Hi all; I am hoping to write the test in June 2018 but if I am not PTing where I want by May, I was going to wait until September. How quickly do testing centers fill up? Should I go ahead and book my seat now just in case or can I wait until closer to my tentative testing date to see if I am anywhere near PTing at my goal?

Note: I am just finishing up the CC and am going to move on to phase 2 but am afraid I won't be ready by June because I work full time and can only dedicate around 12 hours a week to studying. A part of me feels like I should book it so I can have more motivation to try and put in more study hours to make it to June but the other part of me doesn't want to rush the process.

I'm debating whether to submit an LSAT addendum,particularly to my safety schools. I am taking the February LSAT, so should I just wait for that first?

For one of my safety schools, my LSAT is two points below the median, and 1 point above their 25th, but my GPA is at their 75th.

I am below the median in my target schools, so I was planning to submit an LSAT addendum for sure to those schools

I want to submit my apps for three of my safety schools already, but I am not sure how to go about writing an addendum if I am registered for the Feb LSAT?

What do you guys think? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you guys in advance!

Hey guys! Anyone want to swap personal statements/ diversity statements?

I'd like some feedback from people that don't know me.

I don't remember the source, but I vaguely recall hearing that out of the top schools, UChicago especially loves high-GPA applicants (=as in they put more emphasis on that more than other top schools do even if it means foregoing some high LSAT ppl) Has anyone heard this as well? Can someone validate or invalidate this rumor?

Quick question - I have the beginners (basic) subscription to 7sage and was wondering if people Go through The CC in order. Is there a reason this subjects are ordered this way? Should I study in a different order?

Since my last post, I got quite a few messages regarding specific questions, thought it'd be nice to just share it here with anyone who's interested, or if any of you have any follow up questions.

Timing

I started at the end of July, and took the December test, so the prep time for me is roughly 4 months. To be honest I think it's a bit tight, but because I was already 3 months pregnant and would definitely want to finish the test before my January due date, so I was left no choice. If possible, I think I'd budget for at least 6 months.

Core Curriculum

I started out using the LSAT study schedule generated by 7Sage and used that as a guideline. I finished core curriculum in 1 month and started timed PTs in September.

During the CC, I followed every single course and exercises in the LR and LG session, but only selected about 50% of the RC part. As I said, my timing was pretty tight, and honestly I think to improve RC, just following the courses won't be enough any way. So I moved into timed PTs after getting myself familiar with the types of questions that appears often in RC.

For LR, something I find extremely useful is to collect all the questions I did wrong, or those I believe contained important implication for future reference, making a scrapbook out of them with detailed analysis. When writing the analysis, it's like I'm re-doing it. And also, as the test date got closer, it'd be great last-minute reading materials.

PTs and Follow-up Exercises

So based on my course package, I started with PT 36 and I do 3-4 PTs per week, depending on if I have weekend plans :) Doing timed PT is pretty standard I think, and of course BR is very important. I usually do the BR right after, so 1 PT would take up my full day schedule.

On the days I'm not PTing, I do the following things:

Score Trend and The Last Month

My first timed PT was PT36 and I scored 165; and I didn't really get my first breakthrough till PT51 when I got my first 170. I think my repetitive exercise between PTs was making a difference because my performance in LG has been stable, and RC has always been hit or miss depending on if there's any topics that I'm extremely uncomfortable with lol, but as soon as I started to get less than -3 in LR, my score showed major improvement.

That's why moving into the last month, I decided to make sure I can have stable LRs during the actual test. I started to re-do LRs from PT 36 to PT 50, in which I was having -4 to -8 in those sections.

In retrospect, I think this practice, plus my scrapbook, definitely contributed a lot to my proficiency with LR. In the actual December test, I scored -0 and -1 respectively in the 2 LR sections.

The last week and What If....

The last week was pretty rough for me as I did the last 3 PTs, and got both very high and very low score. I scored a 166 that almost wrecked my confidence, but thankfully got a 176 in the September PT, which gave me a bit last minute comfort.

I had major nerve issue the night before, and was literally up all night. I think part of the 3rd trimester pregnancy was also a negative factor for me as the baby started moving and kicking real hard during these late days. But I think my adrenalin and New York's chilling winter was high enough to keep me awake.

I'm generally pretty happy with how it turned out, but as I said, if I could have more time, I'd definitely work harder on RC. I got lucky this time because I did just ok with RC in the test (-4), which was average for me. My RC performance has always been unstable, I sometimes can make -1, but sometimes can go as high as -7; Improving RC was really difficult, and I don't think I have much to say in this area, but if you have enough time, definitely spend more energy on it.

Ok, I think I've been rambling a lot. I don't know if these things would be helpful for anyone. But feel free to leave any questions in the comment and I'll make sure to try my best to give some input.

Thanks again 7Sage and JY, this journey wouldn't turn out so great without you guys!

