You are the first youtuber I have found that was working a full time job while studying! It's so reassuring to know that someone else was able to accomplish it 😊 I would love to see a more in depth video on your bullet journal LSAT related spreads. Thank you so much for this content, so happy I found your channel 😁
It's actually funny because working while studying for the LSAT inadvertently encourages you to be more disciplined and efficient in your study routine! Working can be more of an advantage than people might assume. Also, YES to everything bullet journaling-I would love to make a video like that. Thanks for the tip and best of luck in your LSAT studies!
Thank you, Victoria! And yes! I believe being transparent about the learning process is so important! Overnight superstar scorers are NOT the norm and the sooner we get over that false narrative, the sooner we can adopt a healthy learning mindset. :)
@@BanterwithBabs I'm officially two years into it with taking the LSAT and I wasn't ready but I'm resetting my foundation. I have so many papers from the LSAT including written notes dating back to July. I'm going back into my notes and see what I missed the first go round.
I’m going to start studying for the LSAT in a couple months and your video came just in time! Tysm for sharing your test prep tips and they are really helpful! Hopefully I can break into the 170s as well :)
Thank you for explaining everything so in depth, yet so concisely! It's refreshing to watch a video with so much useful information that is realistic and actually helpful!! One of the best LSAT videos I've watched!
Your caliber of discipline is truly inspiring! Looking forward to seeing where your career takes you. You should make a video on your long term dreams and aspirations as I think you're one of those people who will actually reach their goals.
Thank you, Vishal! I'm a BIG believer that nothing can substitute hard work. I plan on producing more videos about my process and goals after I complete my first semester at Harvard Law this fall. Cheers!
I LOVE THIS! I’m currently trying to embark on this journey because it’s never too late to start BUT I have a noisy roommate, NOISY! But after watching your video I see that it actually works to my benefit. Thank you for this, guess I have to get past the annoyance in order to not get phased on test day. Thank you!!! What a gem!
Thanks again for the video content Babs. I just finished my 2nd to last semester of undergrad and all this stuff is becoming very relevant to me. I also plan on teaching as well and taking about a year before taking my LSAT so this advice works out quite well for me.
Hi Ryan! Balancing work and school can be difficult, don't give up! Special education teachers are the best-thank you for the amazing work you do. I wish you the best of luck! Babs
Your video is one of the most informative in regards to the LSAT. I also work full time and will be studying for a year. It’s also encouraging to know that we are around the same age, since most applicants are fresh out a bachelors program. Thank you for this video.
Thank you for your kind feedback! I would also add that there are so many advantages to not applying to law school straight out of undergrad. There are numerous career opportunities and worldly experiences to explore fresh out of college that will (i) enrich your life and (ii) give you clarity on your vision for wanting to go to law school in the first place. Plus, law schools often think favorably of applicants that apply with job experience under their belt (Harvard included). This is all to say, there is no rush and you should feel comfortable taking on the law school application process at a pace that best suits your timeline.
Wow! Great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. Emailing this to myself for when I start prepping in a few months!!! Thank you thank you!!!
You may have a conflict of interest with a TAMU Math REU participant. The dude got fully cancelled with a 170 proctored LSAT (June 12, 2006). Knowledge. The more you know. @ReadingRainbow
This was such a helpful video - thank you! If possible, could you make a video on your application, sharing parts of your personal statement or what your resume looked like? Any tips on those written portions of the application would be amazing !
This is the first video of yours I’ve come across and I’m subscribing. I appreciate how clear and concise your advice was, it was incredibly helpful. I’m definitely subscribing and I can’t wait to see more of your content wether LSAT related or personal ❤️ great work!
Thank you so much for subscribing! Your kind feedback means a great deal to me. I hope you have found the content on Banter with Babs helpful and informative so far. Best of luck with your studies and law school journey!
Correction: You only need to take 4 section LSAT now because they have removed one section. So practice with 4 so that on test day you have the stamina for all 4 sections.
I love to hear that, Bob! I made this video because when I first began my LSAT studies, there wasn't a RU-vid video out there about the highly specific, technical ins and outs of studying. But there should be! I hope you and others will benefit from this routine.
