Self-paced
So, I just took the June lsat and did atrocious. I got a 152. I had been scoring in the high 150's and even got a 160 once. I've been studying more, because I am taking the August LSAT. AND IT IS NOT GOOD. I keep hitting my original diagnostic of a 151. I think what frustrates me the most is that I have a very good application besides the LSAT and I can not seem to crack this test. I started going back through what I struggle through the most, and have been reviewing like crazy but if anyone has any advice or has been in this position it would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I have "hit a wall". (I will be applying this upcoming application cycle and I really only want a 157 or above).
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Hello! I know this is a slightly older post, but I'm writing anyways in case this can help!
Don't think like you're cooked! You definitely can improve and hit 157+. I saw your comment about keeping a wrong answer journal. To get out of a plateau, you need to take that journal a step further: use it to actively build and refine your test-taking strategies.
When reviewing, ask yourself: Why did you ignore the correct answer and instead choose an incorrect AC? What detail in the stimulus did you miss? Is there a typical flaw that you tend to find more challenging to notice on your first pass?
For instance, I had a tendency to miss Part-to-Whole (or vice versa) flaws more frequently than other typical flaws. When I realized this, whenever I read a stimulus and couldn't figure out the flaw right away, I asked myself if it could possibly be a Part-to-Whole flaw.
Most importantly, ask yourself: What can you do to prevent repeating that mistake? Whenever you work on your wrong answer journal, you are doing it because you want to ensure you never repeat that same mistake again. For example, 'I will never misread Strengthen Q stem as MSS Q stem.' You can build a detailed 'never misread' strategy like that example.
Another example: I used to miss Paradox questions that compared two groups. In one question, Group 1 shopped with a list, and Group 2 shopped without a list but only bought items on sale. Group 2 spent much more money. My instinct was, 'Group 2 just bought way more items!' That would have been a valid answer... except I missed a detail in the stimulus stating they bought 'a comparable amount of goods.' So, I created a strict new rule for myself: 'I will never miss features shared by the two groups being compared to ensure I do not violate the stimulus constraints.'
Get highly specific with the lessons you extract from your mistakes! The more targeted your strategies become, the fewer mistakes you will repeat. I hope this helps!
Supposedly the shocking drop in score when studying is an LSAT right of passage.
I often get into this spiral too. I was doing so well after consuming the course content. Lately I have been falling into auto-pilot and letting the test direct me, by that I mean I have been reactive instead of preactive.
Our method is to take things into bite size pieces, comprehend the direction, and then anticipate. It sounds like you are chasing again instead of maintaining control.
Enjoy a little break this weekend, and do not dive right back into full prep test. The test environment is what is causing panic which leads to a breakdown in the methodology. For now try doing untimed drills and pretend you are the tutor, the rubber duck method.
Speed Kills.
There is no benefit of being fast when it is incorrect.
Slow down.
Also you need to Blind Review for more data to understand the situation.
If timed score is low, but Blind Review is high. Then it is an execution/timing issue which will be developed and improved with the exercise of practice. If the BR is low than it is a fundamental gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed.
@NoNamed92 try using the AI Coach in 7Sage chat. It has your data, I am having similar issue to you right now, and it has pointed me to main conclusion for some rehab.
Also WAJ, you will be able to identify your issues and trends more clear.
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The Anti-Panic Training: Yesterday you mentioned feeling "reactive and confused" when looking at arguments. Main Conclusion questions are the perfect cure for that. They force you to step back, look at the big picture, and just ask: "What is the author ultimately trying to convince me of?"
Your Game Plan for this Drill:
It is untimed: Do not rush. Focus purely on accuracy and your method.
Prephrase the Conclusion: Before you even glance at the answer choices, find the main conclusion in the stimulus and literally bracket it on your screen or scratch paper.
Walk away for a few days and clear your mind. Do things that bring you joy and completely take your mind off the LSAT. Make sure when you take it, you don't let stress consume you. I do much better when I focus on my breathing and don't let my leg shake anxiously. Just keep yourself grounded and go for accuracy over time.
First of all, was June the first try? if not, I don't see why you are cooked. Even if that not the case, I dont see why that would be a problem.
I know how annoying this test is, and trust me, I was on the same boat. I wrote a whole novel on another post of how I was in the 150s after a full year of studying. I think the best advice I can give you first is take a deep breath.
Before just constantly grinding, what is really important is that you recognize the type of questions you are getting wrong and more importantly, WHY. If you do not know exactly whats stopping you from getting a high score, its gonna be hard to improve.
In my experience, while I was looking at my wrong answer journal, I realized that the reasons I was getting such questions wrong were redundant, so I ended up making a database to find out what the problem was, and I did figure out what the problem was.
Just by getting rid of the mistakes you are making, you are gonna improve your score by 5 points. Trust me. I did that too and I am using my tactics to my fellow study group members for the September LSAT
@Daisy228 How did you quantify your mistakes? Because I write things down in my journal, but it's just like "didn't read thoroughly enough". Thanks for the support.
@Thomaskmm30 I made an excel sheet that looks like this. you can take a look at how the sheet looks like when you scroll down. I first also tried writing things down my journal, but I realized I was not looking at them, so I needed real numbers to see what the real issue was.
Ofcourse, I know you can do this