Discussions
Hello!
First of all, it might seem to be getting worse, but it could also be that the later PTs contain more challenging or tricky questions, so don't feel bad about it!
I would highly recommend finding out the reason why you miss questions on your first pass. Are you simply running out of time? Since you said you feel like you have enough time saved, this might not be the reason. But if you aren't sure about if timing is the problem, try a timed PT with a few extra minutes (like 40-45 minutes per section) to see if that relieves the pressure.
If timing is not the issue and you actually have some time left over the end of the section, make sure you're using those final minutes to go back and double-check your flagged questions. Since you're scoring high on BR, I assume simply allowing yourself to see a question a second time will help you spot any mistakes you made at the first instance.
Lastly, try to pinpoint what you do differently during BR. Which question types do you consistently fix? Which specific flaws? For instance, do you usually miss a Part-to-Whole or False Dichotomy flaw initially, but easily spot it during BR? Build a 'checklist' of your most common blind spots. Next time you are having a hard time locating a flaw in a stimulus, run through that checklist.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello,
You are correct that for international applicants with fewer than 60 US or Canadian credit hours, LSAC does not compute a numerical GPA. Therefore, your undergraduate grades do not impact a law school's reported GPA medians.
Instead of a numerical GPA, LSAC evaluates international transcripts qualitatively. They will assign your transcript a categorical rating, like: Superior, Above Average, Average, etc. Because there is no numerical GPA, you naturally cannot be considered a traditional 'splitter' (high LSAT / low GPA).
Because your GPA won't be factored into the school's medians for rankings, your LSAT score becomes the only numerical metric the school can report for you. Depending on your profile, this can be an advantage or a hurdle. If you have an excellent LSAT score but a relatively weak undergraduate record, you are in a great position. The school gets to value your high LSAT to boost their medians without affecting their GPA medians. On the other hand, if your LSAT is on the lower end, you do not have a high numerical GPA to help balance out your application statistically.
And just like domestic applicants, the application will be evaluated holistically, although admissions committees will place a significantly heavier weight on your LSAT score. I hope this helps!
Hello!
First of all, there is no single best method for using the highlight tool! It varies from person to person, and the best strategy is simply the one that yields the highest accuracy and comfort for you.
That being said, I know that a lot of students do not utilize highlights at all, with various reasons. Some of the ones that I heard include: 'It's time consuming,' 'When I highlight, I naturally focus more on highlighting rather than actually understanding the text,' 'Even if I highlight, I never go back and it read it,' and so on.
On the other hand, many students do use it! Some reasons include: 'It helps me remember exactly where the author's main point or a specific viewpoint is located,' 'It maintains my reading rhythm,' 'I use different colors for different people's perspectives,' an so on.
In short, many successful students do exactly what you are doing! However, if you ever catch yourself thinking, 'I'm highlighting this because it looks important, but I'm not really comprehending what it means,' you need to pull back and reduce your reliance on the tool.
Since you are just starting your RC prep, it is fine to use highlights often to help train your brain to look for structure and perspectives. However, as you practice more, I recommend experimenting with reducing your usage to see how it affects your reading pace and accuracy. I hope this helps!
Hello!
First off, there is no single 'best' way to utilize your time before the exam! It varies from person to person and situation to situation.
If you have a ton of time and can comfortably do more than one PT a week, go for it: especially if it makes you feel more prepared and secure. If you don't have enough time, then don't force it. In short, how many PTs you take depends entirely on your availability and your own comfort level.
I highly recommend not rushing through a lot of PTs just to complete many of them before August. The review process is what actually allows you to fix your mistakes and revise your strategies. As many people say: quality over quantity. Completing 10 PTs without deeply learning from them has no value.
Finally, I usually advise against taking a full PT right before the exam if you know that a subpar score will crush your confidence. Mentality is just as important as every other component. It is perfectly okay to take one if you know you won't let a fluctuating score get you down, but always be mindful of your mental state and confidence!
I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck for the upcoming exam!
Hello! That's very common among LSAT students, so you're not alone! If you're experience a huge gap between your timed drill and your BR, I would highly recommend finding out the reason why you miss questions on your first pass. Are you simply running out of time? Or feeling some pressure due to the time constraint? If you aren't sure about if timing is the problem, try a timed drill/PT with a few extra minutes than your regular duration (2-5 more minutes) to see if that relieves the pressure.
