The Official September 2016 Study Group - WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS Forum

[34iplaw]

Also, it's gonna be really hard switching from taking tests at 12:30 to taking them at 8:30 in the morning. That's a huge advantage of taking in June and I kinda wish every test would be given at that time. For those who aren't morning people, what are you doing to make sure you're at 100% by 8:30?

Start waking up at 6:00 every day.

Edit: Or however long it takes you to wake up. You may want to figure out what time you need to be up for your LSAT and start working on being up at that time every day.

I removed all the blind for that reason. I'll start getting up earlier closer to test day, but it's literally impossible for me to sleep past 7:30 with how bright this room gets.

[proteinshake]

Ok, so I just wanted to ask you all on your thoughts about this before I try it on sections and PTs. So I usually check every answer choice in LR, and eliminate every A/C that's wrong, or that I assume is wrong, that is. For timing sakes, do you guys think it would be a good or bad idea (JUST FOR 1 LR SECTION OF DRILLING), to try out picking the A/C that I think is right based on my pre-phrase for the first 10ish questions and not looking at the other A/C's? Obviously the whole 10 in 10 thing has been debatable for many since they can obviously throw in a hard question at the beginning, but I really want to try something different with LR for timing. If it seems like a shitty idea just tell me straight up, haha.

not a bad idea but it depends on your LR skills. do you always (or close to always) get 100% of the first 10 questions correct and feel like you waste time by checking all the answer choices? I don't read all the answer choices for a lot of 'first 10' questions (sometimes but not always) and I think it's fine. it saves me a bunch of time for the harder questions!

I usually get at least 1 wrong in the first 10, it's not a specific question type, it's usually any type. Never more than 2 wrong in the first 10 though. Excluding the June take

hmm. I say try it out!

[proteinshake]

Also, it's gonna be really hard switching from taking tests at 12:30 to taking them at 8:30 in the morning. That's a huge advantage of taking in June and I kinda wish every test would be given at that time. For those who aren't morning people, what are you doing to make sure you're at 100% by 8:30?

you don't NEED to be 100% by 8:30, the test probably won't start until 9:30ish!

[cgra1916]

Checking in here after getting a disappointing 162 in June. Was really sick on test day, and had a really difficult time getting through the entire test. Goal is a 168+ by September. I have a really good GPA, so this test is really the only thing holding me back. Really depressed that I couldn't get this all done in June. I'll be taking the rest of the weekend off and get back to studying on Monday.

One important piece of advice I have for first time takers is to not overdo it. Burnout is real. I was putting in a lot of hours leading up to test day, and a 2 weeks before the test my scores were plummeting. I had a tough time absorbing text and lost confidence, which is extremely important for this test. Some of my friends who already had taken the test told me that burnout is real, but I ignored them, thinking that it wouldn't affect me. Putting in 5-6 hours a day a couple times a week is fine, but if you're doing this every day you risk not being at your best come test day. This time I'll have long study days (4-5 hours) followed by short ones (2 hours) to help prevent burnout. I'll also be taking one day off each week as someone on 7sage recommended.

Lastly, try and take advantage of the free proctored exams that several companies offer in big cities like NY, LA, etc. As someone who took several of these, I can say that it comes very close to simulating what test-day is going to be like. Even just taking one or two helps tremendously and puts you at a big advantage over other students. Looking forward to hangin out with you guys over the next several months!!

You're advice came at a perfect time, I felt really burned out today. I have been studying (or at least trying to study) 5-6 hours per day with a day off since I have nothing going on this Summer. You're score is actually my target score, I'm not anywhere near the level of anybody on this thread haha. Do you mind me asking your diagnostics and what you may have done to get your score?

As far as the exam time, I think I like the 8:30 am time better. Mind is fresh, and all that bs, right? Hope you can bounce back and achieve your goal this September!

[NoAngel]

So, I asked this in the other thread but does anyone know how schools (T14, etc.) look at applicants with relatively large jumps in lsat scores?

