So close to Breaking into the 150s...Need Advice before July

[rrios027]

Hello,
I am registered to take the LSAT flex July 12th and i am aiming to score in the 150s. This is my 4th time taking the exam. First time, I ever took the LSAT I scored a 139. 2nd and 3rd time I scored a 141. I took a break from the LSAT for a while due to family emergencies and work load from the law firm I work at as a Legal Assistant. I’ve been studying two hours a day for the last two months using all the Powerscore bibles and 2 month Study Plan; I also have the workbooks along with bibles. I’ve also been Utilizing the Digital exams on your website to get the analytics of where I am weak. The last 4 exams i boosted up to a 147-148. The last practice exam I took this past weekend, I dropped to a 145. I think I was putting to much pressure on myself to break 150 and also I was exhausted from work. I have two weeks left and I refuse to not get a 150. This test has been a pain in my ***. Any advice to finally break through to 150? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi rrios027,

Without knowing details of how you are scoring, and what you are doing, I can offer you some general advice that should help you improve a bit in these last few weeks.

One thing to consider before you keep pushing is if you are currently burned out. I know we are close to test time, and it's usually buckle down and go! But if you are missing things you wouldn't normally miss, and just answering questions to get them done, you aren't getting all you can out of your study time. Have you had days off from the LSAT over the last two months? How about over the last two weeks? It might make sense to take a day for rest, regroup, and come back to study recharged. The last thing you want to do is take the test burnt out and fried.

So, once you are recharged and ready to go, here are some things you can consider. For your practice tests, I highly recommend the blind review method of test review. Really take the time to find out why you got something right or wrong, and think through where your limited time in a section can best be spent. Did you pour all your time into a game, when you really could have done 3 in the same amount of time? Did you miss a conditional reasoning question that you would have gotten correct if you had diagrammed the relationship? These are questions to ask yourself to learn as much as you can from the practice tests.

Then my best advice comes down to this---know what you are looking for. That applied to every section across the test. In the LR section, make sure you have a strong prephrase before you look at the answer choices. Do it consistently, every single time. In LG, make sure you are doing a strong main diagram, and mini-diagramming where there are local questions. In RC make sure that your diagramming and passage notations give you enough of a road map that you can easily find the information you need in the passage when you need it for the questions.

One thing to note, if you did not already know, the LSAT-Flex does not count toward your test limit with LSAC. It might reduce some pressure you may be feeling about this test.

Hope that helps!
Rachael