I started studying last Oct with the trainer, and took the LSAT in Feb. I got a 153. I took a break and started studying in June and went through all the 7sage stuff and took the Oct test. I'm going to take the Dec LSAT regardless of my Oct score. I study 3 hours each morning. For LR I usually go through the LR questions on 7sage and then watch the explanation. I usually get through a section each morning. For RC I'm going through the Manhattan prep book. I'm good on games. I also do a PT on the weekend. I've been studying long enough and I'm familiar with most of the techniques involved with the LSAT. What should I do from here? What do people do after they go through all the basics? Should I go back over the basics? Should I just PT like crazy? My biggest weakness is timing. How can I improve that? I've tried so many things and nothing seems to improve my timing or get me scoring in the 160. This is my last time to take, and I need to figure out what's going to work for me. I'd appreciate any advice!

Thank you.

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a

I recently received a letter from the dean of admissions at a T15 school. I sincerely thought Ashton Kutcher may have been hiding in my hallway ready to pop out at any moment with a film crew. (Apologies for those of you who missed out on Punk'd, go watch an episode and return.) Anyways, I spent a good amount of time over analyzing this letter, of course. It's an actual letter, not a mass letter. It's tailored to my interests and highlights student groups I would be inclined to join AND there was also an admissions packet full of amazing and hilarious reasons why I should "please consider attending" this school. The letter is signed in ink (there's even smudges, yes I inspected this) by the dean and there's even a handwritten note. My surprise stems from the fact that 1) I don't meet their median LSAT score, my LSAT scores (yes there is an 's' at the end, I have 2) are WELL below which is why I'm on the Sage 2) my undergrad GPA is good but not stellar, again below their median. I know there are supposedly other factors that go into the admissions decision but right now even this letter confirmed they can only see what's on my LSAC profile and still they are calling me a "strong candidate with a strong chance of admissions," and have waived my application fee to apply. I am definitely going to but I don't want to get my hopes up either. I know this letter of interest is at best necessary but not sufficient to gaining admissions (you like that fellow LSATonians?) but I'm still baffled as to why I even received it in the first place. Just to clarify, I'm not a total downer on myself, I do have a MA, I have published original research, volunteer work, actual work experience, my cat thinks I'm pretty badass etc etc. I'm thinking I should contact this admissions office but I'm still unsure of what I should or should not say. Telling them they have the wrong person is probably not the best idea but I'd like to know why I was contacted, if I even have a shot or if this is just false hope. I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thank you in advance my lovely fellow LSAT prisoners!

I am about 30% through the trainer and so far it is meh. I still have not come across drills where I needed test's to do sections out of? Is this because they are counting on you having some type of guide? At any rate is it worth finishing? I plan to skip games section no matter what as J.Y. videos are just so good.

OKAY WHAT IS THIS QUESTION????? I've looked it up on Manhattan's forum, cause they have most of the questions already written out, but I STILL don't understand it. This whole test was a beast to be honest...

I know this is a sufficient assumption question. So far, I have:

~SS

C --> IH

~IH --> ~C

--------------------------------

D --> IH

(SS = send spacecraft) (C = communicate) (IH = intelligent as humans) (D = determine existence)

How do we get to answer D, or I guess a better way to put it would be how do I figure out what the assumption is using the formal logic like JY does?

P.S. Sorry I'm needy tonight

I don't know why this trips me up SO BADLY, but I ended up switching this one to the correct answer in my BR.

BUT, I watched the video and I reasoned it differently.

We're taught that, if we're given a premise, we have to take it to be true, correct?

So I reasoned that A is the correct answer over B, because the stimulus says "because it permits a slower and more natural rhythm of life, living in the country...". So, B is wrong because the stimulus TOLD US that it permits a slower rhythm of life, and we can't just conclude therefore it doesn't. Right?

Any interest in a Friday Group BR???

Last week, we only had one taker for Friday Group BR. If no one’s interested this week, we should probably move it to a different day (maybe a morning group BR???). I’m open to suggestions...

Wednesday, Oct 14th at 8PM ET: PT62

Are you going to the Information Overload talk or to the Handling People talk?

Friday, Oct 16th at 8PM ET: PT73

The Red-headed stepchild of the BR Groups.

LSATurday, Oct 17th at 8PM ET: PT63

It’s BYOB to this party!

Be sure to announce in the comments which group(s) you’re planning on attending.

Note:

I know that for the most part, LSAT scores tend to be released a few days before the date listed on LSAC. For those who took the October 2015 LSAT by when should we be expecting to receive our scores?

So I've written a couple drafts of my personal statements and haven't gotten anyone to review them yet. Do you guys have any recommendations of editing people/companies that are accessible online? I've found a few from Google but I don't know who to trust

Hi everyone, I was just curious if anyone has taken the LSAT at the testing center in Cary, NC. NC ELITE CAREER SERVICE CENTER (10061)? If so could you tell me if the conditions were good? The setup, individual desks, good lighting, proctored well, and distraction free? Thank you

Hi Everyone,

I will officially finish 7sage curriculum tomorrow. It has taken me longer to get through the curriculum than expected according to my study schedule, but I felt that it was important for me to take my time understanding each point of the curriculum in depth. I started at the beginning of August, but have had some previous LSAT training in the past, so I feel confident about where I'm at in my understanding and in my decision to take my time.

