Are you a 7Sage user looking for people to study with? Wish there was an easy way to get paired up?

You're in luck! Join us for our next "Study Group Breakout" on Wednesday, August 31st from 9:00-10:30pm ET.

Here's how it works:

Hope to see you there! Register for the event using this link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtfuGgqzwjHdT33DZH9GKW_sZIASI3ZDJM

Hello,

My name is Ken Kim. We are a group of Koreans and Korean-Americans planning to take the LSAT either this October or in a couple of years. We have members scoring from 160-175 either on the official test or practice tests. Some of us are committed full-time to the test while some of us are working at a company, law firm, etc. We meet on the following dates at the Gangnam station Exit 9 Wing Study Cafe.

8:00 pm-11:00 pm, Wednesday

2:00 pm-5:00 pm, Sunday

We usually meet and do questions from LR and RC. We match our answers and discuss why each one of us have chosen an answer we chose. The fee for joining the study is free other than paying for the studying cafe fee which is 1,900 KRW per person for each hour (5,700 KRW total).

If you are interested, please send me a message to my inbox. I will direct you further. Thanks!

Hi people,

Since my wifi is much better at my office than at home I'm planning to take my test there. My office computer setup is a laptop hooked up to a second monitor. That means that I'm not staring right into the camera (I look at my monitor, and the camera is on my laptop). Is that setup allowed, or do I need to be using a device that I'm looking at straight on? It'd make sense if I couldn't use the standalone monitor and needed to use my laptop instead, but it would be awesome to be able to use a bigger screen during the test. Thanks in advance!

The first time I took a logic game section, I didn't get a single question right. Logic games were the death of me. Every time I took one, I would literally start crying.I decided I wanted to just keep going and going until I got what I wanted. I would wake up at 6am, and study for two or three hours before my college classes started. I studied for over 400 hours total. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Today, I got my score back. A 174. I couldn't have done it without 7sage. The course saved me.Now, so many doors are open.To whoever is reading this, please remember, YOU CAN DO IT.

Do not give up. The time will come. I never thought I could've done this, but somehow I did! Thank you to this wonderful community for all the support along the way.7sage is such an amazing platform, and I cannot recommend it enough. I am canceling my account, but for a very happy reason :)

Much love,

E

I noticed a few posts asking for tips on weaken questions, and was in the middle of writing a response. But I thought this would make more sense as a general post. If you're struggling with level 4 and 5 weaken questions, this might be helpful.

TL;DR = You can also weaken an argument by pointing out an inconsistency in the author's reasoning. It's not just about showing why the conclusion could be false despite the evidence being true. And it's not just about trying to directly counter the assumption.

As a preliminary matter, when weakening an argument, we're primarily trying to weaken the reasoning of the argument. That's something the curriculum emphasizes. But there are actually several ways by which one can weaken the reasoning of an argument.

One way is to directly counter the assumption. So, take this sample argument:

Penguins are chubby.

So, they're cute.

The assumption here is that if something is chubby, then it's cute. So we can weaken the argument by showing that there's at least one thing that's chubby that isn't cute.

(Now, if your instinct is to say, but that doesn't mean penguins aren't cute - they can still be cute. And chubbiness can still be one factor that contributes to their cuteness; it can still be a + on the scale of cuteness. You're right - but we've still weakened the argument by showing that their premise does not automatically prove their conclusion. The author of the argument was assuming that the chubbiness of penguins, by itself, without anything more, would guarantee their cuteness. We've shown that that assumption is wrong, which hurts the argument.)

That way of weakening an argument I think is most natural, and most susceptible to an approach that focuses on "Why could the conclusion be wrong even if the evidence is true?"

But another way to weaken reasoning is by showing that the assumption would lead to an inconsistency in the author's position. And this way of weakening is something that can escape one focused solely on pointing out a "loophole" (to borrow the parlance of the popular book). For example, let's add a bit to the stimulus:

Many animals in the world are not cute. Snakes, skunks, and rhinos, for example.

