Prep for the December LSAT

[co659]

Hello everyone!

Similar to everyone one else's post I am reaching out to see if my study plan for the December LSAT is the best approach to reaching my target score. A little background beforehand....

I took a full-length in person class back in March for the June test (i ended up pushing it to December because I did not feel ready.) I currently score at a 158/159 regularly but my goal is to score a 166/167.

Currently, I have completed all the homework from the 4 texts from class, I spend at least 3 hours/day studying during the week (working full-time) and study all day Saturday and Sunday. I take a practice test on Saturday morning and spend the rest of the weekend reviewing what I got wrong and fully write out my reasoning as to why I got it wrong + why another choice is right. Typically, since I don't have too much time during the week, I use it to go back and review the Bibles and any particular Q type that I have trouble with.

My issue is I feel like I am being redundant without seeing a major jump in my score. My worst section(s) is always LR with missing 17-20 questions total (RC is usually -6, LG -4) so I'm reaching out to see if there is a better method as to how to jump my score up or perhaps there's a gap in my studying method? Any insight would truly be appreciated - thanks!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi C,

Thanks for the questions! I'll try to provide some insights here, and I'll start by saying that in general, your approach has been solid so far You are reviewing the work done in a thorough manner, and that is the step that most people skip over or do in too superficial a way. so, that said, let's look more closely at a few things you mentioned:

Currently, I have completed all the homework from the 4 texts from class, I spend at least 3 hours/day studying during the week (working full-time) and study all day Saturday and Sunday.

Great regimen! My only concern is to make sure you take a break once in a while. Time away from the LSAT is extremely important, as I discuss here: Why Breaks From The LSAT Can Increase Your Score

I take a practice test on Saturday morning and spend the rest of the weekend reviewing what I got wrong and fully write out my reasoning as to why I got it wrong + why another choice is right. Typically, since I don't have too much time during the week, I use it to go back and review the Bibles and any particular Q type that I have trouble with.

This is a good plan! I want to make sure you are doing two things, however:

1. Use Blind Review for your tests. It's the first method discussed here: The Best Way to Review LSAT Practice Tests. If you aren't using that approach, I think it would help hone your skills in seeing what you are choosing and why.

2. Make sure to log all the questions that give you trouble from your practice tests, and then occasionally go back and look for problem areas you might not have noticed. For example, you might miss only a single question of a certain type in each section, so it might not feel like you are having issues, but then when you look over the results of 8 tests, you realize that you aren't as strong with that type as you could be. you are already doing very close review so I suspect you are tracking everything, so I mention this just in case you aren't!

My issue is I feel like I am being redundant without seeing a major jump in my score. My worst section(s) is always LR with missing 17-20 questions total (RC is usually -6, LG -4) so I'm reaching out to see if there is a better method as to how to jump my score up or perhaps there's a gap in my studying method? Any insight would truly be appreciated - thanks!

Ok, for starters, check out the following post I wrote: How to increase your LSAT score when you are stuck. You are already doing some of the things there, but it can't hurt to review some of the ideas there. This might also be interesting for you to read, although it doesn't entirely apply to you (still some things to think about here, though): Why Did My LSAT Score Go Down When I First Started Studying? And, then one more just for fun: Strategies to study for a retake. Also, make sure to also read any links in the above articles!

Talking specifically about where you are, if your RC is -6, then you can definitely do better in LR! What your scores in RC tell me is that it's not a reading speed or basic comprehension issue. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is! If you have one of those issues, it's much harder to increase your RC/LR score than otherwise. So, where's the problem then? Since it's not rooted in speed or comprehension, it must be connected to either how you are reading the stimulus and answer choices OR issues with recognizing, understanding, and applying concepts and techniques. Or, in more direct terms, either you aren't getting a good handle on the details in each problem, or you are missing certain concepts when they appear or missing when to solve problems using certain techniques. The good news is that both of these problems are correctable! Here's what to do for both:

• 1. As you read each stimulus, you should be naturally summarizing what you've read and breaking it down. We broadly term that identifying the argument parts, but I want you to try an exercise where you read a stimulus at normal test speed then write down your summary on a separate piece of paper. Do that for 8-10 problems (stimulus, q stem, and each answer choice) in a row that you've never seen (or that you haven't seen in ages) and then go back and compare your summary with what the stimulus/q stem/answers actually say. Compare them closely for major differences. That will tell you if the issue is a detail issue, and help shed light on whether you are missing concepts in the stimulus. For example, if you summarize a stimulus that happens to be causal but don't notice until you review it that causality was present, that's an indicator of a problem. Or if you realize that your internal summaries are too broad or are missing key points, you can change how you read to begin picking up those points.
  
  2. If you are missing the presence of certain concepts, then the test above will help show that, and from there the fix is to go back into the texts and refresh on what indicators are present, how these concepts are presented, and so on. Concept and technique problems are about picking up the ideas when they are in play. That starts with a good foundation of knowledge about each, and then gets better via experience, and seeing as many questions as possible.

That should help confirm that you are on the right path, and give you some ideas for how to see what steps you need to take to keep improving. Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!