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All the tips that worked for me (+ my spreadsheet)
Hi all, just want to thank this community for all the tips and tricks and the positive environment you all provided. I started studying in January 2019, took the Feb 2019 LSAT, began studying again in May 2019, and then took the July LSAT and sent in applications in October. For study materials, I only used the free 7Sage offerings, which made a HUGE difference, and got hold of the PTs. Now my cycle is (almost) over--- I scored a 172 and got into my top school. I spent SO much time trawling this site for tips and advice, and I'm hoping to give back by sharing everything that worked for me in one post. (Also, I got the idea from @terrynicholasj and his great post!)
- My master spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yK-ux9iLzRF8c4zfJieZC7cXNuzPaAWEJtwT6BWVzxA/edit#gid=0 was based off of @Pacifico Foolproof LG attack strategy. I would highlight games to remind me to return to them on set dates and used the far right tracker to black out games I'd worked on. Also, I foolproofed every game I encountered that I could not get -0 or within time on, including those during PTs. I'd squeeze in a game or two whenever I had the time, and they eventually added up to serious improvement.
- Writing out RC & LR explanations: There's sheets in my tracker for this. I would write out detailed explanations for every single RC and LR question I got wrong, both explaining why the correct answer was correct but also ruling out all the wrong answers. Happy to give sample explanations if needed. This helped me to clarify the logic/thought process and provided excellent reading the night before the exam.
- LR tips: Reading the stimulus (i.e. question prompt first) did MIRACLES for my score. The more I did this, the more I found myself able to even anticipate the correct answer before I'd read the multiple choice options. I also took photos of LR questions that stumped me, put them on my phone, categorized by type, and browsed them to practice the logic in my spare time. I also kept count of which types of LR questions were my kryptonite and grew to recognize them. When I encountered them on the test, I would write the question type there on the page (i.e. "Weak") signaling to my brain to pay extra attention to this question. When I did that, I all of a sudden would stop getting that question type wrong. In LR, I also aimed for the 20-for-20 rule (roughly), which is to get through 20 questions in the first 20 minutes.
- Read widely to prepare for RC: I hated science passages, so I made a point of seeking out science longform articles all over the web, all the time, to read in my spare time. It reduced the fear I felt upon opening the test to a science passage and increased my familiarity with the lingo. But you can also do this with all kinds of articles! If you hate the literature articles, read literary criticism, etc. Reading the Atlantic, Longform.org, Longreads.com, and the New Yorker, etc regularly all kept my brain in constant reading mode and made attacking long passages less terrifying. Plus, sometimes passages would even crop up in the LSAT that I had already read about! Another good mindset is to try and enjoy the passages. I'd force myself to think, "Wow, this is really interesting," and in my free time I'd reminisce about my favorites. OK, I'm a nerd, but changing my mindset about RC actually allowed me to perform better in them.
- Other RC tips: Also, when doing RC passages, I also added high level summaries on the side--literally one-word summaries next to each paragraph that read things like "hypothesis," "example 1," "conclusion." (You can also do this in your fun-time reading outlined in #4, since it's good to practice engaged reading!)
- Practice anywhere and everywhere: On a train, on a plane, in a park... I did PTs and sections everywhere. Inuring myself to distractions was vital. And while I also practiced in a quiet, locked room, when distractions cropped up during the real thing, my prep was essential to giving me the psychological boost to ignore it. This also allowed me to get in as much time studying as I could, giving me 2 hours each day on the train to and from my full-time job.
- BR'ing is real: I BR'd every LR and RC section I took, even when I did sections individually. I would return to every question I'd "starred" during the timed taking and try to think out the right answer without the time constraints. I logged the BR'd scores on my sheet as well. I swear this helped!
- Avoid burnout and don't beat yourself up: There will be days when you're off, and your score drops on your PT/section/whatever. It happens. TO EVERYONE. Don't obsess. Whenever that happened to me, especially when I bombed a section, the next time I did that kind of section I would do it untimed, giving myself all the time in the world to look it over and relax, taking breaks and sometimes even doing only a page at a time. And usually, my score would bump back up to where it needed to be after that. I also learned that burnout is real, and a week off won't hurt you, but will do wonders for your mind.
- Application process: Try to avoid too much forum-reading, as it can lead to insanity. Remember, you run your own race. For essays, I recommend include On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld. But I also truly believe that reading great non-application essays helped me with mine, and I would recommend anything in the yearly Best American Essays anthology, and essay collections from authors like E.B. White, Joan Didion, Jonathan Franzen, Zadie Smith, and other masters of the form who are brilliant at taking personal topics and spinning them into something profound and interesting. I'm no E.B. White, but reading their works gave me something to aspire to. I didn't use a consultant (although I hear they're great!) but I did have many trusted folks read my essays over and over and over again. And don't forget to back all your stuff up.
