Advice on Last Push for Upcoming November Exam ~ Breaking 170s

[stem4lifexo]

Hi everyone!

I am registered to take my first LSAT on November 12th. I started studying in August (with a diagnostic around 157). I took a month off from PTing until this week to just deep dive into each section and drill. I’ve been studying pretty much 12+ hours/day for a couple weeks. My first PT back, two days ago, was a 165 (pretty disappointed as that was my score from a month ago, but I didn’t use my accommodated time for this one). Then I took another PT (albeit one I took back in August, unbeknownst to me until after the experimental section) and got a 174. On today’s brand-new-to-me PT, I scored a 169. I’m hoping I could get some advice on how to consistently break into the 170s and consistently stay there. My weaker areas definitely vary between LR and RC. I am feeling pretty discouraged and almost resigned to having to re-take in January or even wait until next cycle, but this would be not ideal as I have all my application materials ready. I am aiming to apply to some T14s, which includes my top choice school (but I feel my LSAT score could be what makes me inconsiderable for these).

Any words of wisdom, techniques for breaking 170s, or general understanding of the struggle would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

-A

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Howdy there A,

Congrats on all your progress so far! I know it can be tough not to focus on where you want to end up, but for a minute, focus on the progress you've made. Breathe it in. Take a beat and celebrate, even if only for the amount of time it takes to indulge in your favorite leftover Halloween candy.

But, let's look at where you are going! The first way to break through that 170+ is to stop taking the test without your accommodations. Practice tests don't really tell you much if you aren't using all your tools, including whatever time you've been approved for. If you got approved, it's because you need it.

In addition to more realistic tests, I hope that you are planning on taking a bit of a breather before test day. LSAT prep is like marathon training. You push yourself, hard, but you taper off before the test itself. 12+hour days of study all the way up to the test is a great way to find yourself burnt out on test day. You want to jump into that exam chomping at the bit for those questions.

Meanwhile there are a few things you can do to push yourself a bit. First, take a look at the analytics behind your scores. Why are you missing the questions you are missing? What's the difference between your best score and your lower scores? What questions started to trip you up? What are the patterns in your tests? If you can't see it yourself, it can help to work with a tutor for an hour or two to try to get into that analysis.

Finish strong!

[stem4lifexo]

Howdy there A,

Congrats on all your progress so far! I know it can be tough not to focus on where you want to end up, but for a minute, focus on the progress you've made. Breathe it in. Take a beat and celebrate, even if only for the amount of time it takes to indulge in your favorite leftover Halloween candy.

But, let's look at where you are going! The first way to break through that 170+ is to stop taking the test without your accommodations. Practice tests don't really tell you much if you aren't using all your tools, including whatever time you've been approved for. If you got approved, it's because you need it.

In addition to more realistic tests, I hope that you are planning on taking a bit of a breather before test day. LSAT prep is like marathon training. You push yourself, hard, but you taper off before the test itself. 12+hour days of study all the way up to the test is a great way to find yourself burnt out on test day. You want to jump into that exam chomping at the bit for those questions.

Meanwhile there are a few things you can do to push yourself a bit. First, take a look at the analytics behind your scores. Why are you missing the questions you are missing? What's the difference between your best score and your lower scores? What questions started to trip you up? What are the patterns in your tests? If you can't see it yourself, it can help to work with a tutor for an hour or two to try to get into that analysis.

Finish strong!

Dear Rachel,

Thank you so, so much for this advice! I appreciate it greatly! I did take another practice exam (with my full accomodated time) and finally jumped into the 170s on a brand-new exam (PT 93) I've also been forcing myself to get outside to get some fresh air and go on walks (while listening to the podcast, of course) to try and reset my brain - I think that has been helping as well. My plan is to just focus on drills and individual timed sections up until exam day (no more full-lengths) to preserve my stamina. I'll also be taking the day before the exam off completely to spend time with family.

I've been hearing chatter about how the newly released PT 93 is not very exemplary to what this fall's exams have looked like (e.g., people saying that PT 93 is by far easier). Are you able to speak on that a bit? Hoping that this exam wasn't just a fluke/good luck... Also, do you have any tips for RC timing? That is my weakest area by far, and I definitely always miss a few questions at the end of the section due to panicking and lack of time. I can normally go -0 in LG, but always miss 1 or 2 of the very last questions for the same reason. Should I just continue drilling timed sections of those two?

Thank you again for your help! Happy Friday!

-A

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi stem4lifexo!

Thanks for your reply, and glad we were able to help!

I've been hearing chatter about how the newly released PT 93 is not very exemplary to what this fall's exams have looked like (e.g., people saying that PT 93 is by far easier). Are you able to speak on that a bit?

PT93 has been used many times over the years as an administered LSAT. In fact, it's been used at least 7 times since it was used in June 2020! (They probably released this one because so many people have seen it now.) So, this exam is very similar to what you would see on actual test day!

As for test difficulty, remember that all LSATs are designed to be roughly equal, so when a test is logically harder, you get a looser scale. If a test is logically easier, then you get a tighter scale. So, in the long run, it offsets and brings everything to the middle

Here is the PT 93+ scaling, on questions missed out of 75Qs:
180= -1
175= -5
170= Not possible
165= -14
160= -20
155= -27
150= -34

Also, do you have any tips for RC timing?

Yes! Hopefully, these resources will be helpful!
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/a-timi ... rformance/
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid-32 ... rehension/
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/lsat-s ... -your-pace
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/speed- ... k-a-winner

Thanks!