[Barack O'Drama]

Ok, so I just wanted to ask you all on your thoughts about this before I try it on sections and PTs. So I usually check every answer choice in LR, and eliminate every A/C that's wrong, or that I assume is wrong, that is. For timing sakes, do you guys think it would be a good or bad idea (JUST FOR 1 LR SECTION OF DRILLING), to try out picking the A/C that I think is right based on my pre-phrase for the first 10ish questions and not looking at the other A/C's? Obviously the whole 10 in 10 thing has been debatable for many since they can obviously throw in a hard question at the beginning, but I really want to try something different with LR for timing. If it seems like a shitty idea just tell me straight up, haha.

not a bad idea but it depends on your LR skills. do you always (or close to always) get 100% of the first 10 questions correct and feel like you waste time by checking all the answer choices? I don't read all the answer choices for a lot of 'first 10' questions (sometimes but not always) and I think it's fine. it saves me a bunch of time for the harder questions!

I usually get at least 1 wrong in the first 10, it's not a specific question type, it's usually any type. Never more than 2 wrong in the first 10 though. Excluding the June take

hmm. I say try it out!

Yeah. I vote for try it out! Worse case is it hurts you more than it helps and you go back. I've really come to see that no 2 test takers answer the questions or read them exactly the same. So I think being versatile and trying a new approach might be really good for you.

[Mikey]

So, I asked this in the other thread but does anyone know how schools (T14, etc.) look at applicants with relatively large jumps in lsat scores?

To my knowledge, all schools excluding Yale only care about your highest score no matter what the former score was (assuming it's lower obviously).

[Barack O'Drama]

Checking in here after getting a disappointing 162 in June. Was really sick on test day, and had a really difficult time getting through the entire test. Goal is a 168+ by September. I have a really good GPA, so this test is really the only thing holding me back. Really depressed that I couldn't get this all done in June. I'll be taking the rest of the weekend off and get back to studying on Monday.

One important piece of advice I have for first time takers is to not overdo it. Burnout is real. I was putting in a lot of hours leading up to test day, and a 2 weeks before the test my scores were plummeting. I had a tough time absorbing text and lost confidence, which is extremely important for this test. Some of my friends who already had taken the test told me that burnout is real, but I ignored them, thinking that it wouldn't affect me. Putting in 5-6 hours a day a couple times a week is fine, but if you're doing this every day you risk not being at your best come test day. This time I'll have long study days (4-5 hours) followed by short ones (2 hours) to help prevent burnout. I'll also be taking one day off each week as someone on 7sage recommended.

Lastly, try and take advantage of the free proctored exams that several companies offer in big cities like NY, LA, etc. As someone who took several of these, I can say that it comes very close to simulating what test-day is going to be like. Even just taking one or two helps tremendously and puts you at a big advantage over other students. Looking forward to hangin out with you guys over the next several months!!

You're advice came at a perfect time, I felt really burned out today. I have been studying (or at least trying to study) 5-6 hours per day with a day off since I have nothing going on this Summer. You're score is actually my target score, I'm not anywhere near the level of anybody on this thread haha. Do you mind me asking your diagnostics and what you may have done to get your score?

As far as the exam time, I think I like the 8:30 am time better. Mind is fresh, and all that bs, right? Hope you can bounce back and achieve your goal this September!

I know, right? The burnout has been building with me and I've been rolling with the punches and powering through. I haven't taken a full day off in a month. Yesterday I was busy doing other work an only got about 2 hours of prep in. I think I may adopt a strategy where I do 6 hours every other day. Then on the rest of the days aim for 3-4. 6 everyday is starting to make me really...idk... Not in a mind state that is conducive to learning.

[20170322]

Just played 3 pickup games of basketball, mind way clearer. Excited to see where my PT is at this Saturday. Going to take a 6 section test.

[Mikey]

Ok, so I just wanted to ask you all on your thoughts about this before I try it on sections and PTs. So I usually check every answer choice in LR, and eliminate every A/C that's wrong, or that I assume is wrong, that is. For timing sakes, do you guys think it would be a good or bad idea (JUST FOR 1 LR SECTION OF DRILLING), to try out picking the A/C that I think is right based on my pre-phrase for the first 10ish questions and not looking at the other A/C's? Obviously the whole 10 in 10 thing has been debatable for many since they can obviously throw in a hard question at the beginning, but I really want to try something different with LR for timing. If it seems like a shitty idea just tell me straight up, haha.

not a bad idea but it depends on your LR skills. do you always (or close to always) get 100% of the first 10 questions correct and feel like you waste time by checking all the answer choices? I don't read all the answer choices for a lot of 'first 10' questions (sometimes but not always) and I think it's fine. it saves me a bunch of time for the harder questions!

