Need Momentum

joseph.bryden

Senior in college, 4.0 GPA in a finance major, and just burnt out. Was PT'ing 156-157 before June LSAT and received a 150. Taking the test again in September, but am really not sure this material is working. Makes sense, but does not translate to PT, as I feel I have gotten worse. Honestly just need a 153, but would like a 157 (What I need for full-ride at school I desire). Advice? Stuck and frustrated.

Gunningfor121

Take a break. I'm similar to you (business admin major, 4.0, just graduated), and I'd be willing to bet we approach things similarly too. It's easy to plan a study schedule and completely forget about the human element. We aren't machines.

I also burned out trying to study for the LSAT and do undergrad at the same time, so I decided to graduate in 3 years and use the 4th to only study for the LSAT/do internships. I'm not telling you to take a year off, but with a 4.0, your law school options are essentially only limited by your LSAT score.

As for the material: when I was burned out, it wasn't making any sense at all. Now that I'm focusing solely on the LSAT and at a pace that is reasonable, I'm absorbing it much more effectively.

I would recommend you take at least 3 days off. Then, before jumping back into PTs, I would make sure you blind review your most recent PT and review the fundamentals that you may be shaky on. After that, consider reevaluating your study schedule so that you can study at a pace that works for you. I would not take the test before you are fully satisfied with your PT score.

You can beat this test.

Ohnoeshalpme

When you say the material isn't working, what do you mean? How far along in the 7sage curriculum are you? Have you been internalizing the content or just passing through?

7sage is never going to be the "quick tips to get your score boosted 5 points fast!" type of a service. The method outlined by JY and most sages calls for about a year of prep. It's a long and arduous process. What I personally liked about 7sage was that it was a comprehensive look at the lsat and it left in a lot of things that most courses exclude. The focus on logic and grammar coupled with a progression through question types is incredibly useful for someone scoring in the 150's.

joseph.bryden

I am rushing through the material, and do not feel as I have the time to invest a year into the material. Logic games is my strength. LR and RC are my weaknesses. I can ace a RC or bomb, it depends on how much I truly pay attention to the passage. I am stuck primarily on LR. I continually get about 13-14 correct out of 27.

MissChanandler

I think you may have answered your own question- if you are rushing through, then most of our advice is going to be to slow down and give it the time it deserves in order to work. If you want to improve your attention span on RC it's really just gonna take practice. If it's a timing issue, have you thought about trying to do only three of the passages and then guess on the last one? You may end up getting more correct overall. I think that if you're aiming for the mid 150s this would be a reasonable strategy. How many are you missing in an LG section?

joseph.bryden

I miss on average 5-8. LG is actually my strength. June LSAT I only missed 4.

MissChanandler

Missing 5-8 means you're missing the equivalent of a whole game. Even though it's your strength, I would still recommend putting in the time to drill and foolproof games. It's totally reasonable for you to get down to -2 or better. And if it's the section that you like the most, it could be a good break from studying for the other sections. If you answer the questions that the other commenters have posed, I think we could help you figure out an effective strategy!

joseph.bryden

LR: I seem to always miss flaw, reasoning, and assumption questions. I need to study those specific areas.

RC: If I am interested in a passage, I can usually get all but one correct. Hard passages that are so boring and use big scientific words? Well, I totally suck at those.

LG: I must perfect my practice. I was doing GREAT going into the June LSAT. Could miss only 2-3. Taking a month break hurt me. I am not trying to get back into the groove of things.

AudaciousRed

1. June was evil for most of us. Go read through the official June thread, and you'll see a lot of flabbergasted people scoring lower than their PT average. Myself included.
2. For RC, I picked up the LSAT Trainer book, as recommended by a few 7Sagers on other threads. Something is clicking more for me than it used to. My practice section times for RC are going down significantly. I think it's just the same lesson here, but said differently, and it's making more sense. So far, that's all I've used the book for, and now I'm mentally going back to the CC lessons and thinking "Ohhh.. that's what he was saying". Too early to tell if it will be magic or anything, but it's worth a shot.
3. For LR, I'm going back over the CC again. I'm slowing it down and doing one or two lessons, and then giving it time to sink in. Sometimes, I go back over those lessons again the next day. They, too, are sinking in more this second time around. I now get what the difference between an SA and a PSA is. I had a hard time differentiating between them before. I highly suggest slowing it down and going over it again until you really understand it. I am really working on my LR because it sucks pretty badly, and yet makes up half the test. Just by doing significantly better in LR, I would have had a much better score in June.

joseph.bryden

When are you taking the LSAT again?