Plateauing- Tips for Consistently Scoring in 170s?

Sarah889

Hey All,

72 days left for all of my fellow September LSAT takers! Definitely beginning to feel that tinge of pressure. The end is in sight

I'm seeking advice from any sages/top scorers who routinely score in the 170s. A few top scorers that I've had the pleasure of speaking to had an average PT score of 173, 174, 175, etc. I'm wondering how you all were able to overcome the "almost there but not quite in the 98/99th percentile" plateau. My last 5 scores were 168, 174 (yay), 169, 168, and 169, respectively, so I'm averaging at 169.6. I'm prepping the same way I have been for my entire LSAT career, but I feel as though I cannot get over this 169 phase. Any tips from those who have been here?

RC is definitely still the primary cause of this plateau. Averaging -7 for RC, -1 for LG, and -2 for LG.

Thanks in advance!

AllezAllez21

Hello,

So since March my 5 PT rolling average has risen from 171 to 177. I have a few insights from my own personal experience that might help.

The first is just the standard drill the heck out of everything. I've invested so many hours into drilling. You cannot compromise quality, but the more high quality drill work you can do the better.

The second thing is to set a BR score of 180 for every single test. If you're not BRing at 180 then you need to improve your foundational knowledge for your weak spots. I think the other subtle nuance of BRing 180 is that you really have to pay attention to when you're not sure about an answer in order to mark it for BR. I've spent a lot of time developing my senses about when I think I've selected a wrong answer. This is really important intuition to hone. It's going to give you that 1-2 more points because you'll know which questions to go back to with extra time at the end. I'm still working on this skill, but for me, what tips me off is how well I understand why the answer I selected is the correct answer. When I select a wrong answer, I just usually have that feeling like "Huh, that seems like a weird answer to be right, but I think I eliminated the others and I sorta see how it works, so I'll go with it for now." It's really subtle and of course I don't catch all of them, but I really think it's important.

I always advocate quality over quantity, but I have to say, now that I am 20PTs in, the pure volume of work is starting to pay off. Probably the thing I am most proud of right now for LR is that I haven't missed a flaw question in 13 PTs (103 questions). At the end of the day, they're asking you the same things over and over in different words. By becoming so familiar with their generic answer choices, you can really speed up how quickly you process them. If it's an equivocation flaw, I know right away to dismiss the answer choices involving part to whole or ad hominem or sufficiency/necessity. Just by paying attention and becoming so familiar with answer choices, I've been able to speed up a ton on LR.

As for RC, your current weakness, I am going to struggle to give advice. It's definitely my most fluctuating section. What I am currently trying to do is to just go over passages in immense detail, untimed, and writing out paragraph summaries, main point, attitude, structure, etc. I am hoping that by doing those things over and over, I will develop the correct reading and thinking processes for the section. I see it as RC's version of fool proofing.

mcneeleyt

I honestly took a break from studying. I didn't pick up any LSAT material for a few weeks, didn't stress or think about the awful thing. I had gotten to the point where I was just so frustrated with my plateau so I just gave myself a breather.

When I returned to do PT's it seemed to have....clicked. Consistently started scoring throughout the 170's, even one 180! I think there is real merit in taking a break from studying, giving your brain time to process all the information you are continuously shoving into it.

goingfor99th

@mcneeleyt said:
I honestly took a break from studying. I didn't pick up any LSAT material for a few weeks, didn't stress or think about the awful thing. I had gotten to the point where I was just so frustrated with my plateau so I just gave myself a breather.

When I returned to do PT's it seemed to have....clicked. Consistently started scoring throughout the 170's, even one 180! I think there is real merit in taking a break from studying, giving your brain time to process all the information you are continuously shoving into it.

Hear, hear! This makes me happy to hear considering this -9 curve.

Sarah889

@AllezAllez21 said:
When I select a wrong answer, I just usually have that feeling like "Huh, that seems like a weird answer to be right, but I think I eliminated the others and I sorta see how it works, so I'll go with it for now." It's really subtle and of course I don't catch all of them, but I really think it's important.

Definitely know this feeling. I lost a few points on my last PT with moments like this. I agree- I think I need to start working harder on my BRing and not settle for anything under a 180, no matter how long it takes. Your story is very encouraging. Thank you for your input.

@mcneeleyt This is also great advice--my only worry is that my time to study is limited as it is. I work full time, including a very long commute (1 1/2 hours each way, every day), so it will likely be difficult to make up any time that I give up. I am pretty balanced in my time though. There will sometimes be 2-3 days where I do not look at the LSAT because of work, so I definitely don't think I'm suffering from burnout. One thing I have noticed for sure throughout my studies is that cramming and constant, intense studying is the worst thing you can do. Any increase in my score definitely came from spending 30+ minutes on one question during BR and being liberal in my breaks. When I take a PT, I don't even start BRing it until the next day because I do not want to associate the LSAT with exhaustion and negative feelings. It has honestly done wonders for me. So, all that to say, your advice is spot on and anyone studying for the LSAT should take heed to it.