Self-study
My first diagnostic was a 165, and after months of studying I'm still averaging 168. I've gotten a few PTs between 170-174, but I'm really consistently getting 168s. I feel so stuck! Is this just how it is when you're trying to get 170+? Do I just need to drill more of the question types I'm stuck on? More time on wrong answer journaling? What's been helping you the most?
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Im in the same situation, ive gotten exactly 169 on the last 4 or 5 pts ive taken and just cant seem to break the 170 ceiling. I've personally been working on taking more time on LR questions and not being as stressed about the timer since theres usually one or two that upon BR I realize was a reading error on my part, but tbh idk if its worked out much considering my scores lol. Hope you find the way forward!!
I went from a 158-168 just by better understanding questions. Now (1ish month after that time) i consistently score 170-174 (last 6 or so tests). The biggest thing for me was getting better at judging which questions I know that if I spend more time on I will work out the right answer and which questions its better just to go with my gut. I usually have enough time to go back to a few LR questions so making sure I prioritize ones with conditional reasoning is important for me. That helped me get the 2-3 more right questions that brings me up to the low 170s.
I have been working on getting up to the high 170s but that might be a little too much for me unless I get my ideal test order (LR, RC, LR, Experimental) and have my types of questions be the hardest (Flaw, Parallel, or SA, not NA). I think people down play the role of luck in the difference between a 174 and a 177, that is truly 2 correct guesses vs a 164 and a 167 is 4 or more questions. I ALWAYS have some level 2 causal reasoning question that throws me for a loop because I overthink it so on those I just trust my gut and I know now not to change my first answer unless I have a REALLY good reason.
In short, work on test strategy. You are going to have unique quirks about your testing at this level that won't be because you don't know Unless is a group 3 indicator, or you don't understand the difference between SA and NA. Figure out when to trust your gut and when to know it is a dirty little liar .
@unknown I'm in the same boat as OP and this is super helpful. My diagnostic was 165, and I've been studying for a little over a month and cannot break 171 for the life of me. I never thought about working out where spending more time will actually benefit me-- I kind of treat everything I'm unsure of equally. Sometimes spending more time on a question where I really should have trusted my gut is my downfall haha. I'll try skipping all conditional reasoning/time waster questions and going back to them at the end to see if my score improves. I usually have around 8-10mins left after I answer all the questions so knowing how to allocate that is super important.
I'm taking the sep test so fingers crossed!
@unknown This is really encouraging. I haven't been doing much in terms of paying attention to analytics and strategy. I think I'll try to get a sense of that through some sections and drills. Also good point about luck. I'll be really happy with myself if I can start consistently getting anything 170+
@SydneyPatterson Good luck to you! Luck definitely plays a part in the 17lows vs 17highs, but staying calm and "running your race" as people say in distance running makes sure you don't flop into the 16mids. I'm taking my test next Friday and just got my highest PT (175 on PT154). Hope we all get our goal scores.
@AnnaKuryla This was a huge difference maker for me. Sometimes the logic just doesn't logic or the conditions won't conditionalize. always better to call it after 15 seconds and come back than to beat my head against the wall trying to figure it out.
Hi Im not sure if you can help me with this but id figured id reach out and ask anyway. My diagnostic was 141, I don't have much help and I don't know anyone who could help me understand the questions better. I plan to give myself some time and take the test in January. To my point I was wondering what do you do to get a high score, your diagnostic test is my goal lol. Im curious to see if you have certain things that help you or any studying tips?
@CourtneyPierce Tbh I might be one of the worst people to ask this because I did my diagnostic with no prior information and just sort of got it without thinking too hard. A lot of it was just intuition. I have several years of grad school under my belt and a lot of experience with causal reasoning from research plus a ton of experience reading dense articles. Which made it harder for me to motivate myself to thoroughly do all of the lessons and learn all the rules because I could get a lot if it without consciously applying them - you may even be better off than me if you can learn to approach all of it methodically. Good luck!
@CourtneyPierce You can take your first step by joining 7Sage with a paid subscription. I previously used PowerScore Bibles, LSAT Trainer, and even played around with The Loophole, but found I prefer the 7Sage model. In one month, I went from my original (timed) PT score of 147 to 159 on my next PT three weeks later --- and that 159 score was despite not being able to get to 10 or 11 questions in the RC section. My Blind Review went from an initial score of 159 on the first exam, to 167 on the second --- after I answered those 10 or 11 RC questions I couldn't get to under timed conditions. I'm learning and having fun with it. My goal score on the real exam is 170 or above, and I'm taking the LSAT in November, so in addition to making sure I understand the question types and answer traps, I'm also working on timing, reading dense articles, taking live classes, and I committed to studying for at least 2-3 hours a day, often more. 7Sage offers live and recorded classes, free study groups to join, tutoring, AND gives you very detailed explanations to answer choices on every single question in every single test. But even if you don't want any of that, the foundational curriculum alone will deepen your understanding of every question type and answer choice. For me, the monthly investment in a subscription has been worth every penny. Can't recommend them enough. Best of luck to you!
@whouse737 Thank you, I do currently have a subscription for 7sage and its definitely help me understand it better but I suppose part of me still worries
@whouse737 I would like to chat with you a bit more about your experience and strategies. I started with the LSAT Trainer, then moved on to a paid 7 Sage Subscription. My diagnostic was similar to yours, and I've' been doing the core curriculum. I've done a couple of classes so far. I'd like to get a better understanding on how you've been allocating your time. I do between 2-5 hours a day, depending on my work responsibilities and how much I am able to retain that day. Sometimes after two separate 90 minute sessions my brain is fried. Can I send you a message? Thanks!
Frankly, you might be doing too much. I was in a similar position and it was because I was studying several hours every day. If you feel comfortable with doing so, take days off. Sharpening your mind is important, but using it too much can leave it duller than when you started.
This was me until not too long ago (and honestly, even now, I'm getting low 170s only, which is another few points after 168). I think for me, the issue wasn't just LSAT-specific skills. It was related to life skills as well, haha. For example -- letting nerves get to me, having a perfectionist mindset with questions, trying to read RC passages too closely.
I'd really recommend identifying what's holding your score down. It might be a specific question type, or it might just be RC vs. LR in general. For me, since I was doing a lot better on LR than RC, and I knew I was having trouble completing all RC questions on time, I think I really started to improve in RC after practicing reading in general. News articles, books, and stuff like that. I think starting a new job where I had to read dozens of legal documents really helped, too. It's only after months of "life" I realized that I had to start embracing SKIMMING to break that 170 ceiling.
Last thought is -- I've seen lots of sources say that 170 is called a "ceiling" for a reason. It's harder to break from high 160s to low 170s, for example, than mid 160s to high 160s. Also, if you're already scoring in the high 160s range, you're already doing really, really well. So it's about getting just a couple of questions more right.........and there's likely a specific reason those couple of questions evade you.
Good luck! Don't give up. It was so discouraging for me when I was stuck in that mid-to-high 160s range, but I promise, even if it takes forever, it is possible.
@miriamson07 Really appreciate it :)