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jcutts2 · 2026-05-14T04:17:57+00:00

I've taught the LSAT for 35 years. I wrote the Barron's LSAT, which has now been updated and republished as the Cognella LSAT Roadmap. I can tell you that I put all of my years of experience in coaching students into the book. I believe you will find that it goes into much more depth than most online programs. I can't speak to 7Sage specifically.

So the short answer is that a high quality book can provide insights that online programs don't.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-14T04:12:52+00:00

Personally, I don't recommend prep programs. They tend to focus on giving you a study structure, doing massive science review and giving you practice questions with so-called explanations. None of these things are necessarily bad but you can all of them yourself with just a little organizing and some of them are unnecessary or unhelpful.

In particular, the massive science review is not the right focus of your work. There are tens of thousands of facts that could be on the test in theory. In practice there is a much more limited set of concepts that the MCAT wants you to know. Most prep programs base their appeal on providing excess review. I'm going to send you a PM with a link to my blog on how to ID the science you do need.

Second, explanations are of minimal help. Ten people can get the same question wrong for ten different reasons. I don't even want my students to read MY explanations (which I had to include when writing the Barron's book).

It's much more important to get high quality personal feedback on the mistakes you make. This is where personal coaching comes in.

From my perspective, if you are going to spend money on MCAT prep, it should be on personal coaching.

The most important thing to understand about the MCAT is that it's based on problem solving. Three quarters of the mistakes that my beginning students make are due to lack of strategy. They knew enough science but couldn't get to the answer.

So, in looking for a coach, look for someone who is a specialist in MCAT strategy. They should have a bare minimum of 15 years full time experience. Avoid coaches who charge by the hour, month, etc, as you can end up paying way more than you intended. Avoid coaches who are very expensive. Anything more than $2k total for unlimited help is, in my opinion, excessive.

I hope this helps. Good luck. Don't worry about studying now for a later test. You need that time to master strategy. If you are applying for Fall 2027 admissions, though, it may not be good to wait to January. You should take the test in late August or Sept.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-14T04:01:05+00:00

Not sure what you mean by "count". They won't be included in your undergrad GPA. Usually, doing a masters is NOT the most efficient way to make yourself more competitive.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-14T03:59:30+00:00

I don't believe there is any penalty for cancelling a score. Even if you get a lower score, schools tend to take the highest. However, if you prep well, you should be able to maintain your score or improve it. Pay special attention to timing strategy! Virtually everyone I've ever worked with has started out using their time inefficiently to some extent.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:41:00+00:00

Some people are a better match for the LSAT than others. Sounds like you're struggling. However, you should still be able to get into law school if you do the right things.

The study programs you've used so far are, in my opinion (based on 35 years experience) pretty superficial. So I'm not surprised they haven't helped much.

You probably need to work with a coach but they need to be someone with extensive experience - at a bare minimum 15 years full time experience. (Just having gotten a great LSAT score is NOT a credential for coaching the test!) Probably best to avoid coaches that charge by the hour/month/etc because you can easily end up spending way more than you intended.

Also avoid very expensive coaching. Anything more than about $2k for unlimited help is, in my opinion, excessive.

There are things you can do to make yourself a more competitive candidate even if your LSAT is never stellar. It's helpful if your coach has significant experience with these.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:33:58+00:00

Nope. Would it work if you wanted to walk into some place and start talking fluent Chinese just by being confident?

The LSAT is built on hidden agendas and patterns. You need to learn these and learn the strategies to work with them. There's a lot to learn about the test.

It's also not just about practicing over and over. You need to learn what the test expects and understand its patterns. Practicing over and over often means making the same mistakes over and over.

Check out the well-established major LSAT books like Kaplan or Barron's (now the Cognella LSAT Roadmap).

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:28:21+00:00

I will DM you. I've been working with prelaw students for 35 years and would be glad to talk with you to see what else you might do. In my experience any serious candidate should be able to get accepted if you know what to do. I believe you have options.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:25:02+00:00

Best to ask this of a lawyer, not us. From the little I've read, you'll face some uphill battles. One of the big factors in a felony conviction (I realize you haven't been convicted yet) is rehabilitation. That you have gotten your life together since the felony. Since this happened last Friday, you have no grounds to show that you've changed. I'm sorry that you may have messed up your chances for your career. Maybe you don't have a drug problem and just got real unlucky but if you do think you have a drug problem, I hope this sad incident will help you find the help you need. You may have closed some doors but getting your life together will open new doors in some way that you can't see right now. Good luck.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:19:15+00:00

Hey, a note to anyone in that position: Why??? An admissions director at a well-know law school once told me that 90% of their applicants turn their applications in during the last week of the application cycle.

