In Need of Advice - What next?

HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
edited May 2022 in General 129 karma

Hello 7Sage Community,

I am returning to 7Sage with a heavy heart after an unsuccessful attempt at the 2022 admission cycle up here in Canada. I did not meet my goal for the LSAT of scoring a 160+ and only achieved a 155 on the January 2022 exam. Unfortunately my LSAT score along with my ok GPA (3.75) was not enough to get into 5/8 schools I applied for. I am on the wait list for 1 school (unlikely to be offered a spot based on my position on the list) and waiting to hear from the last 2. I am not hopeful based on the fact that I haven't heard anything by the middle of May from those 2 schools and starting to come to terms with the fact that I need to start preparing again for the 2023 cycle. I had stopped studying since the January exam and was hoping I wouldn't have to return to it... but here we are.

My Study Journey:
My first cold PT before studying was a 149 and after 500-600 hours of study across about 5 months I only improved to a 155. I completed the 7Sage core curriculum and then began taking full PT's under timed conditions, followed by blind review. My best section is LR where I have gotten as high as -6 with an average of -8. My next best section is RC where I have gotten as high as -6 with an average of -10. My worst section is LG (I was awful to start), I am a very visual person and struggle under the time constraints. My best score in an LG section is -9 and my average is -13. I was focusing especially hard on LG in the last month prior to Jan 2022 exam and have completed almost every game in PT's 1-35 between 2-4 times as well as some games in the later exams. I almost got to the point of enjoying the games, much more so then when I first started studying. I am not quite to the level of enjoying them and still fear this section the most, however my understanding is that this is where most people can make the largest score improvement. I am hopeful that a decent improvement is still possible for my LG score in particular.

My 2 main questions after that long winded opening are:

  1. What is the best way to get back into studying again? Would people recommend running through the full core curriculum again, or focus on weak areas? Or jump back into problem sets and then full PT's?

  2. Are there any low-cost/free tutoring services that anyone is aware of? I have done some googling but only found courses (similar to 7Sages's) charging hundreds per hour or thousands for a package which is really tough/impossible to swing for me financially at the moment. Not sure if anyone has any good resources/ideas or if a study group is the next best option without further overloading my credit card lol.

My goal is still to score over 160 so I would really appreciate any insights that people have regarding my situation and how to add at least 5 points to my score. I have always found the 7Sage community to be very helpful and would love to hear any advice that people might have.

Thanks in Advance!

Comments

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    edited May 2022 129 karma

    help

  • Manzana LocoManzana Loco Member
    edited May 2022 55 karma

    Hi There,

    1) I think you're best bet is to focus on the weak areas you are currently struggling in and try you're best to improve in those. Going through the whole course again would be time consuming and a little inefficient. I think you should take a couple of practice tests to get a good sense of what you're weak areas are and try to drill and review them with some help from tutors/ experts. Maybe they could teach you a different method you haven't considered.
    2) Also to find tutors I usually go online to this website wyzant and they have a list of LSAT tutors whose price range is usually between $60-$100/hr. If that's too pricy I also found this online LSAT class that charges $5-$10 for a class. Also you can always find videos on youtube or go online and find a good description for free.

    Hope that Helps, Good Luck!

    Admin note: posting links to other services are not allowed. You can find more information in our Forum Rules.

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    Thank you both for those ideas. I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and give your advice :)

  • PapaPetrovitchPapaPetrovitch Member
    78 karma

    Just wanted to let you know, I'm going through the exact same thing. Waitlists and all. You're really not alone in this position :)

    I'm feeling completely unmotivated to restart the studying process as I gave it my all in November and thought I'd have this behind me by now. It is definitely expected to feel disheartened after putting in SO much work during the last cycle.

    But all we can do now is keep our head up, keep studying and working hard till we get into our target schools. Also, if it helps at all, some schools appreciate re-applicants as it shows that you're determined to study law. They understand the time and effort it takes to go through the application process. Good luck and feel free reach out if you need someone to talk to.

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    It’s nice to hear from someone in a similar position. If I can ask PapaPetrovitch, have you determined your strategy once you get back into studying? Are you going to go back to the CC or just jump into problems sets and PT’s?

    Good luck to you too!

  • claremontclaremont Core Member
    590 karma

    imo, the single most effective thing you could do would be to master LG. If you did that and kept your other averages consistent you would reach your goal.

    What are your average timed scores vs blind review scores looking like?

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    That is also what I was thinking and attempted as a short term strategy before my last attempt. I think that’s sound advice, to try to get my LG to -5 or better.

    I was getting 154-156 timed, haven’t written one in a few months. Blind reviews in the 162-167 range.

  • claremontclaremont Core Member
    edited May 2022 590 karma

    Ah, that's good. I don't think you need to go through the entire core curriculum again. I would work on drilling/timed sections. Identifying your weaknesses and why you're getting questions wrong and what steps you need to take and maybe incorporating some other strategies/theories that might be helpful for you. I think -5 on LG is selling yourself short. I don't doubt you could consistently get to -1/0. Best of luck

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    -1/0 would be a amazing, I'll shoot for that. Thank you for your advice!

  • matt.hip595matt.hip595 Core Member
    62 karma

    I just scored lower on my april LSAT from a 152 in October in 2021 to a 150 in April 2022. Sucks

  • samanthaamato07-1samanthaamato07-1 Core Member
    22 karma

    I agree with the comment that said Wyzant, a tutor may be able to help you identify your problem areas if you have already studied 500-600 hours. Also, it is better to have quality study time over a large quantity, so make sure you are really focused and not burning yourself out. Good luck!

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    I’m sorry to hear that Matt.hip595, I know the feeling. Stick with it, you got it!

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    Thanks for your input Samanthaamoto07-1! Definitely burnt myself out, but that’s a great point to focus on quality vs quantity to limit that.

  • blanklawblanklaw Member
    490 karma

    Wow. This is really terrifying me. I am about to take my LSATs in June and I just began really studying this month... Call me stupid I guess... Any advice for how to study/approach the final test?

  • HarveySpectorHarveySpector Member
    129 karma

    Hi Blank20202021, it’s hard to say what you should do without more info on where you’re starting from. I’d probably recommend that you complete a full Practice Test(PT) under timed conditions and see what your score is. If you are within a point or two of your goal score for the school(s) you want to get into then I wouldn’t panic, I’d just drill and complete PTs until test day. Typically you’re going to score right around (or a couple points lower) than your timed PT score average on a real LSAT as long as you simulate real test conditions for your PTs.

    If you’re not scoring close to your goal score then I think most LSAT experts(which I’m not claiming to be, but have read lots of their posts) would recommend rescheduling the test for August/September or later if you need more time to prepare. No point rushing it and using one of the limited number of takes you have if you aren’t in the score band you want to be in going into the test.

    Hopefully that helps!

  • blanklawblanklaw Member
    edited May 2022 490 karma

    @HarveySpector Thank you so much for your advice and your story (that really hit me hard-- so sorry for what you went through!).

    I will just say that I am super embarrassed about my whole approach to the LSAT and am currently recalculating and going back to step one :) Thanks for saving me a precious LSAT test!

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