I need advice

[salander]

I plan on taking the June 6th LSAT, but have had some issues with my scores recently. Some background, I am currently enrolled in the comprehensive live online course.

My original score was a 150. Then several weeks passed and I got a 158. I took a test last Wednesday (4th) and got a 164. I was very happy with this because I want to be consistently scoring around a 165 prior to the actual test. However, I took a test this past Tuesday (10th) and got a 161 and I took one today and got a 157.

These scores are alarming to me because I am moving in the opposite direction of where I want to be going. In between test days I have been studying and trying to stay positive, but I feel very discouraged and need advice on how to correct what I am doing. With the test only a couple weeks away, I am worried because I should be doing 2 or 3 tests a week, but don't feel comfortable with how I have been doing on my last ones.

I kind of want to focus on practicing for at least a couple days before I take another test. I have read that LG is an ideal section for improvement so I just purchased the LG workbook to really focus on drills. On the PTs, I typically do well on 2 games, but then really struggle on the other 2 so I have to guess on at least 4 questions. For LR, I need to improve time, so I figured I should review questions I missed (I have a hard time really figuring out what I did wrong) and practice timing on individual questions. As a side note, I seem to get a lot of LR questions narrowed down to two answer choices and I pick the wrong one. Then for RC, I think just more timed practice would help.

Any suggestions about this strategy or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Clay Cooper]

Hi Salander,

Thanks for your post. I will offer what comments occurred to me as I read it.

First, moving from a 150 to a 164 is a huge improvement - great job! Don't lose sight of how far you have come already, regardless of what happens in the immediate future.

Second, I would point out that two decreasing test scores - especially within one week - do not necessarily constitute a statistically significant pattern. Some variation in your scores is normal and unavoidable, and when you take them as close together as you have been, it seems to me that such variations tend to be exaggerated.

Third, I think maybe you would benefit from taking some time off of studying, to give your brain a rest. Mental fatigue is a very real phenomenon and will, for certain, affect your scores if it goes too far. The reasons that I think this may be an issue for you are how often you are taking tests, and especially that you seem to take for granted that you should be taking 2-3 full-length practice tests per week with the days in between spent studying as well; that is a recipe for decreasing scores. I would take at least one, preferably two days off a week - off completely, with no LSAT studying done at all.

I have a hard time getting students to take me seriously when I suggest that, but I promise I have seen it benefit students time after time, and I wouldn't suggest it so strongly if I hadn't seen plenty of evidence of its importance.

Finally, one observation - don't let the fact that you seem often to eliminate three answer choices and then choose incorrectly between the two that remain get you down. Again, I wish i had some way to count how many students have made this exact observation, but just trust me, many students feel exactly the same way. Don't let it bother you, however; the test is designed to function that way (with, on most questions, several bad answers and one or two or three that are better and more difficult to eliminate), and it is extremely unlikely that you get significantly less than 50% of those correct; probably you, like me and like other students, tend to remember much more strongly those that you miss. It does not mean that you are doing anything wrong, and should not be a source of worry for you.

Thanks for your post. Stay strong! You are almost to the finish line.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Salander,

Thanks for the questions! The scenario you describe comes up on occasion, and thus I've had the opportunity to write about it extensively. I think that one of the replies I wrote a while back applies quite well to your questions, and it can be found at lsat/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7759&p=20048 (and interestingly, it was Clay and me who responded to that student as well). If you have the time, please check out my reply there—I think it will help you feel better about these recent scores (which in the grand scheme of things are not a big deal at all and are actually quite normal).

Please let me know if that helps make you feel a bit better. Thanks!

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Salander,

The issues you are struggling with are not unique; in fact, being "stuck" between two answers is an extremely common predicament, second only to... score fluctuations! Clearly, you are not alone in this

Check out this blog posts, which will address at least some of the issues you're facing:

Last Mile is Always the Hardest

Happy to answer any questions specific to the areas you need to improve on, so fire away

Thanks!

[salander]

Thanks everyone!! I feel a bit better knowing these seem to be common issues for most people. I will try to prephrase more and hopefully that will help with getting stuck between two choices.

I have only taken 5 PTs so any negative change in score worries me because I don't seem to have a pattern yet. With that being said,I think I set myself up for failure taking the second test this week so quickly after my last. I'm just concerned because I feel behind with how many practice tests I should be taking before the actual test. However, I don't want to rush into another PT now only to find myself not performing ideally. So I think I'll focus on practicing, fit in some rest time, and take my next PT around Wednesday.