Seeking encouragement

jaefromcanada

Hey 7sage!

I took my first PT and got 161 3 weeks ago. I thought it'd be a good idea to take PT's every other day, until I learned about how harmful that may be, then I slowed down and reviewed/drilled more vigorously.

Since then, I've taken two PT's and stayed at 161 with a BR of 167/168. I am improving BR and being more vigilant about circling and taking time, but I'm still improving and it can be evidently higher.

Nonetheless, I am very discouraged about my lack of progression. I did the curriculum and I don't have one specific facet of LR that I struggle with. What I'm having trouble with is finishing LR sections, keeping focus during the LR and not freaking out halfway through. Basically, I begin getting really anxious and make stupid mistakes that compound like a snowball. LG is usually okay (timing is sometimes off) and my RC, initially my best section, is decreasing in performance because of the previous LR section that throws me off mentally.

Any words of advice and encouragement would be appreciated. I feel like I can do this but I'm having a hard time breaking through. My goal is 170+ for June.

cvo1

Hey there! I'm currently on the same boat as you as well, and I'm planning on taking the June test. It does get really discouraging, frustrating, and depressing, but remember that everyone's potential is 180! I did pretty well in that I scored in the mid-160s, but all of a sudden, I plummeted to the mid-150s. I was absolutely devastated. Not only that, but I was also so confused because my BR scores were at least 170.

Now, I'm not an expert since I haven't officially broken into the 170s. I haven't even scored my latest PT yet, and I know that I bombed that one because I was having a horrible day. Your BR score implies that your foundation is strong with a couple issues here and there, but it wouldn't hurt to get a tutor if you really wanted some focused guidance. I think we're pretty similar in that our main issue is lack of confidence, but if you sit down with someone and actually BR PTs with them, you'll realize that you actually know more than you previously thought.

@"Cant Get Right" convinced me to record myself taking a PT, and it revealed so many things about my test-taking habits. I couldn't have known that I was taking up to 4 minutes (!!!) on difficult questions that I could've easily knocked down in 2 minutes unless I recorded myself. I highly recommend it since now I know what I need to modify to optimize my pacing, timing, and confidence on certain question types.

If you ever need some encouragement, feel free to message me! I'm always happy to support you in your journey because we're on the same boat.

Edit: I also wanted to add that it's ok to not do as well in a PT. If you find yourself getting frustrated and anxious because a question, game, or passage threw you off, just remember to breathe. It's not the end of the world. Remind yourself that it's ok to skip that question, because in the end, it's better to lose one point than to let that anxiety carry over to the rest of the exam.

Cant Get Right

I pretty much second everything @cvo1 said.

And you're only 3 PTs in? For what it's worth, you're way ahead of where I was after 3 PTs! You've got a lot of work to do before you break through, but no reason at this point to be discouraged. You're fully on pace!

jaefromcanada

@cvo1 Thank you for your advice and your offer. I may join the BR call one of these days if my PT schedule works out.

The offer stands from my end as well. Anytime you need any encouragement, give me a shout. I'm thoroughly impressed with your first PT. I'm sure you did great in your latest PT as well!

Let's try and support each other through this journey!

jaefromcanada

@"Cant Get Right" I took a bunch of PT's almost back to back to back after my first PT, but I've erased them from my memory because I was not ready to take them and didn't know I shouldn't do them. Nonetheless, thanks for your words and I'm gonna keep working at it!

TimLSAT180

I just wanted to post here that the skipping strategy is so important in order to minimize overall damage. I just took a timed individual RC section, and I didn't save any time at the end to go back to the questions I had circled. I circled 6 questions, and out of the 6 I got 3 wrong. If I had saved up just even 5 minutes, I would have been able to go back and change my answers from the incorrect one to the correct one which would have left me with a -2 for the section instead of a -5. This is why it's really important to try to finish the section with 5 minutes to spare to make sure to go over the ones you circled!

Stevie C

Strategic skipping would probably help you on LR. It helps to remember that skipping doesn't guarantee a loss of points -- you can always go back to it if you have extra time.

NotMyName

161 at 3 PTs in? Nice! You've got a ton of fresh material and a lot of runway ahead of you to make the improvements you're looking for. Stay the course and stay connected to the community as you're doing -- that will help you to keep working effectively. Many ppl fall into the "Work hard and not that smart" trap. Doesn't look you've done that so congrats!

jaefromcanada

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

@jkatz1488 I took a bunch of PT's after my diagnostic without studying before so I haven't only taken 3. But I'm gonna disqualify the ones that I've taken earlier, recklessly, because they don't reflect any studying at all. Nonetheless, thank you. Seeing your explanations help a lot in the questions/CC!

@"Stevie C" and @TimLSAT180 thank you for the advice. I NEED to learn to take the lSAT more efficiently.

You all are amazing!