This video has been very helpful for me. I've been studying mostly in isolation using Khan Academy and a few books. Maybe I haven't been looking at the right places, but I didn't know what blind review was until I watched this. Thank you!
I’m so glad to have helped, Winston! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that your score will start jumping with blind review in your arsenal. Best of luck in your LSAT studies!
This is such informative LSAT vlog. I am definitely going take your advice on this study routine. I am working mom of three. Being an attorney has been my dream and I want to accomplish that dream. It is very hard to stay on task with the study due to family obligations. I am going to push myself because this is what I want. I also use khan Academy as well. It is very good and lsat demon. Thanks you. Good luck on your law school journey.
Hello Dolores! I know a mom of two at Harvard Law and she is one of THE most incredible and resilient students there. I have so much respect for moms who strive to further their education, and so do law schools! Keep fighting the good fight, Dolores, your future is bright! Love, Babs
Hi, Dolores! Hope you have been preparing as you planned. I am in the same boat as you, and having a special needs adding more pressure and requires more time commitment. Would like to know your tips, how did you stay on the task
I’m watching this after getting my first score back (bad) and feeling really demotivated and kind of defeated/hopeless but this helps me so much to remotivate me and give me hope so thank you!!
Aw thank you for sharing, Carolyn. I know just how demoralizing a low score can be, but I hope you can take comfort in the fact that it’s not over until it’s over. Law schools only care about the latest score, this is just the beginning for you. Keep fighting, girl!
Thanks so much--this was incredible! I think blind review was the thing that was missing for me in my studies. I also love the charts and organization that you created. Can you share those a bit more? It would be so helpful to see how you set them up, and the short-hand you created to organize drill sets. Thank you!
Hi Mara! I made a whole video about the charts I used in my bullet journal here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XqL4x6bAjrM.html Hope this helps! Babs
You're welcome! Self-studying takes discipline, but it's definitely doable and comes with the added benefit of personalization and low costs. I hope your LSAT studies have been going well, best of luck!
Thank you for posting this video, I’m currently studying for November 2020 LSAT. I was looking for something to keep me organized I’m DEFINITELY using your tips! New subbie!
I'm glad to hear you found this video useful. The journey to law school (and then becoming a full-fledged attorney) is a long but rewarding one. Thank you for watching, and I hope you continue to find my content helpful. Best of luck with your studies!
Hi Alexandra! Haha, no doubt about it there is definitely a lot of info in this video! I recommend reading the first couple chapters of the LSAT Trainer to get acquainted with the basic breakdown of studying for the LSAT. Their intro chapters are free on their website. Here’s the link to the free chapters: www.thelsattrainer.com/sample-chapters.html Hope this helps! Babs
Such an inspiration -- thank you for sharing these helpful tools! I wonder if you could share more on how do you keep track, analyze, and review your LR problems? This is the section that I struggle with the most and feel like I sometimes repeat similar mistakes. Would love to hear any advice you may have! Thank you again!
Hi Stella! I struggled with LR the most too. I know I talk about blind review a lot in this video, but blind review helped me the most with improving my LR score. One thing that might help you is to memorize the different "types" of LR questions from the LSAT Trainer. With practice, it gets pretty easy to recognize different types immediately. Hope this helps, Babs
Oh my god that tracking table looks so helpful! Can you do a more in depth video about how you set up your tables to track your progress! Thank you so much in advance :)
I'm transferring to UCLA this fall to finish up my degree in geography! Georgetown is my top law school and I'm really interested in immigration law. This was super helpful and interesting though I think it's a bit early for me to look at LSAT studying strategies. I could only imagine how difficult it was to teach full time and study--thanks for this resource!
Hi Nick! I’m so pleased you got value from the video, and thank you for the like! I know it can be a pain to log in, so I truly appreciate you taking the time to do so. Happy Halloween! Babs
You have it in you too! These traits are not innate so much as they are buildable (like a muscle) with practice. Keep at it, and it will get easier every day. Best of luck with your LSAT studies!
