I took a diagnostic on Khan Academy and scored a 160. I feel really good about how the curriculum has been going. Is it reasonable to think I could score 170+ by the August LSAT? I plan on studying 20-25/week until then.

Should we apply to a target or reach school for early decision? Does anyone know what is considered as a target and reach schools according to 7 Sage Admissions Predictor?

Heck yes.

.

The title is pretty self-explanatory but I need help on #7. Why is E incorrect? And what makes A the right fit? I feel that I have no strategy when it comes to these argument completion style questions, especially when it comes to answer choices that just both sound right. I ultimately had trouble picking an answer at all because the entire passages seemed geared towards discussing how and why women were disadvantaged in the work force; the last sentence literally ended on women but both of these answer choices included men. Even the comments section for this passage contains unanswered questions as to why E is incorrect; one was from a former tutor posted five years ago.

Admin Note: https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-7-section-3-passage-1-questions/

As I begin law school at Cornell next week, I have felt increasingly compelled to reflect on my LSAT journey. I spent 2 years tirelessly grinding, putting my entire being into the test. To say that there were highs and lows would not do the feelings of each justice -- the lows made the world feel like it had ended and the high (getting my goal score) is a moment that I will never forget. Anyways, my experience was likely somewhat unique and I would like to share what I learned in hopes of streamlining your success.

1. Find an LSAT Buddy

Your family and friends will never understand this test. You need someone to be able to vent to and commiserate with. You need someone who you can text when you get wrecked by a timed section and you feel like the world is ending and you should re consider your entire future. You need someone to call you out when you are being lazy about your reasoning for eliminating or picking an answer choice. Blind reviewing with someone forces you to articulate your beliefs which makes them vulnerable and you will be more likely to challenge or change them. A study buddy will help you see questions and ideas in ways which were not possible by your life experiences and biases. Find someone you click with and you will lift each other to new heights. I ended up spending 100s of hours talking to and ultimately became close friends with my 7sage study buddy!

2. Growth= Stress + Rest

We get better by pushing really hard, letting ourselves recover from that stress, and ultimately growing from it. The secret is that the growth requires a resting period. If you only push, you simply just burn out, and risk losing your gains because your neurosis will create a loss of confidence and all kinds of negative feedback loops. So.... the key is to push really hard, take some time off, and then jump back in. If you plan the time off, you have control. Otherwise, burn out will force you to take time off and that is not fun. Go hard for a few days (or study sessions), forget the LSAT exists for a day or 2, and then jump right back in. This will keep you fresh and motivated. The rest period gives you a chance to cease the stories and biases you tell yourself. Burn out is simply when those stories and ideas seem so real that they weigh us down to the point where we cannot think rationally.

3. A Journal will keep you Sane

The biggest determiner of your growth will be what changes you make from day to day. A journal helps you to reflect on your current state and brainstorm ways to evolve. Don't try to hold it all in your head; when you write it down, it becomes real!

After you finish any section (timed or untimed) immediately record what went well, what did not go well, how you felt, and how you can improve next time out. Before taking the next section, look back on your prescriptions and go into the new section with the intention to implement what you learned. You will begin to notice recurring themes and you will be able to see and remedy them. Don't rush through your reflection-- LSAT success is a function of who can evolve best!

4. Meditation

Meditation shows you what your mind is like without thoughts or typical programs of consciousness running. Knowing what this is like allows you to recognize when thoughts and moods arise. This is relevant to the LSAT because sensing stress or fear at its onset is super important. If you catch it early, you can nip it in the bud before it snowballs. We are all prone to not understanding say #8 on an LR section, thinking we are out of our league or not good enough, reading #9 in that stressed out state, and getting even more stressed. This generally builds on itself until it comes to a head and you are left doubting everything and not able to think rationally at all. So meditation will help you to better understand and deal with life and stress as it happens to you. This will allow you to build a better inner dialogue. and perform better under timed conditions.

I am big fan of Sam Harris' Waking Up app. It is philosophical yet practical and accessible, and it avoids the corny feeling of Headspace or Calm.

5. Do not Underestimate Novelty

Ever heard the expression "Just Sleep on it" ? This is so oft used because it works! Our thought processes and conscious experience are determined by our inputs. If you keep your inputs the same and are stuck in routine, your results will not change. I cannot tell you how many times I was completely stuck and feeling hopeless on an LR question, did something else (like run, go on a drive, listen to music etc. ), and returned to see the question with perfect clarity. Under timed conditions this is why we skip. It gives us a chance to let our neurons slightly re arrange themselves and approach the question with new eyes. Novelty destroys the stories we tell ourselves which hold us back. Change your routines often, step out of your comfort zone, and try new stuff! If nothing changes, nothing will change.

6. LG is a Muscle

Unlike the other sections, the more LG you do the better you become at it. Practice trains you to make inferences sub consciously and quickly. I found that even taking a few days off would make me slower and clunkier. Get your reps in and stay fresh!

