Re-taking in October. Best Plan?

Comments

• NYC12345 Alum Inactive Sage

  July 2015 1654 karma

  @KMairynD
  What was your PT average?
• profile427 Alum Member

  July 2015 213 karma

  @KMairynD, I feel your full-time job/study pain. I work seven days a week, manage staff while I'm off-site from pretty much 6a to 10p, so I very much feel your pain. It's hard to get in the study-zone after cranking out a 10-hour day at work or receiving an emergency phone call on a Saturday about an employee injury.
  
  Therefore, if you can swing it, as your elder LSAT sister (I'm 31)), I would highly recommend going home and studying full-time, but only if you can treat studying as a full-time job that may sometimes require "overtime." I recently gave notice at my full-time job, and I'm going back to self-employment so that I can study more intensively for October.
  
  I scored one point less than you on my December 2013 LSAT, and my soul was crushed. I'm an overachiever straight-A type, but in retrospect, I made a poor decision in that I gave myself 45 days to cram (with the GRE yes, but LSAT no), moved houses, and quit my full-time job and started my own business during that period. It was the overachiever (sometimes overconfident gremlin) in me who made me do it.
  
  I've done a bit of PTing (will do more intensively starting next weekend), and I've experienced score improvements since I've mentally checked out a bit more at work (mentally checking out at work means going from 110% to 95-99% for me).
  
  There's hope, and if you can dedicate yourself to studying full-time to reach your goals/dreams, then I'm all for it. Think of it as investing in your future self.
• 1 Like

  Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  @alexandergreene93 said:
  @KMairynD
  What was your PT average?
  

  This is definitely important info to know in order to give you good advice. Equally as important is what is/was your BR average? If you were PTing and BRing at right around 150 then a 15 point jump into the score band you want in less than three months is going to be a very tall order, even with full time studying. I won't say it's impossible, but you may need to consider December as a good fall back plan. I would absolutely encourage you to prep for October and then take stock before the registration deadline of where you're at and how you're progressing. Also, what is the breakdown between sections? What are you best at and worst at?
  
  In my opinion, 7Sage and the Trainer should be all you need. And you're going to need to develop some serious self study habits to get through law school since nobody is going to be holding your hand then. I'd say if there is a financial benefit to claiming residency for a target school then stay where you are, work a job as much as you need to in order to stay afloat, and then hit the books hard. If you really want to go to law school then you should not be having issues with motivation to study in order to get yourself there. If you can answer the questions that @alexandergreene93 and I asked then we can definitely help with some more targeted advice.
• KMairynD Alum Member

  July 2015 29 karma

  My diagnostic in January was 147. Went through the whole 7sage curriculum from January to the June test w/a PT average of 153-155 (so, not surprised by the 150). Which makes me wonder as to what the issue could have been, since I did not improve that much from the diagnostic...
  
  BR was usually 165-168. I had an outlier of 160 a few weeks before the June LSAT- I think even if I didn't get the 165 next time around, I would be happy with a 160.
  
  December might be a good fall back plan, I just want to apply with enough time for scholarships/early decision, etc. However, whatever it takes to get the best score will need to happen.
  
  Logic Games is definitely my weakness, especially timing. Didn't get to the last game on the June LSAT. I need to focus on keeping up with the Fool Proof Method on here.
  
  -6 to -8 in LR is typical. Flaw/Weaken questions are difficult for me.
  
  -9 to -12 in RC is typical. I felt I was doing better with this up to the June test (especially from reading thetrainer section on this), but I did the worst in this section on test day...
  
  @alexandergreene93 @Pacifico
• KMairynD Alum Member

  July 2015 29 karma

  Thank you for the encouragement @profile427 It's hard for me to think about going back home, since it's one of those towns that I have spent my whole life trying to leave. However, if I commit to my goal of studying/applying this year and giving that all of my energy and attention, then I wouldn't regret taking this year off from a city I love/work that I enjoy. Hoping for the best in October with you!
• emli1000 Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 3462 karma

  Well your plan (2) sounds great to me and you do NOT need a BP classes! You have 7Sage, this great community and also if you don't have a copy of the LSAT Trainer please get one asap. Read through the Trainer, I was also struggling with flaw question types but after going through the Trainer a lot of these flaw questions just jumped out to me when I was taking PTs. I just knew why they were right and they are some of my favorite questions now.
  
  For LGs, with time you will begin to see patterns. and maybe after a couple of weeks or months you will see a major improvement in this section. I did all of PT 1-36 games once and then I printed out copies of them and would re-do them on my free time or just whenever just to get myself in the hang of it. I also do a set of LGs each day and keep a record of all my scores and such.
  
  For RC, was/is my hardest section still and I'm currently drilling 4 passages per day. I re-do every passage from PT 1-36 as well and keep track of everything. Since I started drilling these 4 passages per day I've been getting -5 or so on all 4 passages together. I've seen improvement. But it's still a work in progress.
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  Despite going through the whole 7Sage curriculum, it sounds like your issue is just a matter of developing a deep understanding of the fundamentals to the point that applying them is akin to muscle memory as opposed to a drawn out purposeful application of your skills. I would definitely start revisiting most of the 7Sage curriculum (and you can speed through things you have 100% down cold).
  
