I did my first PT today and, I have to admit, was disappointed with the score (148). BR wasn't much better in the mid 150.

However, it could have just been because it is my first test - a BIG nervous moment I have been building up to since I started studying in January.

Rather than try to pick apart my weaknesses at this stage, I am figuring it may be good to take another 3-4 tests just to build up some analytics within 7Sage. That should then give me a good basis from which to do some actual targeted further study. With just this one test, I'd be unsure where to even start.

Is that sensible? Or a waste of 3-4 more practice tests?

Thanks,

J.

You are not alone. I wish I didn't need to write this thread to release some catharsis and I wish other people wouldn't need to find company in misery as I would not wish such disappointment even on my worst enemy.

I experienced a 10 point drop from my PT average this test day, and 4 point drop from my first real test. I was averaging a 171.8, a PT range of 167 to 177, and then received a devastating 162 in June. The score I received in June isn't a number I've seen on a PT when I was studying for February, let alone June. While I can never be sure what exactly happened, I'm 99% positive it had everything to do with my mental state.

I had a rather ideal testing order -- LG (experimental), LR, LG, RC, LR. I felt great after the first section to the point where I had 5 minutes to check my answers for every single game. In theory, this sounds great. How could I have been mentally defeated at this point? Except I was. By the time I had re-visited the first game (I went in reverse order), I realized I had made a simple error on question #1 but couldn't change my answer in time. I was livid. And this is when things went sour. It took me about 5 minutes to get back into the groove for LR. All I could think about was the fact that this test and that one question was going to derail the hundreds of hours I've poured into studying. I could already imagine the disappointed responses I'd get from my parents, my extended family, and my friends. I could hear the subtle derision and condescension in their voices -- maybe she's just not smart enough. Maybe this is all she will amount to. I don't know why she can't score well on this test when all she does is study -- she doesn't even have a job. These were the thoughts in my head while trying to answer a tough necessary assumption problem. This was the mental condition I was in when taking this test.

Then, when I hit section 3 (the real LG), I actually laughed out loud in the middle of my test. I had wasted so much mental energy and lost so much precious time because of a stupid section that didn't even count? Of course at the time I couldn't be certain that the first section was in fact the experimental, but in my gut I knew it to be true. I think this is when I probably gave up on the test. I blindly guessed on the last game and to my pleasant surprise, I only missed 2. I tried to regroup my brain and will it to not give up during the break -- "you still have 2 more sections" -- but I was never wholly present again for the test. I hardly remember RC and I feel like in the last section I wasn't applying the processes I had honed in my studies on actual test day.

In hindsight, I should have cancelled but I'm glad I didn't. What happened to me in June 2015 is a testament to how important your mental state is for the LSAT. I dedicated my entire mental energy to this test to the point where I couldn't separate my LSAT world from my real world. I'd be out with friends and all I could think about was squeezing in a game or an extra LR question. I'd watch TV or be at the gym and think, "Hmm, maybe if I do one more problem set, maybe that'll guarantee me the 170." I was constantly stressed out to the point where I almost irreparably damaged some of my closest personal relationships. I wish I could say I was being overdramatic (just typing this out proves to me how manic I was) but this is the ugly truth. I was at my absolute worst physical, emotional, and mental state so the fact that I took a hit wasn't really a surprise to me. The fact it was as much as a 10 point deficit was, though, very shocking.

If you're like me where you've blown the LSAT out of proportion into an unstoppable, unconquerable behemoth, we CAN destroy the test. I have no doubt that many of us possess the fundamentals to do well and I just flat out refuse to believe that my PT average was a history of flukes. My goal for October/December/February or whenever I decide to use my next and final retake is to take the test when I'm most psychologically sound. My "study plan" over the next few months is simple: PT and blind review. And hey, maybe this will finally give me the opportunity to join those wonderful BR group sessions that Nicole and co. spearheaded (silver lining :]). That's my only LSAT related plan. The rest of the time I intend on spending with friends and family, exercising, eating well, reading, and meditating. I firmly believe that a happy mind (plus the knowledge of the fundamentals) will lead to a desirable LSAT outcome.

