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Study schedule advice for new joiner

olennkkaolennkka Alum Member
edited November 2014 in December 2014 LSAT 48 karma
Hey All!

I'm sitting the December 7th LSAT after a brutal attempt on October 5th (I wrote it in Tokyo, hence the weird date). After a nightmarish 24 hours leading up to the exam (logistical issues, panic attacks, sleeping pills), I wrote the exam in a daze and scored 152. I was averaging 162 on my practice tests so I was pretty devastated.

Anyhow, regardless of the aforementioned horrors, I realize there are holes in my prep, so I decided to sign up for 7sage. I've been studying regularly and diligently since May using a combination of Mike Kim's LSAT Trainer, many real LSAT exams/practice sets as well as other free resources available online including JY's logic games video explanations - which I really loved. I completed the free trail in May, and am kicking myself for not signing up in the first place. But, here I am now, and I'm hoping that the right approach will help me consolidate my knowledge and solidify my skills. After just a few of JY's lessons and drills, I can confidently say: this shit's AWESOME!

I think I have a pretty good fundamental understanding, but timing is my biggest enemy in all 3 sections (duh) and especially in LG and RC. Only having about a month left to prepare, I'm not sure it's possible - nor advisable - to try to work through ALL of the material in the starter course, so I'm hoping for advice on how to structure a study schedule that would be most effective for my situation.

I understand that this is highly subjective depending on numerous factors, but any help determining a course of action would be greatly appreciated.

Domo arrigato!

Comments

  • danballinger5danballinger5 Alum Member
    198 karma
    I actually pushed my test date back from the September test to the December one because I found 7Sage in late August. It is definitely not wise to even attempt to complete the Starter course in month - it is too much info. But, you can still gain a lot from the course.

    I think it would be wise to identify the areas where you struggle - types of games, types of LR, etc. - and really pound away at those. If you already do fine at say, sequencing games, then utilize JY's help on the other types of games.

    You might want to watch the intro tutorials for the different LR sections and then go straight to the problem sets. If you struggle, you know that is an area you should target.

    Honestly though, you are going to have to give up any free time for test prep over the next month. The starter kit gives you 10 Prep Tests to work through, so that gives you 2-3 tests per week for the next month. If you have the discipline and stamina to dedicate yourself for the next 4 weeks, you will crush that 152. Don't forget to eat and rest though.
  • olennkkaolennkka Alum Member
    48 karma
    Hey danballinger, thanks for the speedy and thorough response! I think your suggested approach is dead-on. Over the past few days I've been pounding away at the intro lessons to make sure I fill any gaps in theory, and then solidifying with the drills. I've also been doing individual sections using the BR method.

    I'm planning on powering through all the lessons that target my weak points up front, and then focusing on full timed PTs during the last couple weeks. I wrote numerous timed LSATs when leading up to the October sitting, and found that my endurance was pretty good, so I'm hoping that a little break won't do much harm. I just don't see the sense in wasting full exams when I know I still have evident problem areas that I can address through lessons. Especially when completion of those lessons almost guarantee at least a bit of an improvement.

    Anyhow, good luck in December!
  • danballinger5danballinger5 Alum Member
    198 karma
    Right on, glad I could help.

    Good luck to you as well!
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