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LSAT Logic Games Timing
Driving the LSAT struggle bus
| Look at you go, doing LSAT prep! You’re taking the right steps toward getting the score you want, but taking the LSAT be an uphill battle. (I know, I’ve been there) If you’re planning on taking the LSAT, whether in 3 months, 6 months, or a full year from now, I want to know what’s giving you the most trouble. It could be a specific section like Logic Games, which, despite being called “games,” can be absolutely no fun at all! Or maybe it’s just figuring out how to get started and then stay motivated once you have. Whatever it may be, I’d like you to think about these two questions and get back to me: What's your #1 struggle with LSAT prep? and What would you like to get more info about? After I get enough answers, I’m going to go back through 'em all and find the most common ones. That’ll help me figure out how to best help you in the coming months as we take on the LSAT together. Getting questions from students like you is what has driven me to write explanations for over 1,000 LSAT questions, create a series of popular LSAT courses AND publish best-selling LSAT guides.
Getting feedback from students like you is what keeps me going and constantly creating more LSAT goodies!
Looking forward to hearing from you, Steve, the LSAT Whisperer P.S. Do me a favor - reach out and tell me your story. Although I can’t reply to EVERY message, I do read every one myself. |
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If you're having LSAT problems I feel bad for you son
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LSAT Unplugged Course Feedback on Group Coaching
"Hi Steve,
I just wanted to say thank you again for taking the time to speak to me. I have received all the links and have taken a quick look - they all look super helpful. I plan to dig into them tomorrow after class.
In terms of the community that you've created, I have so many more thoughts that I wanted to share. So here they are (this will be long so feel free to read this with a cup of coffee when you have time):
I think more so than any other LSAT teacher or course, you've always emphasized looking at the test holistically. Not just the technical aspect, but also how to best prepare emotionally for the test. On one of my first encounters with your website and your videos, you said that you don't recommend students taking diagnostic tests or putting too much stock into the diagnostic score - because it doesn't say anything about your potential score and could also have a negative effect on your self confidence. I thought this was so different to any other test prep company or teachers out there with whom the first thing they get you to do is to take a diagnostic test.
I myself got a 153 for my timed diagnostic which weighed extremely heavily on me. I had no idea whether or not I was cut out for this test or even law school.
I'm sure you'll remember from your own days of studying for the LSAT; Self-doubt is such a big part of this process. No matter how well or how hard you study for the test, it always has its ways of beating you down again and again.
For me, I had always been rather successful in my academic and professional endeavours. For my high school diploma, I was ranked within the top 2% of all students in Australia. I graduated cum laude from NYU within four years with both my undergraduate and masters degree. Got my dream job before I graduated. Successfully led negotiations in an international trade agreement despite being thrown into it on my second week in the job without any prior legal or technical training. I was able to get through all of that and was very used to putting in the necessary amount of effort and reaping the rewards almost immediately.
The LSAT has been a completely different experience.
This is the first time in my life where I've put in so much effort and have not seen the immediate results that I expect. In the months and months of preparation, you study your weaknesses again and again, but you don't see your score improve much. Sometimes you finally experience a score increase, only to have that score go back down the next day. It's a complete rollercoaster ride where one day you think you're finally making progress, and the next you're back in an abyss of self doubt. It takes so much determination to come back to something that just beats you down again and again.
I can share that I have cried after seeing my score go down after increases, I have thought about quitting all together and going back to my job, I have even tried to rationalize myself out of taking the test by convincing myself that this is clearly a career that I'm not well-suited for and will never do well in, why bark up the wrong tree when I would have a much easier time going into a career where I can take advantage of my strengths? But at the end of the day, I know going to law school is something I want to do - to not only improve myself but so that I can have the foundations needed to help others and to effect change where society needs it the most. I convinced myself that it is not how well I do in fair seas that determines me, but how I stay determined and overcome these challenges that really defines my character. So I decided to stick with it - albeit with times where I've felt myself wavering on these beliefs during the process.
Then in March, I signed up to LSATUnplugged, joined group coaching calls and the facebook community.
