Finished CC: Need Advice

CircleTurk

Hi all,

I’ve been studying since January, it’s taken me a bit to finish the CC since I have the Ultimate + version, but now that I have I’m trying to plan how to best spend my remaining time before the taking July test. My plan was to take a day to review all the content I went over and redo the LGs from the CC and then after that just take as many prep tests as I can.

The issue is I work full time, so my only times to study are on the weekends and maybe for an hour or two after work on weekday nights if my brain cooperates. I tried to take my full days remaining and split them up with half of them being reserved to take full prep test, and half of them to BR those prep tests. There are full 2 weekends and 1 full weekend day between now and the test that I won’t be able to study for so I’m getting a little nervous. I’m hoping to make it through 7 full prep test but that doesn’t feel like enough. Should I also be trying to do a section of a prep test every weeknight I can?

Since I only have time for a couple of tests, should I be prioritizing the most recent PTs or are there certain ones I should cover first?

Filibuster

Congrats on finishing the CC! That's a beast within itself. It seems your days are pretty packed. Is this the only time you can take the LSAT? I highly recommend pushing your test date back. If you don't feel ready, you should wait.

The extra month(s) will ease your nerves and give you a chance to properly study. Focus on quality over quantity. Blind Review is the most helpful and productive aspect of studying. You need to understand why you're getting particular questions wrong.

I know it's too late to just switch your test date without having to pay, but the money you give up for another test could mean the difference in a few points/tens of thousands of dollars worth of scholarship offers. Best of luck!

CircleTurk

@Filibuster said:
Congrats on finishing the CC! That's a beast within itself. It seems your days are pretty packed. Is this the only time you can take the LSAT? I highly recommend pushing your test date back. If you don't feel ready, you should wait.

The extra month(s) will ease your nerves and give you a chance to properly study. Focus on quality over quantity. Blind Review is the most helpful and productive aspect of studying. You need to understand why you're getting particular questions wrong.

I know it's too late to just switch your test date without having to pay, but the money you give up for another test could mean the difference in a few points/tens of thousands of dollars worth of scholarship offers. Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice! My plan is to take the July Exam, see my score, then cancel if it’s not great and reregister for the October using the free pass on a test it gives you. I’m a little worried taking it in October might be to late if I want to apply to schools by the end of the year but I’m unsure if that’s true. Assuming I’m going to take the July test, how would you spend the remaining time before then?

Filibuster

@CircleTurk That's not a bad plan. Have you used the 7Sage Law School Predictor? I'll link it below just in case you haven't. You can hover your cursor over the Estimated Chances Percentage and see the difference a month or two makes. Most consultants recommend applying as early as possible for the best chances.

https://7sage.com/predictor/

I would recommend doing sections from early prep tests on available weeknights. This way you're still practicing without the stress/commitment of a full prep test (and saving the later prep tests because you never know). Prioritize more recent prep tests near your test date because they will be most similar to the actual test.

Also, don't let one bad prep test or one bad section get you down. These are natural occurrences and simply a regression to the mean. Brush them off and keep grinding. Another thing to be wary of is burnout. It is real. If you need to take a day or even a week off, do it. The mental clarity is worth it. I hope this helps.

CircleTurk

@Filibuster I haven’t used that tool yet, but I’ll play around with it. My undergrad doesn’t have a GPA (and does not offer equivalent values) so it might not work as well for me as others.

I’ll try that strategy for studying! I am going to take a prep test soon since I haven’t really done that yet and I don’t know where my baseline is.

I could also just take the July test and cancel before I get my score and use my free voucher on the September test if its that much better to apply earlier.

Is there a recommended number of prep tests to take for the most improvement before we hit diminishing returns? Or a recommended amount of time folks should take just PTs after they finish the CC?

Filibuster

@CircleTurk I think the recommended number of prep tests really depends on the individual. Some folks only do a handful and score well (we hate them), while others do 10+. The consensus leans towards doing as many as you can get your hands on, but don't forget quality over quantity. I haven't seen/heard anyone experience diminishing returns. Mostly just burnout. I would also avoid alcohol and anything else that makes you happy.

However, there is a multitude of advice on this database and you should peruse the discussion board. There's a lot of sage advice on here from more qualified individuals than myself (pun intended).

EagerestBeaver

@CircleTurk I agree with the staying away from alcohol. Also try and get as consistent night sleep as possible. In regards to how many prep tests, there is not a specific number where you will start to see improvement. Just stay consistent with your test taking and BR. I don't want to say it will happen like magic, but your score will be the last thing that changes in regards to your improvement, so when it happens, it will kind of, just happen.

CircleTurk

@EagerestBeaver thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'm gonna start PTs ASAP, I've decided to go ahead and try and throw in logic games from PT 1-35 whenever I can to help solidify the LG lessons too!

Cant Get Right

I did a webinar on this if you want to know what I think: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

CircleTurk

@"Cant Get Right" Thank you so much for the link and the video! I just watched it as it was very helpful. Especially about the timing of how often you should take PTs and the purpose of taking them. I haven't take my first post CC Pt yet so I will do that this weekend, knowing I will probably bomb but get useful data.

A question I had is, if I start this process now do you think it's possible I can be ready to go by the July test I am registered for? I do work full time and there are 2 weekends where I can't dedicate a lot of time so with your methods I probably will only be able to get 2-4 PTs in.

If not do you think I could get there by September? I'm afraid to push much past that because I want to have time to get my actual application materials together as well.