I know y'all must hear this all the time, but I wanted to personally say thank you once more for all the amazing resources that you provide for *free*! You've made it financially viable for me to work towards pursuing an education I've wanted since about fourth grade. Thanks so much!

I learned about 7sage recently. I'm registered for DEC; how do I make the most of my time at this late date,

Thanks for your help !

Dear 7sagers,

After months of prep, I still have a recurring problem: making careless errors - mostly in the form of misreading LR stimulus and answer choices.

I noticed that I miss a lot of questions from Q20-25. In most instances, I have 8 to 10 minutes left when I get to Q20, so I don't think timing is the major issue. When I blind review them, I don't find them particularly harder than the Q1-15 group (I find Q15-20 the greatest difficulty).

One thing that I noticed time and time again in doing LR sections on actual prep tests is that whenever I check my watch after I hit Q20, I tend to speed up on the last 5 questions. Subconsciously what I'm doing is that I'm trying to finish the section on time, and that causes me rush.

The rushing leads me to read the stimulus too fast without figuring what exactly is going on (i.e. the argument core) before heading to the answer choices. And we all know that this is a recipe for disaster.

So my question is: How do I avoid making these errors? How do I keep my mind absolutely tranquil under the time pressure? Are there specific exercises that I can do to master the art of meticulousless?

Making dumb mistakes is not only a problem for me on the LSAT, it has also been my Achilles Heel ever since grade school. I don't think I'm naturally attuned to details, as I'm more inclined to look at the bigger picture, which I must work on if I want to be a qualified lawyer.

Hi guys! I was wondering if any of you had this set up in the September 2014 LSAT: RC RC LR LG LR. Thanks.

Can I default my analytics?

Right now I'm in the process of going through old material to improve my less-than-stellar LR sections.

It's interesting how going through old material can help you pick up on concepts that... you did learn, but never stuck.

For MSS (if anyone is having trouble). What was said was that.. usually... the wrong answer choices will be very conclusive or specific.

Whereas the right answer will be more general.

Example)

What is most strongly supported?

Jane likes pizza. She likes cheese and pepperoni a lot. She does not like peppers.

A) sometimes Jane likes cheese pizza.

B) Jane always buys cheese and pepperoni pizza.

C) Jane never buys pizza with cheese or peppers on it.

D) Jane really likes cheese sticks.

OK. Not the best at making LSAT questions. But, obviously A is correct. Why? Because it's more general. She likes pizza. She likes cheese. So, sometimes, she likes cheese pizza.

The fact that she likes cheese and pepperoni, doesn't mean she ALWAYS buys cheese and pepperoni pizza. That is way too conclusive, and would be hard to find support for.

Usually I go through, now, and cancel answers that include "All" "Always" ect. Which I know was taught to us, but I only picked up on it now.

For Weakening, again, we were taught that we should think three things:

1. Alternative Cause

2. Show a Coincidence

3. Show the reverse

Ok. But it didn't really click until now, and weakening were my WORST questions.

If we look at Q9 of the weakening set:

9. A running track with a hard surface makes for greater running speed than a soft one because even though step length is shorter on a hard surface, the time the runner's foot remains in contact with the running surface is less with a hard surface.

Ok. What's the conclusion: running track with a hard surface makes for greater running.

WHY? Because your foot is in contact with the surface less.

Ok. So then, in reference to above, you just simply ask yourself. What if something, aside from your foot touching the surface, made it better for you to run on the hard surface?

Answer choice C - hard surfaces enhance a runner's speed by making it easier for the runner to maintain posture that minimizes wind resistance.

This answer is another way to explain why the hard surface is great for running faster. Not necessarily your foot being in contact, something else!

I don't know.

These facts just dawned on me. But it makes me feel like I'm moving in the right direction!! I hope this helps other people.

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-27-section-4-question-02/

I was stuck between B and C (I thought both could be answers) and finally chose C. But the answer is B. The more I looked into, the more I had no idea why C was wrong.

Can anyone explain me why B is correct and C is wrong?

I am retaking the LSAT in December because I had the craziest physical issues occur the night right before the September LSAT and I nearly felt like I was a zombie in the LSAT. If you are in the Philly area and are willing to meet up in person, or if you would like to study via skype, oovoo, google chat, etc. please let me know. I can't afford much tutoring, and I am considering buying the 7Sage Starter kit, but I am going to review again my LSAT Trainer and go over all 40 PT's I have and do this one last time. There's no turning back and I need a motivational group that can all help each other out! The LSAT is an emotional, psychological, and mental game and we need everyone to be there for one another. If you're interested, please let me know. I would be grateful to have people to study and succeed with. We have a little over a month left so let me know ASAP.

