Studying the week before the test

[elabuda]

What is the best strategy for studying the week before the test? Should I continue to do practice tests and review them, or should I just review concepts and let my brain rest?

[David Boyle]

What is the best strategy for studying the week before the test? Should I continue to do practice tests and review them, or should I just review concepts and let my brain rest?

Hello elabuda,

That's a good question. Combining some of the above, might be the safest bet.
I'm all for rest, but maybe the rest could be saved for the whole day (and night) before the test. All the days before that penultimate day, though, could use some serious study. Practice tests and reviewing them would be good (but don't burn yourself out), and also review of concepts, including those in the homework, to make sure you are comfortable with all of them. Good luck!

Hope this helps,
David

[Laura Carrier]

Hi Elabuda,

You are absolutely right to be concerned about achieving the optimal balance between work and rest during the final week before your exam. A lot can be accomplished during this week—yet you do need to be careful not to overtax your brain during these critical preparation days!

While I can’t improve on David’s excellent advice above, your question also brings to mind a wealth of resources available on the PowerScore LSAT blog, where experts Jon, Nikki, and Dave offer detailed thoughts on the whole array of elements you’ll want to keep in mind during your final days of preparation. You should find some very helpful suggestions in the posts linked below:

Jon’s strategy for making the most of your last days of studying:
http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/333 ... or-Quality

• Here’s a taste of Jon’s advice:

The key to effective practice, particularly with time constraints, is to recognize that the volume of work you attempt is far less important than the insights even a small amount of work can give you! ... In short, it's an issue of quantity versus quality. You want QUALITY! So make sure that everything you do, be it something brief, or something like an entire five-section practice test, is given a proper review where you take the time to deconstruct it thoroughly and analyze your performance, looking for any possible area of improvement by comparing what you did with the recommended strategy for that concept. Do NOT let a limited amount of prep time dissuade you from spending a significant portion of it on self-reflection and review!

Nikki’s suggestions for optimizing the value of practice tests, your last week of study time, and your overall health as a test-taker:
http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/296 ... Most-of-It


Some thoughts on timing your studying during the week before the exam:
http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/296 ... -June-LSAT


And finally, some recent advice from Dave on the all-important topic of cultivating a positive test mentality:
http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/5-days- ... ource-list

• Here’s a little of what he has to say:

To help you reach a state of pure mental power and balance, I've compiled a list of my favorite LSAT confidence resources. Make sure to set aside some time before the test to think about how you will approach the LSAT when it begins, and especially how you will react if you encounter any difficulties. It's an essential step, and one that can dramatically impact your score.

Given the absolutely critical importance of being in control of your mental outlook during this final week, I think you will definitely want to listen to this free Test Mentality Seminar that Dave recommends:
https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/#free-lessons

Best of luck on February 6th! Let us know how things go.
Laura

[al_godnessmary]

So, I'm taking the LSAT for the second time in June, and I knew from the get-go what my weakness was and I've been working on them with the help of PowerScore material and the forums (thanks everyone who's been answering all my questions...and there are more coming, sorry!). Right now I'm averaging around 170 which is good, but since it's my second time around and I hear some schools average the two scores, I'm pushing for higher. Any specific tips?

I've entered a few tests into the scoring webpage just to get a sense of my particular question weaknesses, but just going back and reviewing the relevant sections in the book seems rather inactive. Given the way scoring works (I read the post by Dave on it), I figure I really just need to tighten up my game and consistency a little bit by getting those extra two or three questions right to be able to bump my score up! Any tips? Less than a month ticking!

Thanks so much!

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi al_godnessmary,

Thanks for your question, and congrats on reaching the 170's! First of all, I must correct your observation that test review is somewhat "inactive." It's not... or at least it shouldn't be! It requires actively re-engaging the questions, ideally by doing them all over again. The key is to reach the correct answer choice on your own, rather than buy into whatever answer they gave you as correct. Then, write a brief explanation explaining to yourself why you missed the question, and what you should have done differently. Check out this blog post on how to review your practice tests - nothing inactive about it!

You know you need to work on your games, so that's a good start. If you need some strategy tips on how to approach the sections more efficiently, check out this blog post:

Jumping from 165 to 173: The Last Mile is Always the Hardest

Last, don't worry about schools claiming to average your LSAT scores. They really don't have any reason to

Good luck!

[al_godnessmary]

Hey Nikki,

Thanks - I took a read through on how to review my practice tests and I'll give that method a shot. I also read some more blog posts and figured out a few other things I could try.

I meant my game in general, haha, Logical Reasoning is actually my weakest link; I'll happily do a full paper of Logic Games instead!