But, penguins are chubby.

So, penguins are cute.

One assumption of this argument is that if something is chubby, then it's cute. Do you see how we would weaken the argument by pointing out that rhinos are chubby? If we accept the author's assumption, then the author would compelled to think that rhinos are cute - but that contradicts something the author believes. But if we don't accept the assumption, in order to preserve the author's belief that rhinos are not cute, then the author's premise no longer leads to their conclusion about cute penguins. So we've caught the author in a contradiction - their affirmed position on rhinos conflicts with the assumption underlying their argument about penguins. Argument = weakened. Notice how if you go into the answers on this argument thinking "Why could penguins not be cute even if they're chubby?", you won't immediately notice the logic of the answer "Rhinos are chubby."

Now the example above demonstrates what one might call an "indirect" showing that the assumption is false. Rather than directly giving an example of something that's chubby but not cute, we've shown that the author's own beliefs commit them to something that contradicts that assumption - thus, the assumption is false.

Here's another version of "indirectly" showing that the assumption is false by way of inconsistency.

Devi said she'd be in Los Angeles at 9pm.

Thus, we can expect to see her in LA at that time.

We can weaken this argument by pointing out: "She said she'd be in San Francisco at 9pm." This weakens because if we accept the author's assumption that she'll be where she said she'd be, then she'd have to be in both LA and SF at 9pm. Clearly that's impossible, which means the assumption is wrong.

But this idea of inconsistency as a weakener also extends to situations in which we're not actually showing that the assumption is false.

Here's an example:

Sarah says that Paradorn, our new international student, was born in Thailand.

But his accent does not sound like that of someone born there.

Thus, Paradorn was probably born in a different part of Southeast Asia.

Now one way to think about this is to ask, "Why might he actually be from Thailand despite not having an accent that sounds like someone born there?" And if this your question, you'll be naturally disposed to answers that point out that you can be from a country without having an accent associated with speakers of that country. For example, he might have been born in Thailand but moved to a different place when he was young, which would explain his lack of an associated accent.

But what would you think about this answer: "Paradorn's accent does not sound like that of someone born in parts of Southeast Asia outside of Thailand."

This actually does weaken the argument, because the author's underlying assumption is that if one does not have an accent that sounds like that of someone born in a particular area, then that means one was probably not born in that area. By pointing out that his accent is not like that of someone born in SEA, we've caught the author in an inconsistency. According to their own assumption, we'd have to conclude that he probably wasn't born in the non-Thailand parts of SEA, either. But that goes against the author's own conclusion - so either the author's assumption is wrong, or the author's conclusion is wrong. Argument = weakened.

In my experience, this type of answer is a bit difficult to pick up on because most people would be mainly focused on showing why Paradorn actually could be from Thailand despite the lack of an accent. And it's tough to see how this answer gives us some positive reason to think he may have still been born in Thailand.

In addition, the logic of this answer seems to go against our initial instinct to question the relationship between being born in a particular place and having an accent associated with that place. Many of us would think "The lack of an accent doesn't really tell us much about where you were born." And then it would be weird to pick an answer that weakens by seeming to suggest that because he doesn't have an SEA accent, he's not from SEA. But the key is that this answer's logic isn't actually about countering the conclusion of the argument. It's about showing the author's inconsistency - if their assumption is true, then their conclusion doesn't make sense. And if their conclusion is true, then their assumption doesn't make sense. This does weaken the argument even if we have not actually shown that the author's conclusion is false or that their assumption is false. What we've shown is that at least one of them must be false.

This type of weakening logic, I think, is hard to recognize if your approach is limited only to asking "Why could the conclusion be false even if the premises are true?"

I am seeking any tips or strategies to help improve my thought process on Weakening Questions. No matter how many times I rewatch the lessons or do problem sets, I still cannot answer them correctly. I do well with Strengthening Questions, but for some reason my brain is not clicking with Weakening Questions. Help would be greatly appreciated! #help

I didn't think I would ever write one of these posts but alas.

