Retaking the LSAT in February or June?

[LSATmaniac2.0]

Dear Powerscore,

My score on the Dec LSAT was a 163 (bad for me, and well below my goal). This is no surprise, as the hotel I was staying at had a fire emergency the night before and completely ruined the night leading up to my exam. So, I decided to retake in February and still apply for this admission cycle and kept studying. But I'm now thinking that it's a mistake to do so, as I'm not sure I will be ready for Feb. Last week I took preptests 40 and 42, and got 168, 167, respectively but still struggled with consistency.

#40 (168):
LG: -8 [Zephyr Airlines got me]
LR1: -2
LR2: 0 wrong
RC: -3

#42 (167):
LG: -3
LR1: -3
LR2: -2
RC: -7 [that Pop Art passage!]

I've only taken 8 or so practice tests total. So I know I need to work on that to develop consistency and I should be able to hit my goal of 173 (6 questions or so more), I just don't know if I'll have the time for that in only 4 more weeks. As to why only 8 tests... well, I was previously following the 'Kaplan Method' of only doing one test per week, and doing a lot of 'mastery practice', doing question types from random preptests, potentially ruining these tests for use as practice. (This was before I converted to Powerscore a few weeks ago.)

As of now, I've still got a lot of the recent tests untouched: 45-55, 60-67, 72-75. I could do these 23 tests over the next 4 weeks coming up to the Feb LSAT (about 5 tests per week), but if I do, and I'm still not performing at that point, I've ruined the most recent tests and won't be able to use them for prep for the June exam. Also, I'm concerned I'll lose the traction I've gotten these last 8 weeks, 30-40 hours per week since the start of November (when I first started studying).

So basically I'm trying to hedge my bets here. I have a limited number of recent tests to use in prep (I've already been through a lot of material from the first 35 tests), and I feel like I'm really in LSAT mode (it's all I think about or do), but I worry I'll lose that if I don't have enough material to keep up this 30-40 hour per week pace for the next 5 months until June.

Would you have any advice? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0 (I have upgraded myself from LSATmaniac, as I will be taking the LSAT a second time )

[Robert Carroll]

L,

I think it's important to use those test wisely. When you take a test, you need to do much more than look at numbers - what you got wrong specifically is important, and you need to review those so you don't make the same mistakes again. This itself will improve consistency, and will also somewhat obviate your concern about "wasting" tests - if you force yourself not only to take the test but also to review it carefully, that will mean a relatively lower "consumption" of tests in the given time you have left.

This means that you might not best serve your interests doing all 23 of those tests in the time remaining before the February test.

Further, old tests aren't useless. I think, in fact, there is at least some evidence that LSAC is reviving things like Pattern Games in order to foil those who rely only on the most recent tests. Anything from the modern LSAT (June 1991-present) is viable for practice purposes. I am on board with the idea of tending to focus on more recent tests, but not to the point of total exclusion of earlier ones. If nothing else, you can chop them up to do question-type specific practice (which is a useful thing if your review reveals consistent problems by question type!).

If you're in an LSAT mindset right now and practicing very seriously, which seems completely like what's happening, you might be in great shape for the February test and find it difficult to maintain that pace for the June test. Of course, you always have the option of taking again, but you have a month to practice. You've already made considerable progress and are on your way to making even more. I think it makes the most sense to study hard for February. Make sure you use your remaining tests intelligently - a blitz strategy is likely to result on in repeated mistakes. Carefully analyze what you do wrong on each test.

Robert Carroll

[LSATmaniac2.0]

Dear Robert,

Thanks for the input. I didn't mean to imply that I neglect test review. Quite the opposite, I probably spend too much time reviewing sections and tests (part of the reason I don't get to as many as I would like). I try to understand the mistakes I made and to avoid the same mistakes, even if it means staring at a particular Parallel reasoning question for 10 minutes solid trying to divine where I went wrong. My concern with 'wasting tests' look more to the fact that I won't be able to use them effectively a SECOND time around (if I need to take the June LSAT), meaning fewer tests for use in the interim period (about 21 weeks till June).

After hearing your suggestion to go for gold in Feb, I think I'm inspired to do so. If I don't hit my target score, though, how should I go about keeping my mindset and LSAT fitness (if you will) until June?

Thanks again for your help.

