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NEW INFO - Core Curriculum Update - Drilling Feature
Hey 7Sagers!
Update: After carefully considering feedback from several 7Sagers, we've decided to keep the pre-made problem sets available for the time being. You can find more information regarding this here: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/34509/core-curriculum-update-pre-made-problem-sets
A few months ago we announced that we'll be replacing the pre-made problem sets in the Core Curriculum with an advanced drilling option! We're excited to announce that the old problem sets will be completely replaced by the drilling feature starting March 1st. This means that after February 28th, you will no longer be able to access the pre-made problem sets in the Core Curriculum.
I know this is a big change to the Core Curriculum we all know and love. However, we are doing this as part of our larger goal to make LSAT prep as simple and streamlined as possible. This feature is just one of the many ways we're working towards that. Instead of making a new post to announce this, I decided to simply edit this one because there are a ton of great questions and answers in the comments. I've picked out one of JY's comments from the initial post to include here. Hopefully his response answers some of the initial questions you might have about this change!
In the meantime, feel free to comment any questions you may have and review the initial announcement (included below). If your heart is set on doing the problem sets exactly as they are (I get it, change is tough), feel free to download them before February 28th so you can continue to use them.
We perceived two issues with the existing Problem Sets and replacing them with Drills is our attempt to remedy both.
The PSets are static sets of 5 questions in increasing order of difficulty and newness. For example, Flaw PSet #1 contains 5 of the easiest and oldest Flaw questions from PTs 1-35. Flaw PSet #23 contains the hardest and newest. As they are laid out in the CC, the expectation is that a student should just proceed through them one by one.
The issue with that is the typical student probably doesn't need to start with PSet #1 (too easy) and probably doesn't need to finish all the way to PSet #23 (time could be better spent elsewhere). This is inefficient. The Drill addresses this by giving the student the ability to set the difficulty themselves. A student can, based on how well they followed the lessons, set the difficulty to, say, medium, and see how they do. Based on the results of the Drill, they can quickly adjust the difficulty for the next Drill. (We're also working on auto adjusting as a new feature to be released.) Admittedly, this is also something that could be done with PSets: a student could jump into the middle of the PSets and work forward (if too easy) or backwards (if too hard). But that's very cumbersome and not everyone will know to do this. Drills will allow students to more efficiently hone in on what they need to practice.
The second issue is that PSets contain a disproportionate amount of older questions. Their questions are pulled from only PTs 1-35. The assumption was that the newer PTs should be saved for timed PTs. Two changes undermined that assumption. First, it's been 5 years since the PSets were created and many more new PTs have been released. Second, the modern LSAT only contains one scored LR section. The two changes together meant that we have many more newer LR questions that should not be in PTs. For example, PT 45 was originally released with two LR sections but the second LR section should not be in a modern PT. So what do we do with it? We pushed it into the Drilling pool of questions. We did this for all the LR sections we deemed to be "extra." This way, you still have a huge pool of modern PTs (with a rotation of LR, LG, and RC experimentals on the next feature release). You will also have a larger and newer (compared to PSets) pool of LR questions to Drill with. PT 76's second LR section is the newest section that we placed into the Drilling pool.
For those who are concerned about spoiling PTs, if you choose "Simulate Modern" and take PTs 45 and higher, there will be absolutely no overlap between PT LR and Drilling pool LR. In other words, you're guaranteed to have a fresh PT with a reliable PT score.
For those who are asking for the ability to self-select which sections should be in PTs v. Drilling pool, I think that's a good idea(?) but I can also see arguments against this. More choice is not always better. We're still debating this. At this moment there are no plans to create this feature but we may work it into a future release.
In short, we believe that Drills are a superior version of PSets.
If you’re familiar with our Core Curriculum, you’ll know that each core LR question type includes a number of pre-made problem sets related to that topic. As we continuously work towards improving our course, we’ve rolled out a new feature to replace these problem sets!
You’ll notice that above each problem set, there is now a ‘Drill’ option. https://imgur.com/8VszND7
Unlike the pre-made problem sets, the Drills will enable you to, well, drill each question type as much, or as little, as you’d like. You can also configure the difficulty to exactly what level you’re looking to practice at. It's basically a better version of the problem sets.
If you’d like to test out this drill feature, you don’t have to wait! The drilling option is already available for each LR question type in the Core Curriculum.
Comments
Why can't we keep them as is now ? I like the problem sets in addition to the drills
Whenever I try to create drills the system keeps saying it can't create drills based on my criteria. Does this happen to anybody else?
Is there a way to make sure that the drill function does not use questions from certain PrepTests? I'd like to be able to take Preptests without knowing any of the questions in advance, and it seems like the drill function has been using questions from even very recent Preptests.
From the current 218 hours to complete the CC, how much will that number drop to once the update has been implemented?
definitely need to fix which prep tests the drills pull from before rolling this out
Can we also have a feature to exclude certain prep-tests? I want to avoid some that I will be using as full length practice
This is a cool feature !
