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So I took preptest 40, scored a horrid 156. I noticed I did alright on the first two sections, but completely bombed the last two. This was my first time sitting for a PT since my cold diag a few months ago. My BR came out as a 169, still not entirely there, I know.
I noticed the only LR questions I still missed after BR were a couple of the hardest difficulty, with the rest of my problems coming from reading comp. I noticed that I missed a ton of questions at the end that I easily was able to fix through BR.
Is this common? I'm assuming there is a mixture of fundamentals and stamina that plays into this, especially since I've barely taken any full PT's, but I've been drilling and reading the trainer + bibles for over a month now. The diag score is discouraging at this point, though I'm not sure what to make of the BR score.
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Awesome! Congrats on your progress! Keep goin!
Update: Getting somewhere. Managed to pull off a 164 on PT 44 even though I completely bombed the science passage and ended with a -9 on RC. Crazy to think I would've been close to a 170 if I had done better on that section.
"Spent the entire day drilling RC passages yesterday. I tried a timed section this morning and completely bombed it."
It sounds like you were drilling untimed? If so, the drop in score shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering that you are clearly really good at RC untimed, as evidenced by your -0 BR work, whereas your problems come out under the clock. Just keep practicing! But practice timed. Always. Get used to the clock ticking away. It's the only way you'll be able to develop any sort of comfort with actually testing.
Spent the entire day drilling RC passages yesterday. I tried a timed section this morning and completely bombed it. Seems like I just worked up my confidence and then immediately flushed it down the toilet.
I don't think I'll take another full PT until I get RC down. I see myself consistently going -3 to -5 on LR sections, -0 to -3 on games, but absolutely bombing any timed RC section. I think my best timed RC section has been a -8.
I've listened to all of the advice there is out there. I read political theory every morning when I wake up and every night before I fall asleep. I've tried the memory method. I've read everything Mike Kim has to say about RC.
Don't get me wrong, I'm able to get perfect sections untimed. I understand what the questions are asking and which answers are wrong vs right. There's just something about going through the process in timed circumstances that doesn't click for me.
You should consider getting the early RCs (http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Reading-Comprehension-Type-Difficulty/dp/1453803300/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1440198977&sr=8-2&keywords=cambridge+lsat+reading) and drilling those in between PTs. Once you’ve learned how to read for reasoning structure (which you can get from LSAT Trainer), you really just have to brute force your way through a lot of RC of passages to see improvement.
Thanks!
I already own the drilling packets. I didn't see much improvement when I was going through them. I feel more comfortable with RC now that I'm PTing more often, but I'm not accurate at all.
@grantnicar6 Congrats on hitting the 160s!!
You should consider getting the early RCs (http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Reading-Comprehension-Type-Difficulty/dp/1453803300/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1440198977&sr=8-2&keywords=cambridge+lsat+reading) and drilling those in between PTs. Once you’ve learned how to read for reasoning structure (which you can get from LSAT Trainer), you really just have to brute force your way through a lot of RC of passages to see improvement.
Made a nice step in LR this week, and I actually made it into the 160's on a PT.
RC continues to eat away at my current tests though. Untimed, I'm able to go through the passage a few times and draw out the answers as if it were a really long LR question. During my PT's though, I'm getting killed. Bleh.
@grantnicar6 cool. Yea, don't sacrifice accuracy for time. Gotta make sure you're getting those easier questions right.
Of course, I'm sure with more experience PTing, this will all be a thing of the past.
It does range from 3-5, but usually closer to 2-3 minutes extra rather than 5. As above mentioned, I could probably get a better grasp on 15 questions in 15 minutes, I've done 13 in 13 before, but it usually varies from there.
I will drill them, thanks. I take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes on tougher questions during BR, I think the extra time + relaxation of not being under time constraints helps me think clearly during BR.
I definitely won't work from the back, thanks for that tip. Thanks for your advice, I appreciate the lengthy write-up.
I am striving for that. I will keep pushing for timing, but accuracy is obviously a concern as well.
I usually try to pace myself by shooting for the first 10 questions in 10 minutes and the first 15 in 15 minutes. This sets me up for a solid 20 minutes for the last 10 questions, which gives me more than enough time for the tough questions and to go back and review the ones I've skipped over.
It sounds like even though you're getting through the first 10 questions quickly enough, you aren't making the best use of your time in the final 25 minutes. The difficulty in the last six questions is usually all over the place. They'll throw some easy ones in there that they think you'll never see, or they throw some easy ones in a wall of text that they think you'll skip in the interest of time. I would caution you not to make a mountain out of a mole hill here because you could start to get a mental block in which you expect to get the last six wrong and then you'll just keep fulfilling that prophecy.
What are you doing with that extra three minutes? If you can stretch it to five, then that's almost an extra minute for all the questions in the 20s. I'd also drill some SA if I were you, and also if you're getting these ones wrong timed but then getting them right on BR, what are you doing differently on BR? That's the kind of analysis you need to undertake to figure out how to address your problems. It's fine if you spend 2-3 minutes on each of these questions if you have built up some reserves by getting through the rest of the questions. There usually aren't more than a few SAs per section so shaving off time elsewhere will help you hone in on these.
Also, do not use some ridiculous strategy like starting at the end and working backwards. Just go in order, fly through the first 10, then don't spend more than 90 seconds on any question and if you feel a time suck happening, circle the question, pick an answer and move on. If you make this a habit you should have a good 5 minutes extra at the end and coming back with fresh eyes can make a huge difference.
