q's about LSAT Starter and my LSAT experience

jjwang120

I have the LSAT starter, which has assigned for me PTs to take that are difficult to find (or find at reasonable prices. I have followed links provided, but it seems prices have become extraordinarily inflated, especially for those PTs in the 40s---I have managed to get a Manhattan book that has organized the 40s exams by q-type). I am also a re-taker, but the first time(s) I did not exhaust my PT's...I have the 70s, some 60s, some 50s, and some 30s available (about 28 exams total) fresh PTs left. Could/should I substitute those, instead of the suggested? I realize I miss out on video explanations though.
...
Maybe I should just spill my case/experience thus far, and perhaps this community can cringe and provide advice/best procedures.

Ok, I took the LSAT twice. First time: canceled after taking the exam. Second time: entered the exam having slept 0 hours. Yes, I had insomnia and incredible anxiety because, in the depths of my being, I knew I was unprepared. But! I didn't cancel because I didn't want to "cancel twice." I exited with a 159 (oof, it hurts). This is after months of "studying." I have read through the LSAT Trainer 3x, Manhattan LG, LR books 3x, Powerscore LG, LR books 2x. I took PT's here and there, without real BR (so I can't reliably provide where I was scoring--I sadly didn't have much of a system except, try to do one at least twice a week or more, until the exam). I've technically been "studying" since the beginning of 2015. After the June exam, this past month, I finally made (what I believe, the good) decision to join 7SAGE. But not before making another mistake: I'm registered for the September exam.

So, quite a clusterF, as some would say. My greatest weakness is LR. With LG, I'm spotty, but I feel it's graspable with more practice, repetition, etc. I'm usually confident in RC, but it's not down to a hard science. I have my days. Is any of this useful? Gives me so much anxiety writing my failures down (and reading how hard I have failed).

Eek. Help!

Sprinkles

For 179, the starter pack really is an excellent resource and often understated because of its price. I think you'll do just fine with it and there are people on here that have scored in the 170s with the starter pack. I think you need to focus more on your mental health however. Lack of sleep is one of the worst things you can do to yourself as you study and of course as you take the actual lsat. You must understand that your attitude and mentality of studying plays a huge role in how you perform, also to score a 159 with 0 sleep is actually pretty impressive in my opinion. Anyway I think if you take these steps towards a happier mental state you'll see improvement and as JY says, LR is a strong aspect in the 7sage curriculum in all levels.
You have approx 2 months until September test. Take it one step at a time and see how well you do. If you don't feel prepared simply postpone. Don't be too attached on a certain date and don't let the 2 previous attempts get to you. They're a thing in the past and law schools won't even look at them. It looks like you and I are both on out 3rd attempt for the LSAT so you aren't alone

Cant Get Right

Yeah, I think you definitely want to withdraw from September.

@jjwang120 said:
I have read through the LSAT Trainer 3x, Manhattan LG, LR books 3x, Powerscore LG, LR books 2x. I took PT's here and there, without real BR (so I can't reliably provide where I was scoring--I sadly didn't have much of a system except, try to do one at least twice a week or more, until the exam). I've technically been "studying" since the beginning of 2015.

So it seems to me like your focus has been on more brute force quantity of studying. This time around, really focus on quality. It’s better to take one PT and BR the shit out of than to half ass 10 of them. Make sure you learn all the lessons each PT has to teach you before you move on.

As for the tests, 28 tests is more than enough. Use the 40s for drills and don’t even worry about it.

Alex

@jjwang120 I couldn't agree more with both @montaha.rizeq and @"Cant Get Right"

1) Absolutely postpone and don't use your last retake (or any take ever) until you are 100% you are ready. So until the average of your last 5-10 PTs are at or above your goal.

2) I think getting 7Sage was an excellent decision. In only a month I feel like I am on a completely new level with the LSAT in my understanding. Really take your time going through the core curriculum and doing all the problem sets. I think just seeing the process of doing logical reasoning questions in real time is such a big help. I also have the starter course, as far as getting a hold of those tests 36-44, I think I found them very reasonably priced on Ebay/Amazon? You could substitute them, but then you wouldn't be getting the full video explanations which is one of the biggest advantages. So let me see if I can find a link with reasonably priced tests.

3) I also have insomnia. I have some prescriptions that help when I really need sleep, but not to be used every night. My anxiety seems to have been at the root of my lack of sleeping also, and I have some medications for that as well. It may be worth going to the doctor and getting some help. Not sleeping is probably the worse thing for your brain and overall health when studying for a test like this. If you really have insomnia it isn't going to go away...

jjwang120

@"montaha.rizeq"
Thank you so much for your response. I truly appreciate the encouragement! Sincerely sincerely thankful. I had thought 7sage's stress was more in the LG department (idk why? Maybe TLS has ingrained this stereotype in me), but I'm glad to hear that my weaknesses will thoroughly be addressed!
@"Cant Get Right"
You are right in observing that I tried the "brute force quantity of studying."

@"Cant Get Right" said:
Make sure you learn all the lessons each PT has to teach you before you move on.

