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Comments
I'm also scoring in that range! I've hit 170 once and it was an awesome feeling. But it was also on a re-take (even if I didn't remember most of it, still a re-take). Have you joined in on the BR calls? I'll be joining this week.
Righton with taking the leap of faith and going all in with your studies! Putting in the effort of studying will pay off. Master the Logic games section.. all the other sections seem to fall into place!
I don't know how I missed this earlier---ditto for me three! This is an excellent idea!
Let the accountability begin!!!
I just reworked my study schedule to see what a weekly timing schedule would look like for September v. December sits. December is probably more realistic, but I'm hoping this Summer will tell me much (ever the optimist, but I will NOT burn through PTs if I'm not hitting close to my target score). Ok, let me post that too: f*ck it. 170 is my target. Period. No more wishy washy excuse of a low target.
For December's sit --
WEEKLY schedule:
Currently:
25 hours/week during CC, with alternating 12/24 hours each week during PT phase. I know these are averages, and 12 hours per PT seems light in BR, but is also an average. Plus, that doesn't include extra drilling I do for LG and RC. Again, no burning through PTs if I find two per week is not working if my BR is failing.
Beginning May 12:
36--42 hours per week. I need to decide if its going to be 5 or 6 days per week. Somebody feel free to push me off the fence.
With most evenings and 1 day completely away from LSAT work, that seems reasonable and realistic. Right? hehe
DAILY
Currently:
30 minutes of RC drilling,
30 minutes of LG fool-proofing,
+ 3 hours of lessons (right now)
= 4 hours/day x 6 days/week = 24 hours/week (18 hours per week of lessons).
Hmmm, a little short on my lesson timing. Maybe this will gear me up for Summer prep amp up? Some days, classwork is light, so I should use that study time for LSAT study.
Beginning May 12:
I'll move into full time studying at 6-7 hours/day x 6 days/week = 36--42 hours/week.
Re-evaluate June 30th based on PT analytics and BRing.
Potential pitfall warnings and suggestions welcomed.
Hey sorry I took a while to respond.
This is something I learned from @"Cant Get Right". Right now, I'm fairly early in my prep, so my goal right now is to increase my theoretical maximum score. This means pushing my BR Score as high as I can. Then, after that is achieved, I hope to enter the next stage, which is matching my timed score with my BR score.
I start tomorrow full time! Im very relieved that I'm not the only one.
Day 4 for me right now! I took a half day yesterday, but honestly, I notice how much more well rested I am and it's helping me focus a lot more.
The downside has been certainly how daunting it can seem at times. It's just me, my desk, my LSAT stuff, and .... all the time in the world, lol. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is taking some getting used to. I generally enjoy it!
Anyone here who fool proofed PT 1-35, about how long did it take you?
I've been using the Cambridge Packets, but now I'm thinking of beginning just going in order and fool proofing all the games from the 7Sage packet.
I haven't done all PT 1-35, in fact I'm almost through 5 PTs in that range. I do them in no particular order in the hopes that I understand what type of game I am facing, so I do not focus on the extemporaneous, distracting crap.
These older ones are ridiculous! I thought newer ones were supposed to be hard, but I find I have fewer issues with the newer ones than the older ones. I can't decide if that's good or bad. lol
Yeah, I originally was doing them by type from the old Cambridge Packets. I think while you're learning they can be a useful tool - doing like 10 ordering games in a row really helps you to catch on to things.
However, I've recently thought about just doing all the PT 1-35 straight-up fool proof method style and do them all 10x or until I am under time. Before I hit PT'ing hard I want to make sure my LG game is a bit more consistent.
The older ones certainly seem ridiculous. Granted, I've seen very few of the new games, but from what I can tell there certainly are some odd balls in the first 35.
So that's what will be my plan today to begin fool proofing a few PTs worth of tests, review, lunch and then drill some question types I've been a bit week on.
Hope your day is productive and positive!
>
Hey Alex, took me about a month to fool proof the Cambridge packets for LG. Just practicing those every single day to learn LG. but it really helped me because I couldn't even diagram when I first started watching the 7sage videos for the games. I still practice those games. Also since I heard a lot of people say that they have brought back odd/hybrid games, so I'm working on the LG Cambridge packet titled "Miscellaneous"
Thank you so much! I prefer the Cambridge Packets myself and am working through them. Do you just do them all then watch the videos and re-do right after if you missed any or were under time? I just wonder I am getting though them too slowly.