I usually get at least 1 wrong in the first 10, it's not a specific question type, it's usually any type. Never more than 2 wrong in the first 10 though. Excluding the June take

hmm. I say try it out!

Yeah. I vote for try it out! Worse case is it hurts you more than it helps and you go back. I've really come to see that no 2 test takers answer the questions or read them exactly the same. So I think being versatile and trying a new approach might be really good for you.

Alright cool, once I have gone through 7sage's LR stuffssss I will take a random LR section and try this out! Thanks Protein and the U.S Prez!

[Mikey]

Just played 3 pickup games of basketball, mind way clearer. Excited to see where my PT is at this Saturday. Going to take a 6 section test.

I guess that's a way to build endurance! O_O

[Deardevil]

Also, it's gonna be really hard switching from taking tests at 12:30 to taking them at 8:30 in the morning. That's a huge advantage of taking in June and I kinda wish every test would be given at that time. For those who aren't morning people, what are you doing to make sure you're at 100% by 8:30?

I believe my earliest UG class, public speaking, began at 7 AM,
so I had to be up at six in the morning since the commute takes 45 minutes.
Made sure I got enough sleep each night, and by "enough," I mean "eight."
Yeah... Sleeping at 10 PM every few days sucks when my favorite shows are usually on at nine.

Before going out, I always put on music both to help me wake up and get me pumped for the day;
it's just one of those things that puts me in a relaxed state, even if it's hardcore rap (even better since it makes me active).
Can't stress the importance of feeling good from the jump;
if your mood is poopy because, let's say, some chick rejected your advances the night before,
that carries throughout the day, leaving you to wonder why anyone could commit such a heinous crime.
That's also why some LSAT takers bomb the first few questions, even if they're supposedly easy.

As with public speaking, you want to be able to capture the crowd's attention right off the bat.
So start off the morning strong (via music, working out, whatever), and you'll be better equipped to conquer the day.

PS. Unrelated, I guess, but public speaking ended up being one of my favorite classes.
I always had the energy to give speeches and made tons of friends. Can't really say the same for most classes.

[YupSports]

Have been drilling RC for the past 4 days - 30 some passages better I feel much more confident.

As others have mentioned, really gotta watch it to fight burnout.

[34iplaw]

Also, it's gonna be really hard switching from taking tests at 12:30 to taking them at 8:30 in the morning. That's a huge advantage of taking in June and I kinda wish every test would be given at that time. For those who aren't morning people, what are you doing to make sure you're at 100% by 8:30?

I believe my earliest UG class, public speaking, began at 7 AM,
so I had to be up at six in the morning since the commute takes 45 minutes.
Made sure I got enough sleep each night, and by "enough," I mean "eight."
Yeah... Sleeping at 10 PM every few days sucks when my favorite shows are usually on at nine.

Before going out, I always put on music both to help me wake up and get me pumped for the day;
it's just one of those things that puts me in a relaxed state, even if it's hardcore rap (even better since it makes me active).
Can't stress the importance of feeling good from the jump;
if your mood is poopy because, let's say, some chick rejected your advances the night before,
that carries throughout the day, leaving you to wonder why anyone could commit such a heinous crime.
That's also why some LSAT takers bomb the first few questions, even if they're supposedly easy.

As with public speaking, you want to be able to capture the crowd's attention right off the bat.
So start off the morning strong (via music, working out, whatever), and you'll be better equipped to conquer the day.

PS. Unrelated, I guess, but public speaking ended up being one of my favorite classes.
I always had the energy to give speeches and made tons of friends. Can't really say the same for most classes.

You listen to Mr. Worldwide in the morning too?

[20170322]

Taking a 5-section PT tomorrow in a noisy location. Fingers crossed for 175+!

[proteinshake]

Taking a 5-section PT tomorrow in a noisy location. Fingers crossed for 175+!

good luck! hoping to break 175 on my next PT as well!

[Deardevil]

You listen to Mr. Worldwide in the morning too?