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0

[David Boyle]

Dear Robert,

Thanks for the input. I didn't mean to imply that I neglect test review. Quite the opposite, I probably spend too much time reviewing sections and tests (part of the reason I don't get to as many as I would like). I try to understand the mistakes I made and to avoid the same mistakes, even if it means staring at a particular Parallel reasoning question for 10 minutes solid trying to divine where I went wrong. My concern with 'wasting tests' look more to the fact that I won't be able to use them effectively a SECOND time around (if I need to take the June LSAT), meaning fewer tests for use in the interim period (about 21 weeks till June).

After hearing your suggestion to go for gold in Feb, I think I'm inspired to do so. If I don't hit my target score, though, how should I go about keeping my mindset and LSAT fitness (if you will) until June?

Thanks again for your help.

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0

Hello LSATmaniac2.0,

Good question. You obviously want to succeed, so I'm not sure you're going to lose your mindset. I would actually go the other direction and suggest you not burn yourself out, which could be a worse problem then not being "intense enough".
What Robert said made a lot of sense, that you might not want to be taking a test every day, etc. I would worry about one day at a time, preparing strongly (but not over-preparing or getting obsessed) for February. This should leave you a number of tests to take, that you haven't taken yet, just in case you need to take the June test...but don't worry about the June test! Just try to do well on the one in front of you!

Hope this helps,
David

[LSATmaniac2.0]

Dear David,

Thanks for the further encouragement! I'm trying not to think about June at all, focusing 100% on my prep in the here-and-now. As for the burn out, I've never gotten burned out in my 4 undergrad years, so I don't worry about it too much. Strangely enough, I think I was the most 'burnt out' right before and when I started studying for the LSAT. In November I hated it so much, the idea of a stupid test controlling more of my admissions chances than the last 4 years of my life at university. Since then, I've come to accept it. Even enjoy it.

Anyways, as per the not-testing-every-day idea, how many PTs do you suggest I do a week? I was planning on doing an on-off schedule: Day 1, PT and partial review; Day 2, finish review, read about question types, etc. Rinse and repeat with a day off on Friday (to simulate my actual day off before the exam on Feb 6). Do you think that schedule would be too appropriate?

Also, I did PT 46 yesterday and reviewed and graded it today (as per my 2-day system). I got a 170, with LR1 -2, LR2 -3, RC -4, LG 0. I still can't seem to get the RC down below a -3 or -4. I'm going to try doing timed sections on the non-test days to see if that will give me an extra push. Any suggestions on how I could break through my RC ceiling?

I can't say how much I appreciate the feedback and advice I get from you guys. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey LSATmaniac2.0,

Let me jump in and add my 2c. First off, congrats on that 170! Clearly, your hard work is paying off.

To answer your questions, I probably wouldn't do more than 3 practice tests a week, timed. Don't neglect to add a fifth section to each test (in lieu of the experimental) in order to replicate the testing conditions as closely as possible. I would save an entire day for the test reviews, such that you'll be on a day-on/day-off schedule of practice tests. The best way to review practice tests is outlined here, and it takes considerably more time than most people realize.

Btw, I just wrote a blog post titled, Re-taking the LSAT in February? Here's an Awesome Plan B, which might be of interest as you prepare for the February 2016 test.

As far as Reading Comprehension is concerned, I suspect you're familiar with our VIEWSTAMP method. Here are a few more resources that might be of interest:

Bored with Reading Comprehension? Maybe that's the problem.
Killer RC: The 10 Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages Of All Time
Mind-wandering, Mindfulness, and Reading Comprehension on the LSAT
Reading Comprehension on the LSAT - Overload by Design
Prephrasing on the LSAT: Reading Comprehension
A Timing Strategy for Faster Reading Comprehension Performance

Keep up the good work!!

Best,

[LSATmaniac2.0]

Hey LSATmaniac2.0,

To answer your questions, I probably wouldn't do more than 3 practice tests a week, timed. Don't neglect to add a fifth section to each test (in lieu of the experimental) in order to replicate the testing conditions as closely as possible. I would save an entire day for the test reviews, such that you'll be on a day-on/day-off schedule of practice tests. The best way to review practice tests is outlined here, and it takes considerably more time than most people realize.

Dear Nikki,

Thanks for your 2c (always appreciated ). I have been doing about 2-3 prep tests (5 sections) per week, with a full day of review the next day and a bit of other prep on the review days. I go through the whole section Q by Q to reevaluate my thought process for each question, this time untimed. Especially for the ones I circled (Qs I wasn't 100% sure about). It's working out pretty well thus far, but I'm still not consistent enough in my individual section performances. . . In my reading, I've come across the idea that the LSAT sections vary in difficulty from test to test (for example, a really tough LG section balanced out by an easy LR, a medium LR and medium RC section). Do you subscribe to that notion as well? If so, how should I judge my consistency, knowing that I could be getting more incorrect answers due to section difficulty rather than my own inconsistency?

