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Related Discussions
Studying advice?
Krystell C.
Member
Fellow 7Sagers,
I’m in a rut and would appreciate any advice/input on how to best go about studying for the LSAT as well as deal with other issues (see below).
Plan of attack
I thought that if I started studying for the June LSAT in February I would be fine . . . until I actually started studying for the LSAT. My original plan was to start with the Trainer in February, take a face to face course that would lead up to the exam, take the exam, score in the high 160’s and be on my way to the school of my dreams . . . I clearly didn’t know what I was doing or thinking.
I’ve since adjusted my plan of attack to something more realistic. Currently, I am holding off on finishing the 7Sage CC since I started the in-person course, but plan on revisiting and finishing after I take the exam in June. I was hoping to start doing PT’s with the September group, but think that I should join the December or February group instead. Thoughts?
Diagnostic test
I started studying with the LSAT Trainer a few months ago, took a diagnostic test under non-test day conditions (in a coffee shop w/ distractions) and finished each section within the allotted time. I did poorly, but I finished. I stopped using the trainer and switched to 7Sage a few days later and started the CC. All was great, but I stopped at weakening arguments and decided to take a break since the in-person prep course I signed up for was two weeks away. I started the course this past Saturday, took another diagnostic under test day conditions, and did horrible! Although some of the sections were easier to understand because I covered them in the CC, I did not finish all the sections in time, did not guess on questions I wasn’t able to get to, and found myself overanalyzing everything. J.Y. said something early in the course that really stuck with me and it is that honesty is the best policy if you want to perform well on this test. I figured that it was in my best interest to save the guessing for test day, review only what I did answer, and learn what I don’t know. Is that the right approach?
Bad days
Who do you vent to after a bad PT or study session, excluding 7Sagers, and how do you get back on track mentally? Is there an LSAT emotional support group that I should know about?! Lol
Thank you all in advance for your willingness to help.
Best,
K
Comments
First, I guess part of what confuses me about your approach is why you've went about it in such a "varied" way. Why did you want an in-person course in addition to the LSAT Trainer (and 7Sage)? Did you not think you'd be able to stick to it on your own? Do you rely heavily on study buddies/pressure? There will be plenty of times when you won't have that as a motivating factor, so it might be best to find your own way to stay on track. It seems like you're taking tests and getting discouraged and switching your focus instead of focusing on building a solid foundation first.
Second, I'm not a huge fan of the LSAT Trainer, in the sense that I think if someone relies on it as their sole source of prep material, they will probably end up regretting it. It just gets repetitive a lot, isn't likely to offer sufficient logic games preparation for (probably) most people, and really kind of skips around from section to section, in my opinion. I think you'd really need to be a gifted student to get by with just something like the Trainer. I think I would've been a lot better off had I started with 7Sage from the beginning of my LSAT prep instead of the Trainer.
Third, I don't know that in-person LSAT courses are, generally, regarded as something all that valuable or essential. Though they are popular for some standardized tests, for something like the LSAT where much of it is an individual-specific endeavor, it may be difficult to gain much from studying in a group. And you're really gambling on getting a good instructor. So I think something like 7Sage is a safer bet, generally; you can really work at your own pace and digest things in a way that best suits your needs/goals. In a course they are probably going to assume one pace is fine for everyone.
Finally, to answer your last question, just lay off of the PTs for now. You shouldn't be taking any yet. Use mistakes as a way to learn and prepare yourself for the test, instead of getting discouraged. Tackle the test bit by bit and let that hard work add up over time.
I genuinely believe that in-person LSAT courses are not effective for the vast majority of students. These courses often don't cater to specific strengths or weaknesses of students and are almost always too brief of an affair to garner large improvements.
Studying with 7sage full time is what I would recommend. The CC alone is not sufficient nor is mere PT-ing sufficient. You need to do much more if you want a big score increase. I'd suggest that you go through the CC diligently and methodically, being sure to review concepts that you are having a hard time grasping. Then you can transition into logic game fool-proofing which involves completing all of the games from 1-35 using the fool-proof method described in the CC. Once you finish fool-proofing this pack you can start taking PT's again, but ease into it, probably 1 every week. Use the 7sage analytics tool to discover your weaknesses and drill material specifically that targets those weaknesses. Once you feel you have adequately addressed your problems from a given PT and that you have done extensive BR, then you can take another PT. Repeat this cycle until you are pushing your PT score toward your BR score and ideally above your goal score.
To answer your final question, I think that the 7sage community is the best LSAT bad day support group that there is. And probably your friends, family and hopefully your pets if you have any.
@3984589235 Thank you so much for taking the time to respond - it means a lot! I went about studying in a varied way because I didn't know any better. I did research, thought that the plan I came up with would work, but it didn't. I paid for the course and the trainer before I learned about 7Sage, so I am seeing the course through because it cost an arm and a leg but have abandoned the trainer altogether. I plan on taking a break once the course is over then picking up where I left off with 7Sage sometime in the summer. I will definitely take your advice and take it slow.
@Ohnoeshalpme I'm going to take a break when the course is over and come back to 7Sage when I am ready. 7Sage really is the best all around.