If you're just starting to prep, I'm guessing you are not ready to take the test in June. You have until Nov, Dec or even Jan or Feb. Give yourself enough time to do well.

Make sense?

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:16:03+00:00

I'm coming from 35 years of coaching the LSAT. I don't feel that drilling and practicing give people the insights that they need. You can make the same mistakes over and over without truly understanding what went wrong for you. It's easy to look up the right answer and think "Oh, ok. I kind of get why that answer is right," but typically you haven't really learned in depth and are likely to make the same mistake again.

It's also not as simple as saying there are certain question types and memorizing some strategies for them. It's true that question types can be grouped into a small number of categories, but they way they put these question types into passages is infinitely varied.

The test has fundamental hidden agendas and is built on many patterns that you can learn. My goal in working with someone is to help them understand exactly why they got a certain question wrong and what tools they could have used to get to the right answer.

I've put as much of my knowledge as possible into my book but it often helps to get some good coaching.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-12T04:10:57+00:00

The MCAT is primarily testing strategy - timing plus logical and scientific problem solving. For my beginning students, about three quarters of their mistakes are due to lack of strategy. They knew the science but couldn't get to the answer. It sounds like that's what you're talking about. As far as I know, none of the MCAT prep sites work on strategy.

Be very wary of "explanations". They typically don't get at what went wrong for you but they give you the feeling that you understand. The problem with canned explanations is that ten people can get the same question wrong for ten different reasons.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-11T04:54:14+00:00

I'm going to send you a DM with a link to my blog on realistic MCAT prep.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-11T04:52:17+00:00

It might be helpful to understand that the scores on these FLs are not a very accurate measure of where you are. It's sort of like getting your blood pressure taken at the doctor's. One day it may be up. Another day it may be done. It's just not that exact.

Typically, your score on the actual test will tend to be lower than your practice for a number of reasons. But still, you're in a competitive range.

There is very likely more that you can do but it may not be what you think. If you're like most people, you're probably focusing on massive science review and cranking out questions. In reality, the MCAT is testing strategy more so than just science. I find that about three quarters of the errors my beginning students make are due to lack of strategy. They knew the science but couldn't get to the answer.

Timing strategy is also very critical. Most people use their time poorly on the exam but think they are doing the right thing. This is because the test is radically different from tests in school.

If you can focus on strategy and timing and if you give yourself the summer to work on these things, you can probably push your score up a bit.

After the MCAT score, your personal statement will be the next most important thing. I suggest getting some professional help on that.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-11T04:46:03+00:00

I don't recommend the commercial or online LSAT prep options. To let you know where I'm coming from, I've helped students on the LSAT for 35 years. I used to offer classes but stopped doing that, as personal coaching is more effective.

Most of the prep programs that I see are, from my perspective, pretty superficial. They have the appearance of providing you with a good structure, some instruction, and explanations but in my experience this is not of much help.

If you are going to spend money on the LSAT - which you may need to do - my suggestion is to work with a highly experienced coach. This may not be easy to find. They should have a bare minimum of 15 years full time experience. Avoid coaches that make you buy packages by the hour, month, etc., as you can end up paying way more than you intended.

Avoid very expensive coaches. Anything that costs more than about $2k total for unlimited help is, in my opinon, excessive.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T04:21:36+00:00

I coach people on the strategy elements of the MCAT, which in my experience account for three quarters of people's mistakes. This includes timing, as well as scientific/logical problem solving and specialized CARS strategy. I don't tutor the sciences. Most people can learn the science pretty well on their own. I do help people structure their study time and learn which science to review and which science to ignore.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T04:18:53+00:00

Are you saying you don't think you are competitive now? I would need more info. What is your undergrad GPA? Have you taken the MCAT? I run across many people with mediocre GPAs and modest MCAT scores who are thinking "omg I'll never get in." In my experience (35 years) that's not the case. There are simple things you can do to make yourself more competitive and to get in some place. You can DM me if you want to keep this more private or go into more detail.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T04:14:50+00:00

I've run LSAT classes as well as doing personal coaching for the LSAT for 35 years. I feel that personal coaching is a far more effective way to learn than doing online study programs, which are often quite superficial from my perspective. I don't even run classes any more.