If we don't have the option to exclude Prep Tests this will cause more harm than good. I’ve already made a thread about this regarding the auto drill feature and it’s gone without a response
Also, the Problem Sets were curated by JY. Why are you guys removing them and replacing them with a generic drill? Keep the Problem Sets and the drilling feature
Noooo! Could we keep the problem sets? I really need them. Please~
I like the drill function, but I share this concern. It's nice to practice fresh questions to drill your reasoning method on, but not so much if you come across questions you recognize when PT'ing.
Trust the process. 7Sage knows what they are doing. Their track record and success speak for themselves. Things take time. Be patient. In the meantime, look beyond the trees and at the forest itself.
can we get my check marks back for the lessons we completed?
@hokageee The checkmarks for completed lessons are still available on the Syllabus page. See the GIF below:
I am so sorry if you are not seeing the checkmarks on your end. If you don't see them on your end, please try the following:
(1) Force refresh the page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and tap on "Force Refresh." See the screenshot below:
(2) Clear your browser's cache with these steps: https://7sage.com/clear-cache/
(3) Try using a different browser. We find that the Chrome browser works best with our course, but Firefox and Safari work well too.
If you are still having trouble, please let me know what device you are using (Windows or Mac) and what browser so that I can further investigate the issue.
@ekc4689 I am so sorry about that.
There are currently four options from which drilling questions are selected from:
Can you let me know what option you are using to create the Drills? You can also email a screenshot of the issue to studentservice@7sage.com.
@ekc4689, @Lsat_taker122, @LSAT_Athlete and @Lsat_taker122 Sorry, at this time, the Auto Builder does not have an option to choose which PrepTests you would like to pull questions from. However, I have taken note of your concerns, and I will look into the possibility of having an option to choose which PrepTests the questions are pulled from.
Currently, there are four options from which drilling questions are selected from:
Sorry about the miscommunication everyone! This is a big change and we should have more thoroughly shared the details and the rationale. My mistake.
We perceived two issues with the existing Problem Sets and replacing them with Drills is our attempt to remedy both.
The PSets are static sets of 5 questions in increasing order of difficulty and newness. For example, Flaw PSet #1 contains 5 of the easiest and oldest Flaw questions from PTs 1-35. Flaw PSet #23 contains the hardest and newest. As they are laid out in the CC, the expectation is that a student should just proceed through them one by one.
The issue with that is the typical student probably doesn't need to start with PSet #1 (too easy) and probably doesn't need to finish all the way to PSet #23 (time could be better spent elsewhere). This is inefficient. The Drill addresses this by giving the student the ability to set the difficulty themselves. A student can, based on how well they followed the lessons, set the difficulty to, say, medium, and see how they do. Based on the results of the Drill, they can quickly adjust the difficulty for the next Drill. (We're also working on auto adjusting as a new feature to be released.) Admittedly, this is also something that could be done with PSets: a student could jump into the middle of the PSets and work forward (if too easy) or backwards (if too hard). But that's very cumbersome and not everyone will know to do this. Drills will allow students to more efficiently hone in on what they need to practice.
The second issue is that PSets contain a disproportionate amount of older questions. Their questions are pulled from only PTs 1-35. The assumption was that the newer PTs should be saved for timed PTs. Two changes undermined that assumption. First, it's been 5 years since the PSets were created and many more new PTs have been released. Second, the modern LSAT only contains one scored LR section. The two changes together meant that we have many more newer LR questions that should not be in PTs. For example, PT 45 was originally released with two LR sections but the second LR section should not be in a modern PT. So what do we do with it? We pushed it into the Drilling pool of questions. We did this for all the LR sections we deemed to be "extra." This way, you still have a huge pool of modern PTs (with a rotation of LR, LG, and RC experimentals on the next feature release). You will also have a larger and newer (compared to PSets) pool of LR questions to Drill with. PT 76's second LR section is the newest section that we placed into the Drilling pool.
For those who are concerned about spoiling PTs, if you choose "Simulate Modern" and take PTs 45 and higher, there will be absolutely no overlap between PT LR and Drilling pool LR. In other words, you're guaranteed to have a fresh PT with a reliable PT score.
For those who are asking for the ability to self-select which sections should be in PTs v. Drilling pool, I think that's a good idea(?) but I can also see arguments against this. More choice is not always better. We're still debating this. At this moment there are no plans to create this feature but we may work it into a future release.
In short, we believe that Drills are a superior version of PSets. I hope this clarifies some of the misunderstanding.
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have!
Concerning the "Simulate Modern" function, one concern I have is that a true simulation would have four sections to simulate the endurance needed to complete the three actual sections and one test section. Is there a way to change this function to keep all four sections but score based on three sections based on maybe RNG?
@andrewlee13541 Good question! I tried to address this in the post above.
With the new update how do we blind review with a buddy? If two people create a drill with the same parameters the question sets will be different. Will there be a code or bank where we can make sure we are taking the same drill?
I actually appreciate this change! I had been using a subscription with another LSAT service that specializes in their drilling feature precisely because of the inefficient experience with 7Sage's pre-set "drills" in the CC. I'm happy to see an improved drilling feature added. However, I'm concerned about the timing of these releases and how that will affect folks taking the exam before the end of the year (November/December test takers).
