Score dropping in last month - need advice

[niaquino]

I realize these kinds of posts are a dime-a-dozen, and i've read a few here that have made me feel a little better but maybe don't apply to my exact situation.

In short, I've been studying for the LSAT for the past 6 months or so (and planning to take the July test), averaging about 10 hours a week. I've been ramping up a little bit in the past couple weeks though. Anyway, my score target is a 172, though i'd be happy with anything above 170. I took my first proper practice test maybe 1.5-2 months ago and scored a 167. From there my score for each of my weekly practice tests was increasing. I was getting above 170 consistently, and even scored a 172. Then, as of maybe 3 weeks ago my scores dropped. The past four tests I have taken have been 167-168 (three 167s and one 168).

I honestly can't account for this drop. I really don't think its due to fatigue or anxiety. Maybe i'm subconsciously fatigued, but I don't think i've significantly lost focus during the tests. Logic games have always been my weakest, but I used to average missing only one or two questions for the LR/RC sections. Now i've been more like 4-5 missed questions in those sections.

My immediate response was to just knuckle down and increase my studying, but I don't know what kind of gains i'll get from that- maybe a short break is warranted after all.

As a side note, I DO review my practice tests in depth. I review every question I took longer than expected on, whether I got it right or not.

I just don't know where to go from here... is it even feasible to get back to my previous range of 170-172 by test day, which is now only about a month away?

[Adam Tyson]

It's more than feasible, niaquino, it's actually pretty likely that you will again find yourself in the scoring range that you were in before. Your recent scores don't reflect a loss in capability! You have shown that you are able to get those 170+ scores, and that doesn't go away as long as you are continuing to study and practice.

This could be just a run of bad luck, hitting a string of tests that play more on your weaknesses than others. For more about that, see this blog post: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/31 ... SAT-Casino

One thing you should investigate is the nature of the differences between these recent tests and the ones where you were scoring higher. It seems you have hit on one important difference, and that is your performance in Logic Games. Did the recent tests have unusual, rare games in them? Were the rules particularly tricky? Did you diagram them efficiently and effectively, and if not, why not? There is a real opportunity here to beef up your skillset by learning from whatever went wrong. Here's another great blog post to ponder: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/did-yo ... t-practice

Finally, think about anything else that may have been different about these recent tests. Did you take them in the same place as the others? At the same time? How had you slept the night before, what had you eaten that day, had you gotten some exercise recently, etc.? And yes, consider the extent to which you might be mentally fatigued, even bored and frustrated with studying over a 6 month span, and how that might have played a part. Have you taken a day off to rest and recuperate, to have fun and relax and take your mind off the LSAT? Gone to a movie, taken a nap, went hiking or swimming, baked cookies and brought them to your friends? You might be surprised at what good it can do you to just walk away from it, even for just a day, and let off some steam.

You are capable of getting at least a 172, as you've proven already. That hasn't changed. Take a break, then spend some time diagnosing the differences between these recent test experiences and the prior ones, and then get back to work on building your strengths and minimizing the potential casino effect on your score. You can do this! You've ALREADY done this!

[rtemkin23]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot of these posts about scores dropping close to the test date. I'm in a similar position, and while these posts are helpful, I'm wondering if there are any students or teacher's accounts from students who had a score drop, and then performed more in their range on their actual test date? I'd love to hear advice from those people, to see what the best thing to do is to ensure I get my score back up on test day.

Thanks!

[Jeremy Press]

Hi rtemkin,

Let me give you two anecdotes.

When I was getting ready for my exam, about 3 weeks out from the test I had three straight practice test scores that (out of the blue) dropped 6-8 points from my recent practice test average. It didn't help that, as soon as the first one happened, I immediately took another test, then took a third test the day after that. See my mistake? Instead of reviewing what happened and trying to put one bad test in context, I "pushed" through it (with a bad taste in my mouth because of the first lower score) and things just stayed bad. What got me out of it? First, as Adam recommended, a short break. I took two days off completely (hadn't taken a full day off in several weeks before that). Then, before I jumped back into another PT, I reviewed what was happening. I saw that the mistakes I was making were ones I could fix! This got my confidence back where it needed to be. Then, in the last two weeks before my test, I was back to my prior PT average. And that PT average was almost exactly what I hit on test day (I was one point off, which wasn't a bad place to be!).

Here's another one: a couple years back I had a student who was getting ready for a test date. She was understandably nervous for the exam and had a couple lower scores in the two weeks before her test. She didn't sleep well the week of the test (due to nerves), and had a score on test day that was lower than her average. Not ideal, admittedly! After the disappointment wore off a bit, we talked in detail about it. Nothing about her skills had changed. It was all her mentality and lack of sleep in the week before the test. She took a few more practice tests and was right back at her prior average. She maintained a modest (but not heavy, in terms of hours) study schedule up to the next practice test. And on test day, because she knew what to expect and she restored her confidence in her abilities, she hit exactly on her practice test average.

Bad days happen, but they can spiral if you don't take a little break, do a little review, and set yourself back on the proper course. You can do that, because you've done it before!

Best of luck in your continued studying!

Jeremy