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How to get back into the swing of things?
akriegler
Alum Member
I would like to start by apologizing as I am sure there are similar posts that already exist. I was wondering the best way to get back into studying for the November test? I have been studying for a while now and sat for the September exam. Things did not go as planned (at all) and I am planning on canceling my score (waiting to hear back from LSAC regarding my testing center complaint before doing so though).
I was averaging around 160 on my PTs prior to the September test. Would it be beneficial to go through the CC again or are there other strategies that would be better since there are only two more months until the exam? I thought I was fine with LG (until the test came) so I plan to work harder on fool proofing. Additionally, I find RC to be a huge obstacle for me (I can score anywhere from -4 to -12). I don’t believe that LR is much of a challenge...
I do not want to wait another year (already delayed one cycle) so November seems to be my last shot. I took the past few days off from studying and am finding it hard to get back into the swing of things because I honestly just don’t know where to begin. I quit my full-time job a month before the September test and studied around 6-8 hours a day. I will not be working for the next two months either as I was luckily able to save up enough in case this scenario played out. So to prevent a long post from getting any longer, I’m really just looking for any recommendations!!!!
Thank you in advanced. This community is the best!
Comments
I'm in the exact same boat, I feel the same exact way about each section (run out of time on RC, thought I was good with LG until the test came, fine with LR) and cancelled my score due to a terrible experience at my test center. I've also been on a break these past few days and am having trouble knowing where to start back up. I just purchased the LSAT trainer to see if that can help me with RC, and I plan on foolpoofing LG again, this time by section and with as many games as I can get through by November. With LR I plan on doing more timed section drills and making a scrapbook with every single question I miss to make sure I perfect my strategy. My BR score is typically pretty high, reliably above 170 so a lot of what I'm going to work on is mindset and timing strategies. I'm going to try to work meditation into my daily routine as well if I can.
Wow. We are really in the same boat! I’m so sorry to hear about your testing center experience (here’s to a better center next time).
My BR has been averaging in the low 170s. I have the LSAT Trainer but never got to the RC section- will definitely give that a try. I also bought transparent sheet protectors and printed out dozens of LG. The sheet protectors are great for fool proofing because you can write on them with dry erase markers. I put all of them in a binder and would highly recommend it. I guess I just need to print more out!
I really appreciate your tips. Best of luck on the November exam!
When did you last finish the CC? If it's been a while, do it again. It helps to go through it again with a more mature perspective. Each time I went through the CC, I went up about 4 points in my PTs. Focus on perfection on the second time through. Making sure to focus on breaking down and analyzing every mistake. I think people can benefit from doing the CC until they BR 180. On your second go, you will know which parts are strong or weak, and adjust accordingly: you can skip some of the practice if you're already strong, and find extra practice in the question bank, if you're recognizing a weakness. My caveat is that going through the CC should take at least 2 month's time, even if studying 5 hours a day, 7 days a week. So if you're taking the November exam, there might not be enough time, and I would just focus on PTs and tailor my practice based on what the 7sage analytics tell me are my weakness.
I am in the exact same scenario. Was PTing around 156-159 before September and probably got a 153-154 from a horrid RC and below average LG section. I am planning on just killing my weaknesses the next couple weeks and leaving about three weeks for PT's. And @"Victoria." just in my opinion, the LSAT Trainer did not help with my RC. I spent a solid month going through the LR and RC where I did not feel that it really helped any more than going through old RC passages would have. This is just my opinion though ! Wish you all the best and good luck in November
This is a great thread and one I can relate to. I experienced the exact same scenario as you did, PTing in the 159-162 range and disaster struck when I sat for the exam last week.
My plan is to go back through some of the fundamentals in the curriculum, especially in the more complex formal logic section. I realized on test day that I had been really heavily relying on “winging it” when it came to problems involving heavy use of logic... during my PT’s it worked most of the time. I trusted my gut instincts and would tell myself that due to the amount of exposure I’ve had to the questions that things were coming naturally to me. On my BRs, I wasn’t critical enough... I got lazy and assumed that I just knew my stuff.