If timing is not the issue and you actually have some time left over the end of the section, make sure you're using those final minutes to go back and double-check your flagged questions. Since you're scoring high on BR, I assume simply allowing yourself to see a question a second time will help you spot any mistakes you made at the first instance.
Lastly, try to pinpoint what you do differently during BR. Which question types do you consistently miss at first but fix correctly?
As an example for LR, for which specific flaws do you fail to notice at first? Do you usually miss a Part-to-Whole or False Dichotomy flaw initially, but easily spot it during BR? Build a 'checklist' of your most common blind spots. Next time you are having a hard time locating a flaw in a stimulus, run through that checklist.
As an example for RC, do you usually get a Stated question wrong at first but later find a relevant place from the passage and correct it? In that case, you can try going back to the stimulus as soon as finishing reading a Stated question and find a relevant information, instead of staring at the ACs and trying to recall any information from your head. Like this, try to do what you do during the BR during the actual exam.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! When you create a drill, you can customize it to only contain question you ever got incorrect. You can do so by: create a drill > Customize > Status > Set it to 'Incorrect ever', 'Incorrect on last take', or 'Incorrect more than once'. I hope this helps!
Hello! I know this is a slightly older post, but I'm writing this anyway in case it helps!
I don't have a non-American degree, but I think there's no specific guideline released publicly on how the LSAC labels international degrees. Generally speaking, the grade from non-American institutions is converted by LSAC into a qualitative tier like Superior, Above Average, Average, or Below Average. And I believe they don't count into the school's median; the qualitative labels are provided to schools just as a reference.
This is so encouraging, thanks for sharing! The long journey of studying for this exam is actually incredibly rewarding in its own way. You build serious mental endurance, you learn how to push through the frustrating plateaus, and you literally rewire your brain. And finally, you realize it is about so much more than just the score you earn; you prove to yourself what pure consistency can achieve. Keep up the amazing work, you've got this!
Hello! I totally understand the emotional ride you're going through. Please know that plateaus are a completely normal part of this process, and you are definitely not alone in feeling this way!
Adding onto all the great things others wrote, while you save fresh PTs for later, I highly recommend re-taking older PTs that you completed a few months ago. You might be surprised by how much you don't actually remember. You will probably get a few questions wrong again, and those specific questions will be absolute gold for you to review because they highlight deeply ingrained habits.
Re-working older PTs also helps you build the mental stamina required to endure the full exam without burning through your precious remaining fresh material.
Lastly, since you are hitting your goal during your BR, know that you absolutely have the foundational knowledge and the right tools in your head to reach your goal. I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so it is completely normal to be much stronger in one question type than another.
In my opinion, Flaw, Strengthen, and Weaken questions are all on the same track. Strengthen and Weaken just require one step further; you have to identify the underlying flaw, and then bring in a new piece of evidence to either patch that hole (Strengthen) or rip it wide open (Weaken).
Because of this, a strategy for Strengthen/Weaken questions can be to treat them exactly like Flaw questions at first. Identify the problem in the argument, and then scan the answer choices for the one that actively interacts with that specific problem. Best of luck!
Hello! It happens to a lot of test-takers, so you are definitely not alone! I have absolutely been in the position of missing a question that everybody else got right simply because I was overthinking it. To address your desire to focus on difficult questions, you can certainly build custom drills using only Level 4 and 5 difficulty questions to hone your high-level skills.
With that being said, if you continue to make silly mistakes or overthink, it is a habit that you actively need to break. At the end of the day, the objective difficulty level of a question does not matter; all that matters is whether you get it right or wrong. Missing an easy question costs you the exact same number of points as missing an extremely hard one.
Speaking of that, something that might be helpful is actually doing the opposite: create drills consisting only of Level 1 and 2 questions. Go into these drills fully aware that the questions are easy, and actively practice trusting your gut and not overthinking. Your goal is to increase your accuracy on these easy questions to 100% by training yourself to take the text at face value.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! I would highly recommend finding out the reason why you miss questions on your first pass. Are you simply running out of time? If you aren't sure about if timing is the problem, try a timed PT with a few extra minutes (like 40-45 minutes per section) to see if that relieves the pressure.
