these could be TRAP ANSWER CHOICES

iv. Pick the answer choice that fills the gap and does what you’re wanting to do

10. Illustrate: This relates you understanding to the answer choices by providing another example that is similar to this one

Tips/Traps:

i. You want to figure out the opinion of the author and then apply it to another example

ii. This is very similar to a Parallel Reasoning Question and Parallel Flaw question type

iii. Work from wrong answer choices to right answer choices

1. Eliminate all of the wrong answer choices you see and then attack the remaining ones

Right Answers:

1. These will illustrate the author’s opinion but they may not necessarily be a slam dunk and match the subject matter, the illustration of the concept is really what matters

Wrong Answers:

1. Misunderstand the author’s opinion or a concept

2. Present an opinion that is too strong or too specific, i.e. will go beyond the text

a. Text will support “some people say X” and the answer choice will say “all people say X”

How these questions are phrased:

i. “Which of the following is an example of X”

ii. “Which of the following illustrates the dangers represented by X”

Strategy:

i. For questions like this you really need to fall back on your understanding of structure and what the passage is saying once you know what the passage is saying or how a concept fits within the current passage then you can illustrate that in an answer choice.

1. Also like I pointed out above many times there will be answers that go beyond the scope of what the passage will support so in going through answers it helps to go through and eliminate those so it’s easier to find the right answer choice

ii. Choose the answer choice that best matches the illustration of the concept within the passage.

11. Identify the Detail: A question about a specific detail in the passage, that usually is referenced by a line number, paragraph, or a specific topic that was talked about

Tips/Traps:

i. Because it’s so specific it is hard to find a way into the answers

1. Not like main point

2. Not like Structure

3. Not like Context/Definition

ii. Helpful to eliminate other answers and reverse engineer the right answer because they’re not like anything else we’ve done

iii. They will not phrase the answer choice in the same way that it is phrased in the passage

1. Have to paraphrase between the two

2. Beware of exact wording of a similar detail because it might not be the detail you’re looking for and they’re a TRAP ANSWER CHOICE

How these questions are phrased:

i. “What was one of the reasons that supported X in paragraph 2”

Strategy:

i. This also goes back to your annotation system and understanding of the passage structure because if you have a big picture idea and have noted where certain things are talked about you can refer back to the passage

ii. Because you understand the framework of the passage then when they give you a line number, paragraph, or major topic you know where it is in the passage and you have a grasp of how it all fits into the entirety of the passage

iii. Once you do that you’re ready to attack the answer choices and find the one that best matches your understanding of the detail in question and how it fits into the overall framework of the passage

12. Infer the Detail: These questions ask you to make an inference based off of some details given in the passage

Tips/Traps:

i. Key Words: Inferred, Suggested, Implied, Indicate, Most likely, probably, Most strongly supported

ii. These are not cut and dry

1. Have to play detective

2. Want you to make a logical leap from details to make an inference

How these questions are phrased:

i. “What can be inferred from the passage”

ii. “What can be suggested from the passage”

Strategy:

i. Look at the information and make an inference based on the information

ii. Not going to be directly paraphrased in the passage

iii. Logical leap that you can make using those details

iv. Doesn’t have to be airtight

v. Ask yourself what can I “reasonably draw” from these details

1. Extremely difficult to be 100% true with an answer choice

13. Infer From: These are the exact same as Infer the Detail but may be a concept instead of a detail that you make an inference from

Tips/Traps:

i. Key Words: Inferred, Suggested, Implied, Indicate, Most likely, probably, Most strongly supported

ii. Have to play detective:

1. Use a detail/concept as clues to make an inference

iii. You do not have to be 100% sure with the answer choice

How these questions are phrased:

i. “What can be inferred from the passage”

ii. “The passage strongly suggests”

Strategy:

i. Look at information and make an inference based on the information (details/concept)

1. Understand that this isn’t going to be a paraphrase of a detail/concept

ii. Ask yourself “what can I reasonably draw from these details/concepts”

iii. Pick the answer choice that best matches your inference

14. Find an analogy: In this question we’re looking for an answer choices that mirrors the relationship given in the passage