- I love the quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Enjoy your success. Enjoy your progress. Take breaks. The LSAT takes dedication, but don't neglect your life in pursuit of a number. You're gonna do great.
Anyway, thank you again for your support and great tips. II really believe that 7sage, your tips, and practice helped me to improve and that I couldn't have done it without it. Take and use what you like, discard the rest. Anyway, you guys are great, your journey is your own, and I believe in you all! Happy to answer further questions.
Comments
Thank you for this!
I enjoyed reading this very much :') thank you for sharing and congrats on all of your accomplishments!
Thank you. Could you share your diagnostic breakdown in each section (if you remember)?
Woot, good job with the spreadsheet! What a beaut. I prefer to write them on paper, but can always appreciate a nice excel document. Oh wow, congrats on your acceptance. Wish you the best as you ascend from us mere mortals.
Congrats!!! Whats your top choice?!
This is some good advice! The analytics tracker keeps track of all the errors so I am thinking of taking your advice on writing out ways to correct past errors.
Thank you for all of this. Lots to implement!
Congratulations, and thank you for the insight!
By "Reading the stimulus (i.e. question prompt first)", do you mean reading the block of text first or the question that was being asked?
You studied January then sat February. Studied again May and sat July 23. So you studied no more than 4 months in two study periods? and scored 172! I think that's great! Congratulations.
Yes, specifically the part that asks things like, "Which one of the following most logically completes the argument?" or "The reasoning in the argument is flawed because..." or "The argument depends on the assumption that..."
That way, by the time you read the block of text, you already are looking out for flaws/assumptions/etc.
Thank you! YLS!
Yes, I had a pretty short study timeline, which might not work for everyone. Still, I think that a lot of the tips and tricks I used could be helpful for others, regardless if you're studying for 1 month or 1 year! 7Sage definitely shows that the necessity of learning the fundamentals of the LSAT are the same for everyone, no matter how fast or slow it takes you to get them down.
Woww!!! Awesome
Yes, I also used the analytics tracker to figure out which types of questions were hardest for me, and I made sure to focus extra on them when I did my explanations.
Do you mind writing out some sample RC & LR explanations for your foolproofing? Congrats on the score!!
Congrats!!!
Sure, here's an example (details changed):
LR: The correct answer is (B). The first sentence of the passage says, "On average, about 80 percent of the profit from chicken sales in Nebraska factories goes to farmers." 80 percent is most of the profits. Since it is "on average," this means that at least some of the factories do in fact have 80 percent of the profit going to farmers. Thus, the passage strongly supports answer (B), which says that "In at least some of the chicken-selling factories in Nebraska, most of the profits from chicken sales go to farmers.
RC: The answer is (B) because each paragraph clearly leads up to "explaining how the War Power Resolution is an attempt to reclaim a share of constitutionally concurrent power that had been usurped by the military." The first paragraph leads up to the conclusion with its final sentence which finishes, "in passing the War Power Resolution, Congress has at last reclaimed a role in such decisions" (23-25). The second paragraph explains the the way that the Vietnam conflict served to galvanize Congress to enact the War Powers Resolution. And the third paragraph describes the War Powers Resolution. The answer is not (C), because the passage does not actually describe any real struggle between the President and the Congress for control. Very little history is described, except for the lead-up to the War Powers Resolution.
Did you start studying in January 2018?
Actually December 2017, the day after Christmas. Took the test in February 2018 (171) and then in July 2018 (172, lol).
Edited: Had the years all wrong
I’m sorry but I’m so confused. How did you take the lsat feb and July 2019? I thought the historically scheduled February test was in March this year and we haven’t even gotten to July 2019 🤯
Hi .. Congrats! I am so impressed. Could I speak with you on a personal note... need some advise.
This is amazing! Can I ask what your diagnostic score was?
OH! My bad. I mean that I took the February 2018 test and the July 2018 test, and began studying December 2017. Sorry, I have no idea how dates work anymore, lol.
Sure! Feel free to message me privately.
I got a 165 on my diagnostic, which I know is kind of high, but I still feel really strongly that the strategy I used--including a lot of the tips above, which were gleaned from this forum--would help no matter your diagnostic! Good luck!
@hawaiihi Thank you for the master spreadsheet! On the sheets in the tracker for LR and RC, what is the PT'd column used for?
Thank you for this!
This is great!
Thank you for your insight!
Hi! It's to distinguish whether or not I did a section as a stand-alone or as part of a PT.
Hey sorry I'm MIA but I hope you're excited! I'm flatter my advice helped you, and wishing you all the best. It looks like you're gonna kill it!