Searching for certain question types would be a big waste of time.
I do the LR section backwards. The hardest questions are placed in 16-25, so you need the most mental energy to get through those questions. I saw a big improvement in doing that. This can also reveal whether your issue is stamina or not.
You should be practicing timed sections at least as often as you're doing untimed. You may be doing that already - just giving you some info. I am currently at -3/-4 on RC, and the best thing I did was simply drilling. I did an RC set every single day. At the beginning, I ran out of time and guessed the last 2/3 questions. Now, I am ending sections with about two minutes to spare. So, make sure you're forcing yourself to do a timed set very regularly. I think part of the challenge of RC is simply getting used to RC.
Also, I use Spreeder. I use this site to practice speed reading for 30 minutes daily. That's also helped. Finally, you need to be able to move on when you don't understand something 100%. One of the biggest areas I improved in was just going with my gut or choosing to continue past a part of the passage I was 95-98% on instead of 100%. I spend a long time reading the passage, too - about 3.5 minutes with a LOT of highlighting and notation.
The first questions are, what is your notation system like? how long do you spend on the passages? How long are you spending on individual questions?
Hi All!
I am having some trouble finding this information. I am aiming for a 174, but I can't find much information on how many total questions wrong I can hit to achieve that score in the current format of 1LR 1RC and 1LG. Does anyone know? The 7sage calculator seems a bit wonky.
Your attitude is hindering you here. The jump from the 150s to 160s is easily attainable. The jump from 160 to 170 takes an incredibly higher amount of time and energy. You need to recalibrate that expectation or else your failure to fulfill it will drive up your frustration and thus down your scores.
Right now I'm scoring -1/-0.
I second all of the above - Loophole is a great resource. Additionally, you really need to work in breaks into your study schedule so your brain has time to integrate the concepts you have learned.
Hello! I am having trouble with main point questions. These questions to me have the hardest ACs to distinguish from each other. I am doing well in my studies, with a typical low 170s score and usualy -4/-5 but can be up to -7 on RC. I find that I always get a main point question wrong. Even if I feel i have a solid understanding of the passage and get no other questions wrong for that passage.
Any tips? What processes or tricks do you guys use for main point questions?
If the difference were 155 to 165, yes, but that's really not enough of a difference to be worth it. The lateness of your score would probably cancel out the boost.
Thanks so much for your comment! I will give that a try.
Hey all. I am currently PTing between 169-171. Over half my wrong answers come from RC, which I have admittedly done very, very little practice with. I usually go -5 to -7. Has anyone found success with the memory method?
My tactic has always been to read the passage deeply for 3-4 minutes, highlighting and notating the crap out of it, and doing the questions quickly. I am unwilling to change this tactic at the moment because I am taking my first LSAT in January.
Because you're below the LSAT median, you just need to be above the GPA median. Then I would say it's very reasonable for you to apply.
Hi all. This morning I finally broke into the 170s. While I know I've still got some way to go (re: a real life LSAT to take) I wanted to share my story so far to give some hope to people like me who do not begin their studies in the 160s or even the 150s. Also, I think it's valuable to analyze the work one has done at multiple points of progress.
The beginning: I began studying for the LSAT in the spring of 2018. But, my journey was not at all constant. My first diagnostic I received a 149. I was crushed. My peers and family members had scores in the 160s and 170s. I felt destined to fall below my goals. I knew I needed some serious help to boost my score. That year, I took an online Powerscore course and read the Powerscore bibles. And let me tell you - my study habits were terrible. They were not purposeful. I expected the course to do the work for me. I did not even take whole practice tests because I was terrified about what I would see s my score after grading. But, four months later, I was accepted into a two-year work program. I chose to stop studying for the LSAT. I was afraid of failing. So, I just put the test behind me. I did not return to studying until October 2020. Even then, my attitude was terrible. I felt horrifically dumb when I got any questions wrong. I wasn't improving, and I was falling into the test maker's trap of zapped mental inertia, which further deflated my scores. So, once again thinking if I ignored the LSAT all together my problems would go away, I stepped back from studying again.
Now: I whipped myself into shape when I started studying in June of 2021. I plan to submit my apps the first day they open for the 2023 cycle. This time, my "diagnostic" (not really, I'd studied before) was a 158. Alright, doable. I read through the bibles once again, got the wonderful 7sage, read loophole, and this time had a personal tutor. I cannot stress how important my tutor has been to the journey so far. Having a person there to identify my weaknesses, strengths, and create a plan took away my biggest weakness; studying without purpose. Even with all of this improvement, I was stuck in the low 160s. I was working full time, barely sleeping, and hardly eating from the stress of packing in study hours at the end of the long day.
