Hey all,

I just went over the September 2017 exam and realized how many silly mistakes I made. Out of the 11 LR questions I missed, I really should not have missed 7 of them. In RC, I shouldn't have missed 3 - they were all super easy in hindsight. Over the past few months I've been thinking of what I did wrong on and leading up to test day, and I thought I'd post the biggest mistakes I made in hopes someone might learn from them (including me :) )

1. Being a night owl, but waking up early.

For the last two weeks leading up to the exam, I forced myself to wake up at around ~6am every day, eat breakfast, get ready to take a PrepTest by 8:30am. Thing is, I'm definitely a night owl, and I never really got used to waking up early. Additionally, when school started to really hit (I'm a senior in undergrad), I wasn't going to bed till 11 or 12am, yet I was still waking up at 6am because I felt I had to condition myself.

All this ended up doing was making me really tired all the time. I was averaging 4-5 cups of coffee a day, and consequently I definitely did not feel 100% on test day. I think you should condition yourself, but don't be uncompromising in it. As in, if you are lacking sleep, get sleep!

2. My no-burnout strategy backfired.

Everyone told me not to do a PT a day, so I thought - I'll just do a PT every other day leading up to the exam! Guess what. Still burns you out. I did that for the last two weeks leading up to exam week - I think I was still burnt out come test day.

3. I got to the test center too early.

I was really paranoid I would be late to the test center on test day. Consequently, I woke up at around 5am that morning - had my coffee, ate breakfast, and got to the testing center by 6:30/7am. Unfortunately, we didn't actually start the exam until ~10:15 - 10:30. So while others had only been awake for 2/3 hours, I'd already been up for 5!

4. I was a chatty-Cathy before the test.

Okay, this is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I met this girl who got to the testing center as early as I did. We talked for like the whole 3 hours straight leading up to the exam. It was amazing. It was like a movie - two starcrossed lawyers find eachother during the LSAT - like some kinda rom-com. We talked about our goals, our life ambitions, our childhoods, everything!

But all that talking actually wore me out, leaving me tired before we even started taking the exam. I think before the exam, you should try to hone your mind. Focus, get in a zen-state if you will (some 7sager talked about meditating beforehand).

5. I overdid it on the caffeine.

As soon as I woke up, I had a breakfast with a coffee. Then when I got to the testing center, I started sipping on a 5-hour energy. This left me jittery and nervous through the exam, especially at the beginning, and compounded the effect of #6...

6. I flipped shit at the experimental section.

I actually started crying. I had experimental RC, and it was all going really well! The first three passages seemed really easy, and in fact they all were about topics I'm well-versed in. But, before I even got to the last passage, the proctor called 5 minutes. I started tearing up right there and then. All the hard work and studying leading up to the exam felt like it went down the drain. It would be 7-8 questions I would miss automatically, kissing my 170 goodbye. I carried that defeated feeling through the rest of the exam, and it showed.

7. I threw the strategies out the window and tried to mind-muscle my way through.

Being distraught about the experimental section, I just lost all grasp of the strategies. I wasn't even diagramming logical chains for inference questions. Simple contrapositive answers felt like a foreign language instead of ez pz lemon squeezy. I forgot the distinction between necessary and sufficient assumptions. I wasn't identifying the conclusions, I wasn't rephrasing referential phrases. Nerves got to me and I threw all techniques out the window.

I still ended up getting a 167 on the exam, but that was 6 points lower than what I had averaged in previous PTs. I hope you all can learn from my mistakes, as I hope I will come the December test. I think bottom line is you have to find what works best for you. A lot of people were pushing me to wake up early all the time, and it didn't pay off. I let nerves get the best of me and I didn't follow J.Y.'s wisdom.

But December 2 is a new day, and I'm hoping to kill it :)

7Sage,

I just saw an email that my account will expire in a few days. This service and community was instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. Happy to answer any general questions about 1L (so far), LSAT, application cycles, whatever. Hope this can help someone!

