Apologies for the dramatic title (and for maybe getting that song from Buffy stuck in your head), but I could really use some advice.
Background:
I took the February LSAT and feel very confident about my performance in 4/5 sections... but on the 5th, I know I missed at least 4 questions. I made an absolute rookie mistake, something I haven't done for months: I skipped over a %$*%ing rule when reading the prompt for Game 3. I just passed right by it like it didn't exist.
I caught my mistake 3 questions into the game, but between redoing the set-up and the questions, I only had 6 minutes left for the last game. I literally bubbled in 3 random choices for the last questions on the scantron when I heard the proctor start the "put your pencils down" sentence, and I was rough-guessing on the other questions anyway.
I've accepted my February score isn't going to be what I need.
...
(mostly accepted it. Okay, there's some small part of me that still hopes that, given the recent flurry of statistically improbable events, maybe I'll luck into a 175. But that small part is stupid, so I'm trying to ignore it)
Current Issue:
I've registered for June, but I'm feeling a bit lost in terms of how to structure my studying. I mean, I feel REALLY good about the rest of how the rest of the test went. I was PTing between 175-179 for my last 10 practice tests. When practicing, I took two 4 section tests back-to-back with a 15 min break between, and the actual test felt short in comparison. With the exception of that one, stupid mistake, I really feel I would have gotten the score I was hoping for out of Feburary. (Not that it matters, but I killed it on the first 2 games on the real LG section and I finished the experimental LG section with time to spare).
So what should I do? Go through all the curriculum again? Take some time off? I had such a definitive plan studying for the February test, now I just feel lost. I'm NEVER going to make the mistake again of not checking off the rules as I diagram them, but how do I prevent myself from making a new, exciting, and equally obvious mistake?
I have PTs 36 - 55 and PT 80 left fresh (took 56-79); I work full-time Tues-Sat, and I'm in CA which makes joining a BR group tough since it seems like most groups are on EST.
Anyway, reading over what I just wrote, it's clear that the main issue is likely just how disheartened I feel. The months of studying, going MIA on my friends, abdicating 90% of household responsibilities to my saint of a spouse, going to bed at 9pm every night: all of that effort and I blew it on the dumbest mistake. It's hard to brush that off and start again, though I know I have to.
###So, good people of 7Sage, what are my next steps? How do I regroup, and what does that look like? Thanks for reading this novella, I really appreciate any and all advice you have to give :)
I've been taking 2 full tests back-to-back with a 15 minute break inbetween. I saw the 4+4 section strategy recommended to build stamina, and while it's been great for that, an unexpected benefit is that it's also helped train me out of dwelling on tough sections (or sections where I think I underperformed).
My main worry is on test day I'll be psyched out early by a weird/tough experimental section, so getting accustomed to going for another 5-6 sections even a particularly 'bad' one is my way trying to compensate. :)