Was it too obvious? Haha.
No, I'm actually a K-rap type of guy.
I'd blame it on the K-pop addiction, but it actually goes HARD,
even if I don't understand it whatsoever.
Of course, there's still the occasional Drake...
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM; NOW, WE'RE HERE.

[Alexandros]

Did nothing lsat related at all today aside from a couple drills this morning. Moving tomorrow morning and that just sucked up all my time. I guess sometimes you have to take care of things that are not LSATs. :/// (Not gonna lie, would much rather be drilling. So much more calming.)

Not even thinking of this as a test - it's a way of life. Also accepting that we (me and the LSAT) might be in a long term relationship - staring at law school numbers admission stats graphs for a while further solidified the kind of score I both want and need on this, and I'm not going to accept anything less. Ill do everything I can to ensure I get that score in September, but if I don't, no big deal, I have the time and I'll take it again until I do. WE WILL PREVAIL.

[Alexandros]

You listen to Mr. Worldwide in the morning too?

Was it too obvious? Haha.
No, I'm actually a K-rap type of guy.
I'd blame it on the K-pop addiction, but it actually goes HARD,
even if I don't understand it whatsoever.
Of course, there's still the occasional Drake...
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM; NOW, WE'RE HERE.

Diagnostic --> test day, amirite

[34iplaw]

You listen to Mr. Worldwide in the morning too?

Was it too obvious? Haha.
No, I'm actually a K-rap type of guy.
I'd blame it on the K-pop addiction, but it actually goes HARD,
even if I don't understand it whatsoever.
Of course, there's still the occasional Drake...
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM; NOW, WE'RE HERE.

Diagnostic --> test day, amirite

Not gonna lie... I kind of really like some french rap, and I don't speak french.

Signing out for the night. Did all new ordering games from Testmasters homework. Hit 100% accuracy on all of them the first time doing them, but I should have worked faster, IMO. Averaged 6-8 minutes a game, but they are relatively simple ordering games. I'm not sure where they fell on the difficulty, as they weren't super easy but became so if you made a really good board or had a strong inference off the bat. 100% accuracy on several RC passages as well [untimed and aiming for accuracy].

[FischerTAH]

Don't forget that there are other aspects of Law School Admissions, can take much needed breaks to focus on admissions. Below are some notes I took from 7Sage's Intro to Admissions Webinar, put on by David Busis, that happened yesterday evening.

Look at the applications for schools you want to get into now, a lot of them share similar topics.

Open prompts truly can be about anything
Don't necessarily write about why you're going to law school, if your resume shows real commitment to social justice, have wanted to be forever, then write about it
if your T-14 schools don't really care, write about something not focused on this

Personal Statement
-Make them remember who you are, do not brag about what you've done as that what your resume is for
-Diversity Statement only if you can write a really really good one, should generally be shorter than personal statement, if it wants to be longer than personal statement than maybe use that as personal statement?

Resume (not the same as a job)
-List interests and activities (these two come up in interviews)
-Shows that you're an human being, humanize yourself
-Only include highlights, show off skills or highlights talents
-Keep to one page, admissions will scan for about 30 seconds

Letters of Recommendation
-around 3 LoR, no more than 5
-Academics weigh much more heavily
-Those who know you well are much more helpful
-Those who can tell stories about you, help illustrate your personality
-Can give them information about yourself, might include keys for what you want to be highlighted or how you've changed recently

Character and Fitness Addendum
-Assume admissions can find out anything available via google, social media, etc.

Weakness Addendum
-Is this a legitimate problem?
-Did i try to fix this problem?
-Is this going to occur in the future?
-Don't write about a weakness you don't want them to know about

Why school X essay (if they says it is optional it is NOT OPTIONAL)
-Must write it if you have the option, this is a interest test
-Have to do research on the school, talk with students, admissions, graduates
-Cite unique reasons, classes, clinics, professors you want to work with
-Don't make it a generalized statements ("Great professors", "Noteworthy graduates") talk about specific classes or experiences
-Should be one page or less

Other Essays
-Compliment or emphasize other parts of your admission packet
-Use this to expound on your "marketing of yourself"


Sorry for the wall of text!

[Barack O'Drama]

You listen to Mr. Worldwide in the morning too?