=D

[edit by Student Services: this thread is a duplicate, so it's been closed! reply here: http://classic.7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/1612/study-groups-in-person-or-skype]

Here's a great bridging-type tip:

[Mock Stimulus]

Every weekday in Pleasantville the mayor goes home on lunch. Her husband is a stay-at-home father and architect. He has planned many buildings for the city of Pleasantville. They have been lauded as some of the most beautiful in existence. Last Tuesday there was an accident causing Main Street to be closed off. Therefore, the mayor did not get to see her husband for lunch.

Any new information in the conclusion must be included in the correct answer choice. The correct answer has to include something about not seeing her husband for lunch (either last Tuesday or a generalization about road closings and seeing him/he not being able to see her). Also, you're probably thinking "Cool, but couldn't he go see her for lunch?" or "Couldn't she take a side-street to get home?" or "Why couldn't they drive in opposite directions to two different airports, thereby flying to a destination in a previous timezone where it would still be lunch and they'd have awesome stone-baked authentic Italian pizza?"

[Mock Answer Choices]

A.) If one is the planner of the most beautiful buildings in existence then one will surely get a contract with the city of Pleasantville.

B.) If there is an accident on Main Street, the mayor cannot go to her favorite delicatessen for lunch.

C.) If the mayor's husband is busy working on a new and exciting project, then she will not get to see him on lunch.

D.) If Main Street is closed off, the mayor will not be able to see her husband for lunch.

E.) If the mayor does not see her husband on lunch, then she will fly to Disneyland.

-A.) is wrong because, really, what does landing city contracts have to do with anything?

-B.) is wrong because what does her favorite deli have to do with anything?

-C.) is wrong because we don't know if he is in fact working on any project. It requires an additional assumption.

-D.) is the correct answer because it bridges the loose ends. It says that if Main Street is closed, then there is no way they meet up on lunch.

-E.) is cool and I just hope she takes her lovely darling children.

Using this technique will allow you speedily check off incorrect answer choices that don't have the information pertaining to the conclusion. Hope this helps!

(I'm obviously not a test writer, but it should make sense, I hope.)

Does anyone have a PDF of the little thought bubbles that are shown at the beginning of lessons sometimes? it would really help me to see big picture breakdown. If anyone has this or has made it, please let me know!

I was wondering that in relation to PT 56, Section 2, Question 16.

Any tips highly appreciated.

RC is currently my weakest section and I'm looking to change that.

If you are serious about improving your RC score, please message me with:

1. Your availability

2. Your current score breakdown (can be just RC or every section)

3. What strategies you are familiar with (e.g. 7sage, Manhattan, LSAT Trainer)

We would be meeting over Skype/Google Hangout.

Also, as an aside, I'm willing to swap knowledge with someone who is having trouble with LG or LR (in exchange for help with RC) as I am confident in those sections :)

Wish everyone the best of luck!

Hi all,

I will be taking the LSAT in London in December. My test will be at 2PM -- not in the morning, as I expected! Rather than being in the morning, the test is calibrated to the morning of EST in the US. (Other tests in the world do not seem to do such a calibration -- so that has me curious as to why London does...)

Suggestions for how to prepare for 2PM?

Suggestions for a routine... morning-wise, food-wise?

For anyone taking PTs around that time -- how do you structure the rest of the day?

Thanks in advance!

I apologize in advance if this has been addressed already, but I see that the Core Curriculum content has increased in hour to 165 hrs. Is it because the course has split the practice questions in each lessons or are there new materials that I need to review?

Thanks for the advise in advance.

Hi 7Sagers,

Someone wrote in to our email asking for law school admission counselling help! We don't have anything like that here just yet, so I figured maybe you guys could help! Here's the message:

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

Hello,

Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm a bit familiar with your services the one thing I noticed is that they do not have in them any law school admission counselling help which I need as an international student. I know very little about the procedure even though I am going to a 4 year accredited institution in the United States. I did see something about help with the personal statement which is a big part of the a big part of the application but I do believe that I might need a little more help. What help and advice can you give me?

Hello fellow 7Sagers. I need help/advice on what's been happening to me. I have stopped practicing for the LSAT for about 3/4 weeks, and when I came back to it, I went from scoring in the mid 150s into the mid 160s. My score then kept fluctuating, and eventually reached 167. However, I haven't been able to reach the mid 160s for the past 5/6 practice tests. I have no idea why this is happening, and on the test I just took, I scored 152!! I don't understand how my score could be decreasing and/or fluctuating as much as it does (between 152 and 167 on 9 practice tests in total). I am taking the December LSAT and I only have about 4 and a half weeks of prep. Do I start focusing on individuals sections or weaknesses in each section? Do I take untimed sections? Do I keep taking practice tests? What do I do?! Please help, and honestly all the advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I graduated from college in 2010 and am currently in the application process for law school. I had a 3.7 GPA and am scoring around 165+ on practice LSATs. Anyway, I am not in contact with any of my professors from undergrad. What would you recommend as far as rec letters go - is it good enough to have people who can speak to my intelligence level and go-getter-ness, or is there a more creative solution? The letter writers I'm planning on are the editor of the newspaper where I was a business reporter for 3 years (I now work for my dad's brokerage firm, so I can't get him to write one as my boss), and the executive director of the high school mentoring nonprofit I volunteer with. I feel very confident about those letter being detailed and positive, but am worried about the lack of academic content per se.