About how many on average would you try to fool proof per day? Also, did you do anything else, or just focus on fool proofing the packets? And I'm assuming you did all of them?
Thanks again~! It's hard to find people who still use them
So I went thru the CC that 7sage has for games, I then went to the packets for LG. For a full month I just kept doing games (I was really terrible LOL)! But its crazy how practice and knowing the conditional logic can make you so good at them!!! So what I do is I drill randomly now from the packets (simple sequencing, in/out, etc) since I am doing pretty good in the games and I have gone thru all the packets for LG. I pick randomly and time myself doing each game. I then find the video for those games, check if I was under time and if I got it correct. If I was not under time or didn't get it correct I will watch the videos. Usually its because I missed making a sub game board or something which is why it took longer. But watching videos really reinforces it into your brain (its just time consuming).
Right now I just practice the "harder" games in each packet which is towards the end. I also am terrible at the "Miscellaneous" ones. Those are honestly so weird. I spend about an hour or two doing games. I really wanna move into taking full PT so I have been taking timed sections of the games from older PT.
I also printed out some Cambridge packets for LR since there is a big gap between my BR score and timed score. Not too sure why everything goes out the window when i'm timed for LR hahaha ahhh -.-
That's a great plan, @Shivani - are you BRing before you check JY's videos?
I'm going to have to look into these Cambridge packets. I'm missing PTs 1-6 and #8. Other than those, I have all of the PTs ever printed to date.
Edit: WTH...they don't have those PTs either. Dangit.
Yeah I do try to BR and figure out why I got the question wrong. Just practice the shit outta the LG packets.
LOVE IT!! haha
lol Word.
I'm also very interested! My last day at work is next week and then will need help to stay motivated!
I'm getting ready to print all of the LG's from 1-35 as well. What the hell are you guys doing for printing this many pages? Has anyone compared the cost of a bulk print job (maybe 5 sets of every game, double sided) at kinkos/officemax/ups? Is this cheaper or more expensive than printing yourself and buying ink and blank paper?
The 1-35 LG set is 385. 5 sets of each puts you at 1925, and double sided is 963 pages.
Then add in your PT's. Let's say 2 copies of everything past 35, so 36-80. 39 pages each (they are typically either 38 or 40 so we can average)
2 * 45 * 39 = 3510 (or 1755 double sided)
So I'm looking at maybe 3000 double sided pages here. Someone has to know the most cost effective way of handling this.
I forgot all about LR and RC as well. Let's assume that the LG pages from 1-35 is equivalent to RC and LR. So we can add another 2000 pages for those sections. RIP.
I did some similar calculations a while back. Luckily at my old job I could print all day and no one would think twice. It was when I wasn't printing they were suspicious, lmao. I printed every PT 3x PT 1-74, every Cambridge packet for LR 2x, and every LG Cambridge Packets 3x
I also use scrap paper sometimes even though you're supposed to do it like test day. However, one of the greatest LSATers of all time Jonathan Wang once told me if that is going to make the difference (using scrap paper vs printing 10 copies) then you have other problems to work on first.
Around Christmas I just invested in a good printer, but I'm not sure how cost effective it is. I get like 500 pages for $25ish worth or in for my Brother one-in-all printer.
A bulk job may not be a bad idea though..... Just make sure you get them printed like they are in the Official Booklets so you're not shocked on test day on how the lay out is.
Hahaha! It's a lot my man. It was one of those things where I just accepted I would need to spend some money to get the material to practice with. It will be a drop in the bucket if we get high scores, great acceptances, and great scholarships!
If I buy a high efficiency Brother printer ( I can get a laser for about 160.00 that prints double sided), the toner for that is 45.00 for 2600 page yield. 1300 double sided. So if we need 4000 pages lets say 3 toners. Then 10 reams of paper can be around 30 bucks if you get a good deal.
So 45*3 = 135 + 30 = 165 + 160 = 320 for printing. OfficeDepot's online calculator says 4000 double sided pages would be 400 but there is a 25% off coupon. Not sure if I would expect a higher or lower yield on the toner from doing it yourself.. I might honestly call around and get some quotes.
I would print it all at my work but everyone just sits in their cubicles and it's super quiet.. I feel like constantly running to the printer would make some eyebrows raise.
Hmm... decisions decisions...
Either way, I miss printing for free at work, lol
Yeah my old job was cash. It was always loud, and I had a printer within reach from my desk. I had pages rolling off the press literally all day and I would just lean back and snatch em before anyone knew what happened. I think I'll go back to that company just to print, and then inevitably quit again.
