Last minute prep for March 30 LSAT

[JohannaS]

Hello,

I am registered for the March 30 LSAT and my goal is a 175. I started self-study in mid-October with a diagnostic of 157. I worked through the Powerscore Bibles and supplemental material using the 3-month self-study plan, and then delayed registering for January, because I wasn't at my goal yet. Since then, my studying has consisted mostly of taking one timed 5-section preptest per week, blind review, and taking 4-6 timed sections from older preptests each week. My preptests hovered around 169 for quite a while and I just recently broke 170, with a 176 and a 173 on my last two preptests. I have also analyzed my weak areas and reviewed the corresponding sections of the Bibles for them.

My question is two-fold: should I take the March 30 test? Is it likely with only recently having broken the 170 that I will reach my 175 goal? Since I won't be applying to law school until October, the only downside I see in further delaying is a loss of motivation, but that seems like a real risk to me given that I'm starting to feel some burnout.

If I should go ahead with the March 30 test, how can I maximize my last few weeks of studying? Should I increase the number of preptests I'm taking per week, continue with my current study habits, or do something entirely different?

Using the Bibles and lurking in this forum has been so helpful to me so far - thank you so much!!

Johanna

[James Finch]

Hi Johanna,

First off, congratulations on the score increase! Getting into the 170's is hard to do, and you should be proud and confident in your score increases. As to whether you should take an official test this month or push it back to a later date, ultimately only you can decide that. However, there are little to no drawbacks to taking the test a second time if you don't get a score you're happy with on the first try, and it can be a confidence boost to simply go through the experience. From what you've written, confidence is the key factor; I've seen many people allow self-doubt or personal conviction that they aren't as good or as smart as their current scores say they are. It's very easy and even normal to give more weight to the original 157 than to the 173 and 176 that you've recently scored.

So what's causing the self-doubt? It could just be general anxiety as the test day nears, or something external in your life. But it's not your ability to score well on the LSAT, as you've already proven. Objectively, you are ready to take the LSAT and score well into the 170's, so now you also have to make sure that you are subjectively ready as well. At this point my advice to you is not to delay taking the test but instead to try and recognize any negative or self-deprecating thoughts and consciously work to counter them by reassuring yourself of how much you've improved and how you've effectively mastered the LSAT. You are ready right now, so this is the time to make sure that when test day rolls around, you feel ready as well. Don't overwork yourself trying to cram, just keep up a steady routine that meshes with the rest of your life and create techniques to calm yourself whenever test anxiety flares up. You should be confident and assured in your abilities, and thus the score you will achieve. You've worked hard and you've earned it!

Hope this helps!

[JohannaS]

Thank you James, this definitely helps! I have a lot of anxiety about the test mainly because I've been out of school for 10 years and have been a stay-at-home parent much of that time, so going in for a standardized test feels very foreign to me right now. I really appreciate the confidence boost from your response and will work on my own self-confidence leading up to test day. The reminder that I can always retake if I am unhappy with my score the first time around was also needed! Thanks again.

[ericau02]

Hi Johanna,

I am currently scoring in the lower 150's and I wanted to ask what methods did you use in improving your score so drastically. I am also registered for the march LSAT but I am not seeing the score I want so I have decided to postpone to June/July. I did the powerscore course, but I believe my fault was that i relied solely on the course and waited last minute to complete PT'S and now its too late. I am not every good at Standardized exams but I really am looking for any advice possible to increasing my score please I would appreciate any help in anyway of how you increased your score, your methods, practice books, etc.

Thank you!!!

Hello,

I am registered for the March 30 LSAT and my goal is a 175. I started self-study in mid-October with a diagnostic of 157. I worked through the Powerscore Bibles and supplemental material using the 3-month self-study plan, and then delayed registering for January, because I wasn't at my goal yet. Since then, my studying has consisted mostly of taking one timed 5-section preptest per week, blind review, and taking 4-6 timed sections from older preptests each week. My preptests hovered around 169 for quite a while and I just recently broke 170, with a 176 and a 173 on my last two preptests. I have also analyzed my weak areas and reviewed the corresponding sections of the Bibles for them.

My question is two-fold: should I take the March 30 test? Is it likely with only recently having broken the 170 that I will reach my 175 goal? Since I won't be applying to law school until October, the only downside I see in further delaying is a loss of motivation, but that seems like a real risk to me given that I'm starting to feel some burnout.

If I should go ahead with the March 30 test, how can I maximize my last few weeks of studying? Should I increase the number of preptests I'm taking per week, continue with my current study habits, or do something entirely different?

Using the Bibles and lurking in this forum has been so helpful to me so far - thank you so much!!

Johanna