7. Untrained Intuition is Very Dangerous

Some of the worst atrocities ever committed were done so because people truly believed things for very bad reasons. Trusting your intuition is essential on this test, but you first must make sure it is warranted. The work you do in BR and untimed sessions are what trains your intuition. You are training your machinery under the hood to be able to fire efficiently and effectively when called upon. Challenge yourself to always write out why you think what you think. Lots of times ideas "feel" right in our head until we are really forced to write or articulate them. Your BR score is a decent indication of how much you can trust your intuition. When you are satisfied with it, see how you do with timed work. Find where your intuition fails you and fix it during BR--- rinse and repeat until you improve! Here is an example of my written explanations: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEb2hPezf10STZByj0fHHeWwuCGNFEQ5/view

8. Being Well- Read Matters..... A Lot

Having a basic understanding of terms in Science, Philosophy, and Art is massive. Being able to visualize and understand such topics means you can spend more time analyzing arguments and structure and less time confusedly parsing grammar. The people who do well on this test without much prep are the ones who are already familiar and versed with such topics. For example, JY triple majored in Economics, Political Science, and Philosophy-- He was pretty much bred for this test! The good news is that you have plenty of time and resources to catch up. I saw big returns on my efficiency and performance from doing more outside leg work. Below is a list of my favorite resources:

https://aldaily.com/ -- Articles on Art, Philosophy, and Literature which are written in a very similar way to RC passages. Reading a few of these a day will make you an RC god.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Kurzgesagt --- A Youtube channel which does visual explanations regarding questions on philosophy and science. They do a great job of simplifying complex ideas and making them digestable.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKNX4SfKpzX_bhh4LOEWEGy3pkLmFDmk-- Youtube playlist on improving critical thinking. They do a nice job of explaining logic and the science of argumentation in a non LSAT related light.

Philosophize This Podcast-- Accessible way to learn about famous philosophers and ideas. Nearly every episode covers a topic that has been brought up on the LSAT.

Informal Logic Textbook -- https://www.amazon.com/Informal-Logic-Possible-Worlds-Imagination/dp/0070468613

This book gave me my greatest LR gains. It discusses the science behind why we reason, discusses the underpinnings behind informal logic, and provides many many examples. This is far beyond the concepts tested by the LSAT, but it will challenge you and sharpen your conscious thought and logical reasoning. An old LSAT test writer said on the LSAT Unplugged Podcast that he used this book as inspiration to write LR questions.

9. Speed Reading is a Myth... but Mastery of Grammar is NOT

Trying to read faster will make you worse. Be wary of anyone purveying this advice. The key is to understand what you read more effectively and efficiently. Especially in RC, what you are reading is something that author spent a lot of time working on and perfecting. It is like a prized musical piece to them. Being a master of Grammar helps you read the notes just as they were intended to be hit and get into the rhythm of the writing, as if you had direct access to the author's thoughts. I became a much smoother and confident reader after learning the "why" behind grammatical markings and use.

To do so, it is important to truly understand the function and usage of commas, colons, dashes, semi-colons, and other markings of writing. Some resources to get you started:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/index.html

https://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592402038

https://www.grammar-monster.com/punctuation/using_commas.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X

Note: I also found it useful to check out some basic concepts from linguistics. Check out some tree diagramming videos on Youtube and learn to see the elements of a sentence. This will help you to break down abstract, difficult language when the LSAT throws it at you.

10. You know the importance of sleep + nutrition + exercise... Stop ignoring it.

These things are all inter connected. If one is lacking, the others will begin to lack and eventually you will lose your ability to think clearly. You cannot expect to score at an elite level on the LSAT and not take care of other facets of your life at an elite level.

This should convince you:

11. Tune out Dogma

You will find all kinds of people with "secrets" to the LSAT and supposed necessary conditions to success-- Be skeptical! Think about success in undergrad: Everyone had their own approach; some were much more effective than others, but the only right way was the one which worked for you. So stop listening to Webinars, Podcasts, Reddit, and other resources looking for the magic solution. Just keep grinding, trying things, and seeing what works for you. I do understand the irony of me giving advice yet also telling you not to take advice from those who offer it (Lol!)

My favorite dogmatic myths:

-Later PTs are harder

-You should take a PT a week

-You aren't ready until you have PT'd your goal score 19 times and waited 6 years

-RC is not easy to improve on

If you believe these things ... they will be true!

Happy LSAT'ing and enjoy + embrace all parts of the journey :)

What are some trends you noticed, in terms of difficulty, between older and newer PTs? Please specify the ranges. I know that this may be subjective but there also seems to be an agreement that more recent LRs are verbose, in comparison to the older ones, for example. What other trends do you see in LR?

I know that comparative passages were introduced after PT52 - are there other trends in RC that I should be aware of? What about LG?

I look forward to read your comments. Once again, please specify the ranges you are referring to. Thanks in advance!

u

Hi there!

