Studying again after taking a VERY long study break

mhouraney2018

Hi everyone! I would really love some advice right now
I just graduated university in May with my B.A. I started studying for the LSAT late 2019, and around early 2021 I begun studying very sporadically as my Thesis was taking up a lot of time. Eventually, that same summer, I stopped studying altogether as classes and thesis work pretty much consumed all my time. I did a full honors program in undergrad, so as you can assume, I had very little free time to study for LSAT, and this became especially true mid 2021. Because I knew I wanted to take a gap year, I decided to stop studying for the LSAT altogether starting my senior year of college. Thesis was taking up even more of my time and my family opened a business that I helped out with 3 times a week, so I decided to wait until I could fully dedicate myself to studying for the LSAT to recommit.
Fast forward to now, I am out of school, and working part time in order to commit as much time as possible to LSAT studying. My gap year goals are to save some money, get an internship, and, most importantly, study for the LSAT.
I am currently applying to masters programs and want to apply to law school Fall of 2023 (Hoping to pursue a dual program!). This means I need to take the LSAT no later than next summer.
Now for the question: should I start the 7sage course from scratch? I feel like I have a general understanding of the test, and of the basics of each section. It's the habits that I know I need to build up again. I decided to purchase another LSAT trainer book because I felt very confident after finishing it a few years ago and figured I should re-read (and utilize those drills). As for 7sage, I never stopped paying my subscription because I was worried I might lose my progress, but now I am unsure on whether I should go over the 40% of the curriculum I completed or just pick up where I left off. I took quite the break from LSAT studying so I guess I am questioning just how prepared I am.
As for practice tests, I didn't take too many, because I wanted to wait until I could fully commit to LSAT studying to use up all the practice tests I have available. I definitely did a LOT of drills my first year of studying to compensate for not taking practice tests, but I had a lingering feeling my senior year would make it difficult for me to study for the LSAT which is why I left the amount of practice tests I took to a minimum.
I decided to shoot for the April or June 2023 LSAT, but no later. I feel somewhat confident knowing I thoroughly studied for this test before, but just need some guidance on how to get back in the groove of all of this. All the J.D. programs I am interested in are at schools that are VERY difficult to get into, so I am hoping to aim for the 170s range. As difficult as it is to score in that range, I'm hoping my previous LSAT knowledge and ample study time will work in my favor. Would really appreciate some advice as I work on my study schedule!
Thank you

ClaudioD21

Hello! I had a similar situation where I was trying to study for the LSAT while taking 6 difficult classes in my senior year of undergrad. I ended up taking my actual LSAT as basically a cold exam and scored a poor 150. I decided to opt for the gap year, focused on graduating, and then focused on LSAT prep. I think a good starting point for you would be to take a new semi-cold diagnostic PT to see where you stand. This should help you get an understanding as to where you are after not studying for a while. From there, determine what your weak areas are and maybe try doing some drills. If you find you’re not able to finish the drills on time or are severely struggling/getting questions wrong, it might be worth revisiting the CC to strengthen those fundamentals again. If you’re doing good on BR but aren’t finishing on time then a mix of reviewing the CC and drilling might be the best approach. I know that after I took my gap year, I already had a lot of knowledge of the test but still found it valuable to revisit lessons I had already covered. If it’s something you feel like you know there’s always the option to skim through or skip the entire lesson. Hope this helps!