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Related Discussions
Please share, how you mastered the Core Curriculum
AndWhyisBwrong
Alum Member
Hi Team, I've been perusing the comments and discussions and when it comes to the core curriculum (CC), I realize the importance to ensure you learn it all and remember it all. I am studying for the LSAT full-time and I just started about a week ago. Please share your experience with the CC. What worked, what didn't work? Knowing then, what you know now, how would you approach it? What do recommend is a good way to do it? How fast or slow did you take? Did you make flashcards, did you write on your walls : ) Did you do the CC twice, was that helpful? Did you go through it one time, just to complete, then go back through it very precisely? Please share any habits, techniques, practices, timelines, schedules, etc. Did you create a notebook? What did you print off? Anything that you feel may be helpful. I'm also curious if the CC should be treated like a class, for example how it is said that for every hour in class, one should study three hours out of class? Thanks in advance for your comments.
Comments
I went through the CC the first time very quickly the first time. The second time I treated it exactly like a college course. Every day, from Xam-Xam I did CC "class" or videos, and from Xpm-Xpm I would print and do drill work or the problem sets. This didn't work so well for many reasons. One reason is the LSAT is about applying knowledge and not just memorizing rules and concepts. I majored in Economics/History and memorizing facts and formulas was the only way I thought one could learn
The second time, I took notes, this way I could ensure I was understanding everything And some notes I typed up into outlines and others I honestly never looked backed at. The point here was I just wanted to make sure I was avoiding going into robot mode.
I've found JY is so good at explaining LSAT related material, you can trick yourself into thinking you understand it by proxy, lol.
If I could go back, I would do it once. I would do it Slowly.I would do it Smoothly. And I would make damn sure I understand every fundamental concept 100% before moving on to anything.
I made this test so much harder then it needed to be by treating it any differently, at least in my mind...
I would also redo the problem sets over and over and make sure I focus on WHY things are right? How I got there?...... etc. Not just on whether I got the right answer and I'm a genius
Or I got it wrong and I'm an idiot 
As far as studying and everything else in your comment... I think it's personal. I know everyone looks for the silver bullet on how to best do it, but I know people who used other books as supplements, drilled only taking few PTS, then on to full PTS; took tons PTS while drill weaknesses. In essence, I think just following JY's advice and knowing yourself and figuring out or knowing how you learn best is how to approach the practical portion of the CC.
Hi! I am nearly done with the CC and don't think that I will go through a second time, maybe only the parts that I might be shaky on. Reviewing material you are solid on is a waste of time
For the entirety of the CC, I used a moleskine notebook (they make me feel professional) and took notes on every single lesson by hand. It is proven that the best way to study is by summarizing in your own words and then recalling/rewriting the summary (which explains the Memory Method). Also, it adds a human element for me to the online course and it makes me feel more on top of the material to have my notes all in one place. I also always use the same pens that I really like and for some reason it encourages me to write more notes.
One important piece of advice is to budget more time than the CC outline suggests per lesson. I probably take twice as long because I take notes and pause a lot to make sure I understand. That applies to the whole CC as well, I have read about that about 3 months is good, but life happens and it will take longer. I started 5 months ago and am just finishing. I like my pace as I have not felt any risk of burnout, which happens easily for me.
Also, for any of JY's explanations of LSAT questions/games/passages, I like to do them before I watch the explanation. This seems to help me retain the strategy much better than just passive listening (I think that's how we're supposed to do it but I didn't see it stated anywhere). This means that I print all the LSAT questions/games/passages that JY explains, which I find very useful.
Finally, if you are unsure of anything, don't avoid or postpone understanding it, figure it out in the moment.
Hope this helps
Alex Divine and karenkaren, Thanks so much. I like re-reading both your comments as I move through the CC, this was very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Hi there,
I have been studying for almost 2 months now with 7Sage, though this is, unfortunately, not my first run studying for the LSAT. I have made millions of mistakes in terms of study habits. I am still in CC. I can't know what will yield the best results, but I feel that I have a better understanding of how to approach various question types. You would not want to do the CC of its entirety twice. It is a waste of time, and you will get very bored and burnt out this way. You need to build a strong fundamental basis to be able to move on actually working the test.
