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Accommodating 7SAGE PT Recommendation & LSAT Trainier Drills??

Mike_RossMike_Ross Alum Member Sage ⭐
in General 3113 karma

Hi Everyone,

I started my LSAT prep with the LSAT Trainer and it's been a tremendous help. Over the course of doing drills and searching for explanations for correct answers online, I eventually came across 7Sage and found this awesome resource!

Many of you in the community seem to advocate for pairing the Trainer and 7Sage together. I def concur.

However, as I've been going through the CC, it seems JY recommends learning with material pre PT36 and then taking PTs for the next 50 plus LSATs.

My question is, Mike Kim's drills mostly come from PTs 52-60. If I drill with those, then technically, I would lose those 'PT opportunities' that JY recommends. Obviously, PTs are very precious and I don't want to waste them. But I'm also of the belief that there's no reason to start taking full PTs until I develop a solid enough understanding.

Did any of you run into this dilemma? How did you decide to navigate and what would you recommend I do?

FYI: I'm taking the test in June '18 so I still have 22 weeksish to go. Was planning to learn for a few more weeks then drill/PTs for the last 16 weeks or so.

Thanks in advance!!

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Comments

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma

    You should drill with earlier tests. Mike Kim has posted the older study schedules that use PT 29-71 and those contain drills from the earlier tests. Likewise, you can just use the 7Sage problem sets/LR drill bundles to drill the older tests. That's what I would recommend.

    I used to believe that using the newer tests wasn't a big deal, because I figured using the 20 or 30 most recent PTs would be enough. However, after studying for a while, I now realize that it's truly best to use tests 1-35 for learning, maybe 36-52 for your early PTs/additional drilling, and try to keep the rest for PTs.

  • Mike_RossMike_Ross Alum Member Sage ⭐
    3113 karma

    Hi Alex,

    Thanks so much for the feedback. I noticed, in my search for similar forum topics here, that you were wondering how to incorporate these two resources too. I started with the trainer before learning about 7Sage. I assume you are now through both resources and are just PTing and BRing. Would you care to provide any insight about how best to maximize the process? Would you recommend I finish the Trainer before turning to CC?

    After all the drilling and learning from both resources, how did you approach your PTs? I did a mental calculation and assuming I no longer use the PTs from the 50s to drill, I’ll still have 27 PTs to work with. That sounds like quite a lot left. If I take 16 weeks to PT and BR, that seems to be more than enough. However, you seem to think differently given that you mentioned you changed your mind on the 20-30 PTs assessment. Care to share your thoughts?

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    edited January 2018 23929 karma

    @benedicthcp said:
    Hi Alex,

    Thanks so much for the feedback. I noticed, in my search for similar forum topics here, that you were wondering how to incorporate these two resources too. I started with the trainer before learning about 7Sage. I assume you are now through both resources and are just PTing and BRing. Would you care to provide any insight about how best to maximize the process? Would you recommend I finish the Trainer before turning to CC?

    After all the drilling and learning from both resources, how did you approach your PTs? I did a mental calculation and assuming I no longer use the PTs from the 50s to drill, I’ll still have 27 PTs to work with. That sounds like quite a lot left. If I take 16 weeks to PT and BR, that seems to be more than enough. However, you seem to think differently given that you mentioned you changed your mind on the 20-30 PTs assessment. Care to share your thoughts?

    Yeah, I think that was one of the first things I ever asked when I signed up for 7Sage!

    I actually ended up largely ditching The Trainer for 7Sage. I've since read parts of it here and there, and like I said, it is an amazing. I definitely like it for LR/RC. However, 7Sage just kind of clicked better for me, and J.Y.'s lessons and teaching style were exactly what I needed.

    That said, you have to find what works best for you. If you're reading The Trainer and seeing improvements, I would finish it first before starting the CC. I mean, it only makes sense since it's working and you've already begun. I just found it wasn't helping me with conditional logic and games, two places where I need the most work, and two places where 7Sage really shines.

    I ended up using 7Sage for both the majority of my drills and learning. I really like how all of 7Sage's drills have video explanations and comments/questions/answers from other 7Sagers. This allowed me to get much better review and a more interactive experience while drilling.

    After I finished the CC, I took a long break from the LSAT due to life getting in the way. I kind of didn't prep much from Jan 2017 until maybe September 2017 again. Once I returned from that study hiatus, I re-evaluated my prep thanks to the help of the wonderful community on here. I realized that if I was going to hit a 170, I needed to make sure to reserve as many PTs as possible. I also think the idea that 20-30 PTs were enough was appealing to me because it ultimately meant I had to do less work. And it was nice knowing once I was done with those PTs that I'd be done with my prep. But after taking a handful of tests and realizing how far I had to go, I wanted to be sure to save the most recent tests for when I had mastered the basics before burning more precious, recent tests. If I had scored a 170 right out of the CC, maybe I would have been more comfortable using more recent tests. But obviously that's rarely the case for most test takers.

