How should I be studying?

charlieflood

My question is this:

Is the syllabus scaffolded in such a way for me to perform better on all parts of the test or should I be mixing in practice questions along with the courses/lessons? I guess what I'm really trying to ask is, how much practice should I be doing outside of the courses to improve?

Because as I finish one part of the syllabus I feel as if I haven't mastered that part.. Should I continue through the course syllabus and then return to practice questions for places I need improvement? Or should I master one part of the LSAT then move to the next course?

I'm sorry for the confusing/ambiguous nature of this question...

- Charlie

MrSamIam

Stick to the syllabus. You're not going to master any one part simply by watching the lessons and practicing with a few questions. That takes time, drilling, and particular questions types kicking your butt while you PT.

Do you feel like you could use more practice prior to moving on to the next lesson? If so, it would likely benefit you to upgrade your course (at least to one of the options that offers medium level problem sets).

If you feel like you're getting the material, but something is "just missing" you're probably lacking in the confidence department. That'll improve as you drill, PT, and familiarize yourself with the test.

If you would like to supplement 7Sage, many people swear by The Trainer by Mike Kim.

Alejandro

No sweat! This is what I would do:

1. Take a cold diagnostic.
2. Complete the syllabus. You don't have to complete all the LR problem sets. That would be overkill. Do them until you feel relatively confident with the question type and save the other sets for later.
3. start taking prep-tests and have a feel on what your areas of improvement are. After each test, BR and drill on some of the question types that give you the most difficulty.
4. At some point, I would dedicate 1,2, or even 3 weeks to maximize logic games (however many are necessary).
5. Get back to PTing, BRing, and reviewing areas of weakness.

Hope that helps!

Nanchito-1-1

This is what I did/am doing/will do. I got through the course, read the trainer, did a refresher of the whole course by going through and making sure I knew all valid and invalid forms of arguments. Made sure I knew how pick a flaw made sure I knew how to negate, and made sure I knew how to attack every lr question. Did a few pts every week and figured out my weaknesses (no more than 10ish). Right now i'm drilling the bundle with intermittent lr and rc sections from early tests or drilling weaknesses,(depends how I feel) but I should have done the bundle before the pt's ehh maybe it doesnt matter what's first as long as im correcting any weaknesses. Then, take a pt join the br group deeply br test, review the ones I got wrong, drill weakness, rinse, repeat.

Nanchito-1-1

Oh and don't get discouraged if you're weak all around. It may seem like you'll never get out of the 140's, 150's or 160's. Just take baby steps and keep pushing through.

runiggyrun

I think going through the syllabus and doing a couple of the problem sets should put you on a good path. The syllabus is structured not only to follow logically and build upon previously discussed skills, but also to expose you to all three sections frequently, so you don't do a month of LR, then a month of RC, then a month of games, and forget all you read about LR. Even though the curriculum moves along, the problem sets often rely on your understanding of previous concepts, so you do get to exercise some fundamental things (like conditional notations for games, argument structure/flaws for LR) throughout the curriculum.
You should hold off on PT's until you're done with the curriculum, but you don't need to master everything before you start doing PTs, you just need a good general understanding of the principles. Cementing, automating and sharpening those skills will come later, during the PT stage, and you will find that you are strong in some areas and weaker in others. Leave some problem sets to drill those weaknesses.
Welcome to the site, and good luck!

rachel

@nanchito when you say you are "drilling the bundle", are you referring to a particular package offered by 7Sage? Thanks!

runiggyrun

"The bundle" is the bundle of LG sections from PT 1-38 (might be 1-36). Used to be available from Cambridge LSAT, but as of now they don't appear to sell it anymore. Seems like you would have to make your own "bundle" by photocopying the LG sections from the paperback copies of those PT's (unless you were lucky enough to buy the pdf's of all the PT's before they disappeared)

twssmith

Welcome!
@charlieflood No question is confusing or ambiguous around this community! Hope you will continue to ask questions - the forums are one of the greatest components that make 7Sage great:)

Such great advice already offered! Another resource available is to check out the recorded webinars addressing different areas as you progress thru the curriculum. Also, keep an eye out for future live webinars like Corey Janson's tomorrow night - many are interactive and provide amazing insight.

https://7sage.com/webinar

https://7sage.com/discussion#/discussion/7043/webinar-splitting-the-boards-with-sage-corey-janson-thurs-3-3-at-9pm-et

Look forward to seeing you around and all the best!

stepharizona

@charlieflood said:
Because as I finish one part of the syllabus I feel as if I haven't mastered that part.. Should I continue through the course syllabus and then return to practice questions for places I need improvement?

Hi and welcome! You are on the starter package like me, so we get the easiest question sets and usually only 1 or 2 per unit. To help me feel more confident I drilled more questions of the type I was studying in the syllabus until I felt like I had a solid understanding before moving on.

The other packages like the Ultimate have multiple study sets per unit in the syllabus. But dont worry, you can create your own. Since the Cambridge LSAT pdf bundles are no longer available, make use of the 7Sage Question Bank and the tests you've purchased, to create your own study sets.

Be sure to buy at least one of the early (20 or 30s LSAT bundle) head over to "Resources" and click on "LSAT Question Bank". A new page will open, and then click on "ALL LSAT" and sort by LG/LR/LC. Then sort by question type using the tag feature and then by difficulty.

Write these down, do a screen shot or print it and now you have more questions to drill by the type you need. Voila!

I think doing this will help you build the confidence you need before moving on to the next unit.

Nanchito-1-1

@rachel yea what @runiggyrun said. All games from 1 to 38. Unfortunately I dont have the pdf files I just have all the 10 actuals and I use scrap paper and an old fashioned eraser. Sometimes I make copies of the ones I really have difficulty with and put them in a hard pile.

kaytheeh

Finish 7sage's study schedule - everything on it. (I didn't do the "Trainer", even though I did buy it.) I recommend the "Ultimate+" program because you get the harder stuff and that's what you will be encountering for reals. Then start taking some PTs (start from the earliest). I bought the compilation books from LSAC. Start with the one that has the earlier PTs. Once you finish one book, you WILL figure out your weaknesses. Note them, then go back to the syllabus and really hit-them-hard. To a pulp. Its either them or you. You decide. Good luck and most importantly, have fun - because it is and can be.