Study Schedule and "Logic Game Anxiety"

[Garrett K]

Hi PowerScore,

I am taking the September LSAT and even though I have been preparing all summer, I am still having trouble getting the score I want. My goal is to get in the 170s, and even though I typically score in the mid to high 160s, I still cannot seem to get over the 170 hump. My question is should I attempt to complete sections on the material that I am most inconsistent with, or considering that I have only taken around 10 practice tests, should I just do test after test? When I took the PowerScore LSAT course my teacher said you really get the most bang for your buck by taking as many practice tests as possible during the last month of studying, but I didn't know whether or not to adhere to this advice considering that I had not yet scored about a 170.

Also, on a few tests I have had what I term as "logic game anxiety"...Typically in timed practice sections logic games are my strongest suit, but during practice tests I sometimes spend unnecessarily long on the 1st question which sabotages the rest of the section. Three days ago I did this and missed 9 logic game questions alone and scored a 159, but then today I only missed two and eventually scored a 168. I understand that consistency comes with time, but I think these few instances have me a little worried about getting "logic game anxiety" on actual test day. Do you have any advice for keeping on pace during the logic games or avoiding this problem altogether?


Sorry for the long post,
Garrett

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Garrett,

Thanks for your questions! First off, congrats on reaching the high-160s! I know you have set your sights on breaking 170, and by all means - you should do whatever it takes to get there. But you should also acknowledge that you're already scoring better than 95% of all test-takers out there

Now, I don't think you need to choose between taking practice tests and doing sections specific to your particular weaknesses: you really should be doing a little bit of both. Repeated test-taking improves your stamina and pacing; however, it's not the best way to address underlying weaknesses in your approach. At the same time, focusing exclusively on difficult questions and sections can help with pattern recognition - which improves accuracy - but it won't prepare you for the stress of taking a full practice test. If that's all you do, your pace will suffer, and you are more likely to panic.

The best way to go about improving your speed and your accuracy is to 1) take practice tests that you review in their entirety; and 2) use the results to focus specifically on question types, games, etc. that you are experiencing some difficulties with. It is also entirely possible that your accuracy is consistent across the question types in LR (or LG), but that it correlates with the difficulty level of the questions. If that is the case, you may want to consider one of the Advanced-level courses we offer, which are geared towards high-achieving test-takers like yourself:

http://powerscore.com/lsat/advanced-logic-games/
http://powerscore.com/lsat/advanced-logical-reasoning/

For more information on how to make the most out of your practice tests, check out these blog posts:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/153 ... tice-tests

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/331 ... ctice-Test

You also mention experiencing panic, or "freezing" in the beginning of certain Logic Games. You aren't alone: this is more common than you think! Test mentality is (almost) everything on the test, especially if you feel unprepared for it. In our Free LSAT Help Area, there's an extensive discussion of test mentality from a free seminar we did prior to the October 2013 LSAT here. Please go to this page: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/#free-lessons and see the link titled Test Mentality. I think that may help with your overall outlook on the LSAT, and give you a more aggressive mindset.

One of the suggestions in there discusses warming up prior to the LSAT by doing a short problem set. I think this idea might help you as well, particularly since you tend to struggle at the beginning of the LG section. My suggestion would be to do 1-2 LG setups before every practice test you take. That would help get you into the right gear, and also bring the basics of the section to the forefront of your mind: how to setup numerical distributions, the importance of templates, Not Laws, etc. etc. While you wouldn't likely be able to cover every point mentally, it would get you in the groove needed to come out firing.

That's a start, so please let me know if that helps out. Thanks!

[Garrett K]

Yea thanks for your help! Sorry if I sounded like I was complaining but Im just trying to get better. Again, thanks for the advice!!!