I find this advice very valuable, true, and I wish it weren't so novel to my studies! I will do so--and it makes me feel...so much better, haha.
@"Alex Divine"
Thank you for your reassurance and help! I have only experienced deep anxiety and insomnia several times in my life. I don't feel that I experience it enough to say it is chronic--I can count on one hand the times I've experienced true insomnia. I think the reason I couldn't sleep that test-day-night is due to my knowing that I was to-the-core not ready. I hope to never repeat that same mistake. I'm glad 7sage and its community is here to guide me!

runiggyrun

The starter package contains exactly the same curriculum as all the other packages, so you should be well covered with learning the fundamentals. I would say that it's VERY valuable for both LG and LR, with a solid "build from the ground up" approach to both, as opposed to giving you shortcuts that you need to remember. The RC section is more of a hands on demonstration rather than a lot of theory, but that's mostly because there isn't a lot of theoretical background on how to approach RC, other than "read for structure, not for content". That being said, watching JY go through passages and questions is very helpful in seeing this concept in action, as well as learning how to quickly eliminate wrong answer choices.
If you want to get into more nitty-gritty analysis for RC, you can supplement with the LSAT Trainer book, which has (imho) the best approach of all the LSAT books out there when it comes to RC.
As for the prescribed PT's you can certainly substitute the PT's you have in the place of the recommended ones (with the loss of explanations for the sections outside of LG). But we're all here to help if you get really stuck on a question.
One word of caution if you decide to go the prescription/supplement way to alleviate insomnia and anxiety - make sure you are well used to taking whatever you'd be taking the night before the test. Everything you want to try for the test, try for at least several PT's to make sure you're not adversely affected.

And whatever you do, don't take the exam until you're ready. This is your third and last take for two years, so it has to be right. From where I'm sitting, doesn't seem like September will give you enough time to be properly prepared, just because the curriculum alone will take that long and you still need time for PT's. If you have to reschedule/withdraw, yes, that's going to sting financially, but not nearly as much as scoring well below your potential will, in terms of scholarship money and job prospects after school.

Sprinkles

And that's why @runiggyrun is a sage

jjwang120

@runiggyrun Thank you for your response. A further question: do you recommend I do drills (i.e. q-type drills) alongside the core curriculum? For example, if the core curriculum is covering "Weakness" LR, do you recommend I also spend some time outside of the program to also do some personal drills?

runiggyrun

@jjwang120 said:
A further question: do you recommend I do drills (i.e. q-type drills) alongside the core curriculum?

The curriculum already includes some drills at the end of each chapter, under the heading of "problem sets" I think the problem sets included with the starter package should be enough to consolidate the basic understanding of the curriculum. Once you move into the PT phase you can use the analytics to identify your areas of weakness and drill those further. At that point you can either upgrade to a higher package so you get more problem sets (you should have a good idea of how much you like 7Sage and how useful you find it by then) or you can use the question bank to make your own problem sets by filtering for the specific type you need and the degree of difficulty you need to make them appropriately challenging.

jjwang120

@runiggyrun once again, thank you very much!

7SageKindness

Good luck!

bobbyrengifo

I'm on my free trial right now but really like the course and most likely going to buy the Starter subscription sometime this week. I also plan on taking the Kaplan prep course in October to prepare for the December LSAT. Do you think that the two courses would conflict or compliment each other? I took Kaplan's prep course before and really liked all the prep tests they offered and I believe I can get enrolled in the course for little or no cost. But if I do have to pay more, I might just consider enrolling in the ultimate subscription here. Thoughts and suggestions?

Sprinkles

@bobbyrengifo said:
Thoughts and suggestions?

Do NOT use two courses at the same time. You will just be confused and overwhelmed. I've heard good things about Kaplan's drilling material but other than that I don't see it as much of a benefit. Don't forget all 7sage packs come with a 2 week money back guarantee.

Cant Get Right

@Soulmate said:
@jjwang120 Please email me. . . Thanks!

Hey, so that violates not only 7Sage and LSAC TOS, but copyright laws as well. I hate the PDF ban has denied people access to such a valuable resource, but sharing them is really, really illegal. The whole PDF ban is ridiculous and I know wanting to extend that access comes from the greatest of places and it’s just that you didn’t know. So now you know!

Also, don’t post your email. Bots scan through public forums for that, and you really don’t want them to have your email!

Nanchito-1-1

@bobbyrengifo said:
Kaplan prep course in October to prepare for the December LSAT.

@bobbyrengifo I took the 3month online Kaplan course 2 times a few years ago. I don't know how much has changed since I got it but I was nowhere near ready to take the test right after the course was finished. I took it anyway and was absolutely devastated with my score. I do appreciate the books they gave me but if you are going to invest in a course 7sage is by far waaaaaay more worth it. OMG I want to hug you right now please get your money back.

Nanchito-1-1

I must admit I freaked out. I'm just trying to save you the heartache that I went through. Being realistic, depending on your target score and your diagnostic, 3 months is not enough time. After you finish the course they give you a few months of access to their site. With 7sage you get so much time every explanation with ult+ and you can add on more time if you need it. Additionally the community is incredible.

Sprinkles

@nanchito said:
I must admit I freaked out. I'm just trying to save you the heartache that I went through. Being realistic, depending on your target score and your diagnostic, 3 months is not enough time. After you finish the course they give you a few months of access to their site. With 7sage you get so much time every explanation with ult+ and you can add on more time if you need it. Additionally the community is incredible.