Hey 7Sagers,

Had someone ask a question that I thought you could help with! Here it is:

I keep running into one problem consistently; I rush due to the time pressure and I always end up getting about 20% of my questions wrong. I'm not sure how to manage my time and relieve that time pressure so I don't jump on wrong answers too quickly. I end up worrying about not having enough time on the real test and missing the last bit of questions on a section. As a result, I rush and either pick a tempting answer or I miss reading and internalizing important details on the stimulus. Can you please give me some sort of advice to manage the stress of the time factor so I perform better in the questions?

Hi All,

I'm about 20% through 7Sage's course, and I've learned quickly that the format for the majority of the lessons isn't "sticking" for me because I'm a visual learner. The lessons that have transcripts and/or are just written, I do just fine comprehending. I've found that I have the videos on 1.2x to 1.4x speed because I don't have the patience to listen to all of the extraneous info, side comments, and attempts at humorous jibber jabber. In other words, I'm struggling because I don't feel like the majority of the foundational lessons are well-scripted and tend to ramble than rather get straight to the point. I have neither the time nor attention span for ramblings.

Any tips on getting through the rest of the material? I was disappointed to find that as I continued through the course there are little-to-no transcripts, as compared with the earlier lessons. I'm getting really discouraged, and I'm starting to default back to PowerScore at this point. I feel that as I try to push myself to really tune into the lessons, the more I lose attention to task. To give you a better idea, I don't listen to talk radio because it induces sleep (especially at the wheel...). Help!!!

Hey everyone,

First time poster but I have been a lurker for a few weeks. I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but does anyone have a list of some of the tougher preptests? I'm taking the June LSAT and I want to see where I stand on the especially difficult ones. Does anyone know which preptests people tend to do poorly on?

I just got my best score yesterday after taking the June 2007 preptest, does anyone know where that one stands in terms of difficulty?

Thanks!

Hey guys, we're proud to announce that David Busis is our new Editor and we're working together to redesigning the personal statement course.

To aid in the redesign, we're looking to put together a diverse profile of personal statements to use in the course as instructional material. Therefore, we'd like for you to submit your personal statements. If your statement is chosen, we'll help you through some or all of the rewriting process to arrive at a polished final statement. This will come at no cost to you but we'd like to use your (anonymized) drafts as instructional content.

You have to be enrolled in a 7Sage Starter or higher course and have our existing Personal Statement course to submit for this.

Submission

If you'd like to submit, please email dillon@7sage.com (1) your PS draft (2) your undergrad institution, year, degree, gpa (3) your LSAT score if you have it already and (4) your basic demographic info. Please use subject "Personal Statement Submission".

If you have questions, please ask away!

Here's the hello from David himself:

I’m David, a professional writer and editor, and I’m currently redesigning 7Sage's personal statement course. I am a graduate of Yale, where I received a prize for excellence in the English major, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where I received a teaching fellowship. My nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic online. My fiction has won two national contests, received notable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2014 and been anthologized by Autumn House Press. I've taught English and writing at Phillips Academy Andover, the University of Iowa and Southern New Hampshire University. I’m a member of Blurb’s Dream Team of editors and the Editorial Freelancers’ Association. I’ve also been through the law school application wringer myself: I was admitted to Harvard and Yale Law School before I decided to pursue editing.

When Studying for LR I find something strange happens [This does not happen all the time, just sometimes]. During PTs (usually in the first section of LR introduced) I don't do extremely well (I get about -10/-11).. Later on when I visit the second set of LR I do a lot better (about -5/-6). This happens when taking full-length PTs, or if I decide to dissect 2 LR sections from a PT I don't plan on taking all at once (due to either time constraints or my lack of intention to fully utilize that particular PT.) I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this. At first I thought it was a sign that I was improving, but now I'm not sure if it's a stroke of luck, or w/e. If anyone has any input let me know!

For anyone preparing to take the June exam, or has taken an LSAT exam in the past: what are you doing (or have you done in the past) to prepare at this point, beyond your normal studying? Personally, some things I've focused on are:

1. Being alert and prepared mentally around 12:30 every day, regardless if I'm working, studying, or even enjoying a day off. For me, this requires getting good sleep, eating a good breakfast, and getting adequate exercise.

2. Making time for rest and relaxation in these next couple weeks. I've accepted the fact that my score won't be hugely affected by any last minute studying in the nights before the exam, so I made sure to plan only light/moderate studying during those last several days before the test. Spending time with friends (not including going out and partying) is also included in my plans.

3. Simulating test conditions more accurately, including always using the LSAT proctor, using an analog watch, and testing/studying at around 12:30 (if life allows).

I'm curious to hear what everyone else is doing to prepare themselves for the exam. I'm also curious as to how everyone plans to approach practice tests in the next several weeks. Do you plan on saving some of the most recent ones you have access to for the last week until the test? Do you plan at taking any at all that week?

Hi All,

I seem to have a bit of a conundrum with regards to "prestige" and applying to law school. I feel an internal pressure to try to make into one of the T14, even though my confidence has been squashed to probably 1/10* (10 being borderline optimistic egomaniac).

