How to prepare for October Retake?

[Dutty63]

Just got my score back. My diagnostic was a 158 in June. Not before long, I was pting consistently in the 170s with LG and RC being my strong suits. Had two tests at 177. August score comes in at a whopping 162 when I did not feel at all I performed abnormally. I took the pencil and paper test which threw me off, sure. but this feels disorientating. I honestly want to believe I misbubbled.

I am signed up for October but do not know how to structure my studying. I work 50 hours a week and have about 2 hours a day to study. Just feel a bit lost.

Any thoughts?

[Beth Hayden]

Hi Dutty,

First of all, congratulations on those excellent practice test scores!

Please don't get discouraged about scoring lower on the actual test; it happened to me as well, and then I ended up out doing my practice tests the second time I took the LSAT.

There are a lot of potential reasons why your score was lower than in practice. It might be nerves--there is a lot of pressure when you take the LSAT, which is bound to seep in, even if you didn't necessarily feel nervous. Some people find it easier to focus the second time because they know what to expect. Also, you could have been feeling burned out on test day. Take a break and give your brain some time to relax before you jump back into studying, and make sure that you are not pushing too hard in the days before the test. The mental aspect is real! Whatever happened, the best thing you can do is keep practicing.

As to how to structure your studying, 2 hours a day is plenty of time as long as it is quality practice! Focus on really thoroughly reviewing practice tests to figure out not just why the right answer is correct, but why the other answers are wrong. Also, if you're seeing a lot of variability in your scores, I would recommend marking down questions that you feel unsure about when you take a practice test. Review all of those questions, whether or not you got them correct, because if the wind blew in a different direction that day you might have gotten them wrong!

Finally, if you feel stuck, a couple of tutoring sessions might help you better understand your weaknesses and break through that wall.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your prep!

[Studious457]

I am totally in the same boat. Got a 154 on the diagnostic, went up to 164 on one of the Practice Tests, and then got a 159 on the August exam. I am scheduled to do the October test as well, but I am trying to figure out a good study schedule in the meantime. I am unhappy with my performance on the August test. What should I do?

[pattychau1@gmail.com]

I'm in the same boat as well. My PTs were in the 160+s. And coming out of the Aug test I felt good but the reality was that I only scored a 157. Looking to book the Oct exam and possibly take time off work and just focus on studying. Not sure where to go from here.

[Dave Killoran]

This is a good all-purpose starting point for retaking: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/retaki ... our-score/

Thanks!