Best of luck on your August LSAT, Alicia! Reading Comprehension is a BEAST and probably the section I had the most trouble improving in. I'll start brainstorming some ideas!
Hello bip bob! I recently released a video covering law school application tips here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9RoriF3avH4.html I hope you enjoy it! I also might consider making an RC specific video in the future so keep an eye out for that one too! ;)
That planner has to be the most organized thing I 've ever seen! colour coded and everything ; ) Did you make an excel sheet by hand at the end of your planner?lol That's so cool. My thing with studying is...when I get stuck on a question, I take way too long to solve it (rather than moving forward) and then think 'well this isn't going as planned' and lose my momentum. I'm gonna use this planner method to combat that. This is the most comprehensive video with regards to studying and how to start!
So glad the video helped! One thing that might help with getting stuck on questions is to skip a question when you are struggling with the question stem. Sometimes I'll read something and have no idea what I just read. That's a sign you need to skip the question and circle back later!
Hi, thank you so much for posting this video! I have been studying for the LSAT for several months and am really happy to see you used Khan Academy as well! I need to take a lot more practice exams which is where I was falling behind in and focus more on the Logic Games. If you have any advice on how to improve on the LSAT Logic Games that would be amazing! Also, do you have any advice on how to finish the exam quickly? Obviously it requires reading really fast but I noticed that when taking the first two practice exams I was answering a lot of questions correctly but I was not finishing the sections because of time constraints. I don't know if you check these comments or not but it would be so cool to hear from you. I really admire your ability to keep your videos highly informative and organized. Thanks again for being such a great role model. I hope you're kicking ass at Harvard Law School and if you've already graduated I hope you landed the perfect job of your dreams! Cheers!
Hello! I know this response is coming in late, but if you are still on your LSAT journey by the time you read this comment, I hope the advice below can be of use to you. First, I believe the logic games are being phased out of the LSAT so you will no longer need to study for those type of problems. Second, timing is everything on the LSAT and it was one of the things I struggled the most with in the beginning of my studies. Your reading speed will naturally get faster as you continue to practice, but what ultimately helped me increase my reading speed significantly was highlighting the passages/question prompts as I was reading. I think a lot of test takers feel the pressure to commit everything to memory as they read, which takes up a lot of mental capacity and slows you down. Highlighting specific details instead of committing them to memory on the spot allowed me to read at a more natural (faster) pace, and it also comforted me knowing I can always go back to refresh myself on key details instead of relying on what I can recall alone. In short, I recommend trying out highlighting to increase your reading speed! You can also use the pen markup feature, but I find that highlighting is faster to reference visually. This advice might seem counterintuitive to some since highlighting itself takes time to do, but overall I have found it to be an enormous time saver. I hope this helps!
Hi Babs! I've been binge-watching your LSAT videos, and i just wanted to thank you SO MUCH for sharing your expertise with us! I do have a question for you and I hope you can answer! Since you took two gap years to work as a teacher, when you got your recommendation letters from your honors professor, research professor etc., how were they able to remember your performance after the two years? Or was it the case that you essentially prepared all other aspects of your law school application first while in undergrad and saved the recommendation letters to apply 2 years later? That was my main question! Out of curiosity as well: How long have you known you wanted to become a lawyer? I find your journey incredibly interesting since, although law schools don't have prerequisites, your undergraduate concentration seems atypical of law school applicants! Thanks again for all your advice and such well put-together videos! This is incredibly inspiring.
Hi Lucy! I was lucky in the sense that my professors remembered me well two years after the fact. I was careful to select professors I completed rigorous academic work with for more than one semester. I also let my professors know (while I was in undergrad) that I was considering applying to law school, so they were aware that I would probably come around in the future to ask them for rec letters! If you're worried that your professors won't remember you after graduation, you can actually ask them to write rec letters ahead of time and ask them to save it for when you apply down the road. :) To answer your second question, I wanted to be a lawyer since grade school! I always had a passion for reading, debate, and government. After high school, I was conflicted about what I should major in because I had two divergent careers in mind 1) becoming a lawyer or 2) becoming a vet! I ultimately went with majoring in STEM because I knew that I could always transition to law down the road (because law school doesn't have any prerequisites) but not the other way around (vet school DOES have prerequisites). Looking back, I'm really glad I majored in STEM even though I realized vet school wasn't for me. It exposed me to a flavor of analytical thinking I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise, and it challenged me to be more efficient in my learning. Now that I'm in law school, I find everything I'm learning to be incredibly fascinating and refreshing because I wasn't exposed to many liberal arts classes previously. I feel that my unconventional path to law school has contributed to a well-rounded education and life experience. Hope this helps! Best of luck on your journey to law school! Babs
@@BanterwithBabs Thank you for such a quick response! I love this! I wish you were my personal mentor hahaha. Thank you for your insightful response! Looking forward to more content from you - and good luck at Harvard Law!!
