LSAT Prep Weekend

shine.on.me

Hey Everyone,
A couple of weeks ago I posted how I was down and having trouble getting back to studying. I was out for almost 3 weeks. Well, I started back this week, baby steps, and it feels good. I was behind before my downtime and now I'm really behind. According to the study schedule and @emli1000 :-) I should be finishing up the course by now. But I'm ashamed to admit I'm only about 15% through it. I'm glad I'm prepping for a retake in October instead of June I know I wouldn't be able to do it. Or at least wouldn't reach my full potential. Regardless, I was originally planning on starting PTs by now and thought about taking one this weekend. But looking at my course schedule, I think it may be more beneficial to spend that time reviewing material, getting through the course, and drilling. I don't want to cram but I do want to get through the basics. I think it may be better than wasting a PT. Any thoughts on moving forward? Thanks.

Will Edwards

Shine,
Think of it this way, a PT will test ALL of your LSAT skills, as well as some meta test taking skills along with them. If you just want to test some of your LSAT skills, you can just drill. You can even put a bunch of drills together into a fake PT or mini-PT. But why test skills you haven't worked on yet? You've (presumably) already taken a diagnostic test. You already have an idea of how good those skills are. PTs are gold. They will help you spot issues in your whole skill range as well as any broader issues you have with the test. Don't waste one. Follow your thoughts and spend time strengthening the skills you have and developing the rest of your skill set before testing the whole thing.

There isn't any reward for finishing the 7sage course early. There are huge rewards for crushing the LSAT. Study well and crush the LSAT.

blah170blah

^^ this, this, this, a thousand times this. Drill timed sections or specific question types or passages but hold off on taking PTs until you've mastered the fundamentals of LSAT logic. Mastery isn't measured by finishing the curriculum and if you still aren't blind reviewing in the 170s (or getting at least 8/10 on your drill sets) then go back to the books and see what else you can do to improve on those fundamentals. Once you've "mastered" the logic, then it's time to hit the PTs. As the person above me mentioned, PTs are a time to master the execution part of your test-taking skills and improve on your mental discipline. It's difficult and ineffective to juggle (1) learning the fundamentals (2) executing the fundamentals on a PT and (3) improving your mental discipline simultaneously. Only after finishing step 1 is it prudent to move to step 2 and 3.

I totally sympathize with you by the way. It was painful for me to not take a PT once a week to see how I was doing but resist the urge -- it'll pay dividends later on

harrismegan

I'm in the same boat as you.
I would think you should get through the whole course first and then prep test. Might as well make sure your fundamentals are solid before you start tweaking your skills through blind review.

shine.on.me

Thanks everyone. I was thinking the same. I don't want to rush through the course, cramming won't help anything. That's what I tried to do the first time I took the LSAT, and it did not end well. Plus, I don't feel like I really need to cram this time. But I do feel I need to be more consistent with my studies.

emli1000

LOL. Follow the course and drill with Cambridge! I wish I would have known about Cambridge while I was going along with the course. Keeps your PTs until you are ready to start testing your skills. You've already taken the LSAT before so you know what to focus on now while there still plenty of time for the Oct. LSAT.

Nilesh S

'Sage' advice from @"Will Edwards" puts LSAT Prep in perspective!