June 2017 LSAT

jennybbbbb

Hey guys!
I was wondering if it is possible to increase my score to a 170 or higher if I scored a 145 on my diagnostic. I plan to write the June 2017 LSAT and do not wish to write it again but get it right the first time. I just started studying... Any tips or suggestions?

stgl1230

Technically it's possible, but for most people it would take more than five months to consistently reach the 170+ range. It took me about 7-8 months. I broke the 170+ barrier when I was PTing, but I still didn't actually score a 170+ until my second LSAT sitting. This is pretty common, although there are certainly people who score well over 170 on their first take.

Sprinkles

@jenny.bains said:
I was wondering if it is possible to increase my score to a 170 or higher if I scored a 145 on my diagnostic

Yes! @"Not Ralph Nader" went from a 148 diag to a 173 LSAT. He is just one of many cases Take your time with the curriculum and do not move forward until you understand everything 100%. That's the best advice I can give anyone; even though it sounds obvious I find many people rushing through the material just to begin the PT phase and this is very counterproductive. Getting a 170 is by no means an easy task. It takes effort, time, dedication...but it's certainly doable.

Cant Get Right

@jenny.bains said:
I was wondering if it is possible

Possible? Of course. But possible is just one of those words, you know, lol.

Breaking into the 170's is an enormous undertaking. It's one that I sincerely believe just about anyone can accomplish. But not everyone who can accomplish it will accomplish it. That's a huge distinction. The thing about the LSAT that's so different from any other test is that the test provides you with all the answers. Literally, every answer is right in front of you. So, yeah, I think because of this peculiar quality, anyone can do it. Of course it's possible.

Yet, only about 2.5% of people actually manage to do it.

The truth is, that accomplishment is way harder than any of us realize when first starting out. For me, I thought I was special. I was not. I wasted two takes before I'd done the work and so of course, I fell short. Then I started showing the LSAT the respect it demands, and only then was I able to vault myself into the field of people who were actually prepared to score in the 170's. Even then, there are no guarantees. I know so many people who are absolutely prepared at a 170 level who then fall short on test day.

So don't ask is it possible. Ask whether you're one of the few who will manage to seize that possibility.

To address your question a little more directly, 6 months is a highly accelerated pace. People do it (Hell, some people do it in 1 month!), but for the vast majority of us, that's not enough time. It definitely wasn't for me. I think it's a great target though. If you are really serious about breaking 170, you need to look at it the other way around. Instead of preparing for June, prepare for a 170. If you've reached that level by June, congratulations! If not, then that's fine. Keep at it, and take when you're at the level you want to be at.

Sprinkles

@"Cant Get Right" said:
So don't ask is it possible. Ask whether you're one of the few who will manage to seize that possibility.

omg YES...a million times YES. I love this mindset.

TheLSAT

I second everything that @"Cant Get Right" said. Breaking the 170 threshold is very difficult. I, myself, have broken in the 170s once, and I have been preparing diligently for 7 months. Not saying you cannot do it because you can. You might break in the 170s and stay there in a couple of months. However, breaking that threshold is difficult not just because the test is, but more importantly because a score of 170 and higher denotes almost mastery and comfort. Mastery of the logic in the test, the questions, and the methods used. Comfort with time, maintaining focus for close to five hours, and most importantly, applying the methods. This test is a skills-based one, a set of logical skills that most of us do not use on day to day basis because we rely on intuition. However, intuition is absolutely not enough for this test, although good intuition is necessary. It truly does take some time and practice for everything to kind of become second hand. What I mean by that is that the skills you use on the test start to become part of who you are, how you read, and the way you express yourself. And to reach that level, it takes time unless you have been practicing those skills your whole life. You have to truly master the exam and understand yourself because that will be vital on test day. If you do not become aware of your mentality, especially on test day, your score will be affected negatively. You will start (if you have not already) to understand the difficulty of this test as time goes by. In conclusion, it is doable if done right, but the "when" is the answer.

jennybbbbb

The thing is that I can completely focus on studying the LSAT for these 5 months without having to worry about school! I do work part-time and volunteer though.. I am committed to get a 170 or above! Are there any strategies that you guys have found helpful??

inactive

Bumping so more people can offer advice!

H.al1997

Some really great advice everyone.

rafaelito

@jenny.bains said:
Are there any strategies that you guys have found helpful??

I would go through the core curriculum and then read the LSAT trainer if you want to continue to deepen your understanding of the test. Beyond that I would also watch AccountsPlayable's webinar specifically regarding your question of strategy. He suggests writing everything down to keep track of your thinking so that you can see how you thought about a certain question and then correct that reasoning if need be. For example, when you go through the curriculum you see his comments on virtually every video. I recently began doing that as well. I already completed the curriculum when I began doing that so my comments are much more sparse and sporadic. But it's helped me a lot to really deconstruct questions, especially those that I BR or get wrong. To go further, after I PT, I BR and write down all of my thought processes for each question I circled on a huge word doc (regardless of whether or not I end up changing the answer). I've done this with three PTs by now and have almost 30 pages single space. LOL. So I put basically follow the same template for every question. Identifying the question, writing down my task, writing out the conclusion and support in my own words, finding the flaw and then going through every answer choice writing down a reason it's right or wrong.

