I feel discouraged.

shoshala2631

The LSAT and the principles from the LSAT have proven to be really hard for me to fully understand. I make strides in my studying and prep when I think I'm improving my ability, and then other times when I just simply cannot understand why I'm getting problems wrong even after reviewing the lessons and doing BR on all of the problem sets. No matter how thorough J.Y's explanations are, it just seems like I can't consistently improve. I really feel like I'm in a rut. I've been studying for several months, but only for about 1 month in this program, and I'm taking the LSAT in June. I really see this as my last shot at achieving a high score. Yet I feel like I'm moving further and further away from that goal, and I don't know why. I can't comprehend why I can't seem to grasp the concepts well and consistently. I really don't know if I'm doing something wrong, or if I am just not cut out for a score of 160+. That may seem dramatic, but I feel incredibly hopeless and I don't know what to do to fix this feeling. Theoretically I could study more, but I have a full time job and a freelance writing job. I don't know what to do, I would really appreciate any advice.

Jefferson

When I was working at Ground Zero on 9/11 , I was digging through the wreckage in the pit, it all seemed so insurmountable, such futility. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop...there was too much at stake!

Your future life as a Lawyer is what's at stake.

Grab yourself by the you know what (regardless of gender), kick the shit out of your doubt and get the score you want!

In order to do the above, think about this:

I graduated from the School Of Visual Arts in 2000, and now that I'm 21 years removed from my undergraduate degree, I can look back on my greatest regret, that I didn't thoroughly enjoy my youth and the process.

You want to get the score you want?

Make it fun again!

Remember that initial enthusiasm, sometimes that means giving yourself a break. Go do something fun. Take the pressure off yourself.

Maybe you should move your test up.

Trust me your no where near as old as I am, don't be in such a hurry...take it easy and enjoy the process.

You'll get the score you want!

agc438

Honestly, I am in the same boat. Ever since Covid-19 started, it's completely derailed my LSAT plans and life honestly sucks. That being said, one tip I've found useful is to look for false equivalencies and whether it be in the stuff you read or questions. A lot of Logical Reasoning screws people up because they accidentally think that x is y when both are separate. For example, lets say we have a LR question that is looking for the answer: we need to increase revenue of the city and you have two options: 1) increase taxes or 2) increase revenue. Although the question won't be this simple, some people would go for choice 1 because they think increasing taxes leads to more city revenue when in reality, these answers don't necessarily equal each other, and the LSAT is looking for choice 2. Also for logic games, it comes down to doing more practice because after you do a good amount of games, you'll start noticing that half of them require practically the same type of diagram with minor variations. It is exhausting and awful, I'm still getting through it, and I totally understand your pain because it makes me so depressed, but doing the practice helps. Also, don't be afraid to watch the videos multiple times. It may get frustrating, but we tend to zone out when we watch videos and not to retain the info as well. I'm in zoom classes for college right now and they've shown me how little info I can retain over a video.

Anyway, you can do it and good luck!

SheboyganBoi

I want to first start off with something I used to tell to my clients when I was a personal trainer with regards to fitness and that was that the only way you will fail, is IF you quit. Might be a bit cliche and fitness is certainly very different from the LSAT, but I do think that idea is incredibly applicable to almost everything in life. Point being, it's understandable to feel discouraged but stick with it!

It also might be a good idea for you to take a week (or maybe even two) off from LSAT prep in general just to give yourself a break. I've had times where I've come back to prep after taking a bit of a break, and it really help my brain process things better for whatever reason. Beyond that, I also think that you need to give yourself a bit of time considering you've been with 7Sage for only about a month. Really really really take your time with not rushing through and making sure that you understand the lessons/skills in the core curriculum before you move to try and apply them. It takes a bit of time get those skills ingrained in your brain and then learn to apply them effectively-- trust the process. With that being said, unless you have an overwhelmingly strong reason that you need to take the June exam, I'd say it might be worthwhile to consider delaying to a later date. I made the mistake of taking the test when I truly wasn't fully ready just because I didn't want to delay my test date, even though I knew it would have been in my best interest to do so.

Lastly, just remember that even though this test can be an absolute bitch, it is 100% learnable to anyone willing to stick with it and give it their best. I started out with a 145 diagnostic and am currently scoring in the mid-high 160s, and I know if I've managed that improvement, then anyone can hahahah. Hope this helped, and best of luck!!

brookegojazz

Hey! I’m so sorry things are tough. The LSAT has lots of ups and downs and it sounds like you’re in a down. If it helps, I have been at this for 2 years. I started at a 150 and am now at a 170. It has been HARD. I am a parent and work full time. But if I can do it, you can do it! I’m not anything special and the LSAT is learnable, it is challenging though!

I love what some people have mentioned above! Taking a break for a bit is a good thing for sure. It’s not worth sacrificing your well being and mental health, so take care of yourself!

Having a community and those I’ve met on 7sage has not only helped me get better at the LSAT, but picked me up when I was discouraged, had slid back, or didn’t know where the next step was. I’d be happy to help! If you need someone to chat with or figure out next steps, don’t hesitate to message me. Hang in there!

McBeck418

I completely understand the discouragement. I’ve plateaued for a long time now and it’s frustrating to feel as if you’re never going to get better. I believe the stories we tell ourselves matter. When we focus on the negative, we tend to see more negatives. When we think we won’t improve, we focus on our lack of improvement rather than how to get ourselves out. I don’t believe positivity outweighs focused, diligent work, but it helps.

The other day, I took a walk —the same walk I’ve taken hundreds of times— and about 2/3 of the way through it, I saw a street sign from about 600 feet away and I got curious. I started to tell myself that I wasn’t going to get there. This was impossible. My inner gut knew and tried to tell me this wasn’t the case, but I ignored it and told myself it wasn’t true. I couldn’t do it. I felt my body slow down. Instead of walking at a regular pace, I shuffled forward until finally, I stopped moving. I paused for a second and actually considered walking back the other direction even though I had already gone over a mile because those 600 feet forward were too hard. I knew this ridiculous, but it didn’t stop me from thinking this, even for a half a second.

I know that there is much more riding on an LSAT score than taking a walk, but even when we know we can do something, we can trick ourselves into believing that we can’t. It’s so much easier to do when we don’t know that we can do something, that is, when we can’t possibly know our max LSAT score.

Keep telling yourself that you can do this and working diligently. Consider new ways of studying, and look for simple wins that can create and feed a positive loop. It’s hard, but we can learn this test and we can get better as long as we don’t give up.