Also, I went through the list of links you left. They really helped me think about about the way I look at RC, if that makes any sense. RC boredom is probably my biggest problem when I hit a passage about an obscure artist or style... but I'll try to improve my mindset and hopefully concentrate better and wander less. Hopefully improve my score while I'm at it!

As always, I appreciate the input. Thanks!

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi LSATmaniac2.0,

It's great to hear you've been able to keep up with that schedule! To answer your question, yes - I do believe that some sections are easier than others, but that's to be expected. Everything gets balanced out in the end, so that the overall difficulty of each test is pretty much consistent (if not, they tinker with the curve a bit, making it more or less forgiving accordingly). So, yes - it's entirely possible that the variability in your scores at the section level is due to some extent to the slight variability in difficulty.

Here's something else to keep in mind: some sections emphasize certain concepts more than they do others. Welcome to The LSAT casino! For instance, we've seen an inordinately high number of Strengthen questions in the last year; the year before, we saw an increase in Flaw in the Reasoning questions. Conditional Reasoning was critical to as many as 20% of the LR questions in the 1990's; these days, it's Causal Reasoning. And so on. If you're particularly strong in one of these areas but weak in another, that could also contribute to score variability.

Hope this helps!

[LSATmaniac2.0]

Dear Nikki,

Thanks for the reply, I'm only now realizing how much the LSAT is like playing roulette... and sorry for not replying sooner. My computer had an unfortunate accident and I just bought a new one. I took my computer-lessness (and sickness) as a sign to call off the Feb test. My scores weren't going any higher than 170, and a few tests were really poor (165-167). In any case, I decided to take a few weeks off. Now I am getting back into it. I worked through the LR Bible last week and am currently working through the RC Bible. I did the LG Bible back in December, but I will review that again after the RC Bible is complete. I am trying to perfect my process and slowly work up to mastery of the methods and materials. That having been said, it is about 15 weeks till the June exam, and I'm trying to plan accordingly.

I'm giving thought to a PS course: I think I will end up skipping the basic course though and take the advanced classes for logical reasoning and logic games, as I only get tripped up by the tougher problems/games and look to tutoring if I still can't solve my problems after the classes. AS per the usual, I'll do one test a week (then 2, then 3 as we get closer) and timed sections (focusing on weaker sections) on off days.

Do you think it is safe to skip the basic course and go straight to the advanced classes? Once again, thanks for the input.

Sincerely,
LSATmaniac2.0

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey LSATmaniac2.0,

Sorry to hear you were sick (and, worse - computerless), but here's the silver lining: you now have almost 4 months ahead of you to crush it by June.

I am compelled to correct your perception of our Full Length LSAT course: there is absolutely nothing "basic" about it. Yes, the first few lessons won't tell you anything you don't already know, and the basic methodological framework will closely resemble the one we've developed in the Bibles. The main difference between the self-study approach and the course boils down to this: 1) you will have a lot - a LOT - more questions to practice with, chosen by question/game type, allowing you to address specific weaknesses head-on; 2) you'll have access to an instructor, who can be an incredibly valuable resource to you; and 3) you can use our Online Student Center, where you can download and score additional practice tests, supplemental sections from all three types, watch virtual recaps of all lessons, including additional virtual lessons on topics considered slightly more esoteric, such as Formal Logic and Pattern Games. All in all, the course will expose you to every licensed LSAT question ever, and won't leave any stone unturned - which is precisely what you need to do if you're shooting for a top-1% score.

Will there be some redundant material in there? Sure - that's unavoidable if you're already scoring at the top-5%. But, a course is what you make of it: you will have a ton of resources at your disposal, so feel free to pick and choose the material you tend to struggle with the most, while also reviewing the conceptual foundation with another human being (who has the score you want, and can help explain the little you don't yet understand).

As far as the Advanced courses are concerned, they are On Demand and can be watched anytime, anywhere. I don't think you necessarily need to wait until the Full Length course is over to watch those: if you're already scoring in the high-160's, I think you will benefit from them regardless of whether you take a Full-Length course or not.

Let me know what you decide to do!