Tips/Traps:

i. Do not take these questions for granted/think they’re easier

ii. Understand what an analogy is: Similar situation between two objects that don’t have to be the same

1. Do NOT be biased to situations where the subject matter is the same, the only thing that matters is the relationship between the two objects

2. Want to see a similar relationship between the two objects

iii. Want to be careful about answer choices that are too extreme as well

1. A lot of the answer choices are not going to be slam dunks, we just want to have something that’s too right

2. LSAT Trainer: Price is right example

a. If you guess over the amount then your answer is wrong, on LSAT questions if you go too far then the answer is wrong

b. Even if an answer choice isn’t as strong but doesn’t go over it is right

How these questions are phrased:

i. “Which of the following is most analogous to X in the passage”

ii. “Which example/scenario is most similar to”

Strategy:

i. Articulate in your mind what the relationship between the 2 objects are

1. Ex: Dolphins eat tuna, so the answer choice we’re looking for is something that eats another object

ii. After you’ve found the relationship between the two objects/theories/entities then you find the answer choice that mirrors the relationship

iii. Remember:

1. We want to avoid having an analogy that’s too far

2. We also don’t want to fall for the trap of similar subject matter we care about the relationship more than the subject matter

come Monday nothing to do after FEB LSAT? All friends working busy don't want to not be studying ..feel depression around the corner any one else feel the same? What are you planning to do?

What type of decrease, if any, do you all experience when taking too long of a break between timed, 5-section tests? What is recommended as an ideal schedule for PT taking?

I know what I will have to face, the fear of stress and boredom. This is a journey of a serial procrastinator planning to study and LSAT, Monday to Friday. I tried everything from listening to music while studying, going hard close to deadlines to watching all kinds of motivational videos. I always resort back to my ways of procrastinating. Relapsing again and again. I've had enough.

Day 1

I picked up where I left off. Last time I was on 7sage was in Nov. Work and fear of not perfecting of my studying prevented me from continuing. I studied a good 3 hours today, not bad considering all the stuff I had to do. Voices in my head told me to go back to sleep as I chipped away at the syllabus at 8:30am. They told me to do it later, they told me that it's just too cold in the room right now.

I thought to myself, why don't I take a break and check my email, or look at Facebook. These distractions, which I refer to as screens, are triggers. The pull me to the endless black hole, the Internet. I call it the black hole because once I get sucked in, I can't stop. It is the place I go to escape reality and imagine myself successful, when in reality, I'm at the same job, same house, same city. There is nothing wrong with where I am, but it's not where I want to be. I put my life on hold for many years, but I'm going to reclaim it.

This is my struggle, not with the LSAT, but with myself.

So I took my first official LSAT yesterday and my gut reaction was that I did pretty well. When I would take practice tests I always felt as though I did worse than I actually did. Has anyone else had a similar experience? and if so how did that reflect in your score? I know this is all complete speculation, and that I might go crazy in the 24 days until scores have to be posted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello all,

I thought I'd share my difference between my timed and blind review score. I apologize if this has been brought up in previous discussion threads. I have finished most of the curriculum and plan on taking the test in June 2016.

I took PT 56 (Dec 2008) and my timed score was a 152 and my BR was a 173. To me, this is a huge difference and I honestly thought my BR was a fluke. I was not expecting to see that big of a jump. I was wondering if anyone else has been in my position and how they were able to close the gap between their timed and blind review scores. Any strategies/anecdotes would be helpful!

Also, what lessons should I take from these scores? Does the blind review mean it is possible for me to hit a 170+? And as a person working a full time job (I study after work and on weekends), is it possible to improve that quickly by June?

Thanks again for your advice and thoughts!