Printer ink is more expensive than blood. MY old office was so busy, in hindsight, I wish I had printed more, haha.
Hey! I printed at Staples! All the LG packets.
I also printed at Staples for the RC packets. However, DO NOT STAPLE them!!! I use those big clips.
Then you can separate out the pages and then do timed sections. You should consider doing that for the LG games too (I didn't think of this back then) and you can do the same !! Wasn't too expensive. I think printing out all of RC was 30 something? and not too sure how much LG cost me at staples.
Honestly, my room is filled with papers hahaha - the struggle.
@Mellow_Z , thank you for figuring out the math!
I need to consider double-sided printing too for the reasons Alex mentions. I only print on scrap paper since hubby gets that in unlimited quantities from work and need to save my money on printer ink.
It may be time to revisit buying a high speed copier/printer. I'm sure I'll kill my little HP before the Summer starts. The poor thing is limping along bravely as it is.
Staples is closest to me, and while sometimes it is usually the most expensive option, sometimes they surprise me.
Here is the price per page listing when you submit a job online:
5,000 pages (can't find a double-sided fee) is 0.041 per page = $205.00. Not too shabby.
However, an HP M402dw b/w laser single-function, duplex air printer is $249.99 on sale at -$100, + high yield toner is $194 (prints 9,000 pages) + tax, tags, and title = $504.
And I'll need this printer for lots of other printing.
hmmmm... decisions, decisions...
Thanks, fellas!
ooooooo, $100 less on Amazon for the same printer and toner cartridge.
Paper is definitely the cheapest part of the equation. I think if you can find a box of paper (10 reams @ 500 pages/ream) at anything less than 50$, you're looking at <1 cent per page. So I wouldn't feel bad about using your scrap paper if you have it readily available? You'll be using the same ink whether you use both sides of the page or not. And if you get to save 50 dollars, might as well!
A friend of my mom owns a UPS store who has printing services.. I'm going to see if she can reach out to him and see if he will give me a discount
Otherwise, I'll end up wasting at least an hour making a spreadsheet comparing printers and toners when I should use that time studying.
LOL, I love how your mind works, ditto for me.
I picked buying a new printer, checked my trusty Amazon prime and went for it. Printing savings be damned.
I hope the friend gives you a discount!! Maybe you could work in some extra savings with referrals.
Now, if only I could stop looking at the discussion threads...
Haha yeah having an overly analytical mind is definitely a curse at times (as I'm sure you've encountered as well). My girlfriend is very easily annoyed when I just get attached to an idea and go off the deep end thinking about a million stipulations whereas she spends about half a second analyzing the same thing.
Buying your own printer has its benefits too.. You could try to include that cost in the per page price, but at the end of the day you still have a tangible printer left over with value. So maybe that swings me in that direction.. I have a cheap All-in-one inkjet printer now, but it can't do double sided, doesn't have high capacity ink, can't hold more than like 50 pages, and takes forever to get through a single page. Tough life we have
Quitting my beloved career of 4 years to focus full time on LSAT in May. Will love to participate in this with you guys. Let's go and get our JDs!!!
This discussion on printing cost is very intriguing. May be, like @"Alex Divine" i should put my current job to good use. Haha!
Quitting can be hard, even if you do/don't like your job, there's always friends and colleagues you enjoy seeing daily. I think I miss that most. Otherwise, as long as I have something to focus on (the lsat) I keep myself sane. Day 4 and making tons of progress or so it feels like!
May will be coming soon -- get ready!
Bro, if you work at a place that is like a large corporate place, definitely ask your supervisor and I'm sure they won't give a shit if you print some person stuff. How much.... Well, I didn't tell them that.... Either way, usually they don't care, but if you can get away with getting some free printing go for it!
Haha this analytical discussion about printers is killing me, lol. Yeah, I mean I was lucky enough to have MOST of what I needed already printed when I left my job. However, owning a printer (I have a decent Brother model MFC-J485DW all-in-one) Got it cheap and got lots of ink. It was one of my Christmas presents to myself, lmao. In any case, I feel like the conveniency if you can afford it is totally worth it.
Something else I realized is that LG barely take up a third of a page of ink on the first page. So you aren't always using as much ink as you might think. LR/RC on the other hand are different stories, haha.