Solidarity, friends.

Hey guys,

I was just looking for some advice on improving my LR scores.

I'm studying for the October test and just found out about 7Sage about a week ago. I've already gone through a few of the LG video explanations and found them really helpful, but I'm more worried about my scores on LR. I started studying with the Trainer about a month and a half ago and I've done a few PTs but my LR scores are barely improving (whereas I feel as though I'm getting a pretty good grasp on RC and LG between the Trainer and the 7Sage LG videos I've seen so far). To anyone who has used both the Trainer and 7Sage for LR, would you recommend 7Sage for LR? I've gone through the curriculum for the Starter course and it seems really thorough, but I'm just wondering whether it covers pretty much the same information as the Trainer - do I just need to spend more time with the strategies I've learned from the Trainer, or does 7Sage teach different methods for LR that can help me?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I have been studying for the LSAT for roughly 1 year, and I recently re-took the June administration of the LSAT (canceled first exam). For June, I scored 5 points below my monthly PT average leading up to the exam. This definitely put my numbers off target for the group of schools I was hoping to apply to.

I have taken, all told, 43 fresh practice exams, complete with BR (all but 4 exams taken after PT 36). I have also gone through the entire 7sage curriculum, plus powerscore curriculum I started with. I simulate conditions on practice PTs (usually take tests after hours in my office with timed proctor), and deliberately go through every question on my BRs. One frustrating aspect of my practice was consistency. I saw wild 10 point fluctuations in score on fresh PT exams, even adjusting for relative difficulty of exams over time.

I am wondering if there is value in further study and a retake. Given the amount of material I have covered, is more study going to amount to banging my head against the wall? Are there new ways I can try to study that, at this point, make further study a good idea?

I value your opinions, 7sagers, thanks in advance if you have any advice!

After hard work and many ups and downs I scored in the 99th percentile.

Thank you @"J.Y. Ping" and 7Sage. I've done most other popular courses but nothing crystallized logic games (I got a -0) or other material like 7sage.

There's no better discussion forum either. JY fosters a community of cooperation rather than the snarky zero-sum mentality I've seen on other forums. I don't think I could have done it without 7Sage!

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Alright! I have completed the Premium package of 7Sage twice now, I started taking prep tests at the end of May and, so far, my average for PTs is 164 and my BR average is 170. My highest score so far is a 168 with a BR of 172. Obviously I need work in both my PT score and my BR score.

I am shooting to take the October LSAT and would like my PT mark to consistently sit in the low 170s before I write, so when I factor in nerves, etc, I can score in the high 160s/very low 170s. I think this is a realistic goal for me, but of course, I will always shoot to score beyond just in the low 170s!

I'm wondering where I should go with my study methods. My LG are near 0 wrong each time, so I maintain just completing 1 timed LG a day to keep my skills up, with BR/drilling on my PTs.

For Reading Comprehension, I find I'm struggling there the most as of right now. What do you suggest? I do have all the Cambridge packages, and I drill 2 in the AM every day from those. Should I be drilling a full 4 a day? I have read the LSAT Trainer section for RC, so my approach is to read for structure and what-not. Obviously I need to refine my skills in this section, but I guess I'm at a loss of where to go from here.

For my LG, I do miss an average 2-5 per section, so that needs work as well. I have started by printing the PT from 36 and above, and I am now drilling full sections under timed conditions and supplementing that with Cambridge packages untimed. Does that look like a good plan?

So far, I PT only on Saturdays. I only do a 4 section for now, to retain materials, but I have gotten into a good rhythm of waking up, hitting the gym, eating, drinking my coffee, and diving into a PT - keeping my test day schedule consistent. I am going to introduce a 5th section come August and maybe start taking 1 PT during the week, but I am debating that because of major mental fatigue after being at work all day.... not sure it would be worth it if it'll just be a bruise to my ego.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I've got a copy of Manhattan LR in the house. Ordered it a few months ago but didn't touch it.