If timing is not the issue and you actually have some time left over the end of the section, make sure you're using those final minutes to go back and double-check your flagged questions. Since you're scoring high on BR, I assume simply allowing yourself to see a question a second time will help you spot any mistakes you made at the first instance.
Lastly, try to pinpoint what you do differently during BR. Which question types do you consistently miss at first but fix correctly? For instance, do you usually get a Stated question wrong at first but later find a relevant place from the passage and correct it? In that case, you can try going back to the stimulus as soon as finishing reading a Stated question and find a relevant information, instead of staring at the ACs and trying to recall any information from your head. Like this, try to do what you do during the BR during the actual exam.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! First of all, huge congratulations on hitting that 170 in practice!
To answer your first question: I don't recall the exact origins of PTs 157 and 158, but I do know that PT 159 was an actual exam administered sometime in early 2025, likely reusing sections from the 2020–2022 era. LSAC has recently been mixing things up, sometimes pulling from that older pool and sometimes generating entirely new exam.
Frankly speaking, it is incredibly rare to walk into test day feeling 100% ready; almost everyone feels at least a little anxious. Ideally, hitting your goal range in your PTs consistently tells you that you're ready.
As you have already noticed, your mentality is just as important as your technical knowledge. Seeing that 170 proves you have the ability, so trust in that! Your strategy of using slightly older PTs (like the 120s or 140s) to build confidence is excellent. Those exams still share the exact same underlying logic as the newest ones, so high scores there are highly valid indicators of your current skill level.
Lastly, for this final month, do not save PTs 157-159 for the few days right before your test. Give yourself enough runway to do a deep, thorough review of them. For every single missed question on those final exams, investigate exactly why you missed it and build a concrete strategy in your error log to ensure you never repeat that mistake on the real thing. I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! Since you mentioned WAJ in the comment below, I would like to add something regarding that.
When reviewing, ask yourself: Why did you ignore the correct answer and instead choose an incorrect AC? What detail in the stimulus did you miss? Is there a typical flaw that you tend to find more challenging to notice on your first pass?
For instance, I had a tendency to miss Part-to-Whole (or vice versa) flaws more frequently than other typical flaws. When I realized this, whenever I read a stimulus and couldn't figure out the flaw right away, I asked myself if it could possibly be a Part-to-Whole flaw.
Most importantly, ask yourself: What can you do to prevent repeating that mistake? Whenever you work on your wrong answer journal, you are doing it because you want to ensure you never repeat that same mistake again. For example, 'I will never misread MSS Q stem as Strengthen Q stem.' You can build a detailed 'never misread' strategy like that example.
Another example: I used to miss Paradox questions that compared two groups. In one question, Group 1 shopped with a list, and Group 2 shopped without a list but only bought items on sale. Group 2 spent much more money. My instinct was, 'Group 2 just bought way more items!' That would have been a valid answer... except I missed a detail in the stimulus stating they bought 'a comparable amount of goods.' So, I created a strict new rule for myself: 'I will never miss features shared by the two groups being compared to ensure I do not violate the stimulus constraints.'
So try to build specific strategy to make sure that you never repeat your mistake again! I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Congrats!! And also congrats for fixing all of your mistakes during the BR! Keep up the great work :)
Hello! I know this is a slightly older post, but I'm writing anyways in case this can help!
Don't think like you're cooked! You definitely can improve and hit 157+. I saw your comment about keeping a wrong answer journal. To get out of a plateau, you need to take that journal a step further: use it to actively build and refine your test-taking strategies.
When reviewing, ask yourself: Why did you ignore the correct answer and instead choose an incorrect AC? What detail in the stimulus did you miss? Is there a typical flaw that you tend to find more challenging to notice on your first pass?
For instance, I had a tendency to miss Part-to-Whole (or vice versa) flaws more frequently than other typical flaws. When I realized this, whenever I read a stimulus and couldn't figure out the flaw right away, I asked myself if it could possibly be a Part-to-Whole flaw.