Okay so I'm facing a dilema that I feel is a gamble either way. Last year I took the LSAT and didn't do as good as I would of liked, I got a 151 and I was looking to move to California since my parents live there. I also applied to the University of Denver since this is where I live. I did get in with 20,000/yr scholarship. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to move because there was a custody case going on with my son. Yet the decision wasn't made until November. I wanted to wait until court to schedule my LSAT to know if I was taking it in California or Colorado. I messed up and didn't pay enough attention to deadlines and could no long take it in December. Court also didn't go our way so I was unable to move to California. Now I need to go to DU and I just took the LSAT today. DU's priority deadline is March 1st this year. Yet scores come out March 3rd. I'm pretty sure I got somewhere between a 158-161, I kept track of what I think I got right, how many I guessed. Is that jump worth waiting until two days passed the priority deadline to apply?? Or should I use it to try and negotiate more money as long as they do accept me again? Please help!

Real Sections

LG:

- Pillows and Mirrors

- Madrid, Paris, and London / Cities

- Volunteers

- Photographs of Authors / Bookstore

RC:

- Shrubs & Bushes

- Urban Smart Growth / Suburban Sprawl

- Employees Rights / Workplace Ethics

- Female Sculptor

LR:

- Moths / Bats / Tweek Tweek Sound

- Physics / Psychology

- Intention Pollution

- Politican

- High Cholesterol

- Vital Interests

- Nests / Fleas

- Broca Area / Bilinguals

- Altruistic Behavior / Monkeys

- Redefining Church

- Bacteria Fungi

- Wolves and Wolf Subspecies

- Machine with blue/green light

- Outdoors vs. Treadmill

- Intentionally creating art

- Electronic toll systems

- Burglars with initials G and S

- Cellphone insurance deductible

- Laughter and social bonding

- Desires and beliefs

- Absinthe

- Neanderthals' food

- Expanding downtown

- Damming a river

- Gala / Music Awards

- Skin Disorder / Cancer

Experimental Sections:

LG:

- Via Numbers

- FGH (Field/Hydro/Geo) / Professors

- 8 Floors a Building

- France, Italy, Switzerland

- Horse Racing

- Cabinets

- Tour of Homes

- Streets Paved

RC:

- Money and Happiness

- Jazz and Latin Music

- Volcanoes

- Problem of Evasion

- Water on Mars

- European politics / Economics

LR:

- Life in the solar system

- First-year business students / Dresses and Rhinestones

[This thread is closed for discussion. Official post Feb. LSAT discussion here: https://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/6352/official-feb-lsat-discussion-thread]

I watched the video explanation for this, but I don't think I understood it 100%.

I think the author's logic is simplified as farther=brighter=younger but I don't quite understand how a brighter star is supposed to be younger. Is this true in real life? Ha..

Maybe I'm overthinking this problem..?

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-62-section-2-question-20/

anyone have a sample letter of intent / interest for a school that you got waitlisted on and want to really go to? Or maybe recommend what to write ?

Hey you.

You taking the LSAT tomorrow?

Come back here. You're taking it, aren't you?

Ok. Me too.

How ya feelin'?

I know that feel.

Here's how it's gonna go.

1) LG's gonna throw a thing at you that you're like—wait, what? OH. Please. That's nothing. LOL. Really LG, nice try on that twist there. Nice try.

This is you when LG tries to throw a twist:

2) RC's gonna have some weird subject matter. But we don't change the way we read based on subject matter, do we? No. We don't. We know all RC is the same damn cookie cutter business and that we're always reading for reasoning structure.

We know RC is all like this:

So we are gonna devour RC like this:

We're gonna get about ankle-deep in a couple of time sink questions. WE WILL NOT give in to timesink temptations. We will remember that no one RC question is worth more than a minute of our time.

But we're gonna see that we're in the mud and we're gonna get the hell outta there and skip-skip-skip away. When in doubt ...

3) LR's might feel kinda weird at first. Time warp-y. Trippy. You might feel like a couple of the first few questions are hard (and they might actually be hard questions).

At first with LR you might feel like this:

But then you're gonna summon the Huntress.

Oh shit.

She's HERE.

I think you know what this means for LR. LR's gonna get taken down hard. Like, 25-in-25 hard. Sitting around with nothing to DO for 3 minutes hard.

Once the Huntress is summoned, she is on the hunt. Here is what the Huntress does with her prey.

Are you the Huntress?

