NEW TO PowerScore, retaking LSAT in Dec.

[lawyerdreamz222]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on here and I look forward to your helpful responses. So here is my situation:

I took the Blueprint LSAT prep course in prep for the October 2012 LSAT. When taking practice tests throughout my prep I ended up averaging about 157s however, on the October LSAT I scored a 149. Though I was very depressed and not to excited about going for it again, I have registered and decided to take the December LSAT. I also have been able to make some life changes which includes postponing work when before I was working about 40hrs and going to school full time. I know I did not study with %100 effort but all my Blueprint material is basically used up. I also know I can do much better on the test overall.

I just purchased the LSAC SuperPrep and all the PowerScore Bibles. I have about 4 weeks to the test as you may know.
I am a bit concerned because previous professor stated using other companies books could hinder my success since strategies may be different. At this point, I don't know what else to do because all my old material is all used up and seems like I know the books by heart which isn't helping me.

Now I am turning to PowerScore!!!

Can you please recommend how I should go about studying?
Does anyone have a good schedule for this short amount of prep that I could follow especially using the three bibles?
Will studying another companies prep books hinder my success like I have heard?
What other materials should I use?

I am going to be more then happy to just score about where I was scoring for practice tests but obviously would love to do much better. I never really was able increase my timing and felt on the real exam I just blew through it trying to complete the exam. My reading comprehension seemed to be my weakest area through prep and on the actual exam. I look forward to your help and would love for you to give me a breakdown on proven schedules for the next four weeks. Thank you!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Lawyer,

Welcome to the forum! Let me see if I can give you some suggestions here, and get you started back on the path to LSAT success

Let's start with this question, which is one I'm asked about on occasion: "Will studying another companies prep books hinder my success like I have heard?"

I've always been of the mindset that looking at other materials is not a problem, as long as you make a choice as to what techniques and approaches you want to use, and stick with them. That might mean using strategies mainly form one company and then a few others from elsewhere, or it could mean using a little bit from every source you have. The key determiner is, what works best for you? If someone tells you a strategy and you can't make it work for you, then don't use it. If you are taking this test and want to go to law school, then there's no question you can determine which strategies work best for you, and what feels most comfortable. You will see differences between how we and BP approach things, and when that happens, test out the new way, think about why the recommendation is being made, and see if you like it better. If so, use it If not, keep on using what you already know.

The one thing to keep in mind is that you have to make a choice; don't try to use different techniques for the same concepts. That gets confusing, slows you down, and ultimately causes frustration. The good news is that I have worked with tons of students over the years who came form other companies to us, and they were able to absorb the new approaches and use them successfully (I like to think that's because our techniques are the most logical and intuitive, but I'm biased!).

Let's next move to this question: "Can you please recommend how I should go about studying?"

There's a couple of facets about this question that I've addressed elsewhere. For example, combining the three Bibles is something I wrote about on the book website (see page 2 of your books for that address, then scroll down that web page to "Study Plans"). I've also written about relatively short prep periods on our blog at : http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/153 ... -2012-LSAT

However, your situation doesn't fit either of those perfectly because you've studied the LSAT already, and taken practice LSATs. The first step is to change how you think about studying. Fortuitously, I just wrote about that recently at: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/239 ... -questions

Second, you should attack your problem areas most vigorously. You mention RC as your weakest area, but are there other areas that you aren't performing well on? If you can give me some more information about your scoring performance (PM me if you don't want to share it here, which I would certainly understand ), I can make more detailed suggestions as to how you proceed and what to focus on.

That leads right into, "What other materials should I use?"

This is going to depend a bit on what you tell me in answer to my prior question. so, I'll wait on that, and then once I have that in hand, I'll be better able to answer this one.

And finally, "Does anyone have a good schedule for this short amount of prep that I could follow especially using the three bibles?"

I referenced one study plan earlier in this post, but this is a tough question to answer with just one broad answer for everyone; instead, to create a good study plan, we need to know more about you as a test taker (strengths, weaknesses, timing issues (if any), material you've seen, tests you've taken, etc). Literally, anything you can tell us helps us formulate a plan that is matched as personally to you as possible. So, whatever info you can provide we will use to answer this question as best as possible.

I look forward to hearing back from you, and working on this with you. Thanks!

[lawyerdreamz222]

Thank you so much for all the helpful information. This morning I reviewed all my wrong answer on the Oct. LSAT. There where a bulk of question in LR particularly I feel like I just made idiotic errors. Their was no big trend in wrong answer choices other then missing a few Suf. and Nec. questions. The rest of my wrong answer where just spread out. This is a scary thought but I also feel like some of them I must not have read correctly or something.