Example:

3) this is a weakening question. the task is to find the conclusion then support and to choose an answer choice that weakens the reasoning relationship between the support and the conclusion.

conclusion: all dogs are red
why?
premise: because bob is a dog and he is read
flaw: just because bob is a dog and is read doesn't mean that all dogs are red. the argument fails to consider other possibilities.

A) irrelevant because...
this restates a premise...
C)...

etc.

D is the correct answer because it weakens (in this specific way)...

Anyway, that's what I've begun doing with my PTs for every question I circle and most importantly for the ones I get wrong BEFORE I check to see what the right answer is. This is my BR phase 2. Also, a couple times I've BR'd and then gotten the answer wrong. That really helped me because I saw in my own writing how my reasoning was incorrect. That was a WOW moment to say the least. Because if I hadn't done that, I guarantee, my reasoning would have been "oh duh, that is obviously right. I see that now." That thinking is totally useless and it is why taking PT's alone does not improve your score. You never get an answer wrong cause you were lazy or misread (perhaps you misread but why?).

So in short, I think the people who actually improve are the ones who scrutinize themselves the most and change their thinking habits. There is so much advice out there, so many strategies, but it really comes down to you taking control of your own thinking. The strategy above is just one, albeit pain-staking, strategy that I have recently adopted and will hopefully launch me into breaking the 170 barrier as well.

If anyone has anything to add to my comment please do!

tanes256

@jenny.bains everyone has given the most important advice for conquering this test. It may sound general, but please, please, please do not rush through the curriculum. Plenty here have done it including myself and I can tell you that you'll just be spinning your wheels until you go back and dedicate the needed time. Also, do not skimp on the BR. This is where you'll see your gains. Join the BR calls if you're still having issues. Hearing other perspectives may solidify something for you. BR is tedious but it takes as long as it takes. Don't move on to other PT before thorough BR. Taking 50 PT means nothing if you can't see your errors and why you made those errors. Someone mentioned The LSAT Trainer. Grab it! The Flaw section is everything! Plenty of folks here use it as a supplement. It goes well with the curriculum but I wouldn't recommend doing them simultaneously. Oh, make sure you fool proof all LG and you should be golden. Good luck in your studies! You got this!

Sami

@jenny.bains said:
Are there any strategies that you guys have found helpful??

I think any strategy that you might develop needs to adapt to where you are currently in your LSAT prep. There is no one set answer. Not only that, it really depends on what your strengths are. That being said, there are certain broad things that we all need to do.

#1. Finish Core Curriculum: Take notes, refer back to them, do the drills.
-This is where the initial learning of concepts take place, do not skimp it. LSAT and logic is kind of a different language. So it makes sense to learn the a,b,c of it before you jump into complex sentences where timing is also an issue.

#2. Next take a PT and thoroughly Blind Review it. Look at analytics to figure out your weaknesses and work on them. Try to get your Blind review score at or above your target score.
- I would actually really recommend the webinar that is going to be held this Wednesday on how to structure you LSAT prep after you are done with your core-curriculum.
- Keep doing this till your average of PT's is at or above your target score.
- work on timing strategies here as well
-This is where a lot of drilling and intensives drilling occur.

#3. Try to get your PT score to your Blind review score.
- This is where you are working on getting your PT score to match your full potential score.

P.S. I kind of just summarized the webinar I mentioned above. So if you are done with the core-curriculum, definitely attend that. I am pretty far in my prep and I still found it very useful.

Also, the main thing that I think all high scorers have in common is that we don't give up learning. Try to take the questions you get wrong in stride and instead of seeing it as all the things you got wrong see it as all the things you can learn and improve upon.

Good luck. You'll do great. : )

jennybbbbb

Thank you for all your comments!! I am just starting my prep but I will be considering all these things! Again, thank you for all your help! Also, what are the seminars/webinars that you guys are referring to? Still trying to figure out how 7Sage works!

Cant Get Right

Go under the Discussion menu at the top and you'll see Webinar Videos. That's an archive of webinars that have been done in the past. For upcoming webinars, check the top few threads in the forum. They'll be posted there.

Stevie C

Breaking 170 is tough. When I took the LSAT, my last 3 PTs were averaging 172. I scored a 169. It seems like it's common for people to score 1-3 points below their PT average on the real exam.

If you really want to get it right the first time, you should stack the odds in your favor by getting to a level where your version of a "bad day" is above 170 (for example: consistently PTing at 174+).

Since we only know your diagnostic score, it's hard to say whether 170+ in June is realistic for you. Do the core curriculum first (should take 1-2 months to do this), then take another practice test to see where you stand.