So I am currently debating whether or not to use the 7sage one time editing package for an edit of my personal statement. My dilemma is coming from the questions on the Yale app regarding whether or not you've used an admissions service for help on anything. Dean Asha's post about this on her blog seems to indicate that using a service could negatively impact your application. Given that I'm a splitter for Yale (178, 3.67 cum GPA) and that Yale is such a blackbox anyways, I'm pretty conflicted on what to do. I was pretty set on it before I read that part of the application. On the one hand, I know I'm an extreme long shot at Yale to begin with. Everyone is no matter what their scores/gpa are, so the edit might not help there but it could on other applications. Making a decision about an integral part of my application because a concern about just Yale seems a little ridiculous. On the other hand, I'm worried that what chance I do have at Yale will be hurt by using such a service. And Yale is just the dream for so many reasons. Anyone have any advice on this? It's a needy question, so my apologies in advance.

Hi Guys,

I found 7sage late in my studies, only after I read the powerscore bibles, and after I had enrolled in the Testmasters course. During my Testmasters course I found myself referring to JY's explanations for the logic games over the method that Testmasters used.

I was scoring in the mid 150's with my diagnostics. Since getting my December score I've decided to take a look at the CC as see if I can help my score.

I am very discouraged, and my confidence is totally shaken.

SO! I feel like I am the king of needing addenda. I need an addenda for my GPA, I need an addenda for my LSAT jump, I need an addenda to explain my ugly face...oh wait..

I am having an issue with balance on my applications. My PS talks about the change that took place during the Marine Corps. It starts to draw a clear line of me before the Marines, (1.7gpa) and me after the Marines (4.0 gpa). I don't mention my exact GPA but I do show them that I was a loser playing WoW before the Marines, and now I'm just a loser with a 4.0.

I also want to write an addenda that goes into more detail about this change because it's really drastic.

I also went from a 157 to a 163 to a 171. So I need to explain that in an addenda.

Where's the balance? How far into detail should I go on the LSAT? GPA? I don't want to overwhelm the schools and beat a dead horse, but I also want it to be very clear that I AM NOT the kid with a 1.7 gpa but I am the kid with the 171 and 4.0...

Any suggestions on how to strike this balance?

Hi,

I cant seem to print the Most strongly supported problem set.

Hi guys, I'm an international student from a foreign undergrad that took the Dec Lsat.

Basic information about myself

LSAT: 174 (First try)

GPA: It's 3.9 on a 4.0 scale, but I think foreign undergrads are classified as Superior (with this level of GPA)

Softs: Some moot court competition wins, about a year of intern experience at a domestic law firm

LOR: 2 from professors, 1 from the lawyer I worked under (All strong)

I have two main questions!

I understand that Yale and Stanford don't admit too many foreign undergrads and that out of HYS, I have the best chances with Harvard. I think the earliest I'll get my applications in is by mid-January. Would that be too late in the cycle? I might be able to intern at another law firm starting from late January. Should I maybe just wait for the next cycle?

If I applied and was accepted to Columbia but rejected by Harvard, could I defer the Columbia offer and apply to Harvard the next cycle? This is pretty common in my country, but I get the feeling it wouldn't be acceptable in the States.

Some people might wonder why I seem obsessed with Harvard, but it's because I plan to return to my country later on. All the domestic lawyers I've met tell me that name-value is everything if I want to enter a big firm here D:

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of firming up my personal statement with the goal of having it submitted at the beginning of Jan. I've gone through a few drafts, but have settled on something that I like. I've had a number of friends and family review it, but would love to get some feedback from someone who doesn't know me personally.

Is there anyone that would be interested in a statement swap or providing me some feedback on my statement?

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone, I wrote my LSAT in December and will be re-writing in February. My goal is to achieve a 160, and right now I'm typically scoring 151-155 range. I've tried the Kaplan and LSAT Trainer books but am thinking about using 7sage for my crunch time of 6 weeks. Does anyone have any recommendations on which study guide to use? My schedule is flexible and my wallet is kind of tight, but don't want that to stop me from utilizing a guide that would really help me. What do you suggest? Starter? Premium? Thanks!!! These forums are very helpful and encouraging!

I've written a very personal (ha) personal statement I would like someone to review - with an eye to whether it dreams into the overly sentimental/illogical.

Would someone - preferably someone who has been active on this site (for my own paranoia reasons) - be willing to take a look?

Hello everyone, so I usually get 155 on my PT but unfortunately I got 150 on the December test. Since I already applied for law schools, I want to try again and write the Feb test. I usually do perfect on the game section and need to improve my LR and RC skills. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to improve in a month? I would truly appreciate any suggestions.

Sorry. Might have missed this. What is this foolproofing everyone is talking about? Or where can I find the explanation?

So I scored a 135 on my LSAT and I am shocked. I printed out the test from LSAC and retook it under test conditions as a practice. I scored a 165 and I'm confused. Maybe I did not eat a good breakfast or I was completely nervous about the whole thing. Someone help me understand where I did wrong. I had to rush my last passage off my RC and I did completely fine on LG on test day.

I wanna get into a t14 with a 3.82 gpa and a 170 score. Improved from my 158. TLS scare posts have gotten to me and I don’t think it’s just bougie pretentious nonsense when people push how important it is to go to a t14.

