Hi everyone,
I’m hitting a wall and could really use some hard-earned advice from people who have been here. My test is coming up on September 9th, and I am in a state of panic because my metrics are completely disconnected:
Blind Review / Untutored: Consistently hitting 167, 168, and 170 on drills and sections. My underlying logic and comprehension are there.
Timed / Real-Time: My timed sections and PTs are crashing hard into the 140s.
It is completely clear to me that my issue isn't content—it's execution, panic, and timing. Under the clock, I am bleeding time on hard questions, letting sinkholes ruin my sections, and my score collapses because I have to guess on a bunch of questions at the end and my stamina decreases.
With roughly 5 weeks left until September 9th, how do I actually fix this?
Specifically:
How did you train yourself to actually walk away from a hard question when you're 2 minutes in and don't know the answer, without panicking?
How should I structure my practice over these final 5 weeks? Should I stop full PTs and stick to timed sections + BR?
For anyone who closed a massive gap between their BR and timed scores under a tight timeline, what was the single biggest change that worked for you?
Any blunt advice or tactical systems would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!
9 comments
Closing the gap between my BR and timed sections is something I also struggle with right now. But seeing that your timed score is consistently much lower, I think spending less time worrying about timing and focusing on accuracy just like you do on your BR sessions can allow you to improve.
One important thing to remember is that every question is worth 1 point - doesnt matter how difficult it feels. If after even 90 seconds on a question you find yourself stuck or lost, I'd recommend you flag it, make the best guess you can, and move on. You're likely gaining so many points on BR because youre actually getting time to pick up points on those questions that are easier for you. Learn to keep your momentum going through each section so you can pick up those easier points, and save more time at the end for those more difficult questions.
Full PTs can be beneficial still once a week or so to build stamina, but focusing on timed drills or even untimed sections to practice getting comfortable with a pace that works for you can help. Use your time wisely and I think you'll notice you pick up more points.
Hope this helps and good luck!
@OverheadHopefulStructure
Thank you, this is genuinely helpful perspective—especially the reminder that every question is worth the exact same 1 point, no matter how hard or frustrating it feels in the moment.
I definitely fall into the trap of stubbornly clinging to a difficult question because my brain wants to 'solve' it, which completely wrecks my momentum and starves the rest of the section of time.
I'm going to take your advice: scale back on full panic-inducing PTs for a minute, focus heavily on timed sections to build that pacing muscle, and aggressively flag and drop sinkholes at the 90-second mark. Really appreciate you taking the time to share what's working for you!
I used to PT in the 150s with 170+ BR, and I was able to break out of that and finally enter the 160s, and now the 170s. To answer your questions:
Admittedly, this is something that I occasionally still find myself doing. Even so, the best strategy is to just choose the best possible answer choice you can, and if it's been 90 seconds, to just flag and move on. Something that helped me out a lot was utilizing the elimination feature. Anticipating answer choices can also make you save time, as well as recognizing reoccurring patterns in flawed answers. For example, maybe its outside the scope of the argument, it's irrelevant, is too strong, too weak, etc. One thing to drill into your head: it's always better to get 1 question wrong than self sabotaging yourself down the road and forcing yourself to scramble to answer every question
I would say to continue blind reviewing always, and to do a combination of drills, sections, and one PT a week. Also, don't feel ashamed about talking with ChatGPT or some other AI, including the built in 7sage AI in order to get some other objective opinion on what you should do in your timeline. If you find that PTs are stressing you out, and are doing you more harm than good, consider going one week without them. I personally don't think you should stop them altogether, since it seems like you need that practice with execution, especially with your test approaching fairly soon.
The single biggest change that worked for me was recognizing my mistakes; when you BR, have a LSAT wrong answer journal (i recommend lsatjournal.com) and dive deeply into why you got the question wrong, what about it was so tempting, and why the correct answer choice was unappealing. As well, familiarize yourself with patterns across both correct and incorrect answer choices. Lastly (and this was very important to me) aim to finish the first 10 questions of the LR sections in 10 minutes or less. Doing this paces yourself , especially since the first 10 questions are easier, already setting the pace for a more successful section.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, but you got this!
@AndyTzul
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. It is honestly a huge relief to hear from someone who was sitting right where I am—stuck in the 150s (or lower, in my case) with a 170+ BR—and actually broke out of it.
Your point about self-sabotaging the rest of the section over a single stubborn question hits home hard. I am definitely guilty of letting one hard problem cascade into a total section meltdown.
I really like your advice about aiming to bank time early (getting through the first 10 questions efficiently), using AI, and keeping just one PT a week while focusing heavily on execution, timed sections, and error logging. I'll definitely look into the wrong answer journal approach, too.
Thank you for the encouragement and the tactical advice—it really helps clear the panic a bit!
@SP630 Of course! I cannot recommend enough to use the wrong answer journal, it will help you identify and visualize reoccurring mistakes you keep on making, and flaws in your behavior. Make sure to take it seriously as well, as in, put the answer u chose, the correct answer, why u thought it was correct, then explain why its wrong, as well as the correct answer, why that is correct and why you didn't choose that at first. Doing this will be very crucial in preventing you from repeatedly making subconscious errors in your reasoning, and will undoubtedly help you achieve your goal!
@AndyTzul
Will do, thanks again!
Also just wondering if realistically you think closing the timed and BR gap is attainable in 5 weeks? I can put in 5-6 hours a day until test day and I started studying for the first time around mid-May.
@SP630 To be honest, I don't wanna promise you anything but I do believe it is possible. I was having the same issue you were, having a decently size gap between my tests and BR, and after implementing changes, and studying more consistently (my studying was not too consistent ) I was able to see a big jump from 165 in May 15 to 174 on July 18. With my LSAT also coming up rather soon, part of me was also worried about closing the gap , especially since I aim for a 170+ and didn't get a PT that score until recently, and my LSAT is August 8. So in my opinion, I believe it is definitely attainable to at least see big jumps in your score, and try your best not to let the close timeline pressure you. Trust the process, learn from your mistakes, look at explanations, make sure for every question you got wrong, you understand why the correct answer is correct. Over time you'll subconsciously learn these patterns and be able to easily eliminate ACs right off the bat.
@AndyTzul
Thank you for the vote of confidence. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain your experience, good luck on your LSAT!
@SP630 Of course man! At the end of the day we are all in the same boat: trying to conquer the LSAT! Thank you!