I earned my bachelor's from Loyola U Chicago & master's from Northwestern. It sounds silly and perhaps pompous, but I almost feel as though if I don't make it into one of the T14, then I'm a pretty big failure and will be going "backwards" in my education/career. However, I do have some interest in Loyola Health Law (cert program is in the top 10 of the country), but ultimately I still have the little gremlin telling me that it's still not good enough.

Anyone feel me?

I have a friend of a friend who transferred from Yeshiva & finished his undergrad at Columbia, and then he went to Cordoza (Yeshiva) for law school. He feels similarly blah about not doing LS at one of the T14, even though he's working in Big IP Law in NYC and is doing *just fine.*

Thoughts, anyone? Really for me, since I've worked professionally for a good six years after grad school, I know that what I need is a "good fit." I've done the prestige thing in the working world, and at the end of the day, it doesn't really make a difference in my quality of life and current career prospects. I'm just worrying that switching from healthcare to law is a completely different ball game and I'll regret not trying to make it into at least one T14.

((*I took the LSAT in 2013 at a horrible time in my life and earned what I consider to be a horrific score. Because of the stress, brain melt, and fatigue from my current full-time work situation, I'm concerned that I'll only make it by a few more points in October. To give some perspective, I feel that I need to jump an extra 20-25 points on my next LSAT to even think about considering applying to any T14.))

Do you guys have a strategy for what to do during a PT or a test when you just don't understand a passage after repeatedly reading it and are starting to run out of time?

Hello Folks,

Title says it all. I am around 75% of the curriculum and haven't done any PTs apart from my diagnostic. Do you suggest doing some or wait until I finish the curriculum. Also, I really feel that I forgot so many things already :(

Thank you in advance :)

This past week I've been mainly focusing on LR and decided to take PT 60. There was no huge increase/decrease in my RC section, but I averaged 4-5 more right in each LR section on this test. I was wondering if anyone else had any input, I know that LSATurday recently reviewed PT 60, if I'm not mistaken.

I graduated college in 2014 but I've owned my business since 2012 and have various business partners, consultants, and attorneys who I work very closely with. I was planning on asking them to write letters of recommendation for me but I recently found out the law schools want letters from college professors. My letters of recommendation from my business associates will be a lot stronger because they know me better than many of my college professors knew me. These people are highly successful professionals (CEOs, Lawyers, University President's etc.) whose opinion I think would hold just as much, if not more, weight than college professors who don't have as great of a relationship with me. Do you all think that having these people write my recommendations instead of reaching out to old professors will significantly hurt my application? Should I attach an addendum to the application explaining why I chose business professionals instead of old professors to write my letters? I will likely also be attaching a GPA addendum to my application as well.

Starting to wonder if taking the June LSAT is still possible. My last timed LSAT was 149 with a BR of 169, which is lower than last week's PT. I just can't seem to transition to timed practice. It's really frustrating. I've done all the cambridge packet drills, tried to complete the first 10 in 10 minutes, I've even jumped around in search for the easiest questions but nothing seems to help. I've come to a point where I can't even sleep. I go the whole day taking short naps with little drive to study. It's like I'm dealing with an immovable, unclimbable brick wall.

Anyone in this position? What should I do? This is BY FAR the hardest thing I've come across in my entire life and it's ruining me.

Hello,

So basically I have been studying for close to a year now and I am preparing to take the exam one last time. My February LSAT score was a 164 and I am really hoping to go up a few points. I am taking the LSAT in June and pretty much all I am doing at this point is taking fresh PTs, Blind Reviewing, and then reviewing those question types I get wrong. I have exhausted all possible drills, lessons, theoretical discussions, etc. I have taken Blueprint and 7sage all the way through. To put it short, I am looking for some insight/guidance that can go beyond what these courses teach and can provide some personal advice that has worked for people struggling with similar scenarios. From my last 5 PTs alone, there is a consistent trend. I cannot get to the 4th passage of RC, LG is flawless, and LR is usually in the -3 to -5 range. From those LR questions, it is Necessary and Flaw questions that continue to trip me up. I have drained every possible lesson/theory on Necessary questions. I understand their function, their role within a stimulus, and how to confirm whether the necessary assumption I choose is the right one or not (aka negating and seeing if validity still holds up). With Flaws, I have learned the 13 prevalent fallacies and how to spot them. Does anyone have suggestions or advice for how to destroy these questions? If I'm getting the question right, I still often times end up spending extra time on it to confirm my correctness (a nasty habit, I know, but something I just can't seem to shake). Finally, skipping is out of the question since my skipping is reserved for absurdly long parallel/parallel flaw questions that I do not want to bother wasting my time on. Any help at all would be so awesome! Thank you!

This might be a weird question, but I was just wondering if anybody has taken the LSAT at the Texas A&M Commerce location. I am real big on environment so I was wondering if anybody could tell me if it is somewhat loud, if we are sitting in super close proximity with other people, if it was cold, etc. I would like to try to simulate my prep-test environments to what it will be like on the day of - I get distracted very easily with noise, closeness to people, and cold temperatures so I wanted to try to train myself to be ready. Sorry if this is weird!

hi, im new to 7sage. is it possible to print the little activities that are shown in the videos? thnx

Wondering how relevant old logic games are for current LSATs. Is it best to do the logic game bundle (1-35) first so I don't "burn" through more recent logic game sections?

