Self-study
I started at a 143 diagnostic in January and have improved to the 149–152 range, but I feel like I’ve hit a plateau. When I registered for the June LSAT, I expected to be much closer to my goal score of 160+, but at this point it’s too late to reschedule without paying a fee.
I’m concerned about whether having a lower first official LSAT score could negatively affect me long term. My current plan is to continue studying, save up, and retake the exam in September.
For anyone who has experienced a similar plateau, what helped you improve? My current study routine is(did a month of theory all of Jan):
- take a timed section do blind review
-thoroughly review it the next day
-identify patterns in missed questions
-complete targeted drills based on weaknesses
-repeat, especially for Reading Comprehension
I feel like I’m putting in consistent effort, but my scores have stopped moving. would love any advice, or if anyone knows someone, budget friendly for consulting.
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10 comments
Can someone answer whether a first lower score affects your applications etc.
@Ramizayed the impact of one low score to your application is not zero but it’s also not huge. One low score followed by a higher score is pretty standard. Most applicants give the LSAT more than once. What might raise concerns would be several low scores or erratic testing. I wouldn’t worry too much about one low score
I feel that the theory is extremely overrated and makes the test seem more complicated than it is. The best advice I ever got was to calm down and slow down. The majority of questions can be solved by careful reading and understanding the passage. And I would say it’s fine to take the test in June if it’s your first attempt. Save up and retake it again later on down the road (once you’re ready).
You could also get score preview and then decide not keep your score if you don’t want it. I think taking an official LSAT is also good practice if you can go into it without pressure and just take it as an opportunity to learn.
@MehreenYousaf this is literally what I am planning to do. June LSAT is for me to learn what its like on actual test day. Then register September or October for higher score.
I have been in your shoes and understand the struggle.
In the blind review, what helped me improve was not just reviewing the question I got wrong or flagged, but understanding what steps that I took during the test that made me gravitate towards one answer over another. I also identified which questions I took longer than the target time to answer and see where I missed opportunities to skip. Skipping was a game changer for me. Anytime I encountered a lengthy parallel reasoning question or a very diagram-heavy conditional reasoning stimulus, I skipped it and came back. Skipping in both RC and LR helped me bump up at least 3 points.
Identify why you got a question wrong. I do not necessarily mean why A over D. More so did you not read the question correctly? Did you not read the answers correctly? Was your objective flawed? Did you understand the argument? I am in a similar boat to you, my diagnostic was a bit below you. And I am PTing a bit above you. But still not at my goal. Personally, more often than not, the reason I get a question wrong is because I didnt identify a few words in the argument as being all that important. So I was off.
Also at 149-152 that means you are not getting 95% of the 1-3 level questions correct. Which means your fundamentals need improvement. If you can get 14/ (25-27) of those right, and then go 50/50 on the remaining questions your score will be much higher. That's where I am at. I need to get like 60/40 of those 4-5 one right though to get to my target score.
-Spend the time building out strong foundation first. / Do foundations lessons first.
-Use a wrong answer journal.
-Blind review the same day.
BR same day, not after.. log your wrong or unsure questions into the journal and explain what you were thinking, why it was wrong, and explain the correct answer in a way you comprehend so you can internalize the lesson.
Drilling without the proper foundation can lead to building poor habits, or incorrect processes.
Do not write in June, pay the money to defer, and do not schedule until you are scoring PT at your target range. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself. Imagine you are deferring until next year to apply, do not even worry about the fall. Learn the LSAT system, fall in love with the process, and through that you will build up your intellectual strength and stamina to a level so that you are not only going to score well on the LSAT, but you will also be prepared to CRUSH during law school.
We don't just show up on race day and run a marathon. It takes small incremental improvements, that slowly build upon each other, until eventually you are conditioned for it. When the time comes you will feel relaxed, and it will come natural as going through the paces. That is when you can begin to fine tune things, observe where the faults are, figure you what sections we can sprint through, and when to slow down for an uphill struggle.
For me the real LSAT was a lot harder than Prep Tests. The time is ticking, a proctor will interrupt you, you will have moments of loss focus, and it will not be a fun experience. Spend the time practicing and conditioning so you are not overwhelmed. Unfortunately you are overwhelming yourself now because you are not allowing yourself that time to practice and condition for this upcoming marathon of a test, semester, degree, career, life.
@NoNamed92 First of all, thank you for taking the time to comment. That itself means a lot to me. Second, if I forgot to include, I do a blind review after every section and then the next day review again to find my weak question types. Yes, foundation I also believe its important, and I always try to revisit to make sure that I am actually understanding the mechanics. I believe the time might be the issue, but I'm still trying to figure it out i guess lol. Thank you.
@Aar You should look into a LSAC fee waiver, due to mentioned budget issues you could be a candidate.