I SAID ARE YOU THE HUNTRESS.

YES YOU ARE.

NOW GO CRUSH THIS TEST.

I am currently reading the updated thread by Dillon.. But there seems to be contradictory answers. Was the floors 1-8 (game 4 of the section), the experimental? Thanks.

English is not my first language and I cannot finish all four passages in time; I barely manage to finish 3 passages. Any advice would be great

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-33-section-1-question-22/

Can anyone help me restate option B to better understand what it really says? I can't find anything that helps me understand this question.

I am taking the February 6th LSAT (tomorrow) and wanted to hear some input on what the best snacks are for test day. Remember, it has to fit in the 1 gallon ziploc bag along with all of your other items like pencils, erasers, wallet, keys, 20 oz plastic drink, etc. Thanks for your input!

I was pretty burnt out by the date of the December exam. I didn't do my best, and now I'm wondering if I should just cancel my registration for tomorrow and do what I'm sure will be a better job in June for the next enrollment cycle, when I'll have my apps in at a better date also. But then, I'm "old" (30+ crowd) and waiting another year seems pretty severe. If I were 25, I'd definitely just retake in June while prepared to the best of my abilities. Or should I just roll the dice tomorrow and hope for a better score, even after a 2 month hiatus? Any advice is appreciated.

The snack discussion made me laugh about my own bag... it was STUFFED! But I was not worried about forgetting anything. It was rather funny seeing how people utilized their bags at the testing center. It seemed most guys had a drink, pencils and a cliff bar (plus wallet and keys) whereas the girls seemed to have much fuller bags.

This was mine....

Contents:

Inhaler (with the large tube) PS they let me keep this on the desk

5 pencils

1 White eraser

Tissues

Pencil Sharpener

Ice Pack

Water Bottle

Starbucks Refresher serving

A hard boiled egg in a little container

A Costco Jiffy snack pack (peanut butter, celery, carrot and apple slices)

A Coconut granola bar

4 energy gummy vitamins

Car Key

ID

LSAT Ticket

I think that was all... haha....

I took my first LSAT 2 years ago in June and then again over a year ago in October. I got in the low 150s both times but I didn't put in enough studying that I should have. I've been working a full time bartending job so studying has been hard. I took almost two years off because I ran into some personal issues with the man I was living with. I've been studying full time whenever I'm not working using the ultimate 7sage package. My score has definitely improved. I'm hoping to use my 3rd try in June, but I was wondering since it has been almost two years, will I technically have another try after those two years are up? I'm hoping not to take it again, but I'm also curious if I can use more attempts how bad does that look with law school applications?

I've been stuck in the mid-150s for the last 6 months and I just don't know what to do. I've taken a Blueprint Prep Course, gone through the PowerScore LG and LR Bibles, and read through the LSAT Trainer. I don't want to try another LSAT prep course because I feel like they'll just do the same thing BluePrint did and give me some short-cut tricks that don't help at all.

I have significant problems with RC and LR; missing -9 to -12 on RC and -7 on both LR sections. I've gotten better on LG thanks to 7sage's full-proof method, and have gotten it down to -6. Unfortunately, LG is what's bringing up my score. I Blind Review every RC and LR section, but it's beginning to seem like I'm wasting my time because I'm not learning anything. I can eliminate 4 incorrect answer choices under untimed review, but I just can't seem to finish any sections during timed prep. This test is beginning to stress me out.

Thus far, I've taken the LSAT once (scored 155) after pushing back the test like 3 times. I postponed the February test after, again, scoring 155 on PT59. I hear stories and read posts about people going from my score range to high 160s or even mid-170s after a few weeks, but nothing is working for me. Makes me feel like I'm defective or something. What am I doing wrong?

Can i keep these in my pocket during exam, or do they have to go into my ziplock bag?

Hello! I have a very basic question. This is a bit long, but I appreciate anyone who would provide some thoughts on this.

Q: If an argument commits the necessary, but not sufficient flaw, does it also commit the sufficient, but not necessary flaw?