Thank you so much for any input/help.

I earned my highest score to date and thus far I have spent more time reviewing this test than any previous preptest.

What I want to encourage everyone to embrace is delayed celebration & deserved confidence. I had to prove to myself that this score was not lucky. I have seriously reviewed every question that I circled, even in sections where I was -0. I have also written my reflections on the comments sections of video explanations for specific questions. Why? Because we cannot rely on luck for our tests, we must rely on a solid grasp of the concepts.

In carefully reviewing each test, including our best ones, we must gain confidence from answering correctly based on our *processes*, not on whether our AC matches the right AC. This is what Blind Review has taught me.

So I delayed celebrating until my complete review & proved to myself that I deserve higher confidence in my LSAT skills. I have finally tasted the tiniest morsel of mastery, not because of the score that I received, but in proving to myself that I absolutely deserved that score.

Email joshbaum2@hotmail.com if you're interested :)

Hi All -

I have been wondering about this for a while.

Instead of going back and redoing every questions we're unsure of on a PT.... What about just redoing every question we got wrong....

Here's my thinking - when I check scores, I rarely, if ever, remember the letter of the correct answer choice listed. So I can just mark whichever questions I got wrong and go back and redo them the way I would under blind review...

And since a primary objective for BR is to ensure we don't just accept the correct answer and actually learn more by forcing ourselves to find it on our own, wouldn't I be doing the same thing?

So as part of my penance for letting the games hurt me in September (PT 73), I'm forcing myself to be super formal in my review as preparation for my December retake. For no particularly good reason, I started with Game 3. I'm working on the others and might post them too. For those who can't wait for JY's far superior explanations and clever quips, here ya go:

http://imgur.com/md1YLAi

I'm pretty sure this doesn't violate copyright since I'm not including the game stimulus or questions or answers. If I am, please delete. :)

http://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-52-section-1-question-19/

I came to realize that my trouble with this question is that I mistakenly assumed a PREMISE (more likely to determine policy by electing officer than through direction vote) was a CONCLUSION.

The conclusion was subtle and obscured - that direct vote was not right way decide matters (electing officers was).

and so answer was E - maximize power of indivudualy to influence decision made because it bolstered premise and in turn conclusion.

Did anyone else make this mistake?

Should I focus even more on IDing Premises vs. Conclusions? I already avg -2 on LR but will focusing on a seemingly basic thing like PvsC help more?

Hi, I'm currently studying for the December LSAT and hoping to use that score or if needed February score to apply to law schools for the Fall of 2015. Besides studying for the LSAT I haven't started on the other components of the application-resume, personal statement, etc. Should I go ahead and write the personal statement and other essays for schools now and submit them as I study for the Dec LSAT or should I do those after I take the Dec LSAT? Also, can one personal statement be sent to all the schools I'm applying? I haven't looked at any of the applications and I don't know how many different essays I have to write and was wondering if time would be better spent if I just study for the Dec test or I should get started on other parts of the application.

In addition, when should I choose which law schools to apply? I was hoping to use my Dec LSAT score to determine schools but if I do need to write specific essays schools require it seems I should choose schools before knowing my score...

Thanks in advance.

It seems like it would be very helpful to see the questions that have been removed from scoring so that we can see if we can catch the flaw in the question. Is there any compilation of these questions for us to look at?

When I started practicing for the LSAT, I sat at a low 140 ish range. Since 7sage, I have maintained 158 across 3 prep tests now. I have since started reviewing things that I am "bad at" like Logic Game types, specifically the In/Out, and Grouping Sequence types. I have purchased a History magazine and The Economist and I read them on the train to/from work daily, writing comments in the margins about what the main point of each paragraph is. RC and LG are getting a lot better for me, but I am lagging a lot in LR - 17 on my last prep.

I am writing a prep-test tomorrow, and tonight I will be going over weaker LR questions like MBT, MSS, and sufficient assumptions. I have a few more weaker types, but I'm going to start there.

I would idealy not like to put a "cap" on my score, but the law school I'm applying for 160-165 is a good range for me, and I think that's doable.

I study an hour in the morning, work, study an hour over lunch, and study from 5-8 PM when I get home. I write a prep test Monday or Wednesday and one on Saturday.

Does anyone think this is achievable for me? I really thought so, but I keep reading comments..... indicating to some people that they should wait till February if they can't study full time :/