I also kinda jumped around PT 1-35 in terms of games, but I've found that my games section isn't as down pat as it should be. That stain glass game on PT 62 also slaughtered me....so this past weekend I started fresh from PT 1. I'm hoping to get through it within a month in a half. We'll see what happens! I'm also slowly realizing that I won't ever fully escape from LG madness, I'll probably still be drilling and fool proofing close to test day... there's always room for improvement!
And I love this talk about the printing! I also have stacks up stacks of paper in my room. I think there's been some other threads floating around about all of this too-- I think I purchased the Samsung xpress m2020w-- I believe it was recommended on one of the threads for a relatively cheap printer that does it's job. I tried to see all this printing as an investment, and I try not to be wasteful so any one sided printing jobs will be worked on and then saved for more printing in the future!
As for goals for this week-- I'm spending most of this week doing some more games, re-visiting RC fundamentals and drilling some Flaw and NA questions. And possibly take a PT at the end of this week, depending on how the next couple of days go.
Hey!
Seems like we are in a similar place. I've gone through a decent portion of the Cambridge Packets, however, I didn't time them and it was when I was learning. Now that I'm free to study full-time I've kind of been thinking of just starting from square one in a lot of ways. Now I have the ability and go back and do ALL the things the right way. I've even been considering re-going through the CC and re-doing problem sets and all of that. I'm in no hurry to take this test; not at least until I am seeing some consistent 170+ scores.
Right now I'm just trying to focus on LG (Re-going through the packets, timed, and fool proofing. Also, I try to drill and LR section per day and BR or an RC section. I also am trying to fit in time to read The LSAT Trainer and Manhattan LR for supplements and drill questions I know I need work with in regards to speed and accuracy.
It sounds like a lot, but with 8 hours+ and breaks, you can get a lot done!
Good luck to you!
Its crazy man. There's literally a million paths you can choose to go down once you start studying. I've always struggled with picking one and staying on it because as soon as I do, I convince myself that I should be doing X or Y instead of Z. I think I'm focused on finishing the LSAT trainer, going back through the CC (all the while doing 1-35 LG fool proofing), and then start with LR packets. LG are honestly pretty easy for me so I hope I won't have to put much time into getting comfortable with -0 to -1.
Man, that encapsulates how I feel so accurately. I've spent the last months of study/working always hoping for that next secret. The secret was consistency. I think I am going to follow your path.
Trainer for now w/ 12-Week Schedule + Fool Proofing Games.
Re-do CC w/ Manhattan LR to supplement
And always be drilling and doing sections daily.
My biggest problem has been is it better to:
Do 1-35 in order fool proof with the standard 7Sage orthodoxy OR go through the Cambridge LG Packets in type/difficulty. I feel like that way makes more sense at first. Then maybe after I go through the Cambridge, I can Fool proof the games in sections times from 1-35 in order?
Also, do you think it matters much to use scrap paper? I can afford to print out 10 copies but at some point I feel like its easier to just use scrap paper since the new games give plenty of room....
Damn son. That will be what, your third time through the CC? DEDICATION. If you're jumping on my schedule then we can definitely hold each other accountable, especially through the LG sections. I'm gonna try to go through a couple of LG's each day at work - a few at lunch and then intermittently when things get slow. I'm hoping to finish the LSAT Trainer up within the next week or so (currently at about 60% of the way through it) and then 7sage, 7sage, 7sage.
As far as the 1-35 or packets go... I think I'm going through them in order of the test. That way you get the real deal of being off guard with what to expect. I think the packets would be most beneficial once you identify a weakness and can go practice drilling that weakness. Just my 2 cents though, I'm a plebeian in the grand scheme of things.
@RafaelBernard awesome!! I've been wanting to but I live in Iceland and the time difference makes it hard! are you taking the June LSAT?
Haha, the first time I kind of only used it for games and a few other things. Then I finally went back through, however, because of work and things at the time, I couldn't really get through it in a reasonable amount of time and recall some of the important lessons. So I am just going all in and starting from ground zero, so I think.