Loved this video and your suggestions! 💕 So glad I found you early on in my LSAT studying. I was wondering if at any point you ever felt like you were running out of material to drill. Did you save the prep tests for the weeks/months closer to your practice exam?
I am so glad I could help, Maris! Yes, in the middle of my studies I did being to worry that I was running out of material. Three tips on how to prevent this: 1) Use older PTs (60s) before moving on to newer ones (BUT sprinkle in a new one every couple of weeks to get a "realistic" diagnostic score). I used practice tests throughout the full duration of my practice BUT I did save an extremely recent one to practice the week of the test. 2) There is nothing wrong with drilling super old sections (like from PT 40s/50s) to avoid using up newer material you have scheduled already 3) It's perfectly fine to redo drills! Practice makes perfect. This definitely applies to logic games. There are some tough logic games I've probably drilled 5+ times! I hope this helps, Maris!
I'm very happy I found this video. The organization and blind review points were super helpful. Where did you get your planner from? It looks perfect for staying organized in college while practicing for the LSAT. Thank you so much!!
Hi Hannah! I use a Passion Planner (academic version). I have a reference link in the description box in case you wanted to check it out! These planners are incredibly organized and have been a life saver for me through college and law school! I know bullet journals are the big hype right now, but a Passion Planner pretty much streamlines everything for you by providing a template. It makes journaling so much easier, I love it. Best, Babs
I loved this video! Thank you!! I haven’t take the LSAT at all yet. Do you think I can do it with one go? Also, what did you use to take your lsat practice tests? And what books do you recommend for each section of study?
I talk about all the LSAT books and resources I used in my video, "THE BEST LSAT RESOURCES | How I Scored a 175," linked here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TCO__QGlTIY.html&ab_channel=BanterwithBabs. Studying for the LSAT can take a long time (even up to a year, depending on your individual circumstances). I recommend taking as many practice tests as you can before taking the real thing. Best of luck to you!
I might make another study video in the future. For now, the best study tip I have is practice makes perfect. A lot of students study by reading the material but waiting until the last minute to take practice tests. Exercising your brain to perform the task it needs to do early on (aka active learning) is more effective than just reviewing material through reading alone (passive learning). Hope this helps!
Could you make a video for extreme beginners? In the video can you please include practice test resources, how to read the shorthands like pt61, S1 LR 4 and a beginner schedule perhaps? Thank you very much!
Hi Padmaja! I have a whole list of beginners resources in the description box you might want to check out. The lingo can seem overwhelming at first, but it will come naturally after a week or so of blind review. PT 61 means practice test 61. S1 is section 1 of that practice test (each practice test is broken up into 4 sections). LR 4 is logical reasoning section 4 or question 4. It seems like your getting these shorthand symbols from looking at my journal tracker. Check out my LSAT habit tracker video for a more in-depth explanation of my LSAT shorthand! (Link at the end of the video.) The most “beginner” schedule you can follow is available on Khan Academy LSAT prep, where you drill for only 15-20 minutes per day. Hope this helps! Babs
Thank you so much for these videos. They're super helpful! Also, I was just wondering, are the digital LSAT prep tests provided by LSAT Prep Plus the same ones as the Official LSAT prep tests you can buy on Amazon?