That little voice in your head is not as easy to hear when you’re under the gun during the real thing. It’s like a football team killing it in practice and demonstrating an understanding of the playbook and not being able to translate that to a hostile road game. That road game is exactly what the real test is like and the only way that will become easier for me is to have a deeper understanding of why answers are right and wrong.
So for me, instead of rushing to my next timed section or practice test... im going to spend more time having discussions with myself during my blind reviews and be honest about my understanding regardless of whether or not I got the question right. Strengthening this inner monologue will translate to a better score on the real thing, I’m sure of it.
I also plan on placing a lot more emphasis on RC as this section is what wrecked my test. My goal is to be consistently -7 or less.
Time to saddle up and get this thing done, just like you... November is do or die for me.
WE GOT THIS!!!!!!
I finished the CC in June. I think I’ll go back through any weak areas I am aware of and then continue with this method on any new weaknesses that may show up. Thanks!!!
@"Victoria." @gkoebel1 @JK_fish92 is anyone in the November study group? It seems like we could benefit from working together
I’m not expecting anything crazy in November. Just trying for UConn and possibly George Mason, so a 163 would make me very happy.
Are you talking about a giant binder for storing games?
@akriegler i agree and would love to work together. I'm not in the November group because I unfortunately worked through all the latest tests thinking that Sept. was my only shot (currently 8 months pregnant). I plan to redo these later though. I'm shooting for a 168, although I would be okay with anything above a 165, (I've hit 165 twice with the later tests so I'm trying to have hope). The first time around, I foolproofed with the protector sheets before I switched to whole section drills as well and thought it was great, but I think this time I'm going to focus on replicating test conditions as closely as possible (maybe even giving myself 30/32 min per section instead to really put the pressure on).
@gkoebel1 ahh, thanks for the perspective! I wasn't sure if I was going to return the book or not but I think I'll try it out and see if anything helps because I'm at such a loss with RC and feel as if I tried everything, I just need to stick with something. @JK_fish92 everything you said about analysis and being honest with yourself when looking back on your performance really resonated with me, and I think I wasn't able to realize this because of burn out/anxiety while studying for September, so November better be ready for us.
Hey guys, I'm thinking of purchasing the LSAT Trainer for additional tips and practice, because online reviews rave about the book.
For those of you with the book, is it a good purchase? Is it worth it to work through it?
Not a lot of time left until the November test, so need to be careful with how I spread out my time and effort these last 2 months.
@akriegler @gkoebel1@Victoria. Sounds like we are all in the same ballpark as far as numbers and goals go. Would be happy to get a study group going, I know it always helps me to hear how others go about their PTing and reviewing.
@akriegler @gkoebel1 @Victoria. Sounds like we are all in the same ballpark as far as numbers and goals go. Would be happy to get a study group going, I know it always helps me to hear how others go about their PTing and reviewing.
I actually have a 6in binder for everything but I sectioned it off by notes from the CC, PTs (to review questions I got wrong), and then practice sections for LR (by question type), LG, and RC. It’s nice having everything in one place. The only problem is I put it together with ~3 weeks until the September test so I didn’t get much use out of it. I put everything in sheet protectors so I could write with expo. But like @"Victoria." mentioned, I’m going to try and replicate testing conditions better this time and not use the expo markers. I also think I’m going to give myself under 35 minutes/section while practicing.
@"Victoria." Congrats!!! Boy or girl?! Also you definitely have a 168 coming this time around!
@tekken1225 I’ve only gone through the LG and LR sections of the trainer but, in my opinion, it wasn’t great (at least for those sections). When I started studying I had trouble differentiating between “the author takes for granted” and “the author fails to consider” answer choices and the book helped me grasp the difference but I haven’t had any “aha” moments with the book since.