As far as holding each other accountable, I am down! I like the looks of your plan a lot actually
Hey,
I've been studying full time for a month now (studied part time after work for about 6 months prior to this) and can give some ideas about what has/hasn't been working for me. I PT twice a week and BR/review aggressively the following day for each test. Other days I drill sections and review CC, webinars, etc. I take one full day off per week no matter what, to clear my head and avoid burnout. At the beginning, I studied at home, which was strange after 4 years of an office routine. So I started treating the LSAT like a job. I wake up at 6, go to the gym or for a long walk outside (if anyone knows the Sweat With Kayla workout program, it matches perfectly with LSAT prep because it has short sessions 6 days a week - 1/2 are intense circuit training and 1/2 are cardio that help you clear your head). Then I shower, get dressed (no sweatpants) and hit the library 9-12 and 1-4. This is much more effective than studying at home, which is full of distractions. I've also started limiting myself to 1 coffee per day. The routine keeps me focused and the prescribed downtime helps me avoid guilt. I (like many people here, I'm sure) can get a little (lot) stressed with big goals/tests. So this method has helped me to manage full time study really nicely. I wish I had studied this way back when I was an undergraduate...
anyways good luck! Would love to hear more from people about how they handle stress while studying full time (i have tried meditation but I don't think it's for me)
Hey,
Sounds like you have quite an amazing routine! I love how organized and well put together it is. I want to start trying to study at the library, but I love my office space in my apartment and don't feel like lugging around whatever packets and what not I might need. The beauty of 7Sage is that there is a lot of it all online
I've definitely had days where I just feel cramped inside and hit up a Panera or coffee shop to study, but damn do I lack dedication to go EVERY day to the library. I don't have it in me. I usually deal with normal interruptions decently.. I count them as down time or as part of my breaks. At least that's how I justify it lol. I think when I begin my religious PTing I'll wake up every Saturday and head to some sort of facility (library, school, wherever I can find) and do a full simulated PT with the audio proctor clips playing just to get used to the routine. I'm quite a far ways out from that though
As far as handling stress.. I don't. I absolutely feel overwhelmed at times and just have days where I'm a complete wreck. Anxiety, swings of depression, neuroticism, you name it. It's a constant battle to keep it in check. I think I'm going to schedule an appointment just to talk to someone. I don't want medications, but I think there is something calming and reliving about just venting to an unbiased individual. I also haven't seen a doctor about my ADHD since high school and I'm considering talking to my doctor about that as well. I hate how dependent those meds can make you, but there are days where I wouldn't be able to read a LR passage even if you held a gun to my head and made me. The LSAT has definitely brought the worst of me out. (also the best, because I've shown myself I still have it in me to grind things out that I previously viewed as impossible to accomplish)
So... minor set back. A friend's dog bit my lip the other night and it's ... bad. 60 stitches and 7 staples I believe. It wasn't pretty. I have pics, but they're a bit graphic, so if anyone is sadomasochistic or just plain curious just DM me and I'll email them. So my lip is stitched up and I can't talk for a while. Basically like Kayne West said, "I drink a Boost for breakfast, Ensure for dessert...."
Either way, not letting it stop me. Although yesterday I couldn't get much done, I'm going to try to do what I can today. Studying is actually helping take my mind off of some of the pain. So I'm glad this won't affect my studies much.
Still going to be on the LG grind trying to nail every one of those suckers I can. When you guys miss a question or go over time do you do the same game right after watching the video or sort of re-do it later that day.... I know everyone sort of has their own idiosyncratic way of doing it, just curious what you guys do.
Anyway, happy studying!
@"Alex Divine" Ah that sounds painful. Sorry to hear that!
For games, I usually do the game once more right after watching the video to learn aspects I missed and solidify understanding that was fuzzy -- while I'm fresh. Then I'll repeat the game again the following day.
Damn, I feel you on ALL of that! I tend to be alright in the house studying all day. Usually around 4pm I walk to a corner store near my building a buy a seltzer or something just to get out of the house. Just the walk and getting out keeps me sane. Plus I love seltzer, lol.
Yeah, the mood swings of studying for the LSAT. Some days I'm like, "I will settle for nothing less than a 180. I know I can do it. Nothing can stop me." Other days I'm just depressed and worried if I'll even get into a damn school. It's neurotic for sure... I think seeking a doctor may be a great help. I take anti-anxiety meds but I've been on them for years. I'm not sure how they would affect someone just starting...
Once I start religiously PT'ing I was also thinking about hitting my local library. I live a block away from one so I really have no excuse. I just am self-conscious and don't want people to see me there everyday and think I'm homeless, lmao. I also live near my testing center and can take a test in a similar room/lecture hall where they have the tests. So I definitely want to take a few and get a feel for desk space, temperature, and where a good place to sit will be...
If we prepare this well and prudently, I am very optimistic about this test!
+1. I would watch the video and follow along to see what you missed. Do the section again timed and on your own. Do the game every day after until you can do it successfully maybe two days in a row. The last part is personal preference. I might even recommend putting it in a pile for a week later to make sure it sticks with you.