Self-study
I scored a 138 on my PT. I have not taken one in a long time. I've taken the LSAT twice, but that was years ago, and I have been studying nonstop. I've taken PT before, and they fluctuate, but they were spaced apart. Do I have to be consistent with PT in order for my scores to reflect?
1
8 comments
I agree with the great advice you've already received! One thing I'd add is that drills and PTs actually test different skills. Drills are all about whether you can solve a question, but PTs add in extra layers like stamina, pacing, focus, and how well you can perform under pressure for a longer stretch.
If you've been studying regularly but haven't taken a PT in a while, it's totally normal to see a gap between your drill performance and your PT score. PTs are a skill on their own! Taking them regularly can help you get more comfortable with the format and what the exam expects from you.
I also noticed you took the PT right after waking up. That alone could have made a big difference in your performance! For future PTs, try to match your expected testing conditions as closely as you can. That means thinking about the time of day, your warmup routine, and your environment.
Finally, I recommend looking beyond just your overall score and figuring out where you're losing points. Is it a timing issue? Are certain question types tripping you up? Does your accuracy drop in the later sections? Figuring out exactly where the gap is coming from can help you make a more targeted plan for next time.
@Asma Thank you this makes so much sense!
Just wanted to add a couple of points to what other commenters have pointed out already! There could be a number of reasons that your PT scores don't reflect your drills:
Nerves/pressure
Stamina
Lack of warmup
Time pressure
To mitigate these issues, you can do a few things. First, I would recommend doing 1 PT a week. Of course it's okay to change this to fit your schedule and timeline, but once a week is a good benchmark to follow. Outside of your PTs, I would also recommend adding in full section practice to your study routine (if you haven't already). Full sections help you practice the timing and pacing required on a PT without the 2.5-hour PT time commitment. Lastly, I would recommend doing a warmup before you do your next PT. A good starting point is 10 easy/easier LR questions, and 1 easy/easier RC passage. Make sure to avoid looking at the warmup results until after you've done the PT, to avoid allowing the warmup results to affect your confidence or concentration going into the PT.
Hope this helps, and happy studying!
@AsemanShahsavand thank you!!! Will be doing that!!!
I have the same issue! It may be headspace related/ testing conditions. I feel like taking one timed section alone or drills involve less mental stamina than a whole exam. As you take more PTs and become more comfortable with the length of the exam, you should get better with the score. Blind review and a wrong answer journal also helps in keying in what small mistakes your making and analyzing if they're due to mental fatigue/stress :)
@SelenaHernandez never heard of wrong answer journal. Going to look into that!
Perhaps mental stamina is an issue? I've been getting perfect scores on short drills, and more 80%'s on longer ones. Pacing and mental stamina are difficult! Perhaps headspace going into a practice exam could also be an issue? I took a practice LSAT 20 minutes after waking up and more score was worse.
@SamuelUmholtz thats basically what I did! I woke up and went straight to a PT! That could be it! Thank you!