How Should I Study?

[abby98@embarqmail.com]

I took the LSAT first back in August, got a 152, took it again this past Jan and got a 148. I am aiming for a 160+ score for a third March retake. I want to get into a top 100 school, and a 152 just isn't good enough. I just took my first practice test of this study cycle, and got half the questions of every section right. Which sections should I focus most on mastering so that I can get the majority of questions right on at least two sections, and thus hit a 160? ex: put more time into logic games and logic reasoning vs. more time into reading comp and reasoning.

[Beth Hayden]

Hi Abby,

Each question is worth the same, and the sections each have close to the same number of questions, so there's no general answer on this. What you should focus on depends entirely on your own personal strengths and weaknesses. Even though you are getting a similar score on each section, you still have weaknesses and strengths. I know you want to maximize the use of your time, and it may make sense to spend more time on one section over another, but I would recommend you tweak your approach a bit and focus on the best way to attack each section. Focus on accuracy over speed, hone in on weaknesses, and review thoroughly.

Here are a few thoughts on each section:

Logic Games: For many this is the most learnable section and a lot of students are able to improve rapidly once they learn how to effectively diagram and are exposed to more games (of course it also has the fewest number of questions). I recommend that you focus on doing each game well and don't feel like you have to finish every game in the 35 minutes. Are you not finishing the last two games or are you getting questions wrong spread across each game? If you are getting half the questions right, set a goal of finishing three games and getting every question correct on those games. You don't get extra points for finishing four games instead of three, and for each game there is an investment of time when doing the setup. You can also focus more on the types of games that give you the most trouble. As you get better at the games you will naturally get faster.

Logical Reasoning: Look at the questions you are getting wrong on each test, which question types show up the most often? That's what you want to focus on the most. But don't neglect everything else! Drill question types you struggle with, but make sure you still do full sections and keep re-evaluating your weaknesses as you go.

Reading Comp: I'll give similar advice here to the logic games in that it's better to do three passages well instead of four passages with a ton of mistakes. However, this is the one section you might spend less time on, because the work you do in logical reasoning will help with the reading comp questions.

I hope that's helpful! If you would like to give us more information about how you are doing and what you are struggling the most with we may be able to give you more targeted advice.

Beth