Just beginning!

trevor.mileur

Hi Everyone,

I'm just beginning to study for the LSAT. I'm a long ways away from actually taking the exam and suspect my actual date would be no sooner than 2016. However, I wanted to get started by aligning myself with some strategies/technique before I even begin to touch the prep tests. (Because of you, I understand not to go near them yet!!)

I am going to pick up some books but wanted to gain some feedback from you guys first. I would like to follow a schedule similar to PowerScore's 4 month program. I may add a month or two to the program in order to spread out the time and avoid burn out. I would like to use PowerScore's LG Bible and PowerScore's LR Bible. Based on your reviews, I would like to use Manhattan's RC Prep to fill that piece.

What are your thoughts about this combination? Are there any supplements I should add to this list of material? Once I finish this self-study program, I anticipate increasing my intensity through the three-phase cycle recommended by 7Sage. (Accuracy, Time, Endurance) Please let me know your thoughts! And thank you for all the feedback.

Best,
TM

deleted account

Sounds like a good plan. I would just make the following recommendations:

1) Please do go near the tests. You can learn a lot just by taking them, and I personally think that coming up with strategies first is counterproductive, as a lot of them just don't work in a real, timed testing situation. The only caveat, I think, is that you do need to understand what the questions are asking, but a lot of that is common sense. I got 163 on my first test with no prior study (#62: -3 LR, -3 LR, -10 LG, -8 RC)

2) Skip Powerscore LG bible and just use JY's videos on 7sage. I bought that book and found it to be a total waste after having watched only 5 or 6 videos on 7sage. Honestly, it's only good if you're not going to practice for that long. They teach you the way to get 18 questions right per section. JY teaches you the way to get 23 questions right.

3) I haven't looked at any other books (except a PR book that I returned) so can't comment on that.

nicole.hopkins

SKIP Powerscore and go whole-hog on 7sage (Starter Course will give you all course content and a groovy custom study schedule). Grab the LSAT Trainer and do all of the Flaw-related chapters (Let's say Ch 1-10 to be comprehensive—start on these alongside 7sage).

If I could do it all over again, that's what I'd do.

trevor.mileur

Thanks for the recommendations! I will keep them in mind as I continue to research materials for my initial preparation. Thank you very much!

harrismegan

I 100% agree with @nicole.hopkins. I can't speak to how good the Powerscore Bibles are, but I have heard some bad things about them. I would start with 7Sage and supplement with the LSAT Trainer for RC and for Flaw Questions. As soon as I read their Flaw section, the entire test turned around for me. And the RC section.... where they teach you to look at the passage for STRUCTURE and not CONTENT really really really really really helped.

I went through 7Sage once and I re did it about a month ago and each time it was beneficial.

VegMeg55

I completed every PS Bible and was honestly still stuck at ground zero. 7Sage is a much better system as it emphasizes drilling and is also much more concise. If I could go back in time, I'd start with 7Sage and toss/sell the PS Bibles. Some people like their LG approach but I developed bad habits that are making my game times painfully, painfully slow. I'm now having to learn the proper way to do things and it is taking longer than if I had never seen LGs before. I urge you to not make the same mistake I did.

danielznelson

PowerScore books are fine for beginners, if you want to begin to grasp strategies for attacking the LSAT, but they're basic, and even in some instances, arguably insufficient for obtaining a top-notch score. The books focus on memorization, boxy and sequential thinking, and somewhat simple explanations for questions that may deserve much greater detail. The LG diagramming with the PS books are not as strong as are those from 7Sage, as well.

In the end, while you may be a bit lost when first studying, 7Sage does a much better job at consolidating important strategies while actually give you FAR more detail. I also wasn't a huge fan of LSAT Trainer, and I believe that's important to note given the apparent consensus on the contrary. The structure and layout of the LSAT Trainer isn't very intuitive, in my opinion, and, for me, it stressed understanding the logic and language of the LSAT to a point of over stressing. I will concede, however, that I was able to more intuitively grasp the LSAT more so than excelling at the diagramming, structuring, et cetera. The LSAT Trainer and 7Sage also focus on similar things, so perhaps I felt the Trainer to be too redundant.

Once you have gone through the bulk of the course, download the Cambridge problem sets organized by type, as I believe they're still available (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).

nicole.hopkins

@danielznelson said:
The LG diagramming with the PS books are not as strong as are those from 7Sage, as well.

LG diagramming in PS is cumbersome and convoluted. I cringe whenever I see someone using a PS-taught diagram ... So many wasted pencil strokes. I did gain a few insights from PS but on the whole strongly recommend saving your money—at least until you've exhausted 7sage, Trainer, and Manhattan LR/RC.

emli1000

I started out with PowerScore and let's just say that when I discovered 7Sage I was completely lost with the info. I had learned before. For LR/RC/LG I would recommend that you stick to 7Sage and pick up a copy of the LSAT Trainer and/or Manhattan.