Well, add another school to the list.

http://www.law.columbia.edu/news/2017/10/2018-pilot-accept-GRE-score?utm_content=buffer3a14f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

For some reason I have MBT question stem, and the correct answer is D.

Can someone explain why D is MBT?

.

Thank you in advance!

Over at blueprint.com, someone posted predictions before the Sep. LSAT. He predicted (correctly, it turns out) that the LG section would not have any weird games. He thinks that this will be the norm in the future, because LSAC is scared of turning off potential test takers who might take the GRE instead. Wondering about what others think about this. Plausible, or not?

So I've been looking into books to help me better prepare beginning my pt's. I've obviously ran across powerscore, but am unsure as to whether or not it's worth it due to the reviews I see here and there. Suggestions?

Having a hard time with this one, Chose E during timed test and struggling to narrow in on an answer choice during BR.

I don't get why C is correct

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-20-section-1-question-10/

I'm writing my personal statement and I talk about my fathers business in the auto industry and how I've grown up helping him and learning from him and working by his side..and using this knowledge and his connections to start my own business.

I put it in a way that talks about how I can be a GOOD and hard working student and how these things have prepared me for my future endeavors, but it doesn't really answer the "WHY" aspect. I want to shoulder the weight my dad carries and I love thinking and reasoning and debating and writing (I actually do, I'm not just saying it to sound law oriented). I want to be paid to think and let the pen be my sword (is that how the saying goes?).

But so what? Why not write a book , ya know? Lol. My reasons for going to law school aren't based on really concrete things but more so these abstract ideas of representing what I think is the symbol of higher thinking in human beings.

What should I avoid doing in talking about "why law"?

Thank you guys, please ignore the messy and terrible writing here I promise my PS is better! If you'd like

To Exchange essays slide in those DMs.

Hi 7sagers,

So I was initially planning to write my exam in Sept but then I decided to push the exam to Dec. Now that applications are in full force, I am lost. I am finding it difficult to study, hold an executive position on the school's board of directors, applications, and take classes all at the same time. I am nearing the end of my degree and I am not enjoying it at all. I have never been this stressed in my life before, a part of me doesn't want to apply at all this year and simply take a break before law school. But then a bigger part of me feels like I would be wasting a year of my life. If I don't get into Law school in fall 2018, I will have to wait until fall 2019. I don't know what to do...

Is anyone else having trouble printing Necessary Assumption Questions from Tests 1 through 9? I have tried switching from Safari to Fire Fox without any luck.

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice on a failed class my Freshman year of university. It happened my second semester and my professor failed me because she accused me of plagiarizing an essay however nothing was ever recorded or reported to the school in anyway. She simply called me into her office to tell me she was going to fail me she didn't even let me see which parts she claimed were plagiarized and when I went to the Dean they said they would have to do a formal investigation so I opted not to go that route. There was no preceding, no record, nothing formal. I continued on to get straight A's in every class until graduation. I plan on disclosing the true reasons behind my grade in an addendum. It sticks out and needs an explanation regardless and because I do not want problems being admitted to the bar later. I just want advice on what my realistic expectations should be. I graduated with a 3.5, worked as a paralegal for a while after graduation, and got a 160 LSAT. Should I realistically be applying to grad schools? Should I consider hiring a professional to help with my application? Any help would be appreciated as long as its actually attempting to be helpful thank you!

Can i get anyones take on this one, i dont really understand the argument, or the flaw

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-61-section-4-question-24/

Does anyone have suggestions for how to approach parallel method of reasoning questions under time pressure? I feel like these questions in particular take up a lot of time during a timed LSAT. Any recommendations for how to approach these questions under time pressure?

Hey friends,

This is just a lil encouragement post for those of us who may have been underwhelmed by our LSAT performance, and anyone reading the boards who is thinking about joining 7Sage.