Most importantly, ask yourself: What can you do to prevent repeating that mistake? Whenever you work on your wrong answer journal, you are doing it because you want to ensure you never repeat that same mistake again. For example, 'I will never misread Strengthen Q stem as MSS Q stem.' You can build a detailed 'never misread' strategy like that example.
Another example: I used to miss Paradox questions that compared two groups. In one question, Group 1 shopped with a list, and Group 2 shopped without a list but only bought items on sale. Group 2 spent much more money. My instinct was, 'Group 2 just bought way more items!' That would have been a valid answer... except I missed a detail in the stimulus stating they bought 'a comparable amount of goods.' So, I created a strict new rule for myself: 'I will never miss features shared by the two groups being compared to ensure I do not violate the stimulus constraints.'
Get highly specific with the lessons you extract from your mistakes! The more targeted your strategies become, the fewer mistakes you will repeat. I hope this helps!
Hello! Just from this stat, I believe timing may be one of the issues, since wrong answers tend to be clustered at the end. Try to save some time for the end by speeding up in the first half of the section.
Also, there also might be some stamina-related issue. It is definitely draining to be seated for more than two hours for an exam and to remain focused throughout. However, since that's what you will need to go through during the actual test date, I highly recommend training for your endurance. You can do so by regularly practicing doing full PTs.
Lastly, learn from your wrong answers! When reviewing, ask yourself: Why did you ignore the correct answer and instead choose an incorrect AC? What detail in the stimulus did you miss? Is there a typical flaw that you tend to find more challenging to notice on your first pass?
For instance, I had a tendency to miss Part-to-Whole (or vice versa) flaws more frequently than other typical flaws. When I realized this, whenever I read a stimulus and couldn't figure out the flaw right away, I asked myself if it could possibly be a Part-to-Whole flaw.
Most importantly, ask yourself: What can you do to prevent repeating that mistake? Whenever you work on your wrong answer journal, you are doing it because you want to ensure you never repeat that same mistake again. For example, 'I will never misread Strengthen Q stem as MSS Q stem.'
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! If I were to explain Sufficient Assumption to someone without using the word "sufficient", I would use words/phrases like:
Bridge, Connector - for the gap between the premise & the conclusion
100% Guarantees the Conclusion
Resolves Everything - it fixes the problem of argument
And I like 'Conclusion enforcer'!
On the other hand, if I were to explain Sufficient Condition, I would say something like: 'If' of if-then relationship. 'Trigger' may belong here, since it 'triggers' a certain necessary condition.
I hope this helps, and good luck!
Hello! Everyone approaches their final week a little differently, and you might hear some conflicting advice from different testers. Many say to take a complete break from full PTs, while others recommend sticking to the routine you’ve already built. Honestly, either approach can work!
To share my own experience, I didn't do anything drastically different during my final week. I just continued with my regular study process (taking a PT in one sitting, reviewing it, and refining my strategies). On the day before the exam, I simply reviewed a list of questions I had previously marked, the ones I felt were the most helpful for reminding myself of key strategies and mistakes to avoid.
That being said, the most common advice you will hear is to not overdo it right before the test so you can conserve your mental energy. My best recommendation is to do whatever keeps your anxiety low. If you want to save your energy, take it easy with a light review. If you are someone who gets more anxious by doing nothing (like me), then stick to a lighter version of your usual routine. Above all else, make sure you prioritize getting a great night's sleep! I hope this helps, and good luck!
Hello! Regarding your timeline, if you are 100% committed to sending your applications by late October and also need time to work on your essays, signing up for both dates is strategically optimal (as you probably already know). As you said, the exam is very expensive, but it helps to view it as an investment in your future rather than a mere expense; you want to ensure you apply with a score you are truly satisfied with!
Ultimately, you ideally want to take the official exam only when your PT scores are consistently hitting your goal range. Rushing the test just to apply a few weeks earlier usually isn't worth it if it means leaving points on the table. If you do not feel confident by September, it might be worth skipping it to protect one of your testing limits and taking the October (or even November) test instead.
Whatever date you aim for, it would be highly beneficial to at least start lightly drafting your application materials during your non-study time, like brainstorming your Personal Statement or Diversity Statement! I hope this helps, and best of luck!
