Hi mkemp!
Given what you've explained, taking and reviewing full, timed LSATs seems to me like something that you should prioritize.
You write,
I scored a 149 on the pre-course test, and I scored a 161 today. However, I did add time to each section knowing I would not have had enough time and wanted to see where I was score-wise. My target score would be in the high 160 range and above.
As I understand this comment, the 161 came from a test on which you added time to each section. If that's the case, it's somewhat difficult to track a pattern or trajectory--and that's one reason why taking full, timed LSATs should be a priority. Given that the August test is a month away, the most effective strategy would be something like taking a practice LSAT five times a week, and reviewing each one after taking it to figure out why you got each question wrong. A clear benefit of taking a test every day is that it will make you well-experienced with the LSAT before test day--e.g., you will hopefully see recurrent types of wrong answers that the designers of the LSAT frequently use, as well as get more comfortable with PowerScore's strategies for approaching questions. Another benefit for many people is that this strategy reduces a lot of the anxiety of test day, since taking LSATs is precisely what the student has been doing every day for the past month before the test.
The trajectory/trend aspect is also critical--as you take more and more tests, you should find that you'll have a much better idea of the score range you can expect you'd be scoring in on the August test. Taking the test untimed, or adding time, is certainly a great thing to try early on, but I recommend only taking timed tests from now until test day; without having the same timed conditions of the actual test, taking practice LSATs loses much of that value of enabling you to track your progress over time and anticipate your possible score on test day.
With that plan on its own, you would hopefully see an increase in your score solely by virtue of taking so many tests and figuring out how to correct your mistakes. Relying on PowerScore materials is especially important for that latter goal--if you have additional time after taking and reviewing an LSAT on a given day, for example, PowerScore's materials can be great for offering you drills on particular question types (e.g., weaken questions, linear games, etc.) if you've ascertained that you're having difficulties with certain aspects. If you're only part way through PowerScore's lessons, it is definitely important to get through as much as those as possible. If it's a matter of having to choose between finishing the lessons or take tests, the advantage of focusing on taking tests is that such a strategy seems best for highlighting your problem areas as an initial matter, and then you could use your time efficiently to reference PowerScore materials specifically on those areas.
Lastly, to your question about conditional reasoning, lesson 2 from 2-6 to 2-10 might be worthwhile to look at. Those pages of lesson 2 provide a great, succinct overview of conditional reasoning, as well as a drill and several sample questions.
Hope those suggestions help!
