Scoring help....

[kfain]

I took the PowerScore live online full length preparation course. I am currently 11 days away from test day. The first time a took a practice LSAT (with 0 prior knowledge) I scored a 154. Being the over-thinker that I am... after I started to learn more about the test my score actually decreased. I am currently scoring in the 158-159 range pretty consistently. Average for all the sections is (LR 20, Games 14, Reading Comprehension 19). I really really really need my score to be at least at a 162 come test day. So, the reason that I am writing this is in hopes that you can guide me in the direction of the best possible plan of attack for the next 10 days. I don't know if I should be focusing on taking as many practice tests as possible or what. Also side note.... timing is probably the biggest thing against me. I find that when I practice any of the sections I do significantly better than when I am under timed conditions in a practice test.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated

Thanks,

Kaitlyn

[Adam Tyson]

My first suggestion is to explore the LSAT Blog, where you will find a pile of great articles to help you plan the home stretch.

That said, here are a few thing to do as you get closer to test day:

1) Do not just take a bunch of practice tests - that's a formula for stress and for reinforcing any bad habits you already have. Instead, alternate between taking a test, then analyzing the results to see what you could have done better, where you made mistakes, and even on where you got the right answer but aren't entirely sure why. Next, focus your studies on one or two areas where you would like to see improvement, and make that focus fairly narrow. It's not just "I want to do better at games" but rather "I want to do better at Grouping/Linear Combo games." Then study those narrowly focused areas, concentrating on improving your grasp of concepts and strategies and not so much on timing. Then it's time for another test, and repeat the cycle.

2) When taking timed tests or timed sections, remind yourself over and over that there is no prize for finishing the section. It's about quality over quantity - it's better to answer 17 questions and get them all right, guessing on the rest of the section, than it is to answer 25 questions and get only 14 right. In other words, slow down and don't let the clock dictate how you attack a question. You are in charge, not your watch!

3) Practice your prephrasing - there is no skill more important on this test than determining up front what the answer should look like, so that all you have to do is match the correct answer to what you already know. Check the blog for articles about how to improve that all-important skill. When you get better at prephrasing you get more confident, more accurate, and generally speaking you should find yourself doing better with time management, able to answer more questions in the time allotted.

I'm sure others will chime in on this, so keep coming back to check for more good tips from my highly qualified colleagues.

Good luck!