Taking too long to complete modules

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• 2 Likes

  Habeas Porpoise Alum Member Sage ⭐

  August 2018 edited August 2018 1866 karma

  It's okay if you're taking more time than what's written -- I know I did for some of the sections. You're better off spending time up front now to get the foundations solid than rushing through the CC and struggling later on (and likely not getting the most out of each PT). You might also get faster with the CC as you get more used to how LSAT questions are written. Either way, I wouldn't worry about it, though it might be beneficial to change up your study schedule if you feel like it's too much. How far out is your exam date and which cycle are you looking to apply to law school? You'll need to adjust things depending on where you're starting and what you're aiming for.
• 3 Likes

  moorming Core Member

  August 2018 edited August 2018 21 karma

  I would say approach the courses strategically, especially if you are under constraint.

  Before I get to the real thing here, I would like to ask whether the time you need to finish the problem sets is included in the recommended time to complete the section - if not, then you're still on your schedule. If they are actually included, then here's some of my thoughts:

  • For starters, try to go through at least the foundations (e.g. logic, advance logic, grammar, most/some, LG diagramming, must be true, flaw, some RC sections), especially if you are just starting out. In the mean time, I would also recommend you to occassionally supplement your studying with certain available LSAT books such as bible and manhattan, because 1) they might cover something that 7sage also covers, but reading on your own could be faster way of learning than sitting through the 7sage lecture; 2) for the materials covered by 7sage, you can always speed up the lecture (1.44 or above is usually doable) while pausing occassionally just to take some notes.

  • Do a diagnostic test or two if you haven't done so, just to see what exactly is your weak spot (for many, that would be the assumption family - Flaw, weaken, strengthen, and NA. These questions probably take up 40-50% of the LR section and thus statistically have more hard questions than others).

  • Once you get a good idea of which kinds of question type give you the hardest time, focus on them. Shoot for the course materials that would best enable you to tackle these weak spots first, and make sure you grasp all of the basics of tackling them, even if you have to spend more than the recommended time. Do not necessarily follow the course schedule because

  1) that might get you into a passive studying mode. Usually, active study is more effective than passive study, and having a clear goal of what you wish to achieve or having a question regarding a particular question type is largely a prerequisite to active LSAT studying;

  2) finishing all of the problem sets, as they are displayed on 7sage course schedule, might not necessarily be the best way for you to grasp the question type firmly, because

  A ) for certain question types, such as Must Be True, you might not need that many questions to get the gist of it. Although a hard MBT question might occassionally throw you off, you don't need to go through, say, 10 problem sets, to get 80% of the MBT questions correct.

  B ) if 7sage's problem sets are arranged by difficulty, you can always skip around - say, doing problem 1, 5, 7 and 10 just to get an idea of the gradation of difficulty and see how well you are doing them. If you are having a streak of success with the easier and medium questions, then perhaps focusing on the harder problem sets would give you a clear idea of what exactly is required of you to tackle this specific type of question/what kind of gimmicks and tricks could there be with this question type.

  In any case, the core idea is that you do not necessarily have to follow the course structure if a) you've finished the foundational stuff and b) you've got a good idea of where your weak spot lies. The idea is to actively prioritize and work on those areas that you are least comfortable with/least familiar with/have the least idea how to tackle.

  • DEVELOP A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THESE QUESTIONS. On that note, I would highly recommend finishing any course material pertaining to Flaw question type because being able to identify the flaw in LR stimulus is the most important skill you've got to acquire. Developing a systematic approach to Flaw questions would help you tremendously with developing subsequent systematic approach to other question types.

  Overalll, the gist is that even if you have quite a bit of time to prepare for LSAT, it would always be a good idea to approach your study materials strategically and actively. What I mean by being strategic is essentially this:

  a) Always have a clear sense of what specific group of question you are having the hardest time with.

  b) Develop a clear sense of why you are getting this particular quesiton type wrong. For example, I have been categorizing my errors into three categories per LSAT trainer's recommendation (you don't have to follow my example, just giving you an idea here): read the question wrong, failed to identify the core argument properly, and failed to identify the proper answer despite identifying the core argument correctly. Once you understand what is throwing you off, go back to the course materials/question bank explanation to fix those issues.

  c) Know that you are free to skip around your materials - including books and other materials on LSAT - and work on those that would best enable you to tackle your current issue.