The time constraint can be detrimental, so you have to know intuitively how to attack each question. Work slowly and steadily though the curriculum, only moving on after you have mastered each concept. Initially, I followed the proposed 7Sage schedule, but I fell behind, sped back up again, fell behind. Don't let the schedule scare you, and don't do things just to click off the green check mark. Move on when you are ready. Focus. Since you are studying full time, try to stick to a daily routine/schedule that allows for plenty of breaks, and that your peak mental hours are spend engaging with the CC. Take notes, even if you don't think that you need to.
Do it once, and do it welll!
The LSAT is grounded in application, meaning that memorizing the concepts is, on at face value, virtually useless. You need to understand the logic behind each question to have the right perspective and insight to choose the right answer. This comes with time, patience, and persistence. You need to understand and ponder over the material presented in CC.
I only recently devised a system to study. Perhaps you will find a similar system useful to you. I have a bunch of Five Star brand NoteBinders and Mead three-pronged folders, stacked in a bin from the home section of Target, and a large binder. I have one binder for "Reference" material, full of notes taken from CC videos about the logic of each question type. I have another binder dedicated to logical reasoning. I don't have a RC binder because that's my strongest section and it's more of a learn as I go sorta thing. I have a folder where I print out the practice question sets for "drills." I have a "review" binder for old drills, the first half of which is dedicated to those questions I had trouble on.
Hi, I only completed the CC once and found it sufficient as a baseline (that is only if you take time doing the problem sets and blind reviewing them). Once I took the first few PTs after completing the CC, they really exposed my weaknesses and gaps (especially in conditional logic) that I went back and reviewed thoroughly those corresponding sections.
I think it was helpful to take PTs under time, and in addition to blind reviewing the answer choices, also writing out WHY I got it wrong -- Was it a grammar issue? Was it a conditional logic error? Was it mislabeling the premise/conclusion? After a few PTs, if I saw a chain of similar issues, I would go back and review that portion of the CC then.
I think contrary to popular belief, "over-studying" the CC can be an issue. There is no need to re-study everything in it because that's a waste of time. It can also slow you down in the process of INTERNALIZING all of the CC content to the point where it's second nature and you're not even thinking about it consciously anymore. You need to practice on real questions and have CC undergird you as the theory, not in reverse.
Also, 7sage is amazing and the CC is the best thing out there in terms of LSAT prep, but it's getting slightly outdated in its ability to cover all of the new twists and turns in the newer LSATs (post PT 60). So taking the CC as a starting point and adapting to the newer tests is even more important yet difficult to do -- I think the focus of your prep should fall on the latter.
Hope this helps!
One small tip that hasn't been stated that has helped me a ton is the analytics section. After about 4-5 tests I really could see a weakness in where I was. I was able to use the CC (as well as the PowerScore Bibles and LSAT Trainer) to fill in these gaps the best I could. Flaw questions, SA questions and NA questions were killing me. Now I've got it down to where they are much less a sore in my side.
I can also see the exact type of reading comp that is killing me.....SCREW AUTHOR PERSPECTIVE INFERENCE. Okay that was frustration. But I can see a weakness, and by seeing exactly where I am weak I can attack it.
Yeah, I ended up rushing the CC the first time and it didn't end well. Just finished it for a second time and it is much better. Key pieces of advice: don't skip any steps, take your time because some parts are harder than others and it's important you have a firm grasp on everything, take notes, do all the quizzes and try and do the questions before watching the videos. You should be good if you do all this...
Anytime
If you ever have any specific questions I can help with, don't hesitate to PM me.
To add my two cents (I recently started PT and finished CC a few days ago), I found it very helpful to bring 7sage with me all the time, whether it's on mobile, laptop, or just the print material. Sometimes when I don't get a concept, I re-watch it when my brain, which enjoys taking mental shortcuts even when I'm not supposed to, is least likely to interfere with learning new material. This also helps me deal with the deadlock feeling of going nowhere when there is one concept that I simply don't get.
As mentioned in some of the great comments here, taking notes is helpful, but I found that I tend to lose interest in the material when it's dry and abstract or, alternatively, when I thought I had mastered it but I hadn't. Occasionally, my brain simply stops paying attention and decides to focus on note-taking instead.
I skipped ahead whenever stuff got boring, which I don't recommend. I also made sure to go back and make sure I didn't gloss over any important concept just for the sake of finishing the curriculum.
Additionally, I didn't start with the CC. Instead, I started with the LG and LR bibles. I just happen to be a verbal learner when it comes to abstract concepts and the bibles helped me a lot; still the CC videos really complemented my learning. If you find yourself losing interest/focus, switch things up to keep you engaged.