On top of great advice from others, I would highly recommend finding out the reason why you miss questions on your first pass. Are you simply running out of time? If so, doing timed drills with 10-ish questions might help you build your pace. If you aren't sure about if timing is the problem, try a timed PT with a few extra minutes (like 40-45 minutes per section) to see if that relieves the pressure.
If timing is not the issue and you actually have some time left over the end of the section, make sure you're using those final minutes to go back and double-check your flagged questions. Since you're scoring high on BR, I assume simply allowing yourself to see a question a second time will help you spot any mistakes you made at the first instance.
Lastly, try to pinpoint what you do differently during BR. Which question types do you consistently fix? Which specific flaws? For instance, do you usually miss a Part-to-Whole or False Dichotomy flaw initially, but easily spot it during BR? Build a 'checklist' of your most common blind spots. Next time you are having a hard time locating a flaw in a stimulus, run through that checklist.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! It is definitely hard to write a full low-res summary during practice sections; you don't want to waste valuable time writing it all down. You are correct that you won't be able to talk out loud during the real exam, but you can at least mumble to yourself quietly enough that others can't hear.
Alternatively, you can write down just a single word or abbreviation per paragraph on your scratch paper. That is what I did sometimes; I focused on the structural purpose of each paragraph and just wrote down something like: 'AP' (Author's Perspective), 'OP' (Other's Perspective), or 'I' (Illustration). This didn't take much time at all but still allowed me to easily recall the roadmap of the passage.
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello! Although I did not have a same experience, I want to share this page on LSAC called 'International Transcripts.' You can find the requirements for the UK on this page.
Generally speaking, once a student sends their transcript (along with other requirements) to the LSAC, the grade from non-American institutions is converted by LSAC into a qualitative tier like Superior, Above Average, Average, or Below Average. I believe they don't count into the school's median. I hope this helps!
Hello! Doing a full PT definitely feels different from doing individual sections; there is a lot more pressure and cognitive fatigue involved. Because the actual exam will be exactly like a full PT, it is crucial to physically and mentally train your endurance for that format.
I agree with @AltanM about starting by trying 2 sections in one sitting to gradually build your stamina. Once you feel more comfortable doing two sections in a row, try doing two sets of them with a 10-minute break in between (simulating a full PT).
To share a bit of my own experience: before I actively practiced taking 2.5-hour exams in one sitting, my brain completely went on strike by the time I reached the fourth section of my first real LSAT attempt. It was only after a prolonged period of regularly simulating the actual exam conditions that I stopped feeling fatigued at the end.
Even though diving into a full PT can definitely feel stressful, try to reframe it in your mind: you are doing the exact physical and mental conditioning required to crush the real exam!
I hope this helps, and best of luck!
Hello!
First of all, that's a really high BR score! It indicates that you got the right logic tools in your mind.
Since you said you get such results even when you take the test untimed, so I assume timing is not the real issue here. If you tend to actually have some time left over the end of the section, make sure you're using those final minutes to go back and double-check your flagged questions. Since you're scoring high on BR, I assume simply allowing yourself to see a question a second time will help you spot any mistakes you made at the first instance.
Also, try to pinpoint what you do differently during BR. Which question types do you consistently miss at first but fix correctly? For instance, do you usually get a RC Stated question wrong at first but later find a relevant place from the passage and correct it? In that case, you can try going back to the stimulus as soon as finishing reading a Stated question and find a relevant information, instead of staring at the ACs and trying to recall any information from your head. Like this, try to do what you do during the BR during the actual exam.
Regarding LR, which question types do you consistently fix? Which specific flaws? For instance, do you usually miss a Part-to-Whole or False Dichotomy flaw initially, but easily spot it during BR? Build a 'checklist' of your most common blind spots. Next time you are having a hard time locating a flaw in a stimulus, run through that checklist.
Lastly, it could also be that you too much pressure every time you begin a new PT. Because your experience convinces you that you tend to not perform well enough at the first time, whenever you sit for a new exam, you may feel discouraged (at least a little bit). I would tell you again that your high BR scores reflect your capability, so don't get eaten by the previous scores, but see the bright side that you got all the tools needed!
I hope this helps, and best of luck!