Help making a studying decision

[graham0220]

I could really use some advice/input/thoughts on re-studying.

Let me start with this: I do very well in school, however standardized tests are not my thing. I struggle when I am rushed for time and I get a great deal of test anxiety, it is very frustrating. I was beyond bummed when my diagnostic was 143 (I had 0 experience with the LSAT at this point). I studied for ~3.5 months and took the June LSAT. I scored a 153. I am still not very happy with this score, as I know I am capable of so much more. I am proud of my 10 point increase, however I want to increase more. I have a 3.99 GPA from the University of Minnesota.

I am going to begin studying again in the beginning of September, with a plan to take the November LSAT. I will be working full time as well. For my first LSAT I studied by taking the on-demand PowerScore course. I did also work through the 3 LSAT Bible Workbooks (2017 ones I believe) quickly closer to my exam date.

I would greatly appreciate feedback on what the best way to re-study is. How often I should study this time around, what books I should use (I can't spend a lot of money again since I already did the first round), and the like.

All advice is much appreciated, thank you!!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Graham,

First off, a hearty congratulations on both your score increase so far, and your fantastic GPA. Both are real accomplishments, and you should be pleased.

The big thing you want to do from here is create a study plan for yourself. Some of that will involve looking back at how you did on the test, analyzing your weaknesses, and planning accordingly. Your analysis should look both at issues of timing and accuracy, paying deep attention to question types and other possible patterns in missed questions.

The second step is thinking about how you can use the materials you have to create your individual study plan, and consider what additional materials you need. You have the bibles already, and you mentioned that you went through them "quickly." Going through them again, with particular focus on the areas you struggled with, would be really beneficial. You also said that you used the on-demand course. You should have a course book that you can refer to as well for conceptual review.

In addition to those review materials, think about what practice tests you have access to. There are books of PTs if you don't have any available, and LSAC has three tests on their website in a digital format you can use for practice. They are available here. Even though you no longer have the on-demand course, you can use the free student site on PowersScore to track and analyze your practice tests. Speaking of the free resources, the PowerScore LSAT free help area is filled with great resources, from sample study plans depending on the amount of time you have left, to blogs, to awesome podcasts, and more. I highly recommend checking it out.

I'd also recommend checking out one particular blog post on retaking the test. It goes through a ton of information on how to increase your score, where your focus should be, and links to several helpful blog posts and podcast episodes.

In terms of actual study schedule, that's a personal decision. I studied while working full time, so I know it can be tricky to balance it all. My personal strategy was to use the lunch or commute time (assuming I wasn't driving ) to study concept issues. I could review conditional reasoning, do a game set up or two, or play around with different RC strategies during that time. After work hours, I'd rotate between taking a practice test, analyzing the last practice test, and taking a night off. It was a good balance for me personally, though your personal limitations may vary. For me, it was critical to have a full day off both work AND studying in order to not burn out.

By using the free resources available, creating a study plan, and wisely deciding what additional materials you might need (extra practice tests, a few hours of 1-1 tutoring, or maybe an extra month of on-demand access) you should be able to craft a plan for success.

Best of luck to you!
Rachael

[graham0220]

I apologize for the delayed response Rachael - but thank you so much for your kind words and very helpful advice. It is much appreciated.