Combining 7Sage with the LSAT Trainer?

Student...

Hey, I just started my 7Sage curriculum. I've read many positive reviews on the LSAT Trainer online. I'm considering combining the two together while I'm studying the fundamentals (before taking PTs). Can anyone give me some advice on that? Or any general opinions about the Trainer?
Thank you!

EmergingAttorney180

There should be an FAQ on this ; )

7Sage and the LSAT Trainer complement each other well. There is no set consensus on exactly how to use them together. Some people completed the 7Sage curriculum before using the Trainer, while others did the opposite. Many people like to bounce back and forth between the two while studying fundamentals. In particular, I really enjoyed Mike Kim's (author of the Trainer) lessons on finding flaws in arguments.

In my opinion, you picked up the two best LSAT prep materials currently available on Earth. So keep up the good work!

Nilesh S

I basically used 7sage as a base and did the topics from the trainer that I felt I didn't have a good grip on post 7sage just to get a different perspective... my flaw spotting became much better in particular after using the trainer.

StopLawying

Yeah, the Trainer is great for LR and RC, but terrible for games.

Nilesh S

I wouldn't say its terrible... its just that the approach resonates with some and not with others... I was just comfortable using the 7sage method. So didn't need it for that.

Cayenne43

I did 7 sage first and then did the Trainer minus the games because I like JY's method better and did not want to get confused. I found that the Trainer really helped me improve my understanding of RC and my ability to find flaws. It goes well with 7 sage in my opinion.

Pacifico

Pick one and do it straight through, then do the other afterwards. Since they aren't ordered the same you will likely confuse yourself and waste time trying to stay on track with both. Once someone comes up with a study schedule to pair the two it will be a different story, but for now just start with one. And don't skip the Trainer for games. I was thinking of doing this because I was already killing LG after 7Sagw, but since the Trainer flows so well I just ended up reading the LG sections out of curiosity. There is a lot of great stuff in there and if you have a base built up then you can just integrate a few things you like (e.g.- shapes, lowercase subsets, vertical listing of elements). Definitely took my LG skills to another level.

Student...

Thank you all!

nicole.hopkins

@StopLawying said:
but terrible for games.

LOL ... What ??!

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
Pick one and do it straight through, then do the other afterwards.

This exactly

hazelnut13

@StopLawying said:
Yeah, the Trainer is great for LR and RC, but terrible for games.

I completely agree! The games explanation left much to be desired.

I went through the LSAT trainer pretty quickly; it's easy to manage and pretty engaging for an LSAT prep book. I'm starting the 7sage curriculum today, so I can't really say how to use them together but doing the LSAT trainer on its own was helpful. It really helped me improve my LR.

nicole.hopkins

@hazelnut13 said:
The games explanation left much to be desired.

@hazelnut13 said:
I went through the LSAT trainer pretty quickly;

Haha ... Correlation—perhaps this impression and this approach are not unrelated?

hazelnut13

lol @nicole.hopkins! You're probably right...

nicole.hopkins

@hazelnut13 said:
You're probably right...

All diagramming systems are arbitrary so just find the one that works for you

twssmith

On first run studying and now postponed til June, I was already strong in LG & I didn't want to get confused with a different system in the Trainer. Thankfully I have time to revisit and will give the Trainer's methods serious thought incorporating the concepts with the foundations I built thru 7Sage. Huge regret trying to reach a test date instead of reaching my goals and dismissing opportunities for improvement.

Quick Silver

I think the Trainer is a great supplement for Reading Comp - definitely do the Trainer lesson on Reading Comp Question types as well as structure vs. content