I know it is hard, and you feel defeated. However, you got this!

Hi everyone, I am wondering if we are allowed to reference writers in our personal statement?

hi looking to start a study group to weekly or biweekly go over and discuss practice tests. i plan to take august lsat and aiming for high 160s / low 170s! let me know so we can make a groupme!

For people who live around Orlando or live close to it, any of you is willing to meet up for study group?

I was posting this as a comment to a thread in which someone asked for a "trick" to identifying assumptions. But I thought it'd be more useful as its own thread.

Unfortunately, there is no trick for answering assumption questions, and a full treatment of how to approach them isn't reasonable to fit in a forum post.

However, many, many students would benefit from adding another step in their process to NA questions (and SA, flaw, strengthen/weaken): ask whether there is a "new" concept in the conclusion.

This is because one of the most important aspects of identifying assumptions is noticing concepts in the conclusion that are not mentioned or logically covered in the reasoning. If there is a "new" concept in the conclusion, then the argument must be making some kind of assumption related to it. There may be other assumptions, too, related to gaps between premises, but you can be sure that at least one of the assumptions must be about that new concept in the conclusion.

As good LSAT students, you probably are already familiar with the idea described above. But a lot of people seem to rely mainly on passively noticing new concepts rather than actively thinking about this as a step in solving questions.

Let's work through some example that increase in difficulty.

Example 1:

Rooney graduated with the highest GPA in the history of our law school.

Thus, she must be good at writing law school exams.

Is there a new concept in the conclusion? Yes - do you see that "good at writing law school exams" is not mentioned in the premise? That means the author is making an assumption about the relationship between having the highest GPA and what that tells us about being good at writing law school exams. The author is assuming that having the highest GPA is an indicator of ability at law school exams.

Oftentimes students just fail to notice the difference between two concepts - they make the assumption that the argument itself is making, which is why it's hard to spot that assumption.

Example 2:

Our new neighbor, Xander, was convicted of over fifty murders and has been referred to by local historians as one of the worst serial killers in the United States.

So, we were living next to a murderer this whole time and never knew it!

Are there new concepts in the conclusion? You might see that the idea of "not knowing" our neighbor is a murderer is new - the evidence never provides anything related to what we knew about Xander. So the argument is assuming something about our lack of knowledge. What if we actually knew he was a killer before he was found out? Then the argument doesn't work.

Do you also see that the concept of "being a murderer" is also new? The evidence just refers to being "convicted" of murders and "being referred to by historians" as a serial killer. None of those is the same as being a murderer - what if he's an innocent person who was wrongly convicted and falsely thought of as a serial killer?

Another issue is that sometimes students don't realize something is a new concept because they think that the fact that it was mentioned elsewhere in the stimulus means that it's not new. But in reality, the concept can still be "new" if it's not mentioned in the reasoning that supports the conclusion.

In addition, you might have to translate the conclusion if it uses referential language. You can't identify new concepts in the conclusion unless you've spelled out exactly what the substance of the conclusion is.

Example 3:

Some social theorists claim that San Francisco's large homeless population could be reduced by implementing policies that condition the provision of free food and medical services to the homeless on their staying off drugs and actively looking for a job. However, most of the homeless do not react to incentives in the same way that the average non-homeless member of society would react.

Thus, the social theorists' claim is false.

If you break down the argument to premise and conclusion, here's what we get:

Premise: Most of the homeless do not react to incentives in the same way that the average non-homeless member of society would react.

Conclusion: SF's large homeless population cannot be reduced by conditioning the provision of free food/medical services to homeless on the requirement that they stay off drugs and actively look for a job.

Notice that the first sentence about the social theorists' claim is not a premise - it's simply referred to by the conclusion as being wrong. So in my understanding of the argument, the first sentence just disappears - we've translated that into the substance of the conclusion, and that first sentence has nothing to do with the reasoning of the argument. Now we can properly think about new concepts in the conclusion.

Do you see anything new? There are quite a few, so there are a lot of assumptions. But here are three that stand out to me.

San Francisco's homeless? They weren't mentioned in the reasoning. Maybe they are different from the "most of the homeless" in the premise. The argument is assuming that San Francisco's homeless do not react to incentives in a significantly different way from "most" homeless. What if SF's homeless actually react more like the average non-homeless? That would undermine the argument by making the premise irrelevant. (Notice that if the premise said "All homeless..." then SF's homeless wouldn't technically be a "new concept" because they would be logically covered by the premise, even if the words "San Francisco" are new.)

The whole idea of policies that condition food/medical services on requiring them to stay off drugs or look for a job --- where is that coming from? The premise doesn't say anything about them. The argument never explicitly identified these things as the kind of thing the premise was calling an "incentive". So the argument must be assuming that these kinds of policies relate to incentives and how people would react to them. It's assuming that having the conditions of staying drug free or getting a job would be things the average non-homeless would react to differently from most homeless. If this weren't true -- if the homeless and non-homeless reacted the same way to these conditions, then the premise would have nothing to do with the conclusion because they'd be talking about two different things.

Reducing homeless populations? Does the premise say anything at all about reducing homeless populations or what is required for that? No. So the argument is making some kind of connection between the different reactions that homeless people have to incentives and the reduction of homeless populations. It's assuming that the policies in question - conditioning food/medical services on drug-free/look for job - can reduce homeless populations only if they work through incentivizing the homeless in some way. If there were some way that the policies could reduce homeless populations in a way that didn't relate to incentivizing them, then the premise (which was only about incentives), would have nothing to do with proving the conclusion. What if, for example, the policies could reduce homeless populations by stirring the moral fiber of SF's private citizens, who find the policies draconian and cruel and as a result band together to build thousands of free housing units for SF's homeless? The argument is assuming that this isn't a possibility.