Hi Suki! I am so glad you have found my videos helpful! The LSAT Prep Plus tests are the same tests as the ones you can buy on Amazon. They are a great way to get accustomed to the digital format too! The only difference is that if you plan on printing out a LSAT Prep Plus exam to write on/blind review on, I think it might be more difficult to do so because each page only contains one question (that’s a LOT of paper to print!). A better alternative is getting LSAT Prep Plus through 7Sage. On 7Sage, they have the prep exams available in a printer friendly format! Hope this helps. :)
Hi Marcul! Haha, I love having a big desk. I don't think I could ever go back to a cramped one! I didn't take the LSAT-Flex, I took my LSAT live in a testing facility. I didn't need a whole lot of room to take the LSAT. I only needed to have enough room for my pencils, scrap paper, and eraser. Hope this helps, Babs
Does 7sage allow for drilling in multiple areas in the same week? When I look at the course contents, I see it is broken down by category on the LSAT with little "lock" marks next to it. I did not know if you had to complete all the logic training first in order to get to reading comprehension, etc. Also, did you find the LSAT Prep Plus addition on 7sage to be helpful if you did choose to purchase it? For some reason, I do not see much information on it on the site. Thank you!!
Hi Katherine! Once you get a 7Sage membership, you can toggle between whichever content area questions you want. The locks mean that you don't have access to the content yet. Depending on which plan you get, some materials will be unlocked and others won't. I would 100% recommend LSAT Prep Plus. Without it, you won't have PTs to practice with. It's actually a pretty good deal for all 95+ tests. Hope this helps! Babs
Thank you so much and you're such an inspiration! I just got my LSAT score and I got a 167. My goal score is 173+. However, I've done all practice tests and did notice that I was making the same mistakes over and over on LR but saw no progress. For RC my weak question type is purpose. I am thinking of retaking LSAT in April, and I was wondering if you have any advice. Thank you again for reading!
Hi Franco! Congrats on a 167, that's a big deal! First, it's okay to take practice tests again for extra practice. For LR, I recommend practicing identifying question types and referencing forums like Manhattan Prep to learn different ways of approaching different question types. Identifying a question type is the first step to getting it right! Check out the "forums" section of my LSAT resources video starting at 7:55 for more info: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TCO__QGlTIY.html For RC, I recommend you go back and exclusively drill purpose questions. Again, looking at forums can really help when figuring out strategies for these types of questions. Hope this helps! Babs
Hi Reeka! I recently published a video detailing how I tracked my progress for all my LSAT data. Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XqL4x6bAjrM.html One of my favorite ways to study for reading comp is by reading at least one passage a day/every other day. It gets you accustomed to the reading length and style (plus, it isn't as time-consuming as reading four passages in one sitting). I It also helps to develop different strategies for different passage "types." For example, I read science passages faster than I did art passages under timed conditions because I already had a background in science but didn't feel comfortable with art vocab. Hope this helps! Babs
Love your channel! Do you mind sharing your schedule the last week before you took the real exam? What's the appropriate amount of practicing/drilling for that particular week? How much rest and practice is a good balance? Appreciate it!
Hi Miu! The week before I took the July LSAT, I would work through about 1-3 of the hardest sections each day up until the test. I would know for a FACT these were the "hardest" sections for me because I always recorded in the back of my journal the sections I got the worst scores on so I could go back to them and review. Because I'm a sucker for specifics, I pulled out my journal back from 2019 for your question and here's my EXACT drilling routine the week before I took my test: Monday: REST DAY Tuesday: RC 44, LG 57, LR 55.2 (.2 indicates it was the second section of LR) Wednesday: RC 69, LR 63.1, LG 59 Thursday: LG 60 Friday: REST Saturday: Khan Academy Extra Practice Tasks for 1.5 hours Sunday: LR 71, RC 86 Monday: TEST DAY Of course, your "hardest" sections will look different from mine above. Hope this helps!
@@BanterwithBabs It's honestly so inspiring to see how organized you are. I've been in the mid-160s and I'm striving to break through 170 as consistently as possible. Thank you for sharing you routine! I definitely need to spend more time tackling my weak spots. Best of luck at HLS :)
Hi there, thanks for this really helpful video. Could you go into a little more detail about your drilling schedule and what did you use for drilling specific question types (for ex. Must be true questions ,etc ) or did you mostly just drill entire sections ie. LR and not specific question types ? Thanks!
