Study habits

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• 2 Likes

  Moosader Alum Member

  July 2015 234 karma

  Right away get the LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim. It really is amazing, and as far as score per dollar, nothing can beat it in my opinion.
  
  From there, its a whole world of possibilities and I haven't decided. I myself am debating just jumping into PT or getting 7sage (most likely outcome) or getting powerscore's bible series. I haven't heard anything bad about 7sage, and I REALLY like what I see in the free content. Powerscore, on the other hand, is the most widely recommended resource in the history of the LSAT, but I know for certain there are some categorizing mistakes and notation inefficiencies in the LG Bible. I don't know anything about the LR bible, but I would be cautious given the LG problems. Still, it comes highly recommended. 7sage has great study strategies, conceptual explanation, application, and a lot of people say it works well with the Trainer.
  
  Other books receiving good reviews are Nathan's Fox's LR Encyclopedia, which is heavy on drills and explanations over concepts (and also a humorous read reportedly), but one reviewer on amazon said it had a few categorization errors. And Blueprints LG book (2014), which I know little about but has been recommended by non-paid reviewers. As far as RC, that is hard to improve on. The trainer tells you everything you need to know about RC and from there it is simply practice, review, tailor, focus, and repeat.
  
  What I recommend: 1. Go through Trainer and assess how you do after that. If you feel like you got most of the concepts, 2. PT hard, and Blind Review (see free 7sage 9 part article explaining the method) and Fool Proof LG (see free 7sage youtube video). As you screw up, check the question type in the trainer and tailor strategy and understanding. If you don't have the concepts and strategy, shell out the money for 7sage, which is pretty cheap considering the price of the competition, and how much more you get from 7sage than others. 3. For a 180, invest in a tutor that can prove he (must I say "or she") can score a 173+. (I feel like I am the only one on 7sage that thinks this is worth it, approx. expense $1500, but I would gladly pay $500 per point after 168).
  
  Benefit from my hours wasted researching resources and study methods while I should have been studying. Number 1 tip: do general studies quickly, then focus on your problem areas. Do not waste time studying what you know. Number 2 tip: if you suck at RC, start now casually but regularly. Number 3 tip: don't waste money on a study calendar. If you can't calendar a study schedule, what are you doing taking the LSAT.
• 1 Like

  Dr. Yamata Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 578 karma

  You're doing the right thing by starting early, sir or madam. Since you said you're undergrad, you have to be at least in the last semester of it, if not farther away. That's definitely the right time to start.. not the summer before law school! About what the last guy said.. I personally think the Powerscore LG bible is a good one, I used that.. got -2 on the games in June. The Powerscore LR bible is like ehhh.. and the Powerscore RC bible is just a waste of time.
  
  7Sage is great because this is all in video and audio format. Sometimes ya just can't be holding open a huge phonebook-sized thing. Although I do think the pencil+paper+book method is the best and eventually what everyone has to get good at, 7Sage allows you to play the lessons wherever.. maybe at the gym.. on the road.. at school.. just load it up on your phone and strap on some headphones. There is proven benefit in listening to audiobooks while you are not actively engaged as a way to let your mind absorb information on the topic in an unfocused manner. Kind of like observing a star from an indirect angle, it looks brightest.
• 2 Likes

  Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  I would venture you can learn everything you need to know just from 7Sage and the Trainer alone. It's unclear how much time you have to prep since a senior would need to take the exam by December/February for admission in fall of 2016, in which case I would tell you to take a year off to study, get some work experience, and submit a stronger overall app than the K-JD types. Otherwise, if you are a junior or below, I'd start with the Trainer since it's cheaper and it's yours forever, and go through it cover to cover. Since you'll likely be prepping a long time I would recommend doing all the drills on separate pieces of paper to keep the book clean for multiple read throughs. Once you're within a year of the test you're sitting for, I'd pop for 7Sage's ultimate package (maybe ultimate plus but we don't have real details yet) since it has the most explanations for PTs which is a huge help. It's like having your own tutor for ~40 PTs.
  
  Speaking of tutors, I fall in the crowd that thinks tutors are a waste of money. To be blunt, if you can't learn this from the Trainer, 7Sage, or the community here and places like TLS prep threads, then you're probably going to really struggle with law school and are you realistically going to keep paying a tutor through all of law school?
  