Wow, happy to see you guys working together
My feedback for shortened timing would be that typically, you probably shouldn't be too worried about reducing your time until your core competency is high. It can help if you do it a week or two before the actual test to simulate the stress and worst case scenarios. But you may want to be at least 170+ after BR, or finishing the sections with 5 minutes left before you do this normally. After BRing 170+, you can move on to do confidence practice (practice skipping). Then you can do timed practice tests with less time. Otherwise, you may develop bad habits by rushing when you shouldn't. Good luck, guys~
I'm in a similar situation, except that instead of writing the September exam, I withdrew a few days before test day. I was close to but not averaging my target score and was just brute forcing my way through PT's before I ultimately hit a massive burnout about a week and a half before the test. Since then, I have found it very hard to get back into routine (studying around 6 hours a day) and haven't been motivated at all. I have decided to take the rest of this weekend off (have a friends engagement out of town anyway) and try and get back to the grind on Monday which will give me 2 full months of prep. Here's to hoping everything works out!
I'm on the same boat. November isn't really do or die for me but I'm trying to think of it that way. I graduate in April and in a perfect world, I'll start in Fall for law but obviously I've come to terms with this not happening. As a back up I've started to apply to masters programs under the Fullbright program. I withdrew from September because I also hit a huge burn out wall and I was underperforming once I hit the 70s. It's hard to jump back into it but I've just started doing things sloooowly... like I JUST finished BRing PT 74. I took it on August 30th and basically took a break from the 1st till the 11th. I thought it would be easy to dive back in but I think it's all about getting back into the routine and not being too hard on yourself if you see a dip since you've obviously been away for some time.
@akriegler @JK_fish92 @"Victoria." @gkoebel1 just to name of few of you guys thank you so much for sharing, its nice to know that I am not the only one that is trying to figure this out. I sat for the september exam and everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and it seems like I am in the same boat as most of you guys. I have been BRing in the low 170s and I am just trying to get into the mid-160s, if I did better than the it would be awesome. Timing is my biggest issue overall and on the September exam I froze during LG, the RC section didn't help either. I am currently taking the week off to recharge and spending the time off to work on my applications, and I have also signed up for the November BR group and I definitely think you guys should sign up too the more voices the better. I won't be in the BR group for a few weeks because I will be doing confidence drills for LR, drilling my weak questions types, and doing timed sections on LG. The only issue i am having is figuring out what to do for RC. If you guys have any suggestions on how to improve let me know.
@"Mia Fairweather" Just to throw this out there, I am spending the next two weeks trying to improve solely my RC. I have tried countless methods in the past, but I am going back to both the CC and all previous RC passages and simply reading the passages. I am planning on doing about 140-150 passages in the next two weeks. My largest issue is simply not understanding the "hard" passes in RC verses someone who might struggle on answering the questions; I feel like this is going to greatly help me verses other methods in a short period of time at this point in the game.
"hard" passages *
I feel like I wrote this post myself. Exact same situation. I quit my job on Friday and am also hoping to get 6-8 hours in a day but am overwhelmed about where to begin. I also range anywhere from -5 to -9 on RC and think I need to focus there. If you end up finding something that helps your studying kick-started, please update us! Good luck!
Since you have the LSAT Trainer already, definitely use the RC sections. It made a big difference for me after going through 7Sage's RC curriculum.
So, I'm going to rain on your parade. You're in the low 160s and missing a lot of questions in RC and an unknown amount in LG and LR. I don't think you should do November at all because unless you are hitting your target score, you need to work on those fundamentals. If you're in the 160s, you are still missing around 25-30 questions. Frankly it means you do not understand some elements that are necessary for you to be better on the test, and would possibly make you a better law student or lawyer.
Also, 6-8 hours a day is ludicrous. LUDA!
https://media.giphy.com/media/Mk4sCkMnSfI9q/giphy.gif
Why must you take the test in November? Why can't you take in January? June? What's the rush to get into law school?
My suggestions is do no more than 2-3 hours daily working on weaknesses. I'd probably stay away from timing and focus on mastery of understanding the arguments. What is the conclusion and the supporting premises? What type of strengthen question is this? What is the flaw of this argument? What is this argument missing that the right answer can help strengthen or weaken it?
Look, 160 is something to be proud of. You're scoring better than 70% of LSAT test takers. But know this, if you're not strong in RC, how are you going to do in law school?