This question came about after I read two examples in the Trainer:

Example 1: "Everyone who boards the plane has to show his or her ticket to the attendant. Since Tom has shown his ticket, he will be allowed to board the plane."

B -> S

S

------

B

The trainer understood this to be a necessary, but not sufficient flaw (S is necessary, but not sufficient for B). But couldn't you also say that B is sufficient, but not necessary for S?

Example 2: "Every time you drink, you end up feeling sick the next day. You say you are sick today. You must have gone drinking yesterday."

D -> S

S

---

D

The training understood this to be a sufficient, but not necessary flaw (D is sufficient, but not necessary for S). But similarly, couldn't you say that S is necessary, but not sufficient for D?

When I first read this, I was very confused by the fact that two identical argument structures have two "different flaws," which is why I wonder if the two flaws are the same.

I then read this for a bit and now think that the two flaws are different. The two arguments seem to have different emphasis. What makes the first example a "necessary, but not sufficient" is the keywords "he will be allowed to board," which is different from "he must board." I think, if you were to make this change, the first example would be more intuitively a sufficient, but not necessary flaw.

"Everyone who boards the plane has to show his or her ticket to the attendant. Since Tom has shown his ticket, he must have boarded the plane."

What do you think? Since this is so foundational, I appreciate any comments about this. Thanks!

For mastering the logic games, from what I've gathered, it's suggested to do JY's method for each game by watching the videos and repeating the inferences on blank copies until a firm understanding of each game is reached. However, in doing so won't my scores be affected on my PTs leading up to the test because I will have already seen the games and know how to do them? I'm worried that on the one hand this wouldn't give me a good indication of where my score would really be than if I hadn't previously seen the games, but I'm also worried that if I wait to drill on those games until after I've taken the PTs to which they belong I won't have enough time since it will be closer to the test date at that point.

Hypothetically speaking, if I plan to take PTs 41- the most recently available one (giving me 30+ PTs), should I drill those games before taking the PTs or wait until I take them?

What's the suggested practice for approaching this? I'm definitely aiming for a near perfect score on the games section come June and just want to make sure that whatever prep I do is as effective as it can be.

Only kidding. Good luck Tomorrow ladies and gentlemen.

Anyone else find that doing PTs is a literal pain in the neck? After more than three hours at a desk using my right hand to bubble answers I had the worst neck and shoulder pain. I do a ton of yoga and stretch, and have pretty good posture so I'm wondering, is this avoidable? How are you guys doing these PTs in terms of desk etc..?

After a 2 month break (and a more recent week-long trip which was extended thanks to a winter storm), I am fully committing myself to study for the LSAT again. I took the December exam and did absolutely horrible, a score that I'm legitimately embarrassed to reveal, a score that I KNOW is not indicative of what I am capable of scoring. I didn't even bother applying anywhere because what the hell was the point... I basically took a 2 month hiatus from LSAT/TLS/7sage. I actually feel refreshed and looking forward to study for this S.O.B again. The positive thing about already taking it is that I know what DIDN'T work: taking 3 PT's a week, followed by a crappy BR session afterwards... not learning from mistakes on PTs... barely drilling... barely exercising and not relieving stress/anxiety... barely working in order to study (I seriously took 1.5 months off prior to my exam)... not mimicking test-day as well as I thought did... I can go on and on, unfortunately.....

I have 10 fresh PTs (plus whatever most recent PTs are available that I'll purchase which will bring the total to about 14 or 15, right?). I'm really thinking about re-taking in October because I honestly don't feel that June is enough time for ME. I believe that October will allow me to balance LSAT / Life / Small Vacations / Work... June feels rushed to me.

I plan to take a PT every other week in the exact room I took the actual exam, followed by BR and drilling, something I didn't really do despite having the cambridge bundle! I've been going to the gym since Jan 1st (new year, new me watch out watch out haha), gotten into a routine and whatnot. Also plan to work more than I did before (work at my family's business, so hours are lenient which is how I took 1.5 months off as previously mentioned).

How should I go about getting things back into motion, getting the juices flowing?

Do you feel that waiting til October is worse than taking in June?

I'm starting again on Monday the 8th.