Hi Donya! I broke up the LR sections into halves and drilled each half for 15 minutes. You could, hypothetically, seek out only one type of question, but categorizing and prepping those questions for drilling in advance is pretty time-consuming (trust me, I've tried it)! I think it's far more time-efficient to drill the sections as they are or cut them in half into mini-drills. Babs
Hi Babs! Just wanted to share that I was also a teacher, still currently not teaching but working a full-time in education, and have recently decided to apply for law schools in the upcoming application cycle. Love your videos so far, so relatable! My question for you is did you start your drills immediately in your study journey? Did you begin by reading any books/study guides? Thank you!
Hi Yoselyn! The legal profession loves former teachers, way to go! To answer your question, I didn't start drilling immediately. I read through some prep books and introductory concept videos on 7Sage. I made a video about my intro prep materials here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TCO__QGlTIY.html. For your reference, it can take anywhere from 1-3 months to get through the study guide content. Hope this helps! Babs
Hi Banter I've watched so many lsat study videos and I think your video is the best!! I have several questions: 1. Can you share more in details about your lsat study schedule/plan? (i.e. How long to finish those books and 7 sages, did you start practicing by section or by question type, if helpful to mix old PTs with recent PTs?) 2. Can you share us a template of a pdf file or excel for lsat score tracker and review tracker? 3. Do you mind share more about your application essay about from what perspective you stand out as first immigrant? Thanks a lot!!
Hi Shengzhao, Thank you for your lovely feedback! It brings me great joy to know my videos have been helpful to prospective law students. To answer your questions: 1) It took me about 2 months to work through all the 7Sage concept videos (I was working at the time so take that into consideration as well). It took me around 1 month to read through the LSAT Trainer. I recommend diving into practice exams as soon as you complete reviewing the concept materials. Many people work on practice exams for 6 months. I worked on them for an entire year. 2) I’m in the middle of fall finals right now, but I will share a pdf mock template design of my LSAT trackers after mid December! (P.S. there’s no magic/secret to my templates, they are literally just tables!) 3) My diversity statement touched on some pretty personal life experiences so I prefer to keep the details of that essay private. But I am happy to make a mini video in the future covering best essay practices if that’s something you all would be interested in. If you’re looking for more in-depth guidance on first generation immigrant essays, check out my “How I Got Into Harvard Law School” video. In that video’s description box I have links to several excellent essay resources, some of which are completely free! For example, 7Sage has a great first generation immigrant essay sample on their website. Cheers, Babs
@@BanterwithBabs Hi Banter, Thank you so much for your reply!! It's really helpful!! I am going to work on LSAT (I am working full-time as well :) and let you know if I have further questions!! Look forward to watching your future videos about diversity essays, experience at HLS and LSAT study plan & trackers!!! Good luck with your first finals at HLS!!!
Hi Ashlyn! I don't have scans of my passion planner graphs, BUT I did recently release a video that walks you through how to make your own! Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XqL4x6bAjrM.html. Best regards, Babs
Thanks for sharing! I am currently studying for the LSAT but I have been experiencing huge fluctuation in terms of RC (from -3 to -11). I noticed that RC was the most difficult section for you as well. Do you have any specific tips for tackling down the RC section? (especially in terms of gaining consistency)
I feel your pain, Won! The biggest thing that helped me with RC was a specific highlighting system. As I read the passage, I would highlight names, dates, and technical jargon so I wouldn't have to commit the minute details to memory as I was trying to grasp the big idea. It also helps to highlight "opinion" statements to keep track of the author's stance on the topic. Having the highlights also helped me refer back quickly to the package as I read the question stems. It also helps to read a LOT of RC passages to get a feel for the general trends of each "type." For example, science passages typically have a different feel than art passages. My specific weakness was art passages, so I focused a lot of my energy on those in succession until I got a hang of them. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! Since graduating from HLS I began my career as a litigator, which I have thoroughly enjoyed so far. Prior to law school I was a high school physics teacher.