This week, I decided to focus on my mental health. And holy crap, did that work. I made myself get a full night's sleep every night. I ate three full meals, which I had not been doing. I make my goal more manageable. I said "all I want from this practice test is to improve my average." Prior to every other test, I thought - if i don't get a 170, my test was a failure. At the end of that week, I got a 170 timed and a 178 in blind review.
My study experiences are atypical. Many don't study for this test as long/as randomly as I did. But, I think the time I took away from the test was really valuable, especially for someone with such a low diagnostic. The processes marinated in the back of my mind for years. And then, when I was ready to study with purpose and accept that this test would not determine my success as an attorney, my score jumped. And by jumped, I mean a jump from low 160s to 170.
Long story short: everyone can improve by focusing on their mental health. Remove this stress from the test. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask :)
I am a high school math teacher and this is still messing me up
Hi all!
I applied today for 50% additional time. But, there are a lot of things I feel weaken my request.
First, I was diagnosed really recently. My parents didn't really believe in learning disabilities, so I struggled a lot in school. It was after taking the LSAT in January I realized WOW, I am holding myself back here. So, I went to a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety disorder by two different psychiatrists. And let me tell you, this was a tough thing to do. The assessments were incredibly expensive and I'm not flush with cash. I say this to communicate I genuinely believe I need this accommodation to have an equal chance to do well on the test.
Additionally, I have taken the test twice. The first was in 2018. I canceled that test because I did so, so poorly given what I recognize now were symptoms. I kept studying. I took the test in January 2021 and got a 165, which was really, really low below my own abilities because I spent so much time trying to concentrate and dealing with my anxiety.
I highlighted in my statement of need how taking the LSAT led me to realize I had these problems and that's why I don't have a lot of history with my diagnosis.
This is a new kind of chance me, I suppose. Will i get approved despite a "good enough" score and a recent diagnosis?
#help. This is a crazy unreasonable assumption. I can just as easily assume wealth correlates to low instances of cancer because I can assume better preliminary treatment. These questions are not fair. Are these crazy assumptions as prevalent on recent tests as they are on old tests?
I recognized it was going to take me a while to unpack D and somewhat E, but I knew that C most definitely strengthened the argument. Given this was a weaken question, I selected C knowing it must be the answer if it strengthened the argument. Did anyone use a similar strategy on this question?
#help (Added by Admin)
#help. I thought the language of choice E "could be harmful" made the answer choice present a completely different argument than the conclusion "should be banned because they ARE (always) harmful." How does answer E not go to weaken a completely different argument?
First, off, WOW! A 7 point increase is so impressive after taking the real LSAT for the first time! Congratulations. Also, I think you should also remember that the school you get into the first year is not necessarily the school you graduate from! Let's say worst case scenario, you bomb the November test. I just googled your stats, and these numbers absolutely get your foot in the door at more than one school. That's all you need! Once you get in, you can work your ass off just like I see you're doing for this test, and transfer to that target school! LSAT scores don't even matter in transfer stats. I think the worst position you can have is that the LSAT is the be-all end-all for determining your level of success as an attorney. This isn't true! This test is crazy. And even if it doesn't go well next time, you know you've got the drive to work hard as a 1L and get to the schools you want.
interested
I like the written stuff a lot, but it is clear that this video performance was not practiced before filming. I wish the speaker better prepared for the videos.
Applications provide a space for you to explain anything on your application that needs further consideration. Definitely submit an addendum explaining this! Schools will most certainly take into consideration the difference in the dates attended, especially considering your military service.
Why are you spending so much time researching if you can even get to 170? sounds like you're trying to give yourself a reason not to have those high expectations.
It appears in the core curriculum it's taught there is no distinction between main point and main conclusion questions, i.e when a question asks "whats the main point" or "whats the conclusion." However, I find the "main point" questions will be a lot more general and doesn't strictly adhere to "summarize the one sentence that is the conclusion" in this argument. Am I misunderstanding the core curriculum? Does anyone agree with this observation?
Yes, this is very common. Just let yourself get used to LG over time. If you just keep practicing it'll improve!
This is the first time the eliminate wrong answer strategy sealed it for me. I knew the other answer choices were wrong and thought this answer choice was overall meh. So I went with that one, and it turned out to be the right answer. Goes to show that the two-way method (finding wrong vs. finding right answer) is effective.
Question: what can we conclude "virtually" to mean in this context? Can I conclude that there is at least one proposal that the so-called environmental group did not raise objections to? What is the opposite in LSAT world to "virtually?"
Admin Note: Deleted the stimulus because it is against our Forum Rules to post the entire stimulus on the Forum. Also edited the title. Please use the format PT#.S#.Q# - brief description of question.
I mean, if you go -0 LG and get every other question wrong, not very good.