With the 4-section (three actual, one experimental) PT's only being available AFTER the Nov.1 new drill release, how will these changes affect someone who has completed the curriculum and is now focusing on drills and PT's? Will it be possible to both use the updated drills, preserve the 4-section PT, and not spoil any questions with the drill feature?
Thank you!
@Pamanda10 Yes, you can select the option "Use Advanced Builder" in the Drill section to make sure you and your study buddy are taking the same drill.
@tinacioust Yes, if you choose "Simulate Modern" and take PTs 45 and higher, there will be absolutely no overlap between PT LR and Drilling pool LR. In other words, you're guaranteed to have a fresh PT with a reliable PT score.
can we talk about the fact that the old problem sets increase in difficulty? I have only been doing the first few to save the other ones for later so I've only been doing the easy and old ones???
@"Paula --Student Service--" Thank you for the response! To clarify, my concern is that by choosing "Simulate Modern", students are choosing to sacrifice a standard 4-section PT for a 3-section, in order to prevent overlap in question pools. So the crux here for me -- at least before the release of the next update -- is that by taking the 4-section test to practice Actual Test Day I risk seeing repeat questions (as @andrewlee13541 mentioned). As someone who's writing the exam in November, this is a bit of a bummer is all. Two or three repeated questions on an exam is not a huge deal, but it's just another thing to take into account when thinking about my score averages and performance.
@JustAParalegal That is correct! The existing Problem Sets are set up from easiest to hardest and oldest to newest (PTs 1-35).
With regard to @andrewlee13541 ask & JY's answer that 4 section PTs will be available on the next feature release - to confirm does that mean this will be available when the drill feature is officially rolled out? or is that a separate, future release? thank you!
I just took an LR drills set and saw that there were questions from PT66 in my drill set. I only want questions from early tests but I don't see where the ability to use the "Simulate Modern" function is on the create drill set page. What am I missing?
Disregard, I realize now that it is a setting for the prep tests not a setting for the drill sets. > @mitchell22 said:
@dpgold24 It will be available on the next (separate) feature release. We don't have a date yet for that.
Wanted to see if the questions used for the problem sets are included in the pool of questions from which the drilling feature pulls. Will we still encounter the PSet questions during drilling, just in a more random fashion? (If this has been asked, I apologize!)
@agorman22 Yes. The pre-made Problem Sets are from PrepTest 1 to 35. While the questions from the Drilling pool are mostly from PT1-45, but also pull from later PTs. For example, PT 76's second LR section is the newest section that we placed into the Drilling pool.
Are the problem sets in order just gone?
So to clarify, based on reading the previous comments, if we choose to take PTs with four sections, will there be an overlap with the LR drills?
That would be a bummer because I was hoping to do four sections to build stamina for how long the test actually takes.
@Matthew19941 we are so sorry about that. Yes, that is because the auto builder pulls mostly from PT 1 to 45 but also pulls from later PTs that are from the LR sections that are skipped if you "Simulate Modern".
However, if you want to practice taking 4 sections while you "Simulate Modern" format, you can skip the second LR section and then create a custom Drill with one section from either LG, LR or RC. Here are more detailed instructions on how to do this:
@"Cherry - 7Sage Student Service" is there going to eventually be an option where we can just choose to have the questions be from PT's 1 to 45 in the drills? That would be a helpful option.
@Matthew19941 At this moment there are no plans to create this feature for the Auto-drill but we may work it into a future release.
I've read all of these comments and concerns. Is there someone who can speak to how to use this the right way (essentially if they are looking to go in order) and not have an overlap in what they drill vs what they test? And the exact steps on how to create the drills not using any material from the new tests? It's still unclear to me #Admin
drilling feature only uses PTs 1-35.
I just saw this post, I am midway through the core curriculum, and have enjoyed the structured nature of the problem sets. I do not like that my whole study schedule is going to be put out of wack because the problem sets are going to disappear. Can the problem sets please remain as an option, and you just put an explanation that people have a choice between doing those or doing the drills. Personally I was planning on doing all of the problem sets when the core curriculum told me to, and then I was going to use the drill feature after I finish the core curriculum and start identifying weaknesses. One of the reasons that I chose this process is the clear coherent structure. I will be very disappointed if that structure is destroyed midway through the process.
Could a list of where each of the problem set questions were pulled from please be provided somewhere, so that we can recreate the problem sets through the new drilling feature if we want to.
@Ikllouis: We share the same concerns. That is literally what I have been doing, completing all of the problem sets and then utilizing the drilling feature last. The cohesive structure of the problem sets is very helpful (especially for those that like to start out from the beginning) the beginning problem sets are helpful because they provide a helpful and necessary foundation to understanding the material. As the problem sets increase in difficulty it shows how convoluted they can get and the importance of staying fluid/flexible in our thinking. The layout is really helpful. I do not think that it should be changed. It's like doing away with something that works.