Self-study
The standard schedule administers one preptest a week. I registered for the August test, started with a 166 have a 170+ goal. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to limit drilling to full sections only, and bringing in a second preptest midweek to simulate testing conditions more frequently. Anyone have insight on this plan?
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4 comments
Since you have a 166 already, it seems your issue with getting a higher score might be fixing small issues like getting better at logical reasoning or improving at specific question types. It might be better to focus on things like that, rather than spending more time doing practice tests. I personally tried doing more than one a week, and it really burnt me out. I suggest focusing on improving your weaknesses with strategic drills while PT-ing once a week, maybe twice if you have a very free schedule so that you can stay energized!
Hello! Frankly speaking, I believe it depends on what you want to achieve before the exam. To speak from my own experience, I did more than one PT a week because I wanted to make sure that I looked at every PT question before my exam and actively trained my endurance. But as you can see from the other comments below, there isn't just one right way to study. I personally needed more than one PT a week to achieve my goal, but others may not require the exact same volume of study as me to achieve the same thing.
The most important thing is not to burn yourself out or make yourself sick of the whole process. I would say you should structure your drills and PTs in whatever way allows you to best identify your weaknesses, refine your strategy so you never repeat the same mistakes, and stay motivated until your August exam. I hope this helps, and best of luck!
I wouldn't increase to multiple preptests per week unless you have a clear purpose in doing so. For example, I increased the rate when I was working on my timing, and wanted to do full sections to make sure my new timing strategy didn't break down in practice. But if you're just in practice mode, there are more targeted drills you can be doing to identify and study your weaknesses. Preptests are likely not your most efficient method, and they're more likely to burn you out. I was in a similar situation as you were about two months before my first exam, and I was able to complete your goal with only one preptest a week.
I would argue that the 2nd tests' effectiveness depends largely on the amount of time that you commit to your routine. If you are only studying for ~1 hour a day, it may be more effective to rely on the one, review the answers the next day, and drill/section the rest of the week. If you are studying for several hours per day, I think full practice tests will help. Half of the LSAT's difficulty (for me) relies in the simple fact that it's a test. For me, full-practice-testing helps because I have a trend of losing accuracy as time dwindles. If you share that similar trait, it may be helpful to take multiple preptests per week. However, preptests are a limited resource, so manage your time well. Good luck for august!