During every group coaching call, I would share the issue that I'm experiencing and receive so much feedback from the different students. I would go away and apply these different pearls of wisdom, and within a week or two, I would see the issue go away. An example of this was when I first signed up to the course and had a lot of issues with LG speed. The feedback I got was to skip the questions (e.g. MBT) which took a lot of time, and to simply come back to it after I had done the local questions which would allow me to eliminate more answer choices in the early question. This helped me immensely and I was finally able to get through all the questions in a LG section without feeling too rushed.
During the group coaching calls, the students really all come together to create this super entity which has more experience with the LSAT than any one person or course could ever have. It's 20-50 students who have a combined experience time on the LSAT of probably more than a few thousand hours. So you're basically interacting with this superbeing that is the LSATUnplugged community in real time. Out of all the students in the session, there's bound to be someone who has had a similar struggle or question. You just don't get that sort of experience with any other prep course out there.
The interactive nature of your course and community is so crucial. It is so easy to doubt yourself when you're just sitting at home, endlessly trying to absorb everything from the plethora of LSAT-prep tomes that are out there on the market. It is so easy to feel burnt out when you're getting talked at by someone else on the other side of an explanation video who you feel is probably just a LSAT genius for whom this all comes intuitively. It is a one-way street where you're not given the opportunity to ask questions, to interact, to think critically, and to come up with innovative ways to deal with the questions. I mean aren't some of these skills exactly what makes a good law student/lawyer? Not only should they be a part of the LSAT learning experience but they should be encouraged! Your course and community provides a rare environment where students are given the opportunity to do this.
Apart from the technical knowledge that the community brings, the emotional support it provides is just as, if not more, important. When you're studying for the LSAT, it is likely that you're one of the few people you know that's doing this, especially if you're self-studying with a prep book or an online course. And while some of us are fortunate enough to have a good circle of support amongst friends and family, it does not replace the invaluable empathy that you get from someone going through the same thing as you. It feels incredible to be able to vent and say: "omg I just did the CD game. I hate conditional statements!" and have someone understand exactly what you meant without you having to spend 10 minutes explaining what a conditional statement is. To just know that there are other people out there going through the same thing as you provides the peace of mind that you're not alone and that you're not odd or "stupid" for not getting it. It pushes away the self doubt that weighs so heavily during this process.
The diversity of students in your community has also been a great source of motivation for me. Just the other day, there was a student in group coaching who said she was a mother of a young child and was trying to balance motherhood with studying for the LSATs. There are students in the facebook community who talk about being out of school for more than 20 years and have decided to put their lives and careers on hold for this. There are students for whom English is their second language and are determined to beat this test despite the compounded difficulties. So hearing all these stories, everything gets put into perspective - you think that if they can overcome all these extreme hurdles, then why can't I go on another day despite not getting the score I expected that one time or not seeing immediate results after a few days.
So in conclusion, please be incredibly proud of the community that you have created. It isn't by mere coincidence that all your students are so open and willing to share their strengths as well as weaknesses with the other students. I've seen you be so understanding and open-minded with the different approaches that people have taken - even if sometimes a student's way of doing things somewhat contradicts what you have recommended in the past. I think this is so crucial to what makes for great learning - that people are encouraged to think for themselves and to do things in a way that works best for them. This in turn breeds diversity of thought and an environment where people feel safe to share their experiences.
Again, I'd be more than happy to discuss any of this in a video when I'm no longer restricted. For now, I'm also happy for any of this to be used as a testimonial on the LSATUnplugged website or facebook group as you see fit as long as only my first name is attributed."
What I've Learned About Admissions From Reviewing 100+ Applications
In this article, I'm sharing things I've learned about admissions from reviewing 100+ of your video applications for the LSAT Unplugged Course Scholarship for Public Interest.
First off --
I'd make a terrible admission officer because I'd say "yes" to everybody.
But when you have 100+ submissions for 10 spots, you have to make some tough
choices. If you don't want to decide randomly, you have to set up *some* basis for decision-making.
Check out videos from the past week to see my favorites -- these are just a few:
Follow the rules.
If I say max 5 minutes, and you go over, I don't *personally* care because 5 minutes is arbitrary. (Same goes for deadlines.)
But with far too many submissions, I have no choice but to use filters - did this person read closely enough to follow the rules? Did they care enough? If I say "yes" to them, is it fair to others who clearly made an effort to stick to the rules?