    As for you having 27 PTs left to work with, again, I think the amount is sort of arbitrary. Don't feel like you have to get through all of them before you take the test. It's probably even better to save some should you need a retake. Try doing only the odds or even tests at first; e.g., 52, 54, 56...

    Take a test, blind review it, and then do everything in your power to improve before taking another one. Taking a PT and finishing it is only the beginning of the work you need to do with that PT. I can't stress that enough... That might mean a week or two of reviewing concepts and re-drilling them. But if you take another PT before you've done everything you can to improve from the last one, you're wasting your time and a PT. If you see a score increase, there's no guarantee you didn't just luck out. If your score dips, you're left in the same place you were with one less test, less time, and likely less motivation.

    Hope some of this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions :star:

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited January 2018 3652 karma

    nvm answered my own q lol

  • Mike_RossMike_Ross Alum Member Sage ⭐
    3113 karma

    @"Alex Divine" said:

    @benedicthcp said:
    Hi Alex,

    Thanks so much for the feedback. I noticed, in my search for similar forum topics here, that you were wondering how to incorporate these two resources too. I started with the trainer before learning about 7Sage. I assume you are now through both resources and are just PTing and BRing. Would you care to provide any insight about how best to maximize the process? Would you recommend I finish the Trainer before turning to CC?

    After all the drilling and learning from both resources, how did you approach your PTs? I did a mental calculation and assuming I no longer use the PTs from the 50s to drill, I’ll still have 27 PTs to work with. That sounds like quite a lot left. If I take 16 weeks to PT and BR, that seems to be more than enough. However, you seem to think differently given that you mentioned you changed your mind on the 20-30 PTs assessment. Care to share your thoughts?

    Yeah, I think that was one of the first things I ever asked when I signed up for 7Sage!

    I actually ended up largely ditching The Trainer for 7Sage. I've since read parts of it here and there, and like I said, it is an amazing. I definitely like it for LR/RC. However, 7Sage just kind of clicked better for me, and J.Y.'s lessons and teaching style were exactly what I needed.

    That said, you have to find what works best for you. If you're reading The Trainer and seeing improvements, I would finish it first before starting the CC. I mean, it only makes sense since it's working and you've already begun. I just found it wasn't helping me with conditional logic and games, two places where I need the most work, and two places where 7Sage really shines.

    I ended up using 7Sage for both the majority of my drills and learning. I really like how all of 7Sage's drills have video explanations and comments/question/answers from other 7Sagers. This allowed me to get much better review and a more interactive experience while drilling.

    After I finished the CC, I took a long break from the LSAT due to life getting in the way. I kind of didn't prep much from Jan 2017 until maybe September 2017 again. Once I returned from that study hiatus, I re-evaluated my prep thanks to the help of the wonderful community on here. I realized that if I was going to hit a 170, I needed to make sure to reserve as many PTs as possible. I also think the idea that 20-30 PTs were enough was appealing to me because it ultimately meant I had to do less work. And it was nice knowing once I was done with those PTs that I'd be done with my prep. But after taking a handful of tests and realizing how far I had to go, I wanted to be sure to save the most recent tests for when I had mastered the basics before burning more precious, recent tests. If I had scored a 170 right out of the CC, maybe I would have been more comfortable using more recent tests. But obviously that's rarely the case for most test takers.

    As for you having 27 PTs left to work with, again, I think the amount is sort of arbitrary. Don't feel like you have to get through all of them before you take the test. It's probably even better to save some should you need a retake. Try doing only the odds or even tests at first; e.g., 52, 54, 56...

    Take a test, blind review it, and then do everything in your power to improve before taking another one. Taking a PT and finishing it is only the beginning of the work you need to do with that PT. I can't stress that enough... That might mean a week or two of reviewing concepts and re-drilling them. But if you take another PT before you've done everything you can to improve from the last one, you're wasting your time and a PT. If you see a score increase, there's no guarantee you didn't just luck out. If your score dips, you're left in the same place you were with one less test, less time, and likely less motivation.

    Hope some of this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions :star:

    Thank you, Alex!

    I assume you are on to one PT a week type of timeline?

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma

    @benedicthcp said:

    @"Alex Divine" said:

    @benedicthcp said:
    Hi Alex,

    Thanks so much for the feedback. I noticed, in my search for similar forum topics here, that you were wondering how to incorporate these two resources too. I started with the trainer before learning about 7Sage. I assume you are now through both resources and are just PTing and BRing. Would you care to provide any insight about how best to maximize the process? Would you recommend I finish the Trainer before turning to CC?