I also think we should get a group going. Maybe we can work on getting it together this week?
@"Michaela.Pratt1" I think I’m going to try out what @gkoebel1 mentioned. Timing is my biggest issue for RC (I can usually swing -2 untimed) and I think going through a bunch of RC passages would be a good drilling activity. Here’s to perfect RC scores in November!
Also going to go through the LSAT Trainer’s RC section this week. I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions!!!
@"Adam Hawks" thanks for your thoughtful response!
I feel pretty solid on my LR skills (I’m not at -0 but I am happy where I am. I don’t have any huge weaknesses, just some difficulty with timing). I think it would be reasonable to say I could go -3 per LR section once I find a better way to pace myself, and I would be perfectly happy with that.
As far as LG goes, I usually do pretty well (the worst score I’ve gotten since finishing the CC is -4 and that was an anomaly). I had it back to back on the September test and just completely froze. During my non-experimental LG section there was a band practicing next door and I had to beg the proctor to shut the door to our room. The proctor had a brief conversation with me and I just completely lost my focus.
In regards to studying, I haven’t experienced any feelings of burn out or score decreases from the hours I put in each day and I would like to continue to do so because I NEED to get back to work after I take the November LSAT. Also, I know that my horrible RC score is not due to a lack of understanding, as I do very well on untimed sections. So as long as I don’t have 35 minute interval sections to complete reading oriented homework I think I will be ok in law school.
So why November... My family has agreed to help me out while I am in law school (with some of my rent and other living expenses so that I don’t have to work during the school year). I worked full time during my undergrad and I know that the 40-hour work weeks seriously impacted my grades. Anyway, I initially intended to start law school this year. I delayed after the September 2017 LSAT, and this decision was not well-received. I would love to distance myself from my family and do my own thing, however calling my parents “helicopter parents” is an understatement. Also, my parents are not as willing to help me if I choose to delay another year and I really need their help. They make it as if they are ashamed of me for delaying and I just don’t want to deal with it anymore. They think that the LSAT is the same as the SAT (which I didn’t study for and got into almost every school I applied to). Additionally, my boyfriend (of four years) is looking into MBA programs and we would both be ready to start our degrees next year. Both of these factors are contributing to my “November or bust” mentality. I’m not looking to go to a t14 school, and I’m honestly not interested in big law. Just want a job I am happy with and I believe going to a top 50 school is enough to get me there (and a bit further away from my parents, geographically speaking).
HEY GIRL!!! I can't believe what I just read here. I am in the EXACT same boat as you. I was hitting around 160's for the September exam, my weakest section being the RC (mostly because of speed). I am trying to get back to grinding full-time and quit my jobs as well. I overestimated myself and tried to cram in 6-8 hours after work everyday (which obviously was counter-productive).
My parents have the same "2019 Fall or Die" mentality. Well not exactly die but in Asian households, failure to fulfill familial expectations has equal weight as being dead. You might as well never come up from downstairs. LOL.
I don't think it's productive to go back to the 7Sage CC for RC IMHO if you are constrained for time (for Nov exam). I'd rather read a few chapters in the RC Bible and Mike Kim's Trainer and supplement what you already know and dive straight into RC drills that 7Sage offers (passages from 1-35). Do all of them, time yourself reading, doing the questions, and BR. And then go through the more recent ones from 50's and upwards and do the same. If doing 150-200 passages thoroughly doesn't increase RC score from avg -10 to avg -3 or -2, then I honestly think one is not cut out for the rigors of the law school curricula (this is what I tell myself anyways).
ANYWAYS, we still have 2 solid months til November, so let's get back to our schedule and work on improving our scores!
@keepcalmandneuron
Thank gd I'm not the only one! My parents live over two hours away and check in almost weekly to make sure I'm keeping up with my studies OMG. Would you want to go over PT's together? @JK_fish92 is also studying full time, it could be a good little group! Also if anyone else wants to go over PT's/work together (in addition to the November group) LMK.
@akriegler - I am also studying full-time for the most part. I'd be interested in the group!
I'd be interested!
I'm interested