Go to the max (or come close).
If the time limit is 5 minutes, I expect you to come close to filling the time. 4, 4 1/2 minutes is fine. But if you're only doing 1-2 minutes, It looks like you don't have enough to say or aren't putting in the effort. And if you do 3-4 minutes, those 3-4 minutes had better be on FIRE.
Get personal.
The most compelling entries aren't abstract. I want to hear about your stories -- concrete and real experiences.
You don't need to have started an NGO or anything, but I do like hearing about your personal life and/or work experience -- both to get to know you a bit and connect it to your goals.
Get colorful.
Opening with a hook and showing personality has an impact. A clever or witty open isn't necessary, and don't try to force it. But if it's your style, it definitely gets my attention.
Regardless, don't speak in a monotone or come across as low-energy. Show some passion, that you care about winning and your career goals.
Public interest is public interest.
I left it intentionally vague so as not to exclude any deserving areas I might not know about, but helping investors in the stock market doesn't fall within most definitions of "public interest."
Going the extra mile matters.
A few people made little extra demonstrations of interest - it's not necessary, but as long as it's not annoying, it's appreciated and noticed. It can definitely have an impact in borderline cases.
So does prior interest.
If we've communicated in the past, or I've seen you around (like in the LSAT Unplugged Facebook Group or Instagram), that could sway me one way or the other and add some additional context for your application. Again, not necessary, but it can have an impact.
Applying early helps.
I'd never fault someone for applying at the last minute, but I generally reviewed applications in the order received. I couldn't help noticing those who applied earlier and felt more free to say "yes" to them than when I had fewer slots remaining later in the process.
Personal biases are unavoidable.
I've touched on this already in other areas above but want to add one final thing -- it's possible to make an offhand comment that rubs someone the wrong way. I make real efforts not to penalize someone for expressing a different opinion from my own, but it's still possible to go too far in any direction. Try not to make assumptions about the person reviewing your application, especially when it comes to "hot-button" topics.
***
A few more things:
#1 - I might also break any of the above rules to accept someone if something about their application compels me. There's an element of randomness when it comes to making exceptions, granting liberties, etc. The process is subjective and unfair.
#2 - If you don't win, that doesn't mean *anything* about you personally, your goals, or anything else about your application. You could "do everything right" and still not win - selection has an arbitrary element, especially when there are far too many applications for too few slots.
#3 - This entire process has been incredibly rewarding. I'm so inspired by every single one of you.
I've already reached out to all the winners. And for everyone who applied but *didn't* win, I'll reach out to you personally (if I haven't already) and do whatever I can to help.
#4 - It bothers me that I wasn't able to give access to everyone who needed and deserved it. It kills me to say "no" to anyone, especially those who are clearly passionate. I was only going to choose 10 winners, but I got so many outstanding entries that I upped it to 30.
But it still doesn't feel like enough -- I could have chosen a different 30, and they would have deserved it, too. There's still a lot of work to be done. (A quick reminder - I also offer partial LSAT course scholarships on an ongoing basis.)
#5 - I will definitely do this again in the future.
***
Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone, please keep on fighting.
I see you and appreciate the work that you're doing.
The world needs you more than ever.
Steve
First off --
I'd make a terrible admission officer because I'd say "yes" to everybody.
But when you have 100+ submissions for 10 spots, you have to make some tough
choices. If you don't want to decide randomly, you have to set up *some* basis for decision-making.
Check out videos from the past week to see my favorites -- these are just a few:
Follow the rules.
If I say max 5 minutes, and you go over, I don't *personally* care because 5 minutes is arbitrary. (Same goes for deadlines.)
But with far too many submissions, I have no choice but to use filters - did this person read closely enough to follow the rules? Did they care enough? If I say "yes" to them, is it fair to others who clearly made an effort to stick to the rules?
Go to the max (or come close).
If the time limit is 5 minutes, I expect you to come close to filling the time. 4, 4 1/2 minutes is fine. But if you're only doing 1-2 minutes, It looks like you don't have enough to say or aren't putting in the effort. And if you do 3-4 minutes, those 3-4 minutes had better be on FIRE.
Get personal.