Hi everyone! I have put off the LSAT far too many times to count due to anxiety-driven procrastination (I have been studying on and off - mostly "off," tbh - for two years), and I am now determined to test in October. I have taken a handful of PT's, with my most recent being in December (my score, and average, was at a 164). Since then, I have finished the 7Sage curriculum and am now focusing on the Logic Games Bundle. I want to score a 175+, and I know that this will take a lot of hard work and dedication. I'm not exactly sure why I'm posting this, though I think in part it is because I want to hold myself accountable by finally introducing myself to this awesome community. I am really trying to tackle my anxiety, and I would love to hear from any of you who can relate to this. Thank you!

Thanks for the info. My intention was not stir any trouble.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-74-section-1-question-17/

Conclusion: Hans purple was probably created by accident while someone was trying to make white glass.

Reasoning: Hans purple uses the same chemical ingredients and a similar process as making white glass.

When I first came across this question, my eyes immediately made their way to answer choice D. D states that the ingredients involved in making Hans purple and white glass were easily obtainable during the relevant time period. I reasoned that if the ingredients were easily obtainable, then people may be less cautious, and thus, an accident is more likely to occur. I guess I was just focused on the word, "accident".

But A is correct because it ties the two creations geographically. I understand this is a "hidden assumption"--if Hans purple was made on accident while someone was trying to make white glass, then it helps if the two come from the same place.

How did you guys fare on this question? Did you spot the problem immediately? I was also thrown off by the phrase, "small geographical region" in answer choice A. I thought to myself, "Who cares if it's a small region? Irrelevant."

Has anyone here ever used BarBRI law school prep? I'm using 7sage's, but would like to know if anyone thought it would be best to supplement it with BarBRI or any other form of law school prep?

[note from mods: please don't post titles/comments in all caps!]

I started studying for the LSAT in February for the October 2015 LSAT. I went through the power score bibles and now am going through the 7sage course. My highest score was a 163 about a month ago but since then my score has been decreasing each prep test with my lowest score a 149. I am not sure what I am doing wrong or why I am not improving. I have been blind reviewing my prep test and drilling during the week. Should I stop taking prep tests and just focus on finishing the 7sage curriculum and drilling LG and LR? Any advice or tips or similar experiences?

I'm a little unclear on a few things. Perhaps you can help me out.

1. Is the idea to do one passage again and again for practice like the LG method? I ask this because it seems like the marginal returns will begin to diminish quite quickly. I suppose I'll be able to answer my question here empirically once I start doing this in earnest myself; but hey, what are these forums for if not to free ride a little bit?

2. If the answer to my first question is no, then why only 6-8 passages? Why not, time permitting, do this with literally every single passage that one doesn't plan take in a PT?

Anybody agree with me? Discuss. Do you have another test that you would call the easiest of all time?

I finished the section in 20 minutes (normally I take 35) and got nothing wrong (normally I get 1-2).

For anyone who took the test, this one had these games:

1) Clown in a suit of Jacket and overalls which were solid/plaid JY gave it one star for difficulty. I would call it 2 just because the rules are unusual. I skipped it the first time and came back and did it in 4/5 minutes.

2) Hotel expenses. 1 layer sequencing with conditional rules. the rules were a little complicated. I did it in about 5/6 minutes. JY gave it 3 stars. I would call it 2 if you have any experience.

3) Guitarist's demo CD. Double layered- sequencing. Pretty easy. I did about 5 minutes. I could see this being difficult if you missed a single inference (hate how the earlier tests do that). I think 2 stars, JY calls it 1.

4) Courier delivers parcels. Simple one-layer sequencing with an ENTIRELY self-contained chain of rules!!!! (Really, LSAC!?) I did 5 minutes. JY and I agree that this is 1 star.

First off, I want to give a HUGE thanks to 7sage and the community members. JY's methods have helped me drastically. The community members have helped increase my understanding on questions that I found unclear, even after JY's videos explained everything. Before finding 7sage, the highest score I earned was a 149 (September 2014) (diagnostic was a 139). I had used Princeton (big NO NO), Kaplan (Also big NO NO), and powerscore. I then discovered 7sage and Lsathacks.com in early November and had seen huge improvements during the following months.

I was PTing around 165 a week before the February LSAT. I earned a disappointing (to me) 160 and applied to the University of South Carolina anyway (with low hopes of being accepted). About 3 days ago, I received a letter in the mail from the University of South Carolina, saying I was accepted. Today, I received a letter in the mail with a $10,000 scholarship (a little more than 1/8th of all three years' tuition).

I will be sitting again for the June LSAT, with hopes of earning at least a 165, so that I can negotiate a higher scholarship. It will be my third and final time taking the LSAT.

Just wanted to pass on words of encouragement. If I can do it, so can you! The climb from 139 to where I am sitting at now was NOT and easy one, but it CAN BE DONE!