Self-study
Hi all,
I have been studying since the end of last July and took the LSAT for the first time in November, scoring a 141. It was demoralizing, but I knew I wasn't going to get the best score since I was relatively new to the LSAT. I got the experience, re-evaluated, took a month off for the holidays, and got back into it in the beginning of January this year. It is now March, and my highest PT score is a 147. I just took another one, and I dipped to a 144... So frustrating! I got a tutor, and he got me on the right track, but I felt like it wasn't very helpful. I have been drilling specific LR types, wrong answer journaling, and then taking PTs at the end of each week. I average about 2 hours of studying a day with one rest day. I have listened to podcasts, got advice from friends, but I can't seem to improve my score :( I am starting to second guess myself and get in my head thinking my heart isn't in it. But I don't really have any motivation to study now because I feel like I have been wasting my time these past 8 months. Maybe I'm burnt out. Does anyone have suggestions on what I should do, or what I could be doing wrong? I know people on here have been suggesting to review the CC again, and I did that, but I feel like it confused me more, and as a result I had that dip in my PT scoring from a 147 to 144. Ugh. Help would be appreciated :'(
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4 comments
I was in a really similar boat as you! I started studying almost two years ago, and took the exam prematurely after studying a couple months. I then took a very long pause to finish undergrad, and started studying every day since September. I didn't move up from my diagnostic score until around December, and it was very demoralizing until then. I thought I was regressing! I equated everything I knew to the numerical PT scores, and thought it meant that I wasn't improving at all.
I will say this as gently as I can, as I know it can be hard to hear. If you are consistently scoring in 140s, then I strongly believe that there is something amiss in understanding content. This doesn't mean that the past eight months was a waste, not at all. It means that something fell through the cracks when you went through the core curriculum. If you tried reviewing CC and it confused you more, I think it could be a sign that the content is still unfamiliar to you. When I was stuck in 150s, I was just making the same mistakes over and over again without realizing what my mistakes were. It was because I didn't really understand the logic behind the questions, and over-relying on common sense to get me through the questions. Once I reviewed CC and memorized indicators and argument rules, I really found improvement.
Don't think of it as eight months of studying. Everyone has a different journey on how much time they need to study. Some people take 3 months, others take over a year. The time it takes will not dictate whether or not you will succeed in law school, nor will it dictate your success in the future.
If you are looking specifically for prescriptive advice, these are the strict rules I try to hold myself to:
Identify the conclusion. If there is no conclusion, prephrase the conclusion.
There can only one right answer, four wrong answers. You should know why the right answer must be correct, and why the wrong answers must be incorrect. There is a reason why LSAC chose the correct answer to be correct, find that reason.
Memorize indicators, argument structures, quantifier rules, vocabulary words, flaws, question types, stimulus types.
Diagram everything. At first out on paper, but with practice it'll be easier to do in your head.
Limit screentime. Do some sort of studying every day, even on break days. Even if it's reading one passage, or reviewing some easy questions. Or doing a ten question drill, watching a video or two on explanations.
Focus on content over timing.
There's probably more that I am forgetting, I echo the other responses that are suggesting you to read other LSAT prep books to supplement the ones on 7Sage.
One more thing, I didn't really understand or thought about score bands when I was first studying, but it's important to remember that 147 to 144 is not a sign that you are getting worse. They are within score bands of one another, and they merely reflect the score range between your best and worst performance.
You're on the right track, I promise. Ultimately you will be the one making the choice to push through and continue studying, but I am confident that anyone in your range can improve their score to where they want it to be. Wishing you luck, fellow 7sager!
What is your blind review score on practice tests?
Hi!! Thought I would sprinkle some knowledge that could be helpful for your case. I find it best to use 7sage with a mix of other resources. While studying, I've also read The Loophole by Ellen Cassidy, and I found it to be very helpful!! It's also good to narrow down where you are struggling. Is it LR, RC, lawgic causal associations? If that's the case, I definitely recommend the book I stated above. Personally, I used to never WAJ. I thought it was extra work, and I thought it was enough to just watch the video and move on. But I've come to realize that it's more than that, now I usually try to WAJ PT Questions that I got wrong and explain in my journal why the answers are wrong and why the one is correct and continuously doing that while studying. I find it the best way to narrow down patterns in reasoning that can really help when PTing.
As someone who has taken the test more than 3 times, I know this process can be super overwhelming and mentally draining. But please remember to give yourself grace!! LSAT knowledge is practically like learning a new language/ a new way of thinking, and its most definitely hard to tackle and understand. Judging from your post, your work ethic seems impeccable! I know the CC can be super overwhelming, especially revisiting it for the second time, so maybe you just need to see it from a different pov. For RC help, I also recommend the Powerscore RC bible. I can also recommend LSAT Dragon books (I will say it is more advanced knowledge as they skip skill core reasoning and get straight into strategies, so it's recommended for higher scores, which I know you will most definitely come to be!)
I totally empathize with your journey, as I started off scoring in the same range. Just take the time you need to really get back on your feet, and please don't be so hard on yourself! Your consistency and dedication will most definitely pay off in the long run, don't give up!! :) Feel free to reach out if you ever want to drill or share tips! :)
I am in basically the same boat. My strategy is to anchor myself back to the lessons and I have been reading many science and opinion articles daily, then acting as if was a RC passage. This gets my working memory, makes my WPM read go up, and gets the structure baked into my head. I realized that I have been score chasing without putting in the work right when I had a basic understanding of each concept.