Does anyone recommend it? I've gone through 7Sage twice as well as the Trainer, but always open to new perspective.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-20-section-1-question-06/

I understand why the answer (D) is correct, but not sure why the answer choice (C) is incorrect. Is it because the answer choice makes an assumption that natural nesting sites will be less crowded than the nesting boxes? I thought this can be a logical conclusion from the passage rather than just assumption. Please explain me why (D) is a better answer choice than (C).

I'm familiar with question types and general approaches to different questions from previous study. I wonder if it makes more sense to do PT 1-35 as timed 4-section tests, instead of using them as drills on specific topics, as I'm going through JY's video curriculum. I just feel the drills wasted the full length tests 1-35. Please let me know if I'm missing something.

Can someone please explain the difference between these two concepts? I'd guess that association is generally weaker than correlation, but is there some hard and fast rule that separates the two concept? Is correlation always linear? I feel like I've heard the phrase, "non-linear correlation" ...

I'm not sure the specifics really matter, I'm just asking for my own edification. I'm reviewing PT69, S1, Q24 if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

I've done hundreds of LR questions and I was never this lost with a question. Got this right because the rest of the answers weren't compatible with the argument, but I have no idea why (C) is correct. I really would appreciate a detailed explanation for this one and a breakdown of the argument.

Hi,

A newbie here. I am really, really slow at reading RCs and LRs and I can never finish them timed and have a good deal of questions unanswered ( like about 9-10 per section). Since I am like really slow, how do I get faster with time? I know it is hard to get fast and good at these sections but any specific tips that you guys think are good/ have worked for you/worked for others etc. could be helpful for me. I really don't have a lot of ideas about this.

Hi Everyone,

In the beginning of June this summer, I was in the middle 150. In the last 4 prep test, I got 154 in prep test 63(BR 169), 160 in prep test 49(BR 172), 157 in prep test 68(BR170), and 160 in prep test 51(BR 174). RC is my worst section and I always tend to miss 10-12 questions in prep test and miss 4-6 questions in BR. Now I consider doing easiest question in each passage first and then going back to harder questions in each passage instead of trying to finishing up all the questions in one passage first then going to next passage. Usually I only have 3 or 4 minutes left for the last passage and I missed some questions that I could have got right given enough time. I tend to spend 3.5 minutes on the passage but easily got stuck in questions. Besides the Economist, I am also reading some classy British Literature such as the Great Expectation. Since i am not a native English speaker , I think reading some novels will help my reading skill.

This is my raw score and BR score from the recent 4 prep tests for the reference:

Prep test 63, first LR 20 (BR 21), LG 17 (BR 23), second LR14 (BR 23), RC13 (BR 22) Raw score 64, BR score 89.

Prep test 49, LG 21(BR 22), first LR19 (BR 24), RC 17 (BR 21), second LR 19 (BR 25), Raw score 76, BR score 92.

Prep test 68, RC 13 (BR 24), first LR 21 (BR 22), second LR19 (BR 20), LG16 (BR 23), Raw score 69, BR score 89.

Prep test 51, first LR 18(BR 23), RC16 (BR 24), second LR18 (BR 24), LG 22 (BR 22), Raw score 74, BR score 93.

Still, when I do RC and LR, I was always frustrated by getting stuck on questions and spending 2 minutes on some hard questions and still did not get it right. I usually spend 9 to 10 hours doing BR and aim to get 180 in BR. I usually can get LR questions right during BR. Sorry for typing so much. What would guys say my problem is? Is it just timing or fundamental issues? Besides the Economist, would reading some difficult novel help my reading skill? Thank you guys for bearing this long post! :)

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-27-section-1-question-22/

I was struggling with C and E, and I chose C. But the answer is D. To me, C D E all try to negate the relationship between "saying a organization is hierarchy" and "concluding how the organization operates". Why D is the correct answer? Thank you guys!