Was it too obvious? Haha.
No, I'm actually a K-rap type of guy.
I'd blame it on the K-pop addiction, but it actually goes HARD,
even if I don't understand it whatsoever.
Of course, there's still the occasional Drake...
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM; NOW, WE'RE HERE.

Diagnostic --> test day, amirite

Not gonna lie... I kind of really like some french rap, and I don't speak french.

Signing out for the night. Did all new ordering games from Testmasters homework. Hit 100% accuracy on all of them the first time doing them, but I should have worked faster, IMO. Averaged 6-8 minutes a game, but they are relatively simple ordering games. I'm not sure where they fell on the difficulty, as they weren't super easy but became so if you made a really good board or had a strong inference off the bat. 100% accuracy on several RC passages as well [untimed and aiming for accuracy].

Sounds like your progress is still going and getting even better!

Nice work, iplaw.

As for RC, do you think it is better to start untimed and work on accuracy first? I started doing a little actual RC studying today for the first time and missed 2 questions on the first passage I did timed. I guess it would make sense to figure out how to read for the correct structure untimed while I'm learning. RC is the one section I haven't touched. The good news is that I am following a schedule now to give me some structure, so I'll be doing a bit of everything from now until I begin doing just PTs.

[Barack O'Drama]

Don't forget that there are other aspects of Law School Admissions, can take much needed breaks to focus on admissions. Below are some notes I took from 7Sage's Intro to Admissions Webinar, put on by David Busis, that happened yesterday evening.

Look at the applications for schools you want to get into now, a lot of them share similar topics.

Open prompts truly can be about anything
Don't necessarily write about why you're going to law school, if your resume shows real commitment to social justice, have wanted to be forever, then write about it
if your T-14 schools don't really care, write about something not focused on this

Personal Statement
-Make them remember who you are, do not brag about what you've done as that what your resume is for
-Diversity Statement only if you can write a really really good one, should generally be shorter than personal statement, if it wants to be longer than personal statement than maybe use that as personal statement?

Resume (not the same as a job)
-List interests and activities (these two come up in interviews)
-Shows that you're an human being, humanize yourself
-Only include highlights, show off skills or highlights talents
-Keep to one page, admissions will scan for about 30 seconds

Letters of Recommendation
-around 3 LoR, no more than 5
-Academics weigh much more heavily
-Those who know you well are much more helpful
-Those who can tell stories about you, help illustrate your personality
-Can give them information about yourself, might include keys for what you want to be highlighted or how you've changed recently

Character and Fitness Addendum
-Assume admissions can find out anything available via google, social media, etc.

Weakness Addendum
-Is this a legitimate problem?
-Did i try to fix this problem?
-Is this going to occur in the future?
-Don't write about a weakness you don't want them to know about

Why school X essay (if they says it is optional it is NOT OPTIONAL)
-Must write it if you have the option, this is a interest test
-Have to do research on the school, talk with students, admissions, graduates
-Cite unique reasons, classes, clinics, professors you want to work with
-Don't make it a generalized statements ("Great professors", "Noteworthy graduates") talk about specific classes or experiences
-Should be one page or less

Other Essays
-Compliment or emphasize other parts of your admission packet
-Use this to expound on your "marketing of yourself"


Sorry for the wall of text!

Thank you for posting this. I saw there was a webinar, but admittedly forgot. This is excellent info I will keep in mind!

[cgra1916]

Also, it's gonna be really hard switching from taking tests at 12:30 to taking them at 8:30 in the morning. That's a huge advantage of taking in June and I kinda wish every test would be given at that time. For those who aren't morning people, what are you doing to make sure you're at 100% by 8:30?

Start waking up at 6:00 every day.

Edit: Or however long it takes you to wake up. You may want to figure out what time you need to be up for your LSAT and start working on being up at that time every day.

I removed all the blind for that reason. I'll start getting up earlier closer to test day, but it's literally impossible for me to sleep past 7:30 with how bright this room gets.

Dude. I live in South Texas and idk why I never thought of this. Pulled the blinds up last night, and I woke up before 7:30 for the first time during my studies. This Texas heat is no joke... Thanks, and good luck studying this weekend!

[Mikey]

Good morning guys! Hope y'all have a good day whether you're going to work, studying for this lawl school test, or doing absolutely nothing (in that case, I hate you but still have a good day).