After much time and effort, I feel lost.

[gosselmike@gmail.com]

I've taken this test four times now, starting out at a 150 (Score Preview and cancelled; I was unprepared), then a 157, 162, and now back down to a 160 in November.

I am really confused as to why I may have dropped in November given that I put even more prep time preparing than for my August 162; I even completed 5 hours of tutoring with PowerScore that helped me feel more confident. One thing that may have caused my score drop was that the Logic Games section was the most difficult one I had seen on a real test. I semi-panicked, and it felt unusually rough. I also received two RC sections, but that should not have made a difference as I was starting to do great with RC.

However, my highest PT score was a 165, and all my PT's averaged somewhere in the 160-165 range. I've sought advice from my family, and they advise me it would be best just to apply with my 162 instead of retaking for a fifth time in January. This would allow me to get my apps in before the later part of the cycle turns the corner. I'm shooting for a Tier 1 school (USN&WR ranking ~28-50 range).

If anyone has any advice for me on whether I really should go for that January exam, let me know. I don't know if I can improve until then, given my PT range, which is quite frustrating.

Thank you!

[gosselmike@gmail.com]

*I should mention that my original goal was a 170 and ideally an Acceptance letter from a Top 25 school. This is why I retook after August, and for the potential for more scholarship money.

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Mike,

It's frustrating to feel like you are stuck in a place where you aren't improving the way you want to. It's hard for me to say exactly what you should do without really knowing a bit more about specifics. But I would say in general that your odds improve much more by increasing your LSAT score then they will decline by waiting the extra month or so. It only makes sense though if you can improve that score. And that's a question for your own self reflection. What do you have going on in your life between now and mid January? Can you really dig into the analytics and see where you can push for improvement? Or, are you really just DONE with this test? Only you really know how you feel and what you can devote to pushing for those few extra points.

It's a pretty normal stage to hit a plateau right in the range that you are in. There's a great article on how to push through that here. This year is looking similar to last competition wise, so I'd push a bit more if you can based on your goal schools. Make a plan for the next six-ish weeks, and make it happen.

And no matter what, you should have the rest of your application ready to go ASAP. There's no reason to have your application slowed by the rest of the materials.

In summary, a 162 in December is better than that same 162 in January. But pulling that up a few points is really your best bet.

Wishing you all the best!

[gosselmike@gmail.com]

Thank you Rachael! I appreciate your insight.

I guess to clarify a bit more, for my June 157, I felt that I struggled on Games, so most of my prep before the August 162 involved drilling Games (and the PowerScore Advanced Games course ). Between August and November, I really strived to improve on LR and RC, and I felt that was reflected in my test day performance (despite the drop). Watching the On Demand videos (thanks to my tutoring subscription) helped me refine my performance on a bunch of LR question types.

Therefore, perhaps a strategy of just doing a bunch of Game sections (some custom-built, with Grouping and Grouping/Linear as that's what I saw on the Nov. test) would be helpful, as that's where I felt November's test went wrong? (And perhaps doing/redoing some of the recent Flex tests as PT's, as recommended by Jon and Dave)..Retaking just always feels like a gamble to me; it could either pay off or not, and the amount of time and "effort" you put in doesn't always seem to correlate with a higher score the next time around, so I've yet to discover the "secret sauce." I'm still torn on whether to retake.

And thanks for the advice with having apps ready ASAP! I'm working on them now.

[gosselmike@gmail.com]

I'm seemingly receiving some very mixed advice as well; some seem to think a retake would be a waste, as "6 weeks isn't enough time to improve," yet others have said that taking time off and going lighter in their prep (but focusing on important materials, such as the Crystal Ball content) helped them crack a top score. I'm starting to think perhaps I was partially burned out before November, and that may have hurt me. During my intervals of prep, I seemingly have the test on my mind for what feels like the entire day, which is pretty unhealthy and unproductive.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the message! Any mixed advice you are getting is because there's no one-size-fits-all advice here. For some people 6 weeks is plenty of time, for others it's not. And for some people studying harder would be better and for others studying less would be more productive. And because of those combinations, you will hear what sounds like conflicting advice but really isn't.

I don't know whether 6 weeks is enough here, but I do know that for some it is. what I can tell, though, is that you probably need a break, since you said, "I'm starting to think perhaps I was partially burned out before November, and that may have hurt me. During my intervals of prep, I seemingly have the test on my mind for what feels like the entire day, which is pretty unhealthy and unproductive." that sounds exactly like burnout to me. And taking time off isn't bad anyway: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid-24 ... our-score/

So, I'd say take time off or study lighter. Whether the 6 weeks would be sufficient though, that's more a question you have to answer based on what you know about yourself

Please let me know if that helps!

[gosselmike@gmail.com]

Hi Dave, thanks for the outstanding advice, and thanks for all the passion you and Jon pour into all the PowerScore materials and podcasts; they have certainly helped me immensely along the way.

Based on what you said, I agree that it's best to take time off and not sit for the January exam. I prepped for ~8 weeks between the August and November exams, and because that didn't result in a score increase, I wouldn't feel comfortable taking that same gamble with six weeks this time around (and having less time due to the holidays & the beginning of ski season). Furthermore, I have only one more test administration available, so the plan for me is to apply, see my outcomes/scholarship availability, and if I'm not happy with how it turns out, there's always that last test waiting there for me next cycle .

Take care, and thanks again for the support.