In 2019, I started with a diagnostic score of 154. After studying for two years, I scored a 166 in the September 2021 test. I dipped to a 163 in the October 2021 test. After that, I was incredibly discouraged, took a break from studying, decided not to apply to law school that cycle, and even contemplated whether law school was right for me. I restarted studying this past summer, aggressively PTing, drilling, and reviewing, and I'm so happy I was able to increase, even if if it's only three points, my score to a 169.

Could not have done this without 7sage's thorough explanations and resources -- thank you.

My two things of unsolicited advice:

(1) Where there's a will, there's a f**king way.

This journey was incredibly challenging -- mentally and emotionally -- to the point where I asked myself repeatedly whether I even wanted to pursue the law. I felt like I had hit a wall, not once but multiple times, and kept going using brute force because I wanted it. If you want it and if you are willing to put in the work, you can -- and will -- achieve it.

(2) This is your journey and no one else's.

You know what's best for you. You know what study method works for you and how much you need to study to achieve the score you want. For me, because I'm not innately smart, I knew I had to put in more than five times the work than the average person. I answered every PT question, including RC, LG, and LR, from PT 15 and up at least five times (for LG, I did every question six to ten times). I know, crazy. This strategy doesn't work for everyone, but for me, I knew I had to drill these questions several times to develop my ability to recall different patterns (LSAT is all about pattern recognition). Figure out what works for you, and develop your own strategy. Block out the outside noise from your parents, tutors, or other high scorers -- they don't know what works best for you, only you do.

Good luck!

I received a 172 on the August test, which was my first attempt. I have a 3.95 uGPA and am not URM. I have a graduate degree and am in the process of getting another. I also have some relevant legal work experience. My PR was a 177 (with a 180 BR). I think I could do better than 172 if I took it again, but ideally, I would like to stop studying.

I'm hoping to go to HYS or Chicago, or to get substantial merit aid from another T14. Do you think it's worth retaking? Or are my chances decent as is?

Thanks!

I typically drill 35 min sections of the sections and have been doing so for late July and August before the August LSAT. I've only ever written 2 full lenght PTs the week of my LSAT. On my 2 PTs I scored a 157 and 158, but on my August LSAT got a 163. The LSAT I wrote on test day felt easier than my PTs, so should I see this a fluke? Does anyone else have any theories as to how this could have happened? Is this uncommon? Thanks

Can we take a preptest again if we've already done so, and if so, how do we do that? Also, can we do the preptest untimed? I understand we do that during the blind review, but can we chose to change the time

I got a 139 on my first LSAT. I payed for score preview and cancelled my score.

If I want to apply for Fall 2023 what would be the latest I can retake the test? I am thinking of signing up for January

I got my August LSAT score this morning and am very disappointed. On my last 6 PTs I scored 173, 170, 177, 175, 173, 175. I always took them under realistic testing conditions. I really expected to score in the 170s on the actual thing, but I got a 165. The only section I really found challenging was the RC, so I just don't know what happened. I have no idea what to do next, especially because I can't see what I got wrong. I feel very defeated. I signed up for October, and I'm just looking for some tips on how to go about preparing and staying optimistic. :( Has anyone else gone through this?

Just took PT82 and I've looked around on various forums regarding passage 3 'Judicial Candor' but I haven't seen much discussion on a certain issue within it. I struggled during timed and went -5 in RC which is pretty unusual for me (4 errors in that passage). I did manage to blind review all of them correctly given that I found my confusion lied in how I read Passage A. Namely, during my timed run I took passage A to be completely neutral on whether judicial candor should or should not be endorsed. During review, I basically realized that you had to read Passage A as an implicit endorsement. This then allows you to answer the questions with relative ease. I guess my biggest hang up is that this implicit reading seems to go directly against PT52 RC S4, 'Philosophical Anarchism', where I felt rewarded (and vindicated by the credited answers) precisely for not taking the author to be implicitly endorsing the position they are defending. To me it seems reasonable that an author can illustrate and analyze putative defenses of a theory or position, without necessarily committing themselves, in any normative way that is, to the actual theory or position. Does anyone share my concern with this passage here? Or, maybe someone has a reply as to why such a reading is justified here and not in 52? This ambiguity is bugging me because it seems like you're set up for failure in either 52 or in 82 if you employ a consistent approach.

