Freaking out

jordanrex30

After finishing the course syllabus I took my first timed lsat in months and scored in my target range with the BR much higher. Since then I have taken 3-4 more PTs and have fallen each time until the latest PT which is the lowest I've scored since before 7 sage. I am signed up to take the Sep test and was feeling very confident after my initial PT/BR but after these last few tests I'm feeling very discouraged and depressed at the lack of consistency/improvement. What do I do?!

joegotbored-1

It's nerves. You already know you have the skill to score in your desired range. Focus on that, not on recent scores that were lower. Review your recent tests and see if you notice any trends, either through the scoring analytics or otherwise. If you can't see any yet, focus on the questions you got wrong that you thought you got right under timed conditions (i.e., the ones you didn't circle). If you're doing poorly in one section or another, drill on those between tests.

Don't worry about the real test. What comes will come. Freaking out won't help you focus on building consistency. Remember, you've ALREADY scored in your zone. You don't have to learn the skills, you already have them. What you have to learn is consistency. Consistency is just one more aspect of the test that comes with practice. You have 3 weeks to practice - you'll be fine.

When I first started doing timed PTs, my scores were wildly inconsistent. Now, I can predict my score within 2-3 points after each test just by my gut feeling of how I did in each section. My scores still vary, but I know why they vary and I can focus on the things that are still a bit loose.

Relax. You're gonna be fine.

joegotbored-1

More specifics:

If you're missing questions in groups, you probably have trouble letting go after a hard question and it's affecting your next few questions.

If you miss questions at the end of a section, you're probably feeling rushed for time. Figure out if you're going too slowly up front on easier questions.

If your diet or sleep pattern is affecting your performance, tweak them.

If you second guess and choose poorly when you do, then stop second guessing.

I'm sure there are more, but these were mine. Hope they help trigger something.

chrijani7

@jordanrex30, I feel ya. I am in a similar boat. My scores went from mid 150's to finally in August breaking the 160 mark and actually achieving a 170 on a single test. Since that 170, I was able to maintain a 167 on a few tests, but have also seen some scores drop to 164/165. I think it's important to remember that it is normal for your scores to fluctuate. For instance, that 170, by some miracle I got like -4 on RC when I am usually -7/10. So in my opinion it doesn't accurately reflect what I should expect test day because it seems like I got lucky. Couple things that Joegotbored pointed out are definitely things that hit home for me.

"If you second guess and choose poorly when you do, then stop second guessing."
- This has happened to me NUMEROUS times since I started getting higher scores. I find that I am getting easier questions wrong because I am second guessing myself.

"If you miss questions at the end of a section, you're probably feeling rushed for time. Figure out if you're going too slowly up front on easier questions."
-Also applies to me, I notice that there are always questions usually in the first 5 that I go through the answers, I see the very CLEAR right answer, but choose to continue reading all the answer choices in detail and it ends up hurting me near the end.

So figure out whats affecting your performance and try and fix it before test day. There are still 20 days. You should be able to get at least 5-10 simulated tests in, which should be enough to fix the minor errors and at least maintain, if not improve your scores.

Nilesh S

Shit I messed up major in my most recent test... fell to a 159 from my average of 167

jordanrex30

Thanks guys! Feeling confident I can get everything squared away!

AsylumsAngel

When you guys first started studying, pre-7sage, what were some of the scores? I scored stupid low on my very first time ever LSAT, and I'm worried that I won't be able to improve enough to get into a 'mediocre' law school...never having done an LSAT before, I scored 138...second time I took a different reading comp section again, and with only the reading comp scores added back in, I would have gotten at least 143, even if the other sections remained the same. How do you know if you've got what it takes at all? Feeling seriously flustered over this.

joegotbored-1

My diagnostic was bad enough that I don't have the confidence to air it publicly. After 7Sage, I couldn't score below 160 if I tried. My average right now is 167/8. Sometimes higher sometimes lower. You definitely can bring that score up enough to meet your goal @AsylumsAngel. It will take a lot of work though and I would hold off until at least February if you start right now.