  If flaws are your weak point, that is a major red flag because it is likely affecting your performance throughout the test, not just on those LR questions. Investing extra time to improve this skill will pay dividends across all areas of the test. As @emli1000 said, I would definitely revisit the Trainer. I would spend some time on his introduction chapter to really get yourself in the right mindset about what the test is looking for, and then spend a good deal of time working with his flaw chapter (and doing a lot of corresponding drills).
  
  I think if you can master flaws you will naturally improve in your ability to read for argument and reasoning structure. This should help your RC immensely without even practicing it directly. Once you've put in the work above I would reevaluate where your RC skills are at and then figure out what weaknesses remain.
  
  If you need help on LG and fool proofing, check out this guide I made that simplifies it somewhat: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy and if you have any questions feel free to hit me up whenever.
  
  The good news is you have a solid BR, so you just need to sharpen the above skills and continue to raise your BR as you raise your score. Definitely try to get in on some group BR calls to shore up your reasoning skills and blow off some steam.
  
  Don't worry about taking in October for scholarship purposes. Scholarships are based on merit, not on early applications. If you apply in October with a 150 you will get nothing. If you apply in December with a 165+ you might get something. Early decision is another matter. I don't know your GPA, but as early decision is somewhat self-selective, the admits tend to skew higher in LSAT and GPA. Additionally, unless you're EDing to a school like NU that gives a $50,000 per year scholarship, there is almost no point to ED anywhere because it takes away your leverage in negotiations, and it provides only a small boost in your admission chances that is dwarfed by a 5 point LSAT increase.
• profile427 Alum Member

  July 2015 213 karma

  @KMairynD - some of the best advice that I've received regarding leaving a city that you love: it will be there waiting for you when you're ready to return!
  
  I'm sure that if you leave your current job on good terms and there's an opening in the future, your company and/or manager would gladly take you back on (or refer you to something/someone similar). I understand the struggle with not wanting to return to a town that you've worked so hard to leave behind, but again, you can just think of it as part of your path (or "detour" or "sacrifice," if you want to get grumpy about it).
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  If residency means a significant discount on tuition then that really shifts the argument towards staying put in my opinion.
• nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 7965 karma

  @KMairynD said:
  1) I could try to stay in the city I live in currently and get a part time/full time (less demanding than my previous) job + take a BluePrint class and see if my issue all along studying was that I am not very good at self-study.
  

  What city are we talking about, here? And where is the suburb option located?
  
  Trying to consider all sides before I make any statements.
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 8021 karma

  Yeah I didn't quite get that part either since it makes it sounds like you're from the suburbs of the same city, but somehow they're in a different state. Unless this is some sort of Kansas City mischief, I'm not sure how this works.
• KMairynD Alum Member

  July 2015 edited July 2015 29 karma

  @pacifico
  @nicole.hopkins
  
  Current city: Seattle-would love to go to UW as I am interested in Public Interest Law
  Where the free rent is: Suburb of Kansas City (so you are correct on KC mischief)-I would NOT love to go the KU Law
  
  
• Legal Babe Alum Member

  July 2015 edited July 2015 17 karma

  Interesting! I am in your same situation, I live in Seattle, would love to go to UW, interested in public service and i have your score! I am also considering quitting my job and moving back with my parents to study. Another option could be to start at Seattle U and then transfer but then that seems like a risky proposition in its own right. ping me if you want to chat about our situations
• nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  July 2015 edited July 2015 7965 karma

  I'm must gonna jump in on this. I'm from Kitsap County (Poulsbo) so I can speak to Puget Sound options.
  
  1) Just a thought, but you might consider moving out of the city itself or to a smaller city with lower cost of living. For instance, Bellingham is shockingly cheap. Everett also cheaper than Seattle. Bremerton is ... pretty sad ... But I recommend thinking outside of the Seattle box. Cost of living is so high there compared to surrounding cities connected either by ferry or freeway.
  2) Yeah, get a less demanding job, if you can. When I was working in Politics, I could NOT (!!!) have studied for the LSAT. With a cushy/easy job, I've been able to go hard on LSAT. Actually something like telecommuting/IT support could work really well to get the cool no-commute (as you know, Seattle commutes can be deadly). Check out Randstad Technologies if you're interested in that—those jobs are a dime a dozen and will pay a survivable wage (mid $30k's).
  3) If you want to go to UW, keep your residency status.
  4) Do NOT waste your or anyone's money on a Blueprint class. You already have 7sage and the Trainer. You do NOT need anything beyond these materials. I've seen a 20-25 increase in my PT scores with just these materials (ok, I've dabbled a bit in Powerscore/Manhattan but I do not think either of those were necessary and only mildly helpful, if that). You can too. I promise. I suspect your very demanding job is likely behind any lack of improvement you're seeing.
  
  IMO, TL;DR: Refocus your attention on the LSAT. Stay in WA, and think outside of the Seattle box if you can. If your current job gets in the way of the goal, then the job's gotta go.