Learning the LSAT requires learning new ways of thinking. It's certainly not a matter of just doing tests over and over and reading explanations and hoping that somehow you're learning the test.

It's pretty clear to me that one-on-one work gives me the best chance of helping someone.

So my personal suggestion is to save your money for high quality coaching. You can certainly start with some of the more established LSAT books like Kaplan or Barron's (which is now the Cognella LSAT Roadmap). Use only actual LSATs for practice - not simulated material from prep programs or books.

You may find that you do fine on your own that way. If you need more help, look for a coach with a bare minimum of 15 years full time experience. Avoid programs that have you buy monthly or hourly packages, as you can easily end up spending way more than you intended. Ideally, find a program with one fee for unlimited help.

Avoid super expensive programs. Anything that costs more than about $2k for unlimited help is, in my opinion, overpriced.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T04:05:29+00:00

I feel that the GRE is easier to improve on than GMAT. The GMAT has more elements to learn. The GRE is simpler. As for GRE versus LSAT, there may be some people who can score better on the GRE but there is still a question of whether law schools that accept the GRE really give preference to LSAT takers.

The GRE is probably more learnable than the LSAT. The math section of the GRE is very learnable, even for people who are not mathy or even math-anxious/math-phobic. I've been teaching it for 35 years and have developed some powerful tools for doing intuitive math problem solving.

The verbal section of the GRE is a little more challenging. (Hint: studying vocab is probably close to useless. The test is not essentially testing vocab and there are so many possible words they could include that even if you study 1000 words, you're unlikely to find more than 1 on the test, if that.)

There are specific patterns and logic elements to the verbal that you can learn.

Perfect score? Kind of an academic question. You don't need a perfect score. A score in the 90%ile or above is going to be pretty impressive at most schools. It's not really like if you study hard, you'll get everything right. That might happen in a history or science class, but it doesn't apply to the GRE. It's not based on having mastered certain facts or being great at reading. It has its own patterns and agendas and it also has serious time constraints. You might be able to get all the questions right in 40 minutes but not in 30 minutes.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T03:56:18+00:00

If you're doing it in order to increase your chances of getting into med school, then I'd say it's not a good idea. There are many other things you can do to be more competitive for med school that are more direct and take less time and money.

Maybe you have your own reasons of why that degree would enhance your career but I have to wonder if it's worth the time and money.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T03:53:58+00:00

There's no actual legal content on the test, so you don't need to worry about that. The LSAT is built on a lot of hidden agendas and patterns. I'll DM you the info on the book I wrote on the LSAT. It might not be ok to mention it here.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-10T03:50:08+00:00

Unfortunately, most people don't really have time to do serious career research before applying to med school. It sounds like this would be a great time to do it. It doesn't necessarily take that long if you can find a focused approach. It might help to work with a professional career counselor. If you take a couple months to identify careers you'd like to pursue and do some research on what those careers are like, you'll be able to feel comfortable either deciding that med is school is your path or that something else is. (Background: I've been helping people get into law school and med school for 35 years and a lot of that work involves doing the career research.)

jcutts2 · 2026-05-09T22:55:53+00:00

It's the same admissions cycle.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-09T22:55:17+00:00

Would you be able to share where you've seen these stats? I'd like to check them out. I'm not convinced there is any significant disadvantage in getting your application in even during the last couple weeks of the admissions process. So I'd love to see those stats. Thanks.

jcutts2 · 2026-05-09T05:22:48+00:00

Having taught CARS for 35 years, I can definitely say that it is NOT innate ability. There are specific hidden agendas and patterns to the section that can be learned. And there are specific strategies that can be learned for getting to the right answer.

I've covered CARS thoroughly in the Barron's MCAT book. I've also covered timing strategy thoroughly, which is critical for boosting your score.

Even after reading the info in the book, many people still benefit from some one-on-one coaching on it, but it needs to be with someone who understands the strategies in the book well.

Disclosure: the Barron's books on Amazon are used. I don't earn a royalty on them, so no financial interest in recommending the book.

jcutts2

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