Started studying July 2021, took Jan 166, Feb 165, March 169…took a month off of studying, studied all summer and opened a 176 today!!!! I NEVER thought I could do it. Especially after 3 160-somethings in a row. I am crying. THANK YOU 7SAGE AND JY!!!

Just got my August LSAT score back, got a 170. I'm a D1 athlete, have a 4.0 GPA, and a decent resume but I'm shooting for Harvard, Yale, or Standard. I'm an URM but I'm also applying straight out of undergrad. My highest score on a PT was 176. Should I re-take the LSAT in September? Any advice is greatly appreciated :)

Do not go to bed late a night before the exam

Be positive, you can retake it!

Always consider other career options.

DO NOT compare yourself to others, we all have different ways of learning

Your plan B and C could be applying to a mid-tier university, often they even get better jobs!

I suggest you buying the following LSAT For Dummies book I brought on Amazon. It helped me so much! I highly recommend it! It simplified the questions in plain language in a way that it made sense intuitively! It really helped me score 165!

https://amzn.to/3TnyYTf

Hey guys, just wondering what’s the likeliness to have new PTs this year? Thanks!

Hello 7Sage!

I am a 3L at Georgia Law. I want to offer myself as a resource for anyone interested. Feel free to shoot me a PM! 7Sage was such a resource for me; always looking to give back.

I plan to sit for the July 2023 New Mexico bar. Postgrad, I am interested in Hispanic and Latino civil rights work and advocacy. Specifically, issues affecting the Nuevomexicano community.

1L summer, I worked for a Federal District Court Judge and an Immigration Law Firm. Last fall, I did a D.C. Semester in Practice working for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. This past summer, I worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's (MALDEF) National Public Policy office in D.C.!

I was a 154 LSAT, a 3.5 GPA, a small state school, 4 years of work experience, and URM status. For any other stats, ask!

I look forward to helping anyone I can!

Best,

Jonah

Follow Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-71fx6apu6ATcz3e8duWHZfpCONz7hAAMEG2acMXxkk/edit

Hello, everyone, I have been studying for the LSAT for about two weeks now, and I'm having a very, very hard time understanding weakening questions, and the highest score I've received on the drills is a 3/5. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to get better at weakening questions? I have a very hard time picking out the wrong answer choices.

Hi all

I remember last year that an excel sheet with the new and previous admission stats were released (I think maybe by Spivey?) Does anyone know if that exists at the moment or when it might? Or if there is another document that is tracking any changes in admissions stats already?

Thanks!

I read an article this morning explaining that the LG section of the LSAT is likely to change pretty drastically starting in 2022. Do we know how that will factor into scoring or if LSAC plans to release any information regarding the new style of LG section prior to a complete shift in style?

I'm planning on taking the test in February and don't feel prepared to push that date up but I also don't want to be shooting myself in the foot by studying for a style of LG that will be outdated by the time I take the test.

Hey everyone, do you guys think the November lsat is too late for this application period? Im scoring in the 160s on PTs and im aiming for T20 schools so I thought of taking the November lsat instead of October to have more study time. I was reading around and some sites say that November is too late and I just wanted everyone’s opinion on this. Thanks!!

I know it’s last minute but hey! Does anyone want to meet a few times before the LSAT in September to learn from and motivate each other?

Hi Guys I was wondering if you guys thought it was worth it to buy the score preview for the 2nd LSAT I have taken. I did not buy it for my first LSAT