I hope this helps if you're having trouble with assumptions and always find yourself thinking "there's no way I would have noticed that..." Maybe one reason you're not noticing it is because you're not explicitly identifying key concepts in the conclusion and asking whether they were mentioned or logically covered by the premises?

If you're reading quickly and uncritically, the difference between QOQOOQOQ and QOQOQOOQ might not stand out. But if you actually examine each set of letters and explicitly ask "Are these the same?" Then it's a lot easier to see where the difference is.

Hi so I forgot about that stupid email they sent out weeks ago that we can't use scratch-paper on the LSAT writing portion. I started to use scratch-paper but then stopped after writing literally 4 words because I realized they provided digital scratch paper.

I need advice: What should I do? Should I email LSAC and make my case? Pray that they didn't even notice? What should I do?

I am literally panicking because I don't want to have to take the writing section again, and I don't want my test to be flagged (I don't want admissions officers to think I cheated or did something bad).

Please help, I'm so scared and I have no idea what to do

Can you help me break down this question? My understanding of the argument is: the two sub-conclusions are inconsistent with each other (outside principles vs constitution only), therefore the first sentence is not true. I selected answer choice E because it seemed like the most reasonable option, but I don't understand the structure of the argument and what does the "particular premise" in answer choice E refers to? Thank you!

Admin Note: Edited title. Please use the format: "PT#.S#.Q# - brief description of the question"

Would love to start a study group for Sept 2022! Looking to hit 170s but highest PT right now is 165. I'm a server so my availability is a bit tight (mornings/afternoons preferred) but if you're interested please let me know!!

Howdy 7Sagers!

I'm very excited to announce that I will be teaching another ten-week LSAT course. If you're looking to master key LSAT concepts and strategies with the help of real, live 7Sage tutor, this is the course for you!

We will be meeting once per week for an hour at a time, and along the way I will be providing you with homework, drills, and a study plan so that you don't have to do any guesswork in preparing for this test. This course is perfect for anyone who is looking for a little more structure in their LSAT journey, with help along the way from study buddies and a teacher who knows what it takes to climb all the way to a 180.

We will be beginning on Saturday, July 9th from 1pm to 2pm EST and continue weekly until September 10th! To sign up, visit this link: https://classic.7sage.com/lsat-live-class-merschat-july/

For any questions, feel free to comment below and I'll be sure to answer!

How long has everyone been studying for the august 2022 exam? I am studying basically full time this summer hoping to take the august 2022 exam. Going to have a lot less time once school starts but I am nervous to sign up for it and not end up doing well. Hoping for 165+ score -- what should my score be at the end of June to determine if I should sign up for the August exam or instead do the September/October one?

This is definitely a rudimentary question but with the LSAT-FLEX and all the other options/changing format I'm having a hard time finding a straight answer and would love to know for sure.

Should I expect 4 sections total, and two LR sections for the September LSAT or just three sections?

Does the LR section(s) account for 50% of the LSAT grade or has that changed?

I was stuck between C and E for this question and chose the latter because the stimulus seemed to be more focused on extraterrestrial life. E can also be an actual reason for why we wouldn't know about life outside of Earth. How would you know to choose C over E? Why is it not the answer?

Hello all,

Quick question. Is it a bad idea to do some jumping around in the curriculum? The reason I ask is when my brain is vaped out on LR/RC questions I could still do LG questions/sections instead of having to take a break or stop for the day.

Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? I understand the reason to proceed through the curriculum from start to finish and not make any jumps, but I also think I could make more efficient use of my time.

Thank you for weighing in if you choose to!

How do I print out PrepTest? It wont allow me send it through email due to being "too large" and not able tp print out.

currently scoring -10 ish on all categories. Best tips to improve? have been studying about 25 days.

Does anyone have a trick for answering assumption questions? They are killing me! No matter how many times I re-watch the lessons; I still cannot understand them. Please help!!!

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to start a study group for the NOV 2022 LSAT. I am thinking of starting a discord where we can share study tips/study together/ask questions and more! :)

Looking for a study buddy. Based in Canada

Keep reading about the ABA potentially making the LSAT optional -- most recently that if passed it could apply as early as 2023. Does anyone at 7S have clarity on what that means specifically -- would that be test optional for THIS current admissions cycle? Love to hear any thoughts!

Thanks

Looking for a study buddy! I can meet any day throughout the summer. Urgent!

Hi guys! I am looking for some people to study with for the August 2022 LSAT! Hoping to make some sort of groupme or group chat, and maybe have zooms or something! I am a little behind on my study schedule, but I am hoping to really pick up the pace. My goal is mid 170s, and I am currently scoring around 169-171. Also, I am on EST!!

Hello,

I wanted to get some opinions. I have not done any LSAT prep before, and I just took my first practice/diagnostic exam today and got a 149. My goal score is 170+ and I want to ideally take the October or November LSAT. Given the fact that I have essentially not studied at all yet, do you guys think I have a shot at raising my score 21+ points in time for either of the exam dates?

Thanks!

I have no idea why it is not E

I don't understand how AC A strengthens the argument...so we can't see them when it is a wet year, shouldn't that mean that in '85 the observer would have seen less beetles that year than in '89?

#help