When I started studying for the LSAT over the winter, I was dead-set on taking the June exam, ace-ing it, and being admitted early to Harvard (a girl can dream). I've always been kind of type A, and sometimes I get discouraged when I'm not immediately the best at something. However, I quickly realized I wasn't ready to sit in June, and began studying nearly full-time with 7Sage in March. I have this to say: the community here, from the instructors to the other students, has completely changed my mindset. I'm learning to trust the process, and to take absolute ownership for my own study habits.

In high school and college, I loved trying to blame a professor or the test if I didn't do well. When I walked out of the LSAT in September, regardless of how shaken up I was, I just kept thinking that the test was incredibly fair. When I got my score last week and it wasn't quite what I wanted, I was disappointed and truly shaken up for a couple of hours, but then immediately mapped out all my options. And I realized: the absolute worst case scenario is that I don't start law school next fall. And if that's my biggest problem, I'm going to be just fine.

I guess I'm probably not explaining this too well, but I wanted to say that the 7Sage community and program has totally changed my outlook, for the better. I am more patient, I am more logical, and I am more willing to work as hard as I can for an end goal I believe in. BIG thanks to everyone who has been encouraging, supportive, and knowledgable. I hope everyone else in the same boat is able to find some peace with their own outcomes as well----it's gonna be ok!

Hello!

I wanted to ask if anyone knew of any reputable application consulting companies that offer need-based discounts. Spivey's $300 per hour is well out of my affordability, and I've seen that many LSAT tutors/companies offer discounts for individuals who qualify for the LSAC fee waiver.

The $600 unlimited edit option from 7sage looked attractive, but it appears to be sold out and I'm looking to have everything submitted within the next three to four weeks.

Thanks for the input :)

Edit -- now I'm realizing youre supposed to waive your right to read the letters.

so do I ask 2 professors who I was very friendly with often went to office hours and helped the profs with outside of class things and took 6+ classes with each, but didn't necessarily take the classes seriously,

or 2 professors who I took 2 classes with, didn't really know them on a personal level, but went to some office hours, really tried in class discussions was always on time to class etc and got 100% on many papers...I feel like they might write I don't really know her but she did great in class. These were both upper division classes, one of which was for my major.

The one that was my major -- I got the only 100% on the midterm after having to miss 2 weeks (had to tend to a sick fam member in a diff country and handle funeral arrangements etc), the prof was really impressed. The one that wasn't my major I had to drop the class but she was very sympathetic and understanding and she had agreed before to write me an LOR.

Re the professors I was friendly with but didn't try too hard in class -

Was wondering if i could get some feedback a PS idea i have been mulling over.

A little while back i participated in a cycling race/marathon to raise money for a camp that helps terminally ill children and there families.

Its 180 miles in mountainous terrain, it took 5 months of prepping and conditioning.

Aside from working my butt off to raise a couple grand for the camp, i really wanted to place well during the event and i got kind of lost in the competition.

I wanted to write about how the minute it took to get from the entrance of the camp after 180 miles to the finish line, seeing these kids waiting for us to cross that line completely changed my perspective on what i had spent the past 1/2 yr prepping for and has significantly affected me today.

Majority of those kids wont live to reach the age of 18 but the appreciation and hope i saw them and there families exhibit when we crossed that finish line has had an immediate and lasting effect on me.

This experience helped me realize that i want to spend my life making a difference in others, wherever that will lead me in the law field.

Thoughts?

Can someone verify whether my conditional diagraming of the statement and its negation are correct? I get confused...

Not all hierarchical organizations operate in the same way: HO -> /Operate same way

Negation: HO -> Operate same way

Thank you in advance! :D

"All that is needed to save the koala is to stop deforestation"...

How would you write it as conditionality?

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SAVE KOALA --> DEFORESTATION......? (Since ALL indicates sufficiency whereas IS indicates necessity)

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I am getting confused because of this LR question where I need to pick an answer choice that contradicts the statement written above. The correct answer is "deforestation is stopped and the koala becomes extinct", which is not a negation but a contrapositive of "SAVE KOALA --> DEFORESTATION". How can it be a contradiction when it is just a mere restatement of the stimulus?

