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Hope for low diagnostic scorers and first LSAT underperformers: 18 point increase!!

nchalifonchalifo Member
in General 69 karma
Short version: Went from a 149 diagnostic to a 157 on the September 2016 LSAT, then 167 on the December 2016 test in 11 months all thanks to 7Sage.

Long version: I'll try to not make this a novel, but I've read every increase story on here and found them all uniquely helpful and motivating so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Before I found 7sage, I took an Oxford Seminars classroom course and found the material quite overwhelming. I worked on some PTs and never saw more than a point increase. Eventually I just gave up on applying to law and cancelled my LSAT registration for December 2014.

I found 7sage last February after doing some research for a different course to try, since I was still so interested in going to law school. This course was my last chance to learn how to beat the LSAT, and I wish I'd found it earlier! I completed the core curriculum and took 16 four section PTs before taking the September test with a 165 PT average on my last 5 tests. Getting my score was brutal, underperformed by 8 points and got a 157. After some reflection I realized test day got to me and that there was more I could do to prepare.

In the two months before taking again in December, I took 13 more PTs and increased my pace from one a week to two a week. I sat the test with a 167 last 5 test average and ended up with a hard-earned 167 as my result.

The three things I did that I felt helped me improve the most were:
1. Taking 5 section PTs. I printed out the September test and redid it as 4 sections and scored 167, so I knew I had a stamina problem. I read somewhere that taking 4 sections was just as good, but that didn't hold true for me. I'd recommend taking 5 sections only as soon as possible, because you don't want to find out on test day that you're one of the people that need it like I did!

2. Learning to plug away at all LG sections. I would often mentally give up halfway through the section if the last two games didn't "click". On the September test I panicked so badly that I left 10 questions blank and scored a dismal 8/23. I was able to gain 10 points in December for an 18/23 by practicing filling in all the bubbles on games I was struggling with, then picking the easiest questions that could be answered with the rules alone or at least eliminate obvious wrong answer choices. The last two games made no sense to me but by elimination and brute forcing I was able to score the points I needed and make some late inferences.

3. Being more strict with dropping the pencil on time. I made sure all answers were at least guessed around the 32 minute mark and working on the ones I thought I had the best chance at getting. This worked well for me on LR especially.

Thoughts on future tests:
I'm out of the game thankfully, but I'd recommend that test takers do all the early logic games (PT 1-10 have some weird ones) to get an edge on the more unusual games that have been appearing. I'd also say that doing and BRing more PTs than I did would probably help as well, since I only did 29 in total.

Finally, thank you to JY and everyone who posts on here!! Lots of people read but don't post like me (until now) and really benefit from all the advice posted. Best of luck to those still on their journey!

Comments

  • AlexAlex Alum Member
    23929 karma
    That's an amazing and inspiring story!

    Thank you for sharing. Your increase from September to December is phenomenal.

    Congrats on a hard-earned score!
  • apublicdisplayapublicdisplay Alum Member
    696 karma
    Since the blind review process is so crucial to improvement, mind if I ask how your process was? Like how long it would take you to blind review and then subsequently watch the video explanations, etc. Any peculiar or unique insights you gained would be much appreciated.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27900 karma
    Thanks for sharing! With a 167 you're going to have some excellent options available to you, and I can't wait to see the success updated with your acceptance into an amazing law school.

    Also:
    @nchalifo said:
    This course was my last chance to learn how to beat the LSAT, and I wish I'd found it earlier!
    Amen!
  • TheLoftGuyTheLoftGuy Alum Member
    698 karma
    Wow 18pts that makes me want to try again in June. I went from 153 in September to 166 in December. This let's me know that there is still room for improvement. Thanks for sharing
  • edited January 2017 524 karma
    Posts like this one help to keep me going! Thank you and congrats!!!
  • AlexAlex Alum Member
    23929 karma
    @TheLoftGuy said:
    I went from 153 in September to 166 in December.
    That is also a phenomenal increase. What did you do for those few months that you would credit with your increase?
  • nchalifonchalifo Member
    69 karma
    No problem @apublicdisplay! So for BR it took me about 2 hours on the first couple I did, then my two months between the September and December test it would be more around half hour to one hour.
    I starred all questions that I was unsure about while taking the PT, then went over them untimed. I'd only watch the video if it still didn't make sense to me after checking my answers. Forcing myself to write down why I thought my original answer was wrong was super helpful.
    Foolproofing the games was another hour or two per PT (LG is still my worst section).
    BR really showed me that I needed to adjust my timing so I could get that "second look" at a tough question (really important on LR). I'd look at my answer choices in BR and see that I rushed a really obvious question that I could've gotten right!
  • danielznelsondanielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4181 karma
    Nice! Stories like these make 7Sage.
  • Bevs ScooterMinionBevs ScooterMinion Alum Member
    edited January 2017 1018 karma
    Well done!! And, THANK YOU for taking the time to post such wonderful study detail for those of us still in this!
  • TheLoftGuyTheLoftGuy Alum Member
    edited January 2017 698 karma
    I changed my study locations. September I studied at quite libraries and in my office. I switched it up to noisy places like Starbucks, Panera Bread and Restaurants. But the largest major increase came in RC I used JY method of read passage once and answer the questions. Also did 3 PTS per week @"Alex Divine"
  • inactiveinactive Alum Member
    12637 karma
    Wow, great increase!! :)
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