The most compelling entries aren't abstract. I want to hear about your stories -- concrete and real experiences.
You don't need to have started an NGO or anything, but I do like hearing about your personal life and/or work experience -- both to get to know you a bit and connect it to your goals.
Get colorful.
Opening with a hook and showing personality has an impact. A clever or witty open isn't necessary, and don't try to force it. But if it's your style, it definitely gets my attention.
Regardless, don't speak in a monotone or come across as low-energy. Show some passion, that you care about winning and your career goals.
Public interest is public interest.
I left it intentionally vague so as not to exclude any deserving areas I might not know about, but helping investors in the stock market doesn't fall within most definitions of "public interest."
Going the extra mile matters.
A few people made little extra demonstrations of interest - it's not necessary, but as long as it's not annoying, it's appreciated and noticed. It can definitely have an impact in borderline cases.
So does prior interest.
If we've communicated in the past, or I've seen you around (like in the LSAT Unplugged Facebook Group or Instagram), that could sway me one way or the other and add some additional context for your application. Again, not necessary, but it can have an impact.
Applying early helps.
I'd never fault someone for applying at the last minute, but I generally reviewed applications in the order received. I couldn't help noticing those who applied earlier and felt more free to say "yes" to them than when I had fewer slots remaining later in the process.
Personal biases are unavoidable.
I've touched on this already in other areas above but want to add one final thing -- it's possible to make an offhand comment that rubs someone the wrong way. I make real efforts not to penalize someone for expressing a different opinion from my own, but it's still possible to go too far in any direction. Try not to make assumptions about the person reviewing your application, especially when it comes to "hot-button" topics.
***
A few more things:
#1 - I might also break any of the above rules to accept someone if something about their application compels me. There's an element of randomness when it comes to making exceptions, granting liberties, etc. The process is subjective and unfair.
#2 - If you don't win, that doesn't mean *anything* about you personally, your goals, or anything else about your application. You could "do everything right" and still not win - selection has an arbitrary element, especially when there are far too many applications for too few slots.
#3 - This entire process has been incredibly rewarding. I'm so inspired by every single one of you.
I've already reached out to all the winners. And for everyone who applied but *didn't* win, I'll reach out to you personally (if I haven't already) and do whatever I can to help.
#4 - It bothers me that I wasn't able to give access to everyone who needed and deserved it. It kills me to say "no" to anyone, especially those who are clearly passionate. I was only going to choose 10 winners, but I got so many outstanding entries that I upped it to 30.
But it still doesn't feel like enough -- I could have chosen a different 30, and they would have deserved it, too. There's still a lot of work to be done. (A quick reminder - I also offer partial LSAT course scholarships on an ongoing basis.)
#5 - I will definitely do this again in the future.
***
Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone, please keep on fighting.
I see you and appreciate the work that you're doing.
The world needs you more than ever.
Steve
Mindfulness reduces LSAT stress and anxiety
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Self-LESS LSAT book promotion
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When good LSAT books go bad
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The LSAT struggle is real
| Look, the LSAT is tough. Really tough. But you don’t need to freak out about it, because I’m here to help. Chances are, you’re taking practice tests right now (or will be pretty soon), and I want to know what's giving you the most trouble. What exactly is it that’s keeping you up at night? Nightmares about Logical Reasoning problems? Visions of Logic Games lurking in the shadows? While everyone is going to have their own sections they find more difficult, I’m going to be focusing on the topics that get mentioned most and tackle them head on. Why? Because I genuinely enjoy helping people take their LSAT scores from “so-so” to “woo hoo!!” It's the reason I’ve written best-selling LSAT guides, created a series of LSAT courses, and even wrote over 1,000 FREE articles...
And they're all to help you get to where you want to be.
I've gotten a lot of questions about Logic Games lately, so one week from now, I'll start doing a deep dive into Logic Games - if you're having trouble with those, you'll hear plenty from me about those pretty soon.
If you're fine with Logic Games - great! Would you rather find out from me about Logical Reasoning? Just click this link to get some of my best Logical Reasoning advice instead.
Let’s do this! -LSAT Steve P.S. Do me a favor - reach out and tell me your story. Although I can’t reply to EVERY message, I do read every one myself. |
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