Panicking over 142 score

[Jessicaalvaducos]

I am extremely concerned about my score. I took the LSAT for the first time this November after months of self study. My score was 142. I intend on taking it again this upcoming year but I am certain that my study methods were an absolute fail. My target score is 165... is that even possible?

My biggest problem are the logic games followed by timing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[T.B.Justin]

Hi Jessica,

What was your initial diagnostic score?

I initially scored a 136 in August 2017 without any studying, then I completed my bachelors that fall semester. My second diagnostic at the beginning of this year was 138, then I jumped into studying with Powerscore's tools: books, on demand course, and some tutoring. I focused on Logic games and some reasoning first and after three months I was comfortable with the games section, scoring on average -3 to 0, still, performance anxiety is my biggest weakness and I have bad days. Around this time, I scored a 149 on the July LSAT. After which I tried going right back into studying but was burnt out, and so I decided to take a break for about a month. I still would do a game, reasoning problem and dense reading on a weekly basis, but I wasn't intensely focused on studying. This September I dug deeper and shifted my focus to the reasoning section, working to get more comfortable, its challenging. In November I added reading comprehension into the mix, this is my worst section, most recently on the first of December I exhibited a 155 performance.

I am seeing steady improvement, so thats why I ask the question about your initial diagnostic, and hopefully my timeline can be some help to you!

Also, its helped me to focus more on learning rather than numbers but it has taken me about a year to get to that point, and still I get caught up in numbers at times! Competitiveness can be overwhelming!

This is an in-depth detailed look at one student's LSAT journey, from his perspective, that inspired me:

https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/my-lsa ... ent-part-1

[Robert Carroll]

Jessica,

A score improvement like that is possible. I think you should focus on your studying methods. You claim they weren't very good. If so, it is vital you find a good plan and follow it. PowerScore has several plans for different time periods already constructed: http://students.powerscore.com/self-study/ These plans will cover all aspects of the test, so you'll definitely get Logic Games and timing taken care of by doing this, in addition to other weak areas.

Is there anything else you can tell me about your studying that might help me give you more specific advice?

Robert Carroll

[awalker71]

Hi Robert,

I actually got the same score as Jessica and did months of self study as well. Like her, I am also extremely concerned about my score and believe that my preparation methods are to blame. I have already used up the LSAT Bibles, type training, and workbooks and I am thinking about enrolling in one of the powerscore prep courses this time around. My concern is if the prep course material will have the exact same questions/material from the type training books or workbooks from which I have already worked on, or if the course contains different questions and content. Also, I know that the self study site has study schedules to assist according to the time we all have before our tests. Will these be of any help if I decide to take a course? Thank you.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Robert,

I actually got the same score as Jessica and did months of self study as well. Like her, I am also extremely concerned about my score and believe that my preparation methods are to blame. I have already used up the LSAT Bibles, type training, and workbooks and I am thinking about enrolling in one of the powerscore prep courses this time around. My concern is if the prep course material will have the exact same questions/material from the type training books or workbooks from which I have already worked on, or if the course contains different questions and content. Also, I know that the self study site has study schedules to assist according to the time we all have before our tests. Will these be of any help if I decide to take a course? Thank you.

Hi A,

Thanks for the message! I think it might be worth your time to call into our office this week and speak to someone directly since it's easier and faster to answer the full scope of your questions in that manner, but I'll do what I can in the meantime to help out

First, let's start with the studying you've done before. It sounds like you've ;put a lot of time in, which is great! Even if your score isn't where it needs to be yet, that tie is a foundation that makes it easier to progress as you move forward. The key for me in your past studies is how well you know what you covered. I wrote about this a bit here: Retaking the LSAT? What To Do Differently To Raise Your Score. The key points for you would be to look at items #4 and #6. Test yourself just to make sure we know the issues you are having, and then with #6 you want to know that what you studied actually has been fully absorbed.

Second, there is some overlap with the course (because some concepts—like argumentation—are universal) but there are many different questions that are covered, and most importantly, the manner of presentation is different. In this sense, they are very different prep approaches. With the books, it's all on you to see the ideas in action and to implement them,. the course puts that job on us, and you get to see questions analyzed and broken down, and to hear how each concept and technique applies to each question. The difference has been described to me as like reading about driving a car vs actually driving a car.

Last, if you move over to a course, you won't want to stay on the self-study schedule. The approaches are compatible of course, but the course moves through the ideas in a different route, in order to take advantage of the live aspect. It also has its own homework, which is sectioned out according to the lessons. It puts you on a different path entirely.

I hope the above helps. Thanks!