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-28-section-3-question-12/

I really do not understand why the answer is C, and the question stem also seems to be very confusing. Are we suppose to find one option that is "must be false", or there are four "must be false" answers, we need to choose the one that is not? The first time, I treat this as a normal must be false question, thought there is only one must be false choice. I chose A. Because the stem said that V is effective to all the species that infest NA; while A said it is only effective to two species.

Someone help me plz.

This is more of a suggestion, and I'm pretty sure there must be some sort of limitation that prevents this, but why can't we fast scroll up or down on the site? I don't mean the regular scrolling, but holding down the middle button on the mouse and scrolling up and down.

It makes browsing the discussion forum a little easier.

I took the June LSAT and got -3 on one logical reasoning section and -6 on the other. Do these two sections have the same problem types? I just wonder why one was -3 and one was -6, pretty big jump. If not, what makes them different, so I can focus on improving one section?

Do i have to find these individually from some sketchy fifth party that wants my email before I can even see their webpage?

the title says it all.

Add/message nikkers625 on Skype if you'd like to join!

Can you believe we're already in week 4 of our BR's of Summer?

Please note, we will NOT be having a call on Saturday, July 4th because America.

Wednesday, July 1st at 8pm EST: PT51

Our basins of attraction were thoroughly riddled on Saturday, so let's move right along.

Friday, July 3rd at 8pm EST: PT69

For those of us who want to be able to retake and/or drill from tests up to PT71, we will have Friday sessions to BR those later tests. This is likely to be a smaller group but open to anyone.

Note on the Friday group: If you want to join, let me know on Skype (nikkers625) and I will add you to this one—all are welcome, some are willing. Most are trying to make valid inferences and/or diagramming these sentences in their heads right now. #so-meta

NO GROUP on July 4th

Here's what I'll be doing on LSATurday evening:

Note on all groups

Hello all,

Now that I've had a little bit of time to reflect on my June score, I was hoping to find some people to indulge with me in some "philosophical" conversation about what it all means.

I scored a 164 on the June test, 7 ish points lower than my PT average. I completely bombed one LR section (pretty uncommon since LR is generally my strongest) and did really pretty well on the remainder. It was the first section and presumably, the issue was related to nerves.

I want desperately for my LSAT score to begin with 17..and I'm not really sure why. My pride? A personal goal?

I plan to attend a (fairly) strong regional school because I know where I want to practice and already own a house in the area, I am not really a non-traditional student but am definitely not K-JD. I will apply to other schools but primarily for scholarship leverage. For this particular school and considering my URM status, my numbers (or lower) have led to admission plus substantial scholarship for others.

I plan to retake but... I'm also conflicted. Others in the area would likely take the score and run. I'm not happy with my score and know that I can do better (I haven't score a 164 on a prep test in a long while).

My question- has anyone else become obsessed with the LSAT itself and lost sight of the fact that it's a means to an end? I certainly have. Thoughts?

Just wanted to thank JY and the 7 Sage team/community for all your help over the past several months. My diagnostic was in the high 130s and I finished with a 160 on the June LSAT. I studied using 7 Sage along with The Trainer. This site is an amazing resource and I don't know what I would have done without it. Cheers everyone!

After lurking for 2 months, I finally purchased the 7sage Premium package.

Right now my goal is 160+ for the October write. My only other commitment is a summer course from July to Mid-August, so I hope my 3 month goal is attainable for my desired score!

I haven't even attempted a LG, and am asking should I jump right into that first or just follow the order of the curriculum?

...HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

Nothing better than enjoying Canada day by relaxing in the backyard and reading the good old (okay, not that old) LSAT Trainer.

Hi y'all. PT51 BR tonight. You know you love it!

Let's all try to sign on at 8:15 EST tonight for BR group because we want to start at 8:30 SHARP (accommodating West Coasters coming home from work because inclusion). In fact, I will be so bold as to say that if I am the only person actually on the call at 8:30 I will start talking to myself on the call.

And I do mean 8:30* SHARP ...

*We often don't get into the real-deal BR'ing until about this time so I am planning on us wrapping up around 11PM EST. Ok, hoping is a better word.