@kman1501 Thanks! My current official score is a good deal under this one; I'm definitely still working toward my goal score too. There's a lot of conflicting advice around study concentration and habits and I don't think any of it is wrong, per se. Some is backed by research, but a lot is purely autobiographical. I saw something a few days ago from a guy who'd scored a 175 saying to avoid diagramming like the plague. I don't doubt that measure's utility for him, but I know a lot more people who wouldn't be able to score well without diagramming. I certainly couldn't. For study and strategy, then, the best advice I can give is to stick to consensus (some kind of fundamentals material, daily drilling, keeping and regularly analyzing wrong answer journal, PT once a week after getting your sea legs, basically all the vanilla-flavored advice) but try new stuff as you go along. Unintuitive, seemingly counterproductive changes might be difference-makers.
That said, if you're sitting in November, I would not recommend rocking the boat in the slightest. Consolidate your existing practice, single out where you're making consistent mistakes (not always bound by category, which is why the wrong answer journal is unambiguously good advice), and identify a few checks you can consistently make to mitigate those mistakes.
For me, the changes most conducive to my improvement didn't involve the LSAT at all. As someone with pretty pronounced ADHD, I knew focus would be a huge hindrance to my performance unless I could enhance it. So, for about the last month and a half, I've been implementing a range of practices to that effect. The four most impactful ones center on nutrition (make sure I get enough of anything brain-boosty like D/B-Complex/Zinc/Magnesium/Omegas/Choline), sleep (regular, prioritized, on schedule for test day), exercise (daily, in morning), and entertainment (no digital entertainment, read/write/play music/do something active/socialize). That last one seems draconian and kind of monkish but it's probably paid off as much as the other three combined.
Remember, this is just what's worked for me. One person's salvation is another's burnout recipe. I'd be happy to get more specific about approaches to certain question types and whatnot, but broad strokes, that's pretty much it.
Most importantly, remember that you've got this, and that you're worth the effort you're putting into your future.
@DocRieux thanks so much for your response! My studying journey has definitely not looked like what I thought/ hoped it might, but I've recently started changing up some stuff and seeing some improvement after a period of nothing changing and a lot of frustration. I personally think one of my biggest hinderances is my anxiety; I'm a pretty anxious test-taker (and person just in general, lol) and it's been a struggle to navigate the mental/ emotional load that this test also brings with it. I appreciate your advice and words of encouragement, and I wish you the best with your exam in November!
3 comments
Amazing work!! Got any advice/ study tips for those of us that are still working towards our goal score?
@kman1501 Thanks! My current official score is a good deal under this one; I'm definitely still working toward my goal score too. There's a lot of conflicting advice around study concentration and habits and I don't think any of it is wrong, per se. Some is backed by research, but a lot is purely autobiographical. I saw something a few days ago from a guy who'd scored a 175 saying to avoid diagramming like the plague. I don't doubt that measure's utility for him, but I know a lot more people who wouldn't be able to score well without diagramming. I certainly couldn't. For study and strategy, then, the best advice I can give is to stick to consensus (some kind of fundamentals material, daily drilling, keeping and regularly analyzing wrong answer journal, PT once a week after getting your sea legs, basically all the vanilla-flavored advice) but try new stuff as you go along. Unintuitive, seemingly counterproductive changes might be difference-makers.
That said, if you're sitting in November, I would not recommend rocking the boat in the slightest. Consolidate your existing practice, single out where you're making consistent mistakes (not always bound by category, which is why the wrong answer journal is unambiguously good advice), and identify a few checks you can consistently make to mitigate those mistakes.
For me, the changes most conducive to my improvement didn't involve the LSAT at all. As someone with pretty pronounced ADHD, I knew focus would be a huge hindrance to my performance unless I could enhance it. So, for about the last month and a half, I've been implementing a range of practices to that effect. The four most impactful ones center on nutrition (make sure I get enough of anything brain-boosty like D/B-Complex/Zinc/Magnesium/Omegas/Choline), sleep (regular, prioritized, on schedule for test day), exercise (daily, in morning), and entertainment (no digital entertainment, read/write/play music/do something active/socialize). That last one seems draconian and kind of monkish but it's probably paid off as much as the other three combined.
Remember, this is just what's worked for me. One person's salvation is another's burnout recipe. I'd be happy to get more specific about approaches to certain question types and whatnot, but broad strokes, that's pretty much it.
Most importantly, remember that you've got this, and that you're worth the effort you're putting into your future.
@DocRieux thanks so much for your response! My studying journey has definitely not looked like what I thought/ hoped it might, but I've recently started changing up some stuff and seeing some improvement after a period of nothing changing and a lot of frustration. I personally think one of my biggest hinderances is my anxiety; I'm a pretty anxious test-taker (and person just in general, lol) and it's been a struggle to navigate the mental/ emotional load that this test also brings with it. I appreciate your advice and words of encouragement, and I wish you the best with your exam in November!