  I hope this helps. Good luck with your test!
• 3 Likes

  TheDeterminedC Member

  August 2018 1025 karma

  If you're taking twice as long while being efficient then you're studying the CC right IMO! It should take longer.
• a.ram005 Alum Member

  August 2018 30 karma

  Thank you all for your comments, it's appreciated.
• 1 Like

  studyingandrestudying Core Member

  August 2018 5254 karma

  Yes, I think the time spent now is time that helps us later.
• 6 Likes

  Leah M B Alum Member ⭐

  August 2018 edited August 2018 8392 karma

  For what it's worth, I highly disagree with some of the above advice about skipping around and supplementing with books. The course is laid out in a specific order to build your foundational knowledge and then apply it in different ways. I wouldn't advise you to jump around. You'll never think "grammar" is one of your weak spots, but it is extremely important to understand the specifics of LSAT grammar and how it's used. And as far as supplementing - other books and methods are going to vary a lot from how 7sage teaches. I wouldn't recommend looking at other methods until you are solid with how 7sage does things. It's easy to get confused if you are trying to learn and incorporate different methods all at the same time. It's best to stick with one and then supplement after you thoroughly understand it. That way you are truly just filling in knowledge gaps or finding a method that might improve your skills.

  That said, I think the course just takes as long as it takes and you shouldn't be worried about that. Honestly, studying for the LSAT takes much longer than most people think. The "general advice" out there is that you can prep in a few months, but most students around here who are looking for substantial gains will tell you it takes much longer than that. I think it's best to take the LSAT and apply for schools when you are ready, not to rush your studying and end up scoring lower than your best. I pushed back my LSAT date 2 or 3 times until I sat for it and I have no regrets on that!
• a.ram005 Alum Member

  August 2018 30 karma

  @"Leah M B" Thank you! And I wasn't planning to jump around, although I do understand that I shouldn't necessarily do ALL the problem sets in each module and save some for drilling or to come back to as I keep studying? Do you recommend that? Right now I'm already struggling on MSS questions just in watching JY explain them. There's 10 problem sets with my course material, should I plan to do all 10 or save some for drilling? I'm also wondering where I need to go back to in order to feel comfortable in this question type. I was doing well with MP/MC questions (could do better - but I know that stems from grammar/indicators). I've already pinpointed that issue. Any further advice would be helpful! I am a regimented person so jumping around to other resources doesn't seem like a good thing for my learning style.
• 2 Likes

  keets993 Alum Member ⭐ ⏰ 🍌

  August 2018 6050 karma

  @a.ram005

  Don't do all ten problem sets at once. I recommend doing 2 or 3 up front and then as you progress through the course come back and do so more so that you stay sharp and remember how to tackle MSS questions. Also, a lot of concepts 'build off' one another so you'll be doing yourself a disservice by attempting all the difficult questions of one specific q-type before you've been exposed to more. Try to save half or 1/3 of the sets for drills when you're PT-ing
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  August 2018 11542 karma

  Right on @"Leah M B".

  Absolutely do NOT worry about any timing "issues" during the CC. This is the time where you are newly exposed to the material so it will take a while to grasp. The only time you should be worried is if you're flying through the material not gaining anything out of it. You got this!
• 1 Like

  samantha.ashley92 Alum Member

  August 2018 edited August 2018 1777 karma

  To echo everyone, don't worry about it. Seriously, it's worth the time investment. Sometimes, I would have to do a single logic game for an hour or two at a time. That got me going from -13 LG diagnostic to -5 on my last PT. (Still working on it!) Whatever is going to build that fundamental understanding is worth doing.