Some help would be nice :)

[Mousey10]

Hey PowerScore team,

You guys have been great! I've taken a full PowerScore course, and have used both the PowerScore LG Bible and Workbook and all have been fantastic. But now, I need some other kind of help...I wrote my first LSAT yesterday, and unfortunately I was the victim of excess hydration . In other words, my nerves got the best of me and I had to leave during the test to attend the bathroom right at the beginning of section 1. Before going I was entirely distracted and with zero focus. I couldn't make sense of anything in 1/3 LR section which destroyed my confidence if not score right from the very beginning. Even on question 1 it felt like the words were dancing around on the page with no connection or correlation with each other. I don't know if this was because of my need to go to the bathroom or other factors, needless to say I will be cancelling.

In the month leading to the exam is when I really made the discovery that I wasn't used to the time pressure (I was basically working without the use of a timer or watch). I took a practice test and couldn't even finish it because I felt so discouraged question after question feeling wrong. Once I was honest with myself with where I was I really buckled down and started pushing myself. In the week before the LSAT is when I really realized I'm not where I need to be with LG. So I bought the Bible and Workbook and put myself through a few intensive days. After all of that I took my first two full practice tests timed 2-3 days before the LSAT and got 168 on both. A big jump from the 140's in my diagnostic where getting through even one game took me practically the whole 35 minutes.

My point is, I think I've gotten the fundamentals. I know my next step is building stamina and more familiarity with problem LR and LG questions. I've had LSAT successes but they've been haphazard and inconsistent, wildly varying on my moods and level of concentration. What I don't know is what I should do now. I will be applying to law schools for the next term (not September 2013) and I have a looot of course work to catch up on (not to mention work and summer school) so June LSAT isn't a priority. But I don't have any experience with any LSAT studying other than intensive bootcamp style, which isn't what I can keep up till my next LSAT session. So, I need some help with how to proceed. I don't want my efforts to go to waste . Can you guys give me some advice please?

Some tips/experiences I need to remember:

-In the regular week, I was used to waking up about 10am and practicing from then. I was to be at my test center at 8:30am so I'm guessing my test began between 9-10. In any case I woke up at 6:15am with 7 hours of sleep which was, LSAT-routine wise, atypical. I should tailor my LSAT studying according to my test time
-Drink MUCH less of ANYTHING before the test. When I'm nervous I feel like going to the bathroom, which is why I can't load up on water/juice beforehand

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hello Mousey10,

First off, thanks for the good words! They mean a lot to us

Second, it sounds like you put in a tremendous amount of effort studying for the test the first time around, and your practice test scores back it up: jumping from the 140's to the high 160's is no small feat. It wasn't entirely clear from your post whether you were actually planning on taking the test in June 2013 (you said it wasn't a priority due to work and summer school), but if I were you I would definitely plan for June. If you wait until September, you risk losing the momentum you've already built up, and it will take a lot of work to just maintain your current level of preparedness. Also, taking the test in June will allow you to apply to law school as early as possible in the Fall for entry in 2014, which can improve your chances of admission.

The big question seems to be: what to do from now until June. Part of the answer you already have: build stamina and familiarity with some of the tougher questions in LG, RC and LG. The simplest way to proceed would be to take 1-2 practice tests/week, review them thoroughly, and start developing an idea of what type of questions are likely to throw you off. I've always been a big proponent of students keeping a spreadsheet of every test they've taken along with the questions they've either 1) missed; or 2) gotten right at the expense of other questions, i.e. took longer than necessary to solve. Over time, you'll figure out a pattern. Maybe it's Assumption questions with causal reasoning? Or partially defined Grouping games with numerical distribution? The more specific you get, the better you can focus your efforts.

On the other hand, it may turn out that your accuracy is high across the question type spectrum, and that you are simply running out of time and/or struggling with the most difficult questions on each section. The best solution would be repeated practice along with some good feedback or professional advice. If you can afford it, get a few hours of tutoring; alternatively, sign up for a full-length course in your area (many students mistakenly believe that our courses are for newbies only). Experienced test-takers can also benefit from the rigoros of a well-designed curriculum. Another option would be the Advanced LR and LG courses we offer on demand, which assume some prior exposure to the test and are immensely helpful in getting above-average scoring students to the next level.

The most important thing is to stay engaged with the test and continue taking practice tests (timed) while also learning from your mistakes. It sounds like you're doing that already, so you're off to an excellent start

Let me know if you have any other questions I can answer!

Thanks,

[Mousey10]

Your reply was awesome!

You're right about taking the June exam. I guess I put off so many things leading to the Feb LSAT that as soon as I had written the test I allowed them to flood my mind entirely. But it doesn't have to be that way. Taking the June LSAT will put me in the best strategic position and I won't put at risk losing all I have gained thus far. June 2013 it is!

Secondly, I think your idea is very good (the spreadsheet). Although I've been dissecting problem questions quite thoroughly I haven't looked at them as a whole (i.e. looking for patterns). I'm sure this will help. I've taken a full length course already and although it may be helpful I don't believe it will be optimal. I will look into the advanced courses instead, and maybe even tutoring.

There is one question I would like to ask you. In my last post I mentioned that I had to go to the bathroom during the first section, possibly because my nerves got the best of me. The thing is that before going I wasn't able to make sense of any questions, it was very unlike doing practice tests or questions outside of the test that day. At that point even the easiest questions would have given me considerable difficulty. In your experience is it just a matter of replicating test-like conditions during practice in order to keep my head in the right place while writing the actual thing? Or maybe something else? I don't imagine this was to do with stamina because it was right in the first 10 minutes of section 1.

Thanks Nikki .

[Nikki Siclunov]

Replicating test-like conditions while practicing is crucial, and you didn't do enough of that while preparing for February. This could be why the nerves got the better of you. Needless to say, stress is a major factor in how students perform on the exam, and when panic sets in, even a high-scoring student such as yourself can end up struggling with the easiest of questions. I don't believe stamina was the issue: if it were, you'd probably have a harder time towards the end than the beginning.

To prevent this from happening next time, try to take at least one test/week under real, test-like conditions. Go to a library, have a friend time you, or use the virtual proctor on our website: http://powerscore.com/newmedia/lsat/proctor/. Also, make sure to "warm up" with a few real questions 20-30 minutes before taking any practice (or real) test: one game, one reading comprehension passage, and a few logical reasoning questions should be enough to do the trick. No need to check your answers if missing a question or two would make you feel nervous: the point is to get your mind into LSAT-mode, not "learn" anything substantive half an hour before the test

And by all means, take it easy with the coffee: do not drink any more, or any less, than you would on a normal day.

Let me know if this answers your question!

[Mousey10]

It does answer my question, thanks Nikki. I'll be recommending PowerScore to all my friends your help here has always been outstanding. Till next time .