  Also, if you do have a ton of time before the test, save at least the last 5 or so PTs for the weeks prior to the real test so you have a good measure of where you're at. Aside from that, just PT/BR once you've finished all the curriculums and have a good handle on everything. I'm guessing you didn't BR the test you just took, so I'd recommend retaking it untimed as an unofficial BR just to see how good your reasoning skills really are right now. Good luck!
• 2 Likes

  emli1000 Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 edited July 2015 3462 karma

  7Sage and the LSAT Trainer! You're wasting your time and money if you're not using these two!
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 7965 karma

  @mheannarino said:
  I REALLY like what I see in the free content. Powerscore, on the other hand, is the most widely recommended resource in the history of the LSAT, but I know for certain there are some categorizing mistakes and notation inefficiencies in the LG Bible. I don't know anything about the LR bible, but I would be cautious given the LG problems. Still, it comes highly recommended.
  

  Good summary of why to skip Powerscore ... The only thing I gained from the LG Bible was a little extra practice on pattern and map games (meaning, weird game types). But you can get BETTER explanations of those weird game types from 7sage for free! Whaaaaat?!

  @Pacifico said:
  I would venture you can learn everything you need to know just from 7Sage and the Trainer alone.
  

  True and true. I'm dabbling a bit in Manhattan LR and RC because, well, why not. But that's pretty extracurricular at this point. It was the Trainer and 7sage that have gotten me this far and that's a 17-20 point increase over my diagnostic. Not done yet ...

  @Pacifico said:
  Speaking of tutors, I fall in the crowd that thinks tutors are a waste of money. To be blunt, if you can't learn this from the Trainer, 7Sage, or the community here and places like TLS prep threads, then you're probably going to really struggle with law school and are you realistically going to keep paying a tutor through all of law school?
  

  I feel the same way for myself, but I do see how some folks might not be at the maturity level to be able to analyze their own weaknesses. Or maybe some people's parents want to pay for tutoring because they want to cover all bases. I say tutoring ONLY after exhausting all other materials, the forums, etc. Best use of time/money, and might end up being unnecessary.
  
• Drackedary Member

  July 2015 239 karma

  I initially used the Powerscore LG Bible based on a recommendation from a colleague. It is definitely better than some other alternatives I've tried, such as Kaplan.
  
  However, 7Sage is much better for LG. 7Sage is much more straightforward and efficient, especially in learning how to diagram the game. This is a crucial part in doing well in the section. Powerscore was too clunky for me.
  
  Any prep guide can get expensive, so I recommend taking a good look at them and compare it to what you see in the 7Sage videos. Powerscore is popular enough that you should find it at your university bookstore or a library.
• nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 7965 karma

  @Drackedary said:
  Powerscore was too clunky for me.
  

  Clunky is right. Every time I see someone on IG using the PS method (all those "not" notations :'( ) it gives me sad feels.
• 1 Like

  Giovanni Hernandez Free Trial Member

  July 2015 12 karma

  To clarify, I'm currently a sophomore in my undergrad so I have time on my side (thankfully). Thanks for all of the suggestions, appreciate the help. 7sage discussions are the best.
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 7965 karma

  @"Giovanni Hernandez" said:
  To clarify, I'm currently a sophomore in my undergrad so I have time on my side (thankfully).
  

  1) Keep/get grades up. Way up.
  2) LSAT Trainer for now and 7sage once you're closer to the test.
  
  Happy to see someone starting very early in this process ... methinks, there is no such thing as starting too early on the LSAT—so long as it doesn't negatively impact your grades and/or other interesting things you do!
• 1 Like

  Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  I don't know why this didn't post last night but better late than never I guess: Definitely spend a year or two getting intimately immersed in the Trainer. Then grab 7Sage when you're a year out so you don't have to worry about extending. I'd set yourself up to take your first (and hopefully only) LSAT during June after your junior year so you have October/December as emergency backups in case something goes wrong and otherwise you have plenty of time to chill and dedicate to your apps. I'd also recommend taking some rigorous English, Philosophy or Logic classes as electives if you get a chance just to give yourself an extra boost.
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 7965 karma

  @Pacifico said:
  I'd also recommend taking some rigorous English, Philosophy or Logic classes as electives if you get a chance just to give yourself an extra boost.
  

  Yeah! Nerd out in formal logic and whatever will teach you reasoning structure/argumentation.