@BrynnaM Honestly my huge issue for a long time was simply staying mentally on the ball during RC. I'd read the passage, and then keep going back to the passage for each question, and that was really killing time. In the past I tried to fix this by blocking off all distractions while taking a PT. But what actually helped was taking PTs in an environment that was super distracting (e.g. at a Starbucks or at a busy spot in my house). It basically forced my brain to lock in or sink. Brutal but I guess it's working well.
The second really helpful habit I implemented was taking two minutes before each PT and envisioning myself in detail going through the PT and doing well (i.e. coming across easy and hard questions and passages for LR and RC, understanding things on the first read so I don't re read, confidently choosing an answer, etc.). It actually activates the parts of the brain I use when taking the test in reality. I got this tip from an LSAT podcast host, and think it's helped me a lot.
My overall goal is to score at least in the mid-170s, so this is by no means the end. But, considering how long I was in the 160s for, I think I'll start seeing progress a lot faster. I hope you do too, best of luck! :)
@HappyTestTaker Congrats!! I'm still stuck in the 160s, but I think that the "envisioning technique" before taking a PT might be beneficial. I struggle with fatigue in the last two sections.
@HappyTestTaker Thank you so much! Mental visualization is helpful especially for those who struggle with text anxiety. The test is learnable. You are your only distraction. Make that positive, focused, on-fire voice the loudest come test day! Something I tried this last test is to read the questions in a really interested voice in my head. Almost as if your friend is telling you a story and you are waiting for her to spill the tea. In action, reading an LR question it looks something like: "context" (..hmmm okay? they are giving me background info...they wouldn't do that unless they were setting something important up! this must be good) "premise" (okay I'm listening intently now) conclusion (NO WAY they said that to you!!)
Silly, but effective. Helped BIG time with fatigue and negative thought spirals.
@bilingualspeechpath107 "OP" means original poster. For example, the OP (original poster) here would be the user HappyTestTaker, since this post was theirs originally, thus beginning this entire conversation thread. When user lagata said that they were turning on notifications to hear the OP's answers, they meant that they wanted to hear the response of HappyTestTaker in particular to the question that user BrynnaM asked. Hopefully this makes sense 😊
Wow this is amazing! Just curious though, if you're comfortable sharing, what was your diagnostic and how long did it take you to get here. I just started prep so wanted to get a baseline.
@pranavt14 a LONG time (lol) but don't let that be discouraging because it's different for everyone. My diagnostic was a 151, and I took that back in January of 2025. I broke into the 160s in August 2025 (hence the 11 month plateau).
Congratulations!! I've actually been having the reverse issue and struggling to get my LR up from an average of -4 per section. Do you have any wisdom?
@spindlynoodles at the beginning of my LSAT journey, I read the Loophole by Ellen Cassidy, which I think gave me a really good baseline. On top of that, a ton of drilling and a ton of wrong answer journalling helped strengthen my confidence in LR. My wrong answer journal usually looked like me answering three questions for each one I got wrong: 1) why did I pick the wrong answer and not the right one?, 2) why is the right answer right?, and 3) what is a takeaway/roadmap/lesson I can implement for next time I come across a question type like this or a question of this caliber? Watching the videos for each one I got wrong helped a ton too.
There is light at the end of the tunnel folks! Dreams come true. Prayers become answered.
18 comments
I’m in the 160high plateau and have been for like 8 months!!!! Congrats!! The most frustrating thing. Anything in particular that clicker for you?
@BrynnaM turning on notifications to hear OP’s answers for real
@BrynnaM Honestly my huge issue for a long time was simply staying mentally on the ball during RC. I'd read the passage, and then keep going back to the passage for each question, and that was really killing time. In the past I tried to fix this by blocking off all distractions while taking a PT. But what actually helped was taking PTs in an environment that was super distracting (e.g. at a Starbucks or at a busy spot in my house). It basically forced my brain to lock in or sink. Brutal but I guess it's working well.
The second really helpful habit I implemented was taking two minutes before each PT and envisioning myself in detail going through the PT and doing well (i.e. coming across easy and hard questions and passages for LR and RC, understanding things on the first read so I don't re read, confidently choosing an answer, etc.). It actually activates the parts of the brain I use when taking the test in reality. I got this tip from an LSAT podcast host, and think it's helped me a lot.
My overall goal is to score at least in the mid-170s, so this is by no means the end. But, considering how long I was in the 160s for, I think I'll start seeing progress a lot faster. I hope you do too, best of luck! :)
@HappyTestTaker Congrats!! I'm still stuck in the 160s, but I think that the "envisioning technique" before taking a PT might be beneficial. I struggle with fatigue in the last two sections.
@HappyTestTaker Thank you so much! Mental visualization is helpful especially for those who struggle with text anxiety. The test is learnable. You are your only distraction. Make that positive, focused, on-fire voice the loudest come test day! Something I tried this last test is to read the questions in a really interested voice in my head. Almost as if your friend is telling you a story and you are waiting for her to spill the tea. In action, reading an LR question it looks something like: "context" (..hmmm okay? they are giving me background info...they wouldn't do that unless they were setting something important up! this must be good) "premise" (okay I'm listening intently now) conclusion (NO WAY they said that to you!!)
Silly, but effective. Helped BIG time with fatigue and negative thought spirals.
@BrynnaM what is OP for whoever wrote that?
@bilingualspeechpath107 Original poster
@HappyTestTaker
Does this work for someone with ADHD though
@STS I am confused sorry
@bilingualspeechpath107 other people ok
@bilingualspeechpath107 "OP" means original poster. For example, the OP (original poster) here would be the user HappyTestTaker, since this post was theirs originally, thus beginning this entire conversation thread. When user lagata said that they were turning on notifications to hear the OP's answers, they meant that they wanted to hear the response of HappyTestTaker in particular to the question that user BrynnaM asked. Hopefully this makes sense 😊
@RainbowSherbet thank you I figured it out afterward
Congratulations!
@RoxySanchez Thank you!!
Wow this is amazing! Just curious though, if you're comfortable sharing, what was your diagnostic and how long did it take you to get here. I just started prep so wanted to get a baseline.
@pranavt14 a LONG time (lol) but don't let that be discouraging because it's different for everyone. My diagnostic was a 151, and I took that back in January of 2025. I broke into the 160s in August 2025 (hence the 11 month plateau).
Congratulations!! I've actually been having the reverse issue and struggling to get my LR up from an average of -4 per section. Do you have any wisdom?
@spindlynoodles at the beginning of my LSAT journey, I read the Loophole by Ellen Cassidy, which I think gave me a really good baseline. On top of that, a ton of drilling and a ton of wrong answer journalling helped strengthen my confidence in LR. My wrong answer journal usually looked like me answering three questions for each one I got wrong: 1) why did I pick the wrong answer and not the right one?, 2) why is the right answer right?, and 3) what is a takeaway/roadmap/lesson I can implement for next time I come across a question type like this or a question of this caliber? Watching the videos for each one I got wrong helped a ton too.