Retaining Information...

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• 1 Like

  StopLawying Alum Member

  June 2016 edited June 2016 821 karma

  I didn't use the 7sage notepad. What I found helpful was to create a separate notes page for each type of game (sequencing, grouping, etc) and LR question type (NA, SA, etc.). Before each PT, I'd read though everything and I found this tremendously helpful. Took only a few min to read and made me feel more prepared to tackle the test.
  Also, forgot where I read this, but studies show that the actual writing > typing in helping one to retain information.
• stepharizona Alum Member

  June 2016 3197 karma

  There are also a lot of studies about how handwriting notes helps you better retain knowledge. I went old school composite book and handwriting out all my notes for each topic. Then I read it every so often.
  
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  June 2016 8021 karma

  Whatever system helped you get to this point in your life that you are studying for the LSAT will likely help you more than almost anything people might post here. Trust your own skills and self awareness to guide you in the right direction.
• 2 Likes

  bbutler Inactive ⭐

  June 2016 401 karma

  @mikhail11 If it helps I did a couple of different things when going through the curriculum and it vastly helped me retain the information.
  
  1) Go slow through the curriculum: This was probably the single most important thing that I did going through the second time. If you don't understand something it's okay to re-watch the video and actually its encouraged if you don't know something you learn that all of the questions are interconnected so shoring up a weak spot when you find it early rather than later is encouraged.
  
  2) I typed notes in the notepad for every lesson that I went through. This for me allowed me to put them into my own words and helped me retain the information. Especially for the questions make sure you explain the thought process breaking down everything. This makes the curriculum go by extremely slow but when you do it you realize that you have really mastered the foundation and do it BEFORE you watch JY's explanation. Generally my rule of thumb is that I won't do this for the first question in the series because I want to establish the right way to do it that JY does but for the other ones I'll break down everything. If you can teach it then you understand it.
  
  3) Do a review at the beginning and end of your study sessions. I would start and would basically verbally give a synopsis of everything that I learned. Go to the curriculum and give the key points on each topic, the traps that might unfold associated with the question, the thought process, and then I'd redo some of the quizzes. Sometimes I'd even do 1-2 of the questions if I had time but when you get to the end of the curriculum reviews would take like 30 minutes each time so I would normally limit that to 1 a week. But by reiterating it 3x and being able to say out loud how to go through the questions, all of the logic groupings, traps, all of the flaws, etc. you begin to retain the information MUCH MORE. I think this was the reason why I went from a 150-165 on my first test after going through the curriculum.
  
  Hope this helps!
• MrSamIam Inactive ⭐

  June 2016 2086 karma

  One thing to remember is that the LSAT is not a knowledge-based test. It's a skill-based test. That said, the information you'll learn here should be treated like skill-based info. In other words, you should be practicing with the skills (information) on a daily basis.
  Learn the information/skills, apply them on the problem sets, then apply them again during PT and BR. If you keep doing that, you shouldn't forget anything that you've learned.
• Nicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  June 2016 4344 karma

  @StopLawying said:
  Also, forgot where I read this, but studies show that the actual writing > typing in helping one to retain information.
  

  Yes. I write everything by hand!
• Sheri123 Alum Member

  June 2016 1196 karma

  I wish I had followed some of the tips on taking notes but I was so excited to dig right in, that most of my retention is just down to practicing what I learned. Over & over & over again until it was almost automatic & not something I had to think about & process any more. However the process would have probably been faster if I had used some of the suggestions the others posted.