Self-paced
Hi everyone, I hope your studies are going well! I have been studying since December and I always felt like things were never really improving for me understanding wise. For example, I will watch an explanation video and completely understand what I did wrong and what I was supposed to do but then when I go to apply it on a similar question I always seem to be getting it wrong anyway. Over time I started noticing that its not that I simply wasn't improving but I was actively getting worse. For context, I recently finished the LR module and now I'm wondering if I should move straight on to the RC module or keep practicing LR until I have that down, then move on to RC. My diagnostic was a 140 so not too great. I'll be drilling LR questions and I will sometimes get level one or two questions wrong and oftentimes at the end it'll say my preptest equivalent is in the 130 somethings meaning I'm getting worse despite practice. I plan on taking the test in September with a goal of at least 155 so I do believe I have enough time to get there. Is this a normal thing to be happening or should I be worried about this apparent decrease in my scores. If this is something I should be worried about, what are some things I can do about it? Also, should I keep working on LR before moving on to RC or should I just move on to RC now? Any advice is appreciated and if you need me to elaborate more on anything, please let me know!
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Hi there! First off, please don't worry. You're in a great spot. Starting at 140 and aiming for 155 by September is a totally reasonable goal, and you have plenty of time to make that progress.
Something you mentioned really stood out to me, that you understand the explanation videos, but then have trouble applying the lesson to new questions. That’s actually super common! Sometimes it means we’re following along with the explanation but haven't quite made the reasoning our own yet. Here’s a tip: before you watch the explanation, try to write out why you think the right answer is correct and why the wrong ones are wrong. Then, after you watch, see if you can explain the reasoning in your own words. This helps you actively process the logic rather than passively listening.
About your score dipping a bit: try not to stress about the estimated scores from small drill sets. Those numbers can bounce around a lot just based on which questions you get. What matters more is how you’re doing over time on full sections and practice tests, not just on a handful of questions.
As for whether you should start on RC, I’d say go for it! That doesn’t mean you have to stop working on LR. You can keep practicing and reviewing LR while you start learning RC. The LSAT tests multiple sections, and you don’t need to have LR totally mastered before you move on to RC.
If you’re finding that you’re missing level 1 and 2 questions, it might help to slow down and focus on your process instead of trying to do a ton of questions. Try to make sure you’re spotting the conclusion, understanding the support, and thinking about what the right answer should do before you look at the choices. Sometimes, doing fewer questions but reviewing them more deeply is what really helps things click.
I hope this helps, and please don’t get discouraged! It’s really common to feel stuck right before things start to make sense. Keep focusing on understanding your mistakes, and you’ll set yourself up for success in September.
What you are experiencing is the major learning gulf that exists between understanding why a given answer is the correct answer and being able to adjust your thinking so that you don't make similar mistakes again. There is a big gap beween these two things, and it is very hard to jump over that gap without a lot, a lot, a lot of practice (and the aid of a good tutor helps a ton!).
Based on my experience tutoring many, many students for the LSAT, I would guess that your major issue is that you do not yet have a firm grasp on argument structures. The ability to cut through the noise and get to the underlying argument structure is the most important skill you must develop for LSAT improvement! I would suggest that you do a little slow work -- find some drill questions that have arguments in the stimulus and carefully work out exactly what the conclusion is, and exactly what the premises (support) are, and distinguish all of this from the noise. Despite appearances, arguments are not composed of words; they are composed of ideas. This means that any argument can be expressed in all kinds of different ways. The best trick that the LSAT has is to present its arguments in the most convoluted way that they can dream up. The better you are at cutting through all the noise and pulling out that argument structure, the better you are going to be at logical reasoning.
Good luck, and if you are looking for tutoring support, consider me. I'm a former logic professor, and my current rates ar $130/hr. I'm also current working on a pilot program for an alternative kind of tutoring. For more info, check out my post in the tutoring marketplace: https://7sage.com/discussion/59135/a-different-kind-of-tutoring-from-a-different-kind-of-tutor-ph-d-in-philosophy-and-logic-dollar40-hr