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Elsa2readsElsa2reads Core Member
edited October 2020 in General 65 karma

Hello everyone, I signed up last week and just started this whole curriculum. I'm new to the LSAT in general and I was hoping I could get some pointers on study strategies. I originally planned on taking the LSAT in January but I don't know if I'll get a decent score as a first timer since I'll only have three months to study. Also, I need recommendations on how many PTs I should take per week, should I even take PTs when I'm not half-way through the curriculum? I also work full time so my schedule is limited, I study 3 hours on weekdays and at least 8 hours on Saturdays.

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  • Law and YodaLaw and Yoda Alum Member ⭐
    edited October 2020 4306 karma

    Hey @Elsa2reads, its great that you're already seeking how to strategically study. I definitely was trying to figure out the same questions you had and appreciated the feedback I received, so I'll share what was passed down to me and hopefully other 7sagers can add to this forum as well! I was advised against taking PTs while going through the curriculum. I don't regret following this advice because it saves you from wasting PTs. It's important not blow through the PTs since you can learn so much from each one. Second advice I got was to move through the curriculum slowly, take as much time as you need to fully understand the material. I took this advice and finished the CC within 4 months but found that I still needed to go back while drilling. Once I finished the CC I didn't immediately jump into PTs but drilled individual sections, starting with 40 minutes, to 38, eventually getting to 35 minutes. Once I was able to get to 35 minutes with a certain accuracy I felt comfortable enough to take full PTs. The point of full PTs is to emerge yourself in testing conditions and build stamina/conquer fatigue. So don't feel like you're not learning if you're doing a section versus a full PT. Last advice is my own advice I wanted to share. I worked full time while going through the curriculum and had a similar structure to you; 3 hours during the weekday, 8hrs on the weekend. When I wasn't actually watching the explanation videos or taking problem sets I would just repeat what I learned to myself throughout the day. Just because you aren't studying with the screen in front of you doesn't mean you can't reinforce what you just learned. Hope this helps!

  • m.i.rivasm.i.rivas Alum Member
    203 karma

    Hi! I wish I would've proactively sought effective study strategies at the beginning so you're off to a great start! I think I would also say save PT's until you're done with the core curriculum and feel really confident with the material. I also would recommend reading the Loophole by Ellen Cassidy when you're done with the curriculum. It was super helpful to me and help bring up my score like 5 points. I would probably do timed drills for each of the sections so that I got familiar with the timing per question with a super diligent blind review process per question (for LR: writing down the argument structure in each stimulus and the reason why each AC is wrong and why the right one is right and for RC same thing) and then compare it to J.Y.'s reasoning in the videos. I would spend some time fool proofing games to make sure I was super comfortable with my process for approaching them. Then I would move into PT's with diligent blind review, carefully looking for patterns in what I missed and then reviewing and mastering what I missed/didn't understand before going onto the next one. Hope this helps!

  • Elsa2readsElsa2reads Core Member
    65 karma

    Thank you so much, your comments have been really helpful.

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