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas/advice for the best way to take prep tests for the Aug 2021 exam with the added variable section. I've been using just the flex option on PTs (as that's what we're "actually" being scored on + the unscored section isn't always going to be LR) but I am now worried that my test stamina won't be what it needs to be for the actual 4 sections. Anyone have any tips or tricks on how to make a PT with an added 4th variable (or anything else that will help tackle the added unscored section?)

Thanks so much :)

I think I understand what the premises are saying, but I don't understand where the author of this stimulus even got his conclusion. If we have luggages that don't contain explosives and only one percent give false positives (alarm goes off even though there aren't any actual bombs), then how can we conclude that 99/100 alerts=actual bomb threats? Shouldn't the proper conclusion be that there aren't any actual bomb threats in this scenario even if the alarm does go off because the luggages don't have bombs in them? I've always felt there was something wrong with the conclusion, but I just cannot put my finger on what is the actual problem and the abstract nature of E isn't helping.

Edit: Is the conclusion wrong because we don't actually know the proportion of hypothetical luggages that do contain bombs? For example, if we have 1000 luggages and none have bombs, then the conclusion would make no sense since there would be 10 false positives where the alarm goes off, but literally 0 have bombs instead of the 99% accuracy the conclusion is suggesting. I still don't understand which group is being substituted for which though.

Is there a great disadvantage to taking the November test? Probably the soonest I could be ready. Obviously not early.

Not through cc yet.

Goal score 160

Diagnostic 150

Cannot do October.

Strong GPA

I am a non traditional, (very much older student), applying only to 2 hybrid programs.

Both have said this date is OK, but I'd like to hear from this community.

Many thanks.

I started my first attempt to do the Blind Review after trying out many other study methods.

I’m hoping to do the Blind Review in the most effective way or do it appropriately at least.

I would like to ask for advice from those of you who improved score from Blind Reviewing.

Could you share in detail what you did when you do the blind review?

-What do you write out on your note? Other than Question type, your thought on stimulus and each answer choice?

-After making a comparison between your note and J.Y’s explanation videos, how do you revise your note to prevent you from choosing the same wrong answer or from approaching the question in old ways?

How long should I take to do the blind review?

How do you keep up with improving your weaknesses in certain sections while improving the ability to finish the test within a limited amount of time?

-I’m concerned about not doing the timed full test while I try to invest my time in Blind reviewing and Core Curriculum. At the same time, I do not want to waste my time doing PTs by repeatedly making wrong answer choices.

After BR one PT, do you retake the same PT and then try new PT? Should BR method for LR and RC similar to the Fool Proof method for LG?

I would really appreciate your advice.

#help

I'm not understanding why this question is A. I can tell in some capacity why it is correct, but it appears to simply restate information already present in the question (treating diseases is more expensive than preventing them).

On the other hand, B provides information that, if untrue, would fundamentally break down the structure of the argument (if it's more expensive to treat than to screen but screening does nothing, you have no choice but to treat anyway).

Why is B incorrect, and why is A correct if it doesn't provide any new information?

Does anyone know when sign ups for the August 2021 LSAT is? I know registration has closed, but when do we pick the date and time of the actual exam? Thanks

Hi,

Anyone have recommendations for tutors that specialize in working with students w ADHD?

I got a 139. After months and months of trying to study and listening to podcasts of people getting astronomical scores, I got a 139. I think its clear that I will not be going to law school. I'm at my wit's end right now and have never felt so defeated in my life. I'm currently on vacation and will reassess whether to not I will continue with this far fetched idea or just f**ing quit now.

We had another discussion post in which 7Sagers said that we are not supposed to do all problem sets within a section in order but rather jump back and forth as we progress through the CC. I am confused because JY did not create an instruction on how to go through the CC. What I have been doing was just go through the CC in order, and I am almost done with the LR part and am about to move on to the LG part. My original plan was to do the entire CC in order and then do the PTs. I was advised to take the timed test, blind review, watch explanation videos, write up wrong question notes, and drill. I was also told to listen to the podcasts. Can anyone tell me if this plan is incorrect? What should I do?

PS: I read older posts about this question, and people are giving different answers. People replied in the older posts to do them in order, or "sequentially."

Can someone explain PTC, S2 Q22?

Admin note: edited title; please use the format of "PT#.S#.Q# - [first set of words]"

Episode #51 is here!

https://soundcloud.com/user-737824810/51-7sager-adam-into-penn-ed

Subscribe to our podcast:

iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud

I understand why the answer is A, however I do not understand why it cannot also be D. I know there is only one answer I am just unsure why D is definitively wrong. Thanks #HELP

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

I'm talking about physical copies

About how long, on average, should someone study for the LSAT before taking the real test? Or, does it depend on how ready I feel via target scores on the practice tests?

Why is the Answer B? What rules out C? Thanks

Help

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

Hi, I'm studying the lsat in South Korea and was wondering if there was a tutor I can study with.

Its saying I cannot extend it what do I do?