Advice - study habits

Comments

• 2 Likes

  october_testtaker Member

  September 2019 92 karma

  Hi! I used Kaplan and switched over to 7sage in June. I found myself letting go of Kaplan's methods the more I drilled the CC- I made notes, flashcards, and did all of the practice sets. I also participated in a lot of the comments and that helped too. Now, I'm in my PT stage and I am surprisingly using both Kaplan and 7sage depending on the question type. (Kaplan's approach to predicting flaws in their PT explanations are helpful for me)
• 4 Likes

  BearsEatBeets Alum Member

  September 2019 78 karma

  I previously used Powerscore before I came across 7Sage. The thing I noticed the most when I started learning JY's methodology is that the shortcut methods that are often pushed by PS curricula are not conducive to an understanding of the theoretical aspects that underlay each question. This is why these methods can prove useful for some questions, but can be problematic with more complex stimuli. The thing that I like most about 7Sage curriculum is that it provides a foundation for understanding of every aspect of an argument. It then helps us use this understanding to create an approach that can easily be applied to each question type, rather than having different shortcut methods for different question stems that don't necessarily require an understanding of the argument structure.
  For LR - once I started typing up the questions, it really helped me weed out some of the bad habits that I had developed. Writing everything out in the stimulus helped me clearly see how the premises supported the conclusion. Once I read the question stem I write down what I predict to be the AC so that I'm able to know what I'm looking for. As I go through the ACs, I type up the reasoning for eliminating/choosing them. I know people push this kind of practice all the time on here, but it was extremely helpful for me because it made me really slow down and actually think about whether or not I understood every part of the stimulus and AC's. In doing all of this, I was able to apply the new stuff I was learning while also restructuring my foundational principles.
  That being said, I didn't necessarily "switch over" methods. I think that there are parts of my previous curriculum that I use to supplement my studies with 7Sage.
• gdlaw0818 Member

  September 2019 35 karma

  Awesome, thanks you guys! I was just devastated cause I did a PT and still scored the same as my June score. I'll try the methods that worked for you guys and hopefully it'll work out for me as well!!
• Katz7240 Member

  September 2019 12 karma

  This was extremely helpful especially the comments since I also studied with Kaplan and looking to study with 7sage now. Thanks!
• 2 Likes

  Katastic Alum Member

  September 2019 190 karma

  Hey @gdlaw0818 -

  I started with the LSAT Unlocked Kaplan Curriculum before my March test. I ran through the 7sage CC (quickly) before my July test. I actually scored one point lower in July, but I was using a lot more aggressive testing strategies than I was really ready to use under proctored conditions, since the stakes for the July test were so low. I was hoping to sit for a digital exam to get the experience under proctored conditions risk free (didn't happen).

  Anyway, I am now using the PTs on 7sage, with all of the analytics, video explanations, and when I BR I am using the same strategy that @BearsEatBeets alluded to, and I am making gains. If you take advantage of the analytics you will see very clearly where you are doing well and which parts of the test you need to work on. You can then utilize the question bank to drill those skills. Having video explanations for everything has been invaluable to me, since I cannot always understand the logic on my own.

  Another thing that has helped me immensely is having a study partner. Shout out @hhhakobian
  He and I will usually do an LR section together, whether we complete the section on our own and BR it together or actually go through it together and compare answers and defend our answer choice to one another (he is usually right ) or lately we have gone through a section only to practice specific skills, like pre-phrasing what the right answer choice should be like. We live in different cities and connect via video call or phone call. I am sure there are lots of people on here that would be willing to be a study buddy with you. I highly recommend it.

  One piece of advice I have heard a lot, and I am following it, is to firm up all your skills before you focus on timing. Once you have a strong foundation, you can work on finishing questions (and sections) within the target time you are shooting for. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to worry about timing when your base skills are still shaky.

  Lastly, if you have not listened to the 7sage podcast, I highly recommend it, at least episodes 1-4. Great insight on mindset and preparation from other test takers who were able to make impressive improvement.

  Hope this helps!
  Kat
• gdlaw0818 Member

  September 2019 35 karma

  @Katastic Awesome! thank you so much for your insight! I'll make another post to find a study partner. I feel like I would really benefit doing that! Good luck with everything!
• Katastic Alum Member

  September 2019 190 karma

  Best of luck