Howdy! If you read the first part of the passage, you will notice it says there was a decrease in the likelihood one would be injured on the slopes from 1950-1980. If you read carefully, the passage states that the incidence per 1000 skiers drops from 9 per 1000, to 3 per 1000 during those 30 years. The reason why answer a is wrong is because even with only 3 incidents per 1000 skiers on the slopes, you could still conceivably have more injuries overall if there were more than 3 times the number of skiers in the 1980s vs the 1950s. Answer choice b is correct because it is the only choice which directly contradicts the information in the passage, which is that an individual's likelihood to be injured on the slopes decreased from 1950-1980. There is absolutely nothing in the passage to justify the conclusion that there were less injuries overall on the slopes, only that the chance of injury decreased. Hope this helps, and good luck!

I have been studying about 8 weeks, done about 10-15% of the curriculum, and taken about 10 tests...so I'd take my advice with a grain of salt, but here goes. The fact that you aren't scoring highly on BR (unless you aren't taking your time to do it correctly) indicates you are likely lacking some fundamental knowledge and strategies to generate an above average score. That said, increasing your fundamental understanding, and transitively your ability to score more highly on BR will need to occur before you see improvements on the timed test. It is highly unlikely you'd see an increase on your timed tests before seeing an increase on your BR scores.

Based on my experience, your timed vs untimed scoring ratio is pretty much standard. Possibly even skewed somewhat heavily towards your timed tests. I typically score anywhere from 12-18 points higher on my BR than on my timed tests. Over the past 3 tests for example I scored 164, 159, 162 timed, with my corresponding BR scores being 177, 171, and 178 respectively. My ratio of timed vs untimed scoring is far worse than yours, so I would again say that the timing is not as much your problem as is your understanding of the fundamentals.

In terms of your upcoming test, I'll just give my personal strategy for you to consider. I am looking at schools ranked #18 and up on the US News ranking. To achieve this, I am planning to score 170+ on the LSAT by next June. Right now I am averaging 161-162, and I am honestly unsure how likely it is that I will successfully hit my goal score (Only 8 points above my current average) within the next 9 months. That said, I guess whether or not it makes sense to take the October test depends on your goals. If your goal is to score 155-157, I think you could potentially achieve that with a lot of PT's, drilling, and dedicated BR. On the other hand, if you are looking to score higher than that, I would heavily consider what other options you have, because 157+ would be a massive increase from your current score level, especially considering the stress of an official administration vs a PT.

Not sure how much this helps you, but I wish you all the best in your endeavors! God Bless!