Preparing for September LSAT after taking a course

[mo_wan]

Hi,

I have taken an LSAT course. I'm planning to take the September LSAT. My score sits at about 154(inclusive of guesses)

My plan was to take 2 prep tests a view under timed conditions each week. Practice some LR types that I have trouble with (inference, flaw, parrallel reasoning, necessary+sufficient assumption, some conditional reasoning) per week
--->For LR I'm scoring a raw average of 15 across both sections

I also intend to do untimed reading comprehension passages specifically the science ones to address my weakness there, and throw in some timed sections.
----> For RC I'm scoring about a raw average of 13

And do timed sections of games which I currently do 3 games with about 1-3 errors. And review games I've done before so that I can speed up.


Please let me know your thoughts on my plan.

Cheers

[Alex Bodaken]

mo_wan,

Thanks for the question! I think that in general your plan looks good. A couple of things:

1.) Make sure you are leaving plenty of time to review your tests. Two full tests is great, so long as you have time to fully review them for the ones you got wrong and can take the time to figure out why. The majority of your improvement will come from your review.

2.) It is great to mix up taking "untimed" and "timed" sections as they serve different purposes - untimed helps you to fully analyze each question, while timed gets you in the habit of getting on pace. So I think your plan to work in both of those types of practice is great.

3.) Remember to rest, even as you get close to the exam. So often, people want to cram in the final weeks before the test, but that's more likely to lead to burnout than anything else. So pick a plan that works for you, and stick to it - my general rule of thumb is to give yourself at least one day off per week if possible.

Hope that helps and good luck!
Alex

[mo_wan]

Hey Alex,

So I was wondering if I should actually adapt my plan a little bit.

For example this week; I did two preptests reviewed them and did one timed LG section and about 20 practice parallel reasoning questions.

I was thinking that maybe I should either alternate every week. So next week for example use one day to work on a specific LR type questions untimed , then maybe one LR timed section. Then another day untimed RC passages (X3) along with one timed section. Then another day reviewing games that I have done before untimed, and then doing one section of timed games. And finish off with possibly just one PT that week. Then going back to the format I mentioned in where I did two PT2.
Or just dedicate one day a week for each section along with one timed PT as I mentioned until first or second week of August and then go back to the initial method of 2 PTs + other practice.

Whats your thoughts?

Cheers,
Mo.

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Mo,

I agree with Alex that a healthy mix of timed and untimed work is critical at this stage of test prep. In general, I like to see almost a rotation of sorts at this point. Practice test, review of practice test, study concepts based on review, repeat. The concepts and ideas you study will naturally be personal to you and your own challenges. There's no magic list, but you should look at working on your weaknesses given how likely the question types are to appear. As Alex discussed, the timed test review is critical. If you aren't sure how to best review a test, I strongly recommend reading this blog post here.

Hope that helps. I know that finding the right balance can be hard. It seems like you are on a good track.

Rachael