Honestly I think I’m just one of those stupid smart people who kind of self sabotage so I don’t think I can self study. My diagnostic score was the same as what I got on the exam after really isolating from friends and fam and studying like 30+ hours a week for months. I was kind of just trying to memorize without really understanding and once I figured out what I did wrong I was just like okay I get it now and moved on and made the same mistakes again.

I have a year before the December LSAT. I know that everyone says don’t do a prep course bc it just goes over the basics but I don’t think I understand the basics. I think I might need it just to get me going and force me to study smarter for a few months and then I’ll self study for the remainder of time. Is this a totally awful idea? Which course should I do?

So... I just checked my December scores (I know late) and I'm lost for words. It was my third take, but... my score dropped. First take cancel (felt incredibly ill, cancelled as soon as exam ended), 2nd take 166, 3rd take 165...

I've been seeing consistent improvement in my PTs for the past 6 months, and were averaging in the 173-74 range for the last month of preparation. Though there was that one weird PT which I bombed out on (I believe PT 81), scoring a 167 a week before my actual exam... and I'm starting to think whether that score psyched me out.

I just can't figure out where I went wrong either because I took the undisclosed test in Asia so I'm just really lost as to what I should do next and am even questioning whether I'm really a good fit for law school... (I can take a guess that LR messed things up, since that's where I make the most silly mistakes when I panic). After all the months of studying, seeing a score drop is incredibly discouraging, especially when I was seeing progress in my PTs.

I worked hard on my college GPA, got a 3.94 from UChicago and am really frustrated about my LSAT scores weakening my application. Should I even go for a fourth attempt in February? In fact, do I still even have a shot at the T14 schools if I take the test 4 times? And not applying for this cycle will mean that I will have taken 2 years of gap year... and of course I plan to go on internships and work on projects if I delay my application but I don't know if such a long break will also hurt my chances at the top law schools. What should I do... any word of advice would be appreciated :(

Hi guys--

I submitted applications for two target schools yesterday and noticed today that I made a very stupid typo in the second paragraph (duplicated word... I wrote 'are are'). I read through my essay more than 5 times before submitting each and didn't notice this! I don't think there are any other issues with the optional statement and my PS is good to go.

Do you think it is worth it to email admissions and ask them to review an updated version or should I just let this one go rather than bringing more attention to it?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi guys. Long time lurker here, but I felt really compelled to write this. I want to say a huge thank you to J.Y. and all of the 7Sage team for providing an invaluable and, amazingly, free resources in your LG video explanations and the analytics tools. Not having a lot of money to put into my prep meant that getting the most out of free resources such as these was a must. After getting the basics down from the Trainer, the LG videos here became a key to my LG learning, while the analytics made it possible to track weaknesses and progress. @"J.Y. Ping": If there is a chance that you see this, I would like you to know that this website has made a huge difference for me.

I also want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone on this forum who takes time to share so many helpful things about specific question approaches, skipping strategies, test day mindset, avoiding burnout, etc. I have implemented many of the things I found through lurking around this forum into my prep, and these things have also made a tremendous difference for me. Putting all these to work, I was able get from a low (embarrassingly low) start and a really disappointing first take, to a score I could only dream about before. Hopefully someone reading this will also take from it that an LSAT setback should not mean the end.

Congratulations to all who are now done with the test, and good luck to all of you who are still in the process.

What do you guys think about doing the test on February? I am still doing the syllabus and I have not taken any PT... I am freaking out! Any tips/comments?

There is so much study material out there. Also, certain company's have better material for particular sections. Like I really like the Powerscore Bibles, but I didn't find the RC as helpful as the other bibles. Any thoughts?

Also, do you think it's best to complete the 7sage syllabus going straight down? Thanks a lot!

Not sure what to do with this question on one of my applications:

Please list any diversity characteristics that you would like to provide [cultural, sexual and/or gender minorities, disabilities, age, religion, immigrants, socio-economic, etc.] Applicants may also attached a Diversity Statement to their application as an addendum.

I have already written a diversity statement that I plan on attaching. Should i write "see diversity statement attachment" in the box and then just attach my statement or should I write something else pertaining to the question. There is only room for 300 characters including spaces.

Hello 7Sagers,

I have been studying for about a year. It's time for me to change my strategy. I have some lazy habits that I am determined to change. Has anyone else viewed the webinar "Our 89 Point Increase Story"? Here is the link in case you want to hear some inspirational advice: https://classic.7sage.com/webinar/our-89-point-increase-story/.

The most concrete inspirational takeaway for me was that studying for the LSAT reflects my work ethic. Ouch! In undergrad, I had a very strong work ethic but I'll admit that I have not turned it up enough notches for the LSAT. It's time to change that because I eventually want to be done with the LSAT. Tonight I am creating my "task board", something that worked for me in undergrad.

Does anyone else have a strategy that took them from simply studying to becoming methodically focused on the curriculum and self-care needed to do their best? I literally have to have my task board in my face to be sure I do this right.

Thanks in advance,

Sarah