please please help !

[Johnclem]

Hello experts !
I am in serious need of advice in regards to retaking the lsat and improving reading comp.

A little about my situation first :
I have been studying for the lsat for about 1.5 years now. It started as the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I started with 136. My score now fluctuates from 153-159. My Goal is 165. Because I was so terrible at every single section of the test I chose early on to ignore reading comp and focus on LR and LG . Let's just say I HATE READING COMP. It frustrates me . I find the passages extremely difficult . when I try to read for structure I don't understand what I've read . When I slow down I don't have enough time to answer the questions. My current breakdown is as follows :

LR 17- 18 /25 ( I only get to question 20 . When I finish all I get 21 /25)
LG 20 /23
RC 8-10 / 27 (Yes you can laugh at me . I dont know what's going on )

Retake :
I have already written the test 2x. Both scoring 146. I am registered for the feb test . And I have already applied to schools ( huge mistake ). This feb will be my third write. And then again I can write next Dec for tge 4th time. (Giving me a year to study . ) a part of me want to write the feb test since I've already applied . And my other part fears how schools would view a 4th write for my future application? What do you think I should do ? I have applied under access category to law schools . But not sure how muxh of a difference this makes .

RC :
just tell me what to do. I am stunned . English maybe not be my first or second or even third language, but wow. I manged to go to university and graduate with honours while working full time. I have never felt so dumb . Literally I feel like sending myself to elementry after doing a reading comp section . Yes. . I have read the Bible .

Thanks !
John

[Kristina Moen]

Hi John,

First off, you are certainly not dumb. Your Logical Reasoning and Logic Games scores show you understand the concepts on this test. Let's get your Reading Comp score up to that level too!

One of the most common mistakes I see students make is not referring back to the passage as they answer questions. This is not a test of memorization. Further, even if it were a test of memorization, they will not ask you about everything you've read. This is why we suggest that you focus on structure (and markup or notate the structure because again - this is NOT about memorization!), so you can refer back as you answer the questions. When I am tutoring students, I always ask them to show me where in the passage they got their answer. If they can't find it, then I ask them why they selected it. Then, together, we look at each answer choice and try to find it in the passage. Often, as soon as they see it, the lightbulb goes on! It's all in the passage. This strategy may help you on a few untimed passages - the more you train yourself to look for answer choices in the passage, the easier it becomes, and the more adept you become at knowing what to notate. For example, I always write "Ex" next to examples, and usually I put a subscript for the idea/theory it is supporting or disproving. Then I don't have to look at that block of text again unless I'm asked specifically about the example. I also know that an example is never the main point, it's supporting or disproving something else!

However, you have limited time until the February test, and it seems that looking for structure is frustrating you. You do not have to do all four passages. You mentioned slowing down - can you slow down and do three passages well? If so, your score will increase. Try taking two timed RC sections. With one section, aim to do three passages. Yes, that means actually taking more time with each passage (11-12 minutes). Be sure to guess on the rest (we recommend selecting one letter and using that). With the other section, aim to do all four passages. Tally your score. What do you think? If you decide to do three passages, you can pick the ones you prefer. Some students for whom English is not their first language prefer science passages, since there are more definitions. You may also like the comparative reading passage. Or you might like diversity passages because you find them more interesting. You can also pick the passages that have the most questions (more bang for your buck!). Your goal is to get the most number of correct answers - not get the hardest questions correct or attempt the most questions.

As for retaking - your practice tests will inform you. It is uncommon for students to have any significant increases from their last few practice tests to the actual test day. Yes, for some folks, the adrenaline can help, but it's unlikely to have a significant effect. However, look at the school's LSAT data. Is it still possible to get into a school you want with the LSAT score you expect? Then waiting a whole year may not be worth it. Remember that the 25% percentile means that a quarter of the incoming students had LSAT scores that were at or lower than that number. Consider the strength of your grades and other factors. As for how schools will view four LSATs, you can consider it your opportunity to show them what you can do. If you don't take it a fourth time when you know you can do better, then the law school won't know how well you can do. Give them the highest score you can get! Good luck!

[Johnclem]

Hi Kristina;
I just wanted to thank you greatly ! By returning to the passage I went from 8 to 16/27 overnight ! Thank you so very much . You are awesome .
I know for many this is nothing but for me this is a huge improvement .

Thanks a million
John