Self-study
For those that have made the leap from 154 to 170, how and what did you do, should I begin to drill only level 4s and 5s and then PT twice a week?
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For those that have made the leap from 154 to 170, how and what did you do, should I begin to drill only level 4s and 5s and then PT twice a week?
9 comments
definitely agree with all the advice already given, but wanted to add my 2 cents
what pushed me from 150s to 160s was understanding question types at a very high level. it's reading the question stem and knowing innately what sorts of answers we're looking for (i.e. if it's a sufficient assumption, then i will have to look for a gap and fill it to the tee, if it's an MSS then the stimulus will lead to the answer, etc.) but also reading suspiciously. if you go in thinking the question is going to bait you with an assumption, then it becomes easier to see.
i dont agree with only drilling 4-5 star questions. while i think studying for 1 stars is a little pointless, the vast majority of your test will be 3-5 stars and the 3 star questions offer you the opportunity to see a really large array of the different ways lsat writers can warp the question types and trip you up. i think quantity is very important when youre starting out as long as you review and understand why you got the question wrong.
study-wise, i took 1 pt a week and that worked for me. i think with blind review and wrong answer journaling, 1 is more than enough. especially if you're also drilling on the side. on top of that, i attended a lot of the live sessions that 7sage offers and drilled on my own on the side. when i started out, i had a tutor that had me doing stair climber drills (3x1 star, 3x2 star, 3x3, etc. only progress upward when you get all of them right) for the question types i struggled with the most. as of now im just taking a section or two a day, blind reviewing, and WAJ. moreso trying to iron out errors in thought process and maintaining a good reading speed at this point.
im not gonna lie, going from 150 --> 165 was harder for me knowledge-wise than 160 --> 170+. once you take a TON of these questions, you start anticipating what sorts of answers will crop up, whether they're correct or traps.
Totally get the grind, my advice would be to focus on understanding the questions and going slow.
Reviewing is everything. If you do two PTs a week there is no way you can properly review every question you get wrong. From looking at your profile, I would focus on trying to get that drill percentage from 79% to 90% or above. As you start to slow down you and truly drilling, you will start to learn why you were getting answers wrong and the logical mistakes you were making. There is no waste going fast and burning questions if you aren't going to take the time to reflect and improve :)
Ultimately - it is your choice of what works best for you! But as someone who also had the mindset that more is better, it was freeing to slow down and focus on my understanding and logic. To make it better, I have watched my accuracy skyrocket and my speed increase as I have done this. Recommend listening to a few Demon Daily podcasts if you have time. I don't fully agree with their philosophy - but one episode they said missing a question when drilling the LSAT is a choice and something clicked that has changed the game for me.
@jdputman Thank you for responding to this thread, you’re right I felt like when I increased to a 154 my studying wasn’t rigorous enough, I’m hungry for this 170 an i’m trying to really map out what would be considered as THOROUGH review? Any tips on that end?
@antuzumaki Basic thorough review and drill tips. When you are drilling you should have two kinds of drills: 1.) At Pace, 2.) Mastery.
For At Pace the goal is to answer the questions within the time window you want to see on an actual exam. This should be approx 33% of your studying.
For Mastery do NOT worry about the clock. Your entire goal is to completely break down every question. What are the premises and conclusion? What is the flaw in the author's argument? What is the question asking you to find? Why are all the wrong answers wrong? What makes the right answer correct? THEN, if you have even an OUNCE of confusion on a question you watch the video afterwards and dissect it. Was the reason you thought the wrong answers were wrong correct? Did you get the conclusion right? etc and repeat.
So yet again, studying better isn't doing MORE questions; instead, it is taking the time to make sure every question you do you completely understand it. If after review it doesn't make sense, ensure to come back the next day to check.
@jdputman You’re a God send! I was going to ask you, how often should I PT
@antuzumaki this part is up to you! My advice is as follows. 1.) Work on improving your drilling accuracy, 2.) then start adding in timed sections (maybe two a week), 3.) once your sections are going well and hitting within your desired range - then start doing a full PT! In my opinion, do one every two weeks or MAX once a week. BUT ONLY, ONLY, ONLY once you are preforming better. Basic philosophy is don't use the newest question banks until you have a solid foundation with the test.
Good luck LSATing! You've got this :)
twice a week will burn you out. I recommend once every week or even once every 2 weeks.
@sydlaw Thank for replying, I didn’t PT at all when I scored my 154 but you’re right that i should space it out, what would be a schedule that is best to lead up to taking a PT
@antuzumaki honestly just drills everyday with blind review to really gross grasp, why you got a question wrong and then when you’re feeling confident schedule a day to take a PT weekly or biweekly! Good luck!!!