Improving scores

[hihither]

Hey guys,

I finished the LSAT bible and also the LSAT prepcourse but I am still struggling to improve my scores. I am sitting at 158 and aiming to get to 163. How else should I study? I try to do preptest twice a week but I don't see much of a improvement. I try to understand why I got each question wrong.

I just have such a negative mindset right now thinking that there is no way for me to improve. Is it even possible to increase my score My test is in January and I am running out of time.

[Jeremy Press]

Hi hihither,

Thanks for your question, and I'm really sorry to hear you've been feeling negative about the process at this point. I totally understand the frustration that comes with a score plateau, but let me offer a little (experience-based!) encouragement. It often takes people longer than they think to see the ultimate results they're looking for on this test, due to its complexity and the high level of its demands. I've worked with people studying for the test for 9 months to a year continuously, or on and off for more than that (someone I just finished up with had started originally studying back in 2015!), and they're still seeing results even after that amount of study time. Don't feel bad it's taking longer than you hoped. Keep at it, because there are so many success stories I've seen of people who didn't give up on it (even after months of study) and finally had a light bulb come on!

You're doing what you need to be doing in terms of your review, but let me give two concrete suggestions to add to your process. First, don't settle just for understanding why you got a question wrong. Be proactive and think about how you could fix the mistake you made on a similar question in the future. Did you need to diagram a conditional relationship? If so, do you know exactly how to create the right diagram you need. If not, work the question through until you know exactly how to diagram it efficiently and accurately. Did you mistake the type of question (Justify vs. Assumption questions so often trip people up; or not correctly interpreting an EXCEPT in a question stem; or mistaking a Strengthen for a Must Be True)? If so, what caused the misidentification? How will you avoid that in the future? Not going to that last proactive step of the process and thinking through a strategy for avoiding your mistake on the next test can lead to frustration, because you end up knowing something is wrong (even while you're taking the test) but not having worked through a plan to address it.

Second, find someone to talk to about your studying, and your practice tests, and the questions you're working on. If you know someone else who's studying for the test, try to link up with them to talk through the test. Bouncing ideas off someone else can be very productive for figuring out where you're going wrong. If you don't have access to a study buddy, consider working with a tutor for a few hours. Even just a few hours with a tutor can be helpful to get you on a study plan, keep you accountable to it, and have someone who can quickly answer questions and diagnose issues with your performance. Don't just rely on yourself to do it alone!

I hope this helps, for now, but keep us posted if there are further specific questions about your performance! We're here to help!

Jeremy

[hihither]

Hi Jeremy,

Thank you so much for your information and encouragement. I definitely will take your suggestion into account!

Should I start to do a more blind review where I don't do timed PT? and do timed PT once every week?

I'm just super stressed since the test is coming up in January and I cannot reschedule because I need to score to be in!! I think its logical reasoning that I don't seem to improve. My reading comprehension is going well and LG is getting there too.

[Claire Horan]

Hi Hihither,

It sounds like you have some great study habits. Blind review is a great method for reviewing sections you've completed timed because it helps you to determine whether, and to what extent, you have trouble with accuracy or speed. Students are often much too quick to look up the answer. In contrast, I advocate working through a problem until you have explained to yourself why your chosen answer must be correct. Anything less is partly luck. Then, if you turns out you were wrong once you look at the answer, you will have a very clear idea of where you went wrong.

I also advise completing timed sections when you don't have time for a whole practice test, and working on problems untimed when you just can't summon the energy to do it timed. However, I'll add a caveat. When working on problems untimed, do not allow yourself to use strategies that, even if perfected, would take too long. In other words, make sure the same approach would be effective in timed conditions.

Lastly, a great way to stay positive is to celebrate small victories. Graph your highest weekly raw scores on each section, for example, and I bet you'll see some increases.

Good luck and keep up the good work!