    After all the drilling and learning from both resources, how did you approach your PTs? I did a mental calculation and assuming I no longer use the PTs from the 50s to drill, I’ll still have 27 PTs to work with. That sounds like quite a lot left. If I take 16 weeks to PT and BR, that seems to be more than enough. However, you seem to think differently given that you mentioned you changed your mind on the 20-30 PTs assessment. Care to share your thoughts?

    Yeah, I think that was one of the first things I ever asked when I signed up for 7Sage!

    I actually ended up largely ditching The Trainer for 7Sage. I've since read parts of it here and there, and like I said, it is an amazing. I definitely like it for LR/RC. However, 7Sage just kind of clicked better for me, and J.Y.'s lessons and teaching style were exactly what I needed.

    That said, you have to find what works best for you. If you're reading The Trainer and seeing improvements, I would finish it first before starting the CC. I mean, it only makes sense since it's working and you've already begun. I just found it wasn't helping me with conditional logic and games, two places where I need the most work, and two places where 7Sage really shines.

    I ended up using 7Sage for both the majority of my drills and learning. I really like how all of 7Sage's drills have video explanations and comments/question/answers from other 7Sagers. This allowed me to get much better review and a more interactive experience while drilling.

    After I finished the CC, I took a long break from the LSAT due to life getting in the way. I kind of didn't prep much from Jan 2017 until maybe September 2017 again. Once I returned from that study hiatus, I re-evaluated my prep thanks to the help of the wonderful community on here. I realized that if I was going to hit a 170, I needed to make sure to reserve as many PTs as possible. I also think the idea that 20-30 PTs were enough was appealing to me because it ultimately meant I had to do less work. And it was nice knowing once I was done with those PTs that I'd be done with my prep. But after taking a handful of tests and realizing how far I had to go, I wanted to be sure to save the most recent tests for when I had mastered the basics before burning more precious, recent tests. If I had scored a 170 right out of the CC, maybe I would have been more comfortable using more recent tests. But obviously that's rarely the case for most test takers.

    As for you having 27 PTs left to work with, again, I think the amount is sort of arbitrary. Don't feel like you have to get through all of them before you take the test. It's probably even better to save some should you need a retake. Try doing only the odds or even tests at first; e.g., 52, 54, 56...

    Take a test, blind review it, and then do everything in your power to improve before taking another one. Taking a PT and finishing it is only the beginning of the work you need to do with that PT. I can't stress that enough... That might mean a week or two of reviewing concepts and re-drilling them. But if you take another PT before you've done everything you can to improve from the last one, you're wasting your time and a PT. If you see a score increase, there's no guarantee you didn't just luck out. If your score dips, you're left in the same place you were with one less test, less time, and likely less motivation.

    Hope some of this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions :star:

    Thank you, Alex!

    I assume you are on to one PT a week type of timeline?

    No problem!

    Yeah I take a PT approximately every week. Right now I'm actually taking 2 weeks off to drill and work on some weaknesses. When I first started PT'ing I was taking one closer to every 2-3 weeks because I needed way more time to review and correct my mistakes and bad habits. FWIW, I also work FT and only study a couple hours per night and more on weekends. So your timeline may vary.

  • Mike_RossMike_Ross Alum Member Sage ⭐
    3113 karma

    I very much appreciate you taking the time to reply, Alex!

    I do work FT as well but I've been relatively good at making sure I hunker down and study at the end of every day. I like what you said about 7Sage offering a more interactive experience. I def agree, especially when reviewing wrong answers, it's much easier to watch than read through paragraphs..

    I'm going to get the ultimate + for that very reason, and big plus because you get to print out tests, instead of having to photocopy from books, etc..

    I think for now, I'm not going to worry so much about timing as I drill and learn. When I get into the PT stage, I'll make it more of a concern.

    best of luck with your studies! and hope I can be of help to future students too!

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma

    @benedicthcp said:
    I very much appreciate you taking the time to reply, Alex!

    I do work FT as well but I've been relatively good at making sure I hunker down and study at the end of every day. I like what you said about 7Sage offering a more interactive experience. I def agree, especially when reviewing wrong answers, it's much easier to watch than read through paragraphs..

    I'm going to get the ultimate + for that very reason, and big plus because you get to print out tests, instead of having to photocopy from books, etc..

    I think for now, I'm not going to worry so much about timing as I drill and learn. When I get into the PT stage, I'll make it more of a concern.

    best of luck with your studies! and hope I can be of help to future students too!

    Right on, brother! Ult + is the way to go if you're looking for tons of awesome drill materials and wonderful explanations!

    I think it's best to not make timing a priority when you do most of your drilling. I always push the pace, but I never sacrifice accuracy for timing on my drills since speed shouldn't be the main concern. Learning should be. And if you learn how to do something right repeatedly, then speed will take care of itself.

    Good luck to you too!

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