How to break my low score

[asaini]

I received my Dec 2011 score and lets say its not that great. I am taking the Feb 2012 exam because this is my last chance before I move on to something different in my career.

I have excellent undergrad years, A to A+ in all courses for the last three years (BA in crim), however, I score poorly on LSAT.

I have taken powerscore virtual course before my exam last year and now I am focusing on just practicing day and night with practice materials and questions.

Any tips on how to break my score or the mental block will be highly appreciable.

[Nikki Siclunov]

The first thing you should do is carefully analyze your performance on the Dec. 2011 test, and compare it to your last 5 practice tests. Your goal should be to identify the sections (or, even better, the question types) on which you performed far worse than expected.

Once you have a thorough understanding of what went wrong in December, go back to the basics: if you performed unusually poorly on Causal Reasoning questions, go back to Lesson 3. If you missed a numerical distribution requirement in a Logic Game, go back to Lesson 9. And so on. Read the theoretical section of the lessons and their homework and then re-do the respective Problem Sets. Any question type on which your accuracy rate was lower than 75%, especially if that type is prevalent on a typical modern-day LSAT, deserves re-evaluation. Make sure to read our explanations for any questions and games you missed.

If it turns out that your score was lower than expected because you had to rush and guess on more questions than usual, you need to take more practice tests to build your stamina. This is especially important if you tend to make more mistakes when completing sections under timed conditions. Make a schedule listing all the practice tests you'll be taking over the next month, and for each test take a note of any questions, passages, or games you are struggling with. In the week before the February 2012 exam, revisit these questions and seek help if you are still having trouble with them.

Keep in mind that many test-takers end up with a lower test score due to nerves: it's one thing to be taking a practice test in the comfort of your own home, another to do it in a test center. If you believe that nerves had a detrimental effect on your performance, try to take any future practice tests at a library or in an empty classroom in order to approximate the actual experience of a proctored, timed exam as much as possible. If you know anyone else who might be taking the exam in February, perhaps you can time your practice tests together.

[Adam Tyson]

If I can add my two cents, I'll add one suggestion to Nikki's great advice, one that I give to all of my students. Take at least one practice test somewhere that's busy and distracting, like the food court at the mall or a coffee shop during the morning rush. If you can remain calm and focused and tune out the distractions in an environment like that, you'll be much better able to deal with the calmer, quieter environment of a scored test. It's like building your stamina - it helps you develop greater focus and concentration. Plus, the moment you're done you can immediately treat yourself to a latte or burger!

Good luck,

Adam

[asaini]

Thank you Nikki and Adam for your great advice.

[cahillcahill]

Take at least one practice test.