september lsat and score is decreasing

[Salvi627]

Hi,

I took the december 2010 LSAT last week and the October 2011 LSAT today and my score went from a 154 on the decemeber one to a 149 today on the october one.. my diagnostic was a 144, and i went up to a 159.. I am registered for the September LSAT, which is almost 3 weeks away, and I am trying not to panic about the decrease in my score and inconsistencies in my scoring.. I really do not want to postpone the LSAT, I took a powerscore course that began in the end of June and just finished this past Monday. I have been reviewing my practice tests after I take them to see where I am making mistakes, and especially with the logic games I see a better understanding of my performance. However, on the LSAT I took today I got about 10 wrong on each section, but 2 weeks ago I got 4 wrong on each section.. I don't really know whats going on. And i don't know what to do if in 3 weeks, my score is still low. I am aiming for a 165 on the actual LSAT, and I was confident that i would be able to increase my score from a 159 to at least a 163/165 by test day, as my instructors said it was very doable, but now I am just very concerned that my score is dropping. I don't know what to do if it doesn't go up by at least a week before the LSAT

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Salvi627,

Sorry this has been such a frustrating experience, and trust me - you are not alone in that. Almost every student experiences stumbling blocks, plateaus, score fluctuations, etc. at some point in their course of study. The key is to focus not on your final score, but on what you can do to improve it. I know this is of little consolation when your score plummets to 149, but trust me - the mistakes you make now are the key to improving your performance in the long run, as long as you learn from them, and don't get discouraged. Half the battle is about your attitude: confidence, focus, and thorough engagement with every aspect of the test are just as important as knowing how to prove the correct answer choice to an Assumption question.

Check out this blog post we recently posted regarding score fluctuations:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/309 ... st-Go-Down

Of course, it is critical to understand where your mistakes are coming from. Are you not pacing yourself well, and therefore resort to guessing on a large number of questions? Is there a particular argument type (causation/conditionality/numerical evidence/etc.) that you're struggling with? Alternatively, maybe you are not approaching a specific question type correctly? Sometimes (and I understand this is not an option for everyone), private tutoring - even in small doses - can help identify problem areas and drastically improve your score.

Last, but not least, taking (and reviewing) practice tests properly is key. Check this out:

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

So, my advice to you would be to keep going and not postpone until December. At least not yet. If the average of your last 3 practice tests is not within the range you're hoping for, then you may want to think about December. But don't make this decision until the week before the test: there are students who get a "breakthrough" literally a few days before their test date. It's way too early to give up

If you have any questions specific to the practice tests you've been taking, let us know! And good luck!