Another update - Finally made it into the 170s on my BR! There's a nice ~13 point discrepancy between my BR and my actual score though.
It has come to the point where I'm going -0 on RC sections untimed, I was usually missing at least 1 question per passage, but my (untimed) ability has been nicely improved.
Here's where my worry comes in - I'm starting to notice that anxiety is likely playing a role in my LR ability. I'm almost always able to correct my mistakes through BR, but I've noticed that I'm almost always missing all of the last 6 or so questions in a LR section. I do finish every section with time remaining, usually around 3 minutes. I hardly get any of the first 10 questions wrong, which I am able to complete in 10 minutes.
In regards to question types, I've noticed that those convoluted sufficient assumption questions that can't really be laid out through lawgic give me the most trouble. Even if I get the question right, it seems like I'm spending the most time on them, or I'm stuck rereading them a few times.
Anyone with any advice on how to finish the last 6 or so questions with more accuracy?
I'm definitely good on the diet and exercise. Definitely not a slacker when it comes to the gym :)
Admittedly, I've had trouble with my sleep schedule this summer though. I'm still deciding on whether or not I want to quit caffeine for this. Today's PT was at 8am and with caffeine. I'm not sure how I'd perform on a morning test without it, but I will give it a shot at some point.
Hm, I do wear reading glasses. I'll give my optometrist a call.
Absolutely, thank you! I've been in a great mood all day.
See??!! Timing has gotten a LOT better! Accuracy will catch up with BR.
But also consider ... Are you drinking enough water (try your weight divided by two ... drink that many ounces a day). How's your diet? Had your vision checked lately? I'd examine those lifestyle things anyway; I find these things have a serious impact on my performance.
Good perspective :) I can tell you're putting in a lot of hard work on your mindset. That's a lot of the effort involved in the LSAT. So, kudos for that.
Ok! Good to have goals, but remember to celebrate all victories—even (Especially) the ones that don't quite total up to your goal score. Gotta build your confidence like a muscle.
You're doing great; putting in a lot of hard work. Patience grows in times of delayed gratification.
Took my first PT since finishing the curriculum this morning. Still scoring about the same, but everything is drastically different in terms of timing
- I went -0 on logic games. First time ever, so that's nice
- I actually finished both LR sections with more than 5 minutes to go, went -6 on both of them though.
-Still bombing the RC section, but I actually finished the section for the first time ever. I was previously finishing the first 3 passages and guessing on the fourth one. It's nice to see that my timing has made just big jumps.
I know I should've blind reviewed the test before scoring it, but I couldn't help myself. I was really hoping to see something in the mid 160's, but I'm not quite there yet. This is all understandable, and I'm not going too hard on myself since this is my 4th full test. Going to BR now, watch the videos for as many of the problems as I can, and regroup for my next PT later this week.
My goal is to hit that 165 mark in the next 5 PT's. I know I can do it.
Definitely, I will be buying the remaining available practice tests once I'm done with the curriculum.
You're on a GREAT track. Keep you head up.
Trust.The.Process.
I appreciate your input, thank you!
I try not to give unequivocal advice lightly ... but you WILL need all PT's up to 75 (and 76 once it comes out).
AWESOME. This is very encouraging to hear you say so.
YES !!!! That was going to be my main comment on your thread and I am SO happy to see you've come to that wisdom yourself.
You're on a GREAT track. Keep you head up.
Trust.The.Process.
Truth here. It really just takes doing a lot of PT's, in my experience/opinion. Without the fundamentals, you'll never get beyond 160-165. Beyond that ... practice, repetition, uncovering weaknesses, and attitude!
scored a horrid 156
Plenty of folks are still able to go to law school with that score, so please don't get too down on yourself!
I feel like a lot of my RC issues have come from being overwhelmed by the long and wordy passages. I'm a political science major at a top university, so I have taken a good amount of philosophy and theory classes that have required extensive reading. Many have said that such background in the social sciences has helped them enough to be naturally good at RC, so it's sort of discouraging that that's not the case for me. On the other hand, I've been breezing through LG ever since I was introduced to the LSAT.
I will keep pushing until I master that pesky RC section though. With JY's help, anything is possible :)
I think all the hard work on LR is what translates to RC success because the same reading skills at use in the former are what you need for the latter. As long as you don't have retention issues then the LR stuff is really key to unlocking a lot of the mystery of RC in my opinion.
Just in case someone's in the same boat as I was (low PT scores, high BR reviews in the upper 160's) I wanted to check in to say that the starter course has been worth every precious moment I've spent on it so far.
The biggest change is that now I'm almost convinced that I'll be much better off taking the December test rather than the October test. I must say though, the way I look at LR questions has changed drastically already, and I"m only about 25% into the curriculum. I'm sure that this improvement will translate into better RC scores, but I haven't crossed that bridge yet.
Heck yes, heck yes, and heck yes. JY's lessons are fantastic. I realize I'm forgoing a few PT's to go through them (I'm also on a tight schedule), but it's definitely been a good trade-off in my opinion.
Thanks for your input. I'm very heavily leaning towards registering tomorrow. My only worry is that I'm too late in my studying to register for the course, but I think using all of September to PT after completing the course in August will be fine.
If the money truly isn't an issue then I don't see why you wouldn't register. 7sage is an amazing resource and it can only help you.