I don't know how I should study these next few weeks before January...any recommendations?

[oychoi]

Hi Powerscore,

I am planning to sit for the January LSAT and my last 3 PT scores have been 164, 162, and 166. These are all more of the recent tests (in the 70's) but not super recent.

I have been studying for a long time but am at a point where I'm not sure how to get better anymore. I've reviewed countless strategies and taken dozens and dozens of practice tests, but still seem to fall prone to the same errors over and over, especially in LR. There seems to be some keyword/phrase I miss in the stimulus or answer choices or I always miss a key assumption on those very difficult Argument questions. I review as thoroughly as I can and I try to remind myself to slow down in my reading to understand and try to see the unstated assumptions/flaw. If this were a standard history exam, I feel confident I would rock it, but because the LSAT disguises itself in the form of different topics/stimulus, I often fall again and again. Or if I see the assumption/flaw, it often comes at the expense of time.

On my recent 166, I noticed that 4 more points would have gotten me to a 170 on the FLEX, which is a score I would love to achieve. But that final jump seems so difficult to overcome.

It is 2.5 weeks to go until January so I am wondering what is the best way to study at this point? I am open but weary to try radical changes to strategy this late in the game (but still open). Should I keep doing PT's over and over and over to at least ingrain that mid-160's score? Or should I slow down and still try to work on the process?

I have no idea how to spend these last few weeks. Please help!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi oychoi,

Thanks for the message! Let's pull out some quotes from what you've said above and see if there's any help we can offer here:

I am open but weary to try radical changes to strategy this late in the game (but still open).

The comment you make about being weary here concerns me. Mental fatigue and burnout are real, and if needed, you should think about taking a few days off and refreshing. I know it's close to the test, but if you go in tired, you won't perform well.

That aside, I wouldn't recommend radical changes at this point since you don't have enough time to institute them (or perhaps even identify them).

Should I keep doing PT's over and over and over to at least ingrain that mid-160's score? Or should I slow down and still try to work on the process?

Just doing tests over and over isn't going to make a difference since what you've noted above is a problem with missing the base idea because the language/context changes. So, that's not the solution here.

Since you are missing these ideas, I wonder if your clarity of understanding when you read each stimulus is where it should be. Do you feel like you understand what each sentence says? If now, work on that. If so, then the problem is in the gaps between each statement. Given the amount of time left, a tutor is the only solution I can think of for fast correct/help there. Either way, something in the stimulus is giving you problems, and it looks like you know that as well.

In this same vein but perhaps apparently counter to what I just said, I wonder if you aren't missing the forest for the trees. If you are missing big assumptions, etc, it could be that you are focusing too much on the details and not stopping to think about how it all works together. I can't tell from where I sit, which is why the tutor idea might be something to think about.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but this is likely case where someone needs to see you do questions in order to make the proper diagnosis!

Thanks!

[oychoi]

Thank you so much Dave for replying!

I appreciate the insights! I will try to find someone to work with to diagnose my issues and also try to avoid burnout!