Post Full-Length course... where to go from here?

[willmcchez]

***Long Post Alert***


Hey All,

Looking for advice as to how to successfully prep over the next 3 months for the September 2017 LSAT now that my full-length course has concluded. I'm trying to decide whether I need to purchase additional materials or use what I have from my course books. Warning: the post below is lengthy.

So, I just finished the Full-Length course a couple of weeks ago and I sat the June 2017 LSAT but canceled my score. Toward the end of the course, I was seeing a pretty significant improvement. I diagnosed in the mid-130's (I don't believe that was accurate... I had enormous amounts of anxiety going into the diagnostic) and in mid-May I had reached 155 (December 2010 self-proctored). I was feeling pretty tremendously encouraged, because I was getting that score only doing roughly 2.5 RC sections and just 1.5 logic games. I realized that I only needed to get roughly 15 or so additional answers correct in order to reach my goals, which I felt was totally possible with enough work. My guessing strategy was to mark all answers I didn't get to as "C," which I've done on every LSAT I've taken (I've taken 6-7 now). It helps me when looking over my Scantron to know which questions I actually worked on and I feel as though it normalizes the score from test to test.

Let me back up a bit and try to explain why I didn't reach my full potential in the course. Obviously, lessons 1-6 are the most critical in the course: that is where all of the fundamental knowledge comes from, with the rest of the lessons building upon core concepts taught in the first six. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a lot in my life at that time. I was working a ton, trying to finish my semester (with finals and honors projects, defending a 4.0 GPA) while driving over one hour each direction for the course. Needless to say, I didn't have the time initially to fully devote myself to LSAT prep.

Additionally, I was detrimentally challenged in Logic Games. Still, to this day, it is my hardest section. Most of my class seemed to do best on games, while I excelled in LR and RC (just needing to increase speed in RC). Admittedly, I got emotionally defeated early on. I am a non-traditional student (30 years old) who went back to school with the sole purpose of attending law school. When I didn't even know where to start with LG, I would get immensely frustrated, thinking to myself "You're just not smart enough for elite law schools" and "Your ADHD will not allow you to do well on this test." I feel as though I'm very good with words, but I haven't built up the sort of abstract thinking that LG requires. So, I worked on LR mostly and occasionally worked on Games and RC.

I canceled my June 2017 LSAT score because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I could do much better. I actually left during the section 3 break, with the hope of saving the LG and RC section for future study.

Now that I have had a couple of weeks away from LSAT prep, I'm ready to get back up on the horse and crush September. I hold a 4.0 GPA and I think with a 165+ score (ideally, 167-171), I can get into elite schools. I also have some interesting softs which I've been told can make me a diversity applicant (but I am not a URM). But the issue is, I do not know where to start.

I have my Full-Length Coursebooks and some LSAT practice tests. However, my course books are partially completed and heavily marked in. I basically bounced around from lesson to lesson doing my best to keep up, but I just couldn't.

Part of me thinks I should purchase the Bibles and start over. I understand that suggesting that to me makes sense in capitalist terms, but does it help to make me more prepared for the LSAT? Is it all of the same material and questions? I desperately need to work on LG and I'm fairly certain I've gotten rusty on RC and LR, as I've spent the last month casually doing games exclusively to no real avail.

Every day that passes where I'm not methodically working on LSAT prep, with a clear, concrete study plan is another day in which I see my dreams slowly fading away. I feel as though if I were to just open my course books and randomly start doing problems that there is no pedagogical methodology to becoming an elite test taker. I want to get back working on this NOW. I have the rest of June, all of July and half of August before my next semester starts, which will be at a new school with a HEAVY course load. After which, from mid-August through the September LSAT, I'll hopefully just be doing 1-2 practice tests per week in advance of the test. So if there was ever a time for me to crush this test and prep, now is it. And I know every day counts.

So, LSAT experts, what should I do?

[AthenaDalton]

Hi Will,

Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you've made some great progress so far, in spite of a lot of distractions in your life! Congratulations!

You mentioned in your post that you missed out of the first six lessons of the Full-Length Course and feel like you didn't get the fundamentals down. Mastering the basics like causal reasoning, contrapositives, mistaken reversals, and some key game diagramming techniques will give you a huge boost!

You can review some of these concepts by going through your Full-Length Course materials and / or reviewing the lectures you missed online. If you feel that's not enough to get comfortable with the concepts, I'd recommend buying the Powerscore Bibles for the sections of the test you're not confident on. It sounds like RC is largely a matter of time for you, so LG and LR are probably your best bets.

In answer to your question, the Powerscore Bibles do not completely overlap with the materials in your full-length course. The key difference that's relevant to your situation is that the Bibles have pretty lengthy explanations of the core concepts. You can (and should!) still use your Full-Length Course materials for their practice questions, drills, and so on, but if after reviewing the lectures you're still not feeling confident on the fundamentals, I'd pick up the books.

It also sounds like you're putting a bit too much pressure on yourself. Every student has different strengths and weaknesses! If your fellow students really loved Logic Games and you excelled on Reading Comp and Logical Reasoning (three-quarters of the test!), don't sweat it! Also, if you are imagining this test to be the make-or-break point for your future hopes and dreams, you are psyching yourself out! Just focus on beating your score last week. Take it a day at a time. And don't panic.

For what it's worth, the experts here at PowerScore have found that students can often make the greatest improvements in Logic Games by studying. Yes, the concepts are abstract and unfamiliar, but they can definitely be learned with practice. You absolutely have the ability to master the Logic Games section. Your score is solid! You have what it takes to improve!

I promise that Logic Games can both be learned and can be fun. Here's my experience --

When I first took a practice LSAT test without any studying or prep or familiarity with the LSAT, I was so unfamiliar with Logic Games that I literally did not finish a single game in the entire time I had for that section. Then I started reading about Logic Games, and seeing what a good diagram actually looked like, and learned some basic concepts like blocking terms together and making inferences. After a lot of practice, I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT on my first time sitting for the test and to this day I actually think Logic Games are fun. I kid you not. If books of Logic Games were available like Sudoku or crossword puzzles, I would play them for fun. Try approaching them like the games they are and don't psych yourself out!

For the remainder of the summer, I'd recommend that you create a reasonable study plan for yourself that includes plenty of days off, breaks, and time to spend with friends/family. Do not force yourself to study 10 hours every day. You will burn out.

Start by mastering the basic concepts. Once you feel comfortable with the underlying fundamentals, start tackling practice sections without time pressure. See how well you can do when there's no clock to beat. Then carefully review every question to fully understand why you got it right or wrong. Learn from your mistakes. Keep practicing. Eventually add in some time pressure -- maybe start by giving yourself 50 minutes for a section, then dial that back to 40, and so on. Track your progress over time. Post your questions here. And keep a positive attitude!

Good luck! I look forward to hearing more about your progress!

Athena Dalton