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This is from PT2.S2.Q11

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Thank you in advance

Just finished watching a webinar by @"Cant Get Right" regarding what to do once you have finished the core curriculum. I was fascinated at the concept of confidence drills because I seem to spend a lot of time beginning of the section. I almost never finish a section on time - particularly LR. The webinar recommends doing some sections with a kind of reckless abandon in order to modulate your confidence on questions. Eventually you'll be able to see how much confidence you feel you need on a given question to get it right without eliminating wrong answers. However, I was wondering if anyone had any insight on how to do confidence drills or where to start. Is it wise to drill easy questions under-timed pressure? How much time would that be? Would it be better just to go through the 1-16 clean PT sections and just figure it out there instead? Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks again to everyone!

Also, here is a link to the webinar about what to do once you've finished CC. Very useful and insightful information here

https://classic.7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

I just wanted to make sure my idea on weaken is correct.

Let's say we are given A-->B....

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Can I Say "A(O) B(X) = Even when A was present, B did not appear" and "A(X) B(O) = Even when A didn't happen, B still did appear" to weaken [A --> B] ??????????

So I'm in my final semester in undergrad and I'm considering taking a class pass/fail, I know the LSAC GPA calculator doesn't penalize you for this, but do admissions officers at elite law schools frown on it? I've never taken a pass/fail class before

Dear 7sage diary,

I just took PT 68. Holy moly, those last two logic games were quite something.

Haven't done any BR for the test yet so don't spoil too much.

Anyways, I remember complaining about my drastic score drop after taking PT 70. My score for this test (68) is now a one point improvement from my highest score; therefore, a drastic improvement from the most recent score of PT 70.

From this I learned that proper sleep and pacing through each question (meaning not rushing through the first 8-9ish questions as if they afford that kind of treatment) is more ideal than before when I would speed through while sleep-deprived. I didn't get to a couple questions each LR section, but I tend to skip those parallel reasoning questions until I have time. If not, I would just guess based on stimulus concluding word strength. So I'll probably work on those too.

It's quite irritating though. I'm currently spending a huge amount of time on full proofing, but this PT threw me curveball LGs. I ended up not getting to finish the final game. I scored like -7 on this LG section. If only I had gotten -1 or 2 on LG and scored one and/or two each on each of the other sections, I'd break through to my target score.

Overall, can't complain. I only just started full proofing 3 weeks ago and this has been my most successful PT. 1 point increase is a blessing tbh. Feels like I'm doing something right.

Hopefully I can get to a 7 point increase by hopefully Dec or Feb.

Sincerely,

Me.

How was the LG experience for you in PT 68?

I diagramed the stimulus as follow:

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Conflicting behavior organization --> More pain and distress

Conflicting behavior organization --> Animals resist --> Less efficient

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My question is I don't understand why (E) is correct. I feel like (E) negates the sufficient condition to state the answer, which is an error.

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Somebody please help! Thank you!!!!!

I did my first fully timed LR section today since the Sept test. I created a simplified skipping strategy...basically there were ones I knew and ones that confused me. I skipped the ones that confused me as soon as I realized I was spinning my wheels (total 4 questions). I finished the section in 25:43 (okay so sue me it's not exactly 25/25) which gave me AMPLE time to go back and address the ones I was confused on. I was able to tackle one of the 4 no problem but the other three still gave me pause. After struggling with them for roughly 10min or so I finished up and graded the section. -2 total.

My question is when you go back to the questions you skipped over in the initial 25 in 25 phase (had a rough answer but were not 100% on) how do you approach which ones you tackle first? I kind of skipped back and forth between all 4 because I was too scared to get entrenched in one and run out of time for the other 3.

Is there a method to identify which problems I should address first? Should I just go in order until I solve them and keep E bubbled for the rest if I don't get to them?