However, part of me is frustrated with myself now because I'm having fears about the # of practice tests i will be able to take before December. I want to preface that I absolutely have to take the LSAT in December, this is not something i can put off nor is it something I want to put off (I've studied for the LSAT on and off for year, finally quit my job and moved home so i could dedicate sufficient time to studying for this). I know in a perfect world I would put it off until February and have more time with practice tests, but that is not an option at this point in my life for several reasons, so i need advice for the best possible outcome of my situation. I will obviously retake in February if needed, but my score has to count in December.

So, my question is: how many practice tests a week would you recommend me taking in order to most benefit from testing experience, blind review, and not burning out before December 5? I am a huge fan of Blind Review and see the difference in my ability to retain information after doing it, so by no means do I want to race through 40 tests without feeling I've done adequate review of each test. My only job is to study for the LSAT, so I have unlimited time to study/take PTs.

Thanks for your help,

Liz

The example given on the cheat sheet states, No candy is bitter.

pick either idea and negate it right?

what about No candy? doesn't that mean candy is negated?

so instead of C arrow /B shouldn't it be /C arrow /B?

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I would like to erase my old scores and re-enter new ones on the tests I am re-taking . I cannot find a way to do that.

I found out today that I was significantly less anxious during my LR sections because I decided beforehand that I would check the time after the 10th question, the 15th, and at 20. Obviously if I felt I spent a long time on a section I might check how much time has passed by, but I feel like constantly looking back and forth between my watch and the questions ruined my train of thought on many occasions. I had to turn my watch over so I wouldn't be tempted to keep looking.

For reading comp though, I'm not sure when to be checking my time. It would be ideal to only check after each passage, but I don't want to lose track of time after spending a good deal of time on a tough passage or question. I'd love to hear what top scorers have put into habit.

How many times am I using the method on one passage? Is it 2? The first time I read the entire passage, go through all the steps, then the second time I read the passage again, go through all the steps the same way with the exception of end of the phase 1 where I spend 30 seconds on writing down what I believe to be the main conclusion for each paragraph?

What do people consider the pros and cons of gap years? I've done some research on my own but was wondering what you sagers think, because I know we come from a variety of backgrounds.

Personally, I had always been anti-gap year because I've had over a year of internship experience with a law firm while in College. But now, being a senior, balancing LSAT studying with a full course load which includes my senior thesis is really piling on the stress. Plus December LSAT mixed with final exams sounds like a recipe for ultimate burnout.

Do people generally think gap years are the best move? On the one hand you can make $$ to put towards law school expenses, and can really focus on the LSAT. But on the flip side you start a year later and could lose some motivation.

All thoughts are appreciated!

Hey everyone, I have realized that they way I learn best for LG is to focus on one specific type at a time instead of going from sequencing to grouping to in out. Has anyone categorized the games from 1-35 in this way? I know the game type is listed in the answers but I was wondering if someone has already done it or not and was willing to share. Thanks in advance!

I just began the prep test intensive part of the curriculum and I'm finding that mental endurance seems to be a major issue for me during the 3rd and 4th sections (regardless of type of section). Is this something that just gets better with practice or are there things you recommend doing as well?

Sequence Games With A Twist

I Am Pretty Good At Making Inferences When I See Rules That I Am Accustomed To. However, Just About Every Game Introduces A New Concept That I Am Totally Oblivious To. Therefore, I Am Worried That When I Am Ready To Take The LSAT, Many Games Will Have Concepts I Have Never Seen Before.

Is It Safe To Say That Once I Make It Through All Of The Sequence Games With A Twist That I Have Seen Just About All Of The Tricks Of The Trade? This Way I Can Be Prepared?

I took the October test and didn't feel so hot, so I'll be retaking in December.

I've worked through all of the PT from 35-72, and I'm kind of stuck as to what now?

My plan is to do 2 timed and BR PT/week. (I feel like I overwhelmed myself a bit last time b/c I was doing about 4-5 PT a week, but what do you guys feel about this number?)

RC is my weakest section time wise, so I'll be doing 1 section every day timed.

LR is my weakest section quality wise so I'll be doing 1-2 sections. 1 timed, 1 un-timed (depending on how much time I have)

LG I'm okay on, so I'll so 3 sections timed/week.

I felt like I was under so much stress all the way up until the test, so the first thing I did was give myself a week off! And now that I'm refreshed, it's time to focus and go for it again!

So, for those retaking, what are you guys doing to prep?

I've taken about 9, and just recently started taking them every weekend (I work full time during the week), and I jumped a huge amount (14 points) but now I have kind of stopped making any better and i'm getting discouraged. I need about 10 more points to get where I want to be, but this weekend was the first time I have not raised my score (even if it was just a point or two) and I'm freaking out.

By today I finished 10 PTs. LSAT Analytics reads that my accuracy in Flaw is 40% ! I was planning to do section by section drilling but after seeing this number I thought I probably need to drill Flaw type questions from the Cambridge Bundle. What do you say?

I think that I am good at Flaw questions especially after finishing The Trainer, but still this what LSAT Analytics shows. The number is reflecting older PTs which were taken before reading The Trainer. My worst types are NA and Flaw.

Thank you very much

For those applying this cycle or are already in law school, what is your take on the personal statement length. The majority of the schools I'm applying to either doesn't list a specific length or says 2-4 pages max. With my current draft, I believe I could finish out at around 3 pages.