In the game section I completely bombed the first game but I do remember skipping it and basically just guessing. As for reading comp. I have never been very good at it but I definitely want to make some major improvements in that area because I know I personally never made to big of an effort to master the different techniques because I thought I was doing fairly well in the other sections.

I know a big problem of mine is timing. In most practice tests I struggled in LR and RC to finish all the problems.

[Dave Killoran]

Great, that's a start! A few things jumped out at me from your last two posts:

"I know I did not study with %100 effort"

Alright, hopefully this time around you will have a bit more room in your schedule to max out


"Their was no big trend in wrong answer choices other then missing a few Suf. and Nec. questions."

While it may appear that way, that's probably not completely accurate (it just may be that the trends are hard to spot). Here's an example of some of the trends I saw just from a quick glance at another student's results: http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... 42c1#p6321


"I also feel like some of them I must not have read correctly or something."

That's likely true, and as you know that's a trait that will kill you on the LSAT. You have to commit to reading closely, otherwise your chances of getting the question correct drop dramatically.


"I know a big problem of mine is timing."

This is actually a problem for virtually everyone I've written down some thoughts on it in response to another poster, so check out:

http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... ming#p1847

Also, since I know you have the three LSAT Bibles, the last chapter in each book addresses section management and timing.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[lawyerdreamz222]

So my prep has gone pretty well. Every practice test has been around 160 and though I'd like to get even better scores, I'm happy considering I did horrible on October LSAT.

My timing has gotten a bitter better, some tests better then others. Originally when taking practice tests I used the Kaplan LSAT proctor that really seemed to help me with time due to the coaching whispers. However I am not going to be able to get those warnings obviously. So today I took a practice test without it and instead used a watch to try to keep my timing accurate. I ran out of time a bit on one section and had to really rush another. Overall I did will on this particular PT but I def know if I would have managed time better I would have done better on the Lg and RC sections.

Does anyone have any tips for me? On paying attention to time or keeping track? I find myself worrying about time instead of the question at times which I know is not good.

Also, what is the best way to prepare this week before the test? I've heard mix tips saying to take tons of practice tests, or only a few, or one full test and then just sections.


Please give me a breakdown if anyone knows the best way to prepare the next 5 days.

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Lawyer,

I'll respond publicly so everyone can see the answers Let's go through your post and see if we can answer your questions.

So my prep has gone pretty well. Every practice test has been around 160 and though I'd like to get even better scores, I'm happy considering I did horrible on October LSAT.

First off, congrats on having the prep go better this time around! Just feeling better about things will help your test mentality, and actually make it more likely that you will do well this time.

My timing has gotten a bitter better, some tests better then others. Originally when taking practice tests I used the Kaplan LSAT proctor that really seemed to help me with time due to the coaching whispers. However I am not going to be able to get those warnings obviously. So today I took a practice test without it and instead used a watch to try to keep my timing accurate. I ran out of time a bit on one section and had to really rush another. Overall I did will on this particular PT but I def know if I would have managed time better I would have done better on the Lg and RC sections.

Does anyone have any tips for me? On paying attention to time or keeping track? I find myself worrying about time instead of the question at times which I know is not good.

Timing is obviously a big part of this exam, so the fact that you feel you are getting better is a great sign of progress. Still, some tests will go better than others, which is simply a function of test difficulty and your personal strengths. So, don't let that variability affect your outlook on the LSAT!

As far as tips, this is about self-discipline. You have to check your watch on occasion (not obsessively!) and you should already have a Personal Pacing Guideline in place (again, see the last chapter of each LSAT Bible for more on this concept and how it figures in your test performance and time management). Having that Personal Guideline in place is designed to lessen the stress of the time factor, and also provide you with a reliable indicator of how you are performing. At the end of the day, however, this is about you forcing yourself not to obsess over this factor, and to control your thoughts so you remain focused

Also, what is the best way to prepare this week before the test? I've heard mix tips saying to take tons of practice tests, or only a few, or one full test and then just sections.

Please give me a breakdown if anyone knows the best way to prepare the next 5 days.

In the last week, I'm a fan of taking maybe one or two tests, and then maybe some individual sections. I am not a fan of taking a test (or two!) a day because there's not enough "rebound" time available mentally. But the real guide is you. As soon as you feel mental fatigue from taking tests or sections, stop right then! You want to be in peak mental shape, but still be hungry. Don't get burned out whatever you do.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks and Good luck!