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Related Discussions
How to start studying for the second time around
practicethepause
Alum Member
I took my first LSAT this September and just got my score back. I now have to study for the December one but I'm lost in where to start. I took almost all of the PTs from 36-80 but haven't finished the Core Curriculum. So I plan on finishing the CC but I'm not sure if I should be taking a PT every week from now on (but I took most of the PTs so I feel like my score will severely inflated) or...
I would sincerely appreciate your advice on how you all studied or plan to study for your second time around!
Comments
I'm sorry to hear that but the beauty of this test is you always have another chance to do better. It takes a lot of commitment to take this tests again, so congrats!
How many fresh tests do you have left? Put special priority on keeping those clean until you're ready to take another test.
Certainly finish the CC and review any concepts you're fuzzy on.
Don't worry about inflated scores from retakes. Unless you're scoring a 180 on a retake then it still has plenty of value. I would, however, not recommend taking PTs once a week. I'm sure PT82 revealed plenty that you need to work on for now.
@"Alex Divine" Thank you for your advice! I have around 8 fresh tests (but 5 of them are below PT 50 so they're pretty old tests..) I plan on going through the CC first and then re-taking the recent PTs and taking the 8 fresh tests when it gets closer to the Dec test...
If you don't mind sharing, could I ask what your study schedule looks like? I used to study 6-8 hours a day but would get burnt out really fast...but if I don't study like that I feel anxious. How did you find the balance?
Awesome! As long as you have some fresh tests, you'll be fine. My old tutor @"Accounts Playable" scored a 174 and used plenty of retakes. Many people who go on to score very well have retaken the test and have faced the same problem of having very few fresh tests. There's always tons of value and I'd argue that re-doing tests is more helpful.
I don't have a very strict study schedule, to be perfectly honest. I don't think those tend to be helpful. It's very hard to plan far in advance because who knows what weaknesses a timed section of PT will reveal. So unless you're clairvoyant don't worry about a study schedule, just design a routine that you can follow. For instance, instead of making it a goal to get through 3 LR sections a week and 5 sections of games, make your goal to practice getting better at assumption questions and grouping games. The more specific the better.
While going through the CC, take your time, take notes, and re-watch anything you are not absolutely understanding. Do the problem sets right after each lesson, and review them such that you're breaking down the stims and thinking about them on a deeper level. If you can truly master the fundamentals, you should be able to score a ~165 without much of a problem.
I work full time, so finding a balance can be hard. I basically just set aside 2 hours in the morning before work and 2 hours at night after each weekday. I study about 8 hours on Saturdays, and maybe 5 on Sundays. To prevent burnout I have worked to really find enjoyment in this test. It's a beautifully crafted test and I find it kind of fun trying to master. Aside from that, I just take a break whenever I feel I need to. For example, today I was planning on doing a whole bunch when I got home from work. Instead I realized I was too tired from not sleeping last night and overworked, so I did maybe an hour and a half, and called it a night. I completely relate to having anxiety from "not" studying. To combat this I just had to accept that being rested and not burnt out were necessary conditions for having productive study sessions. This test is very mental so we need to keep our minds sharp. It's better to study for 4 hours a day with a fresh, active mind than 8 hours when 5 of those hours are going to be unproductive and burn you out further.
Hope this helps a bit...
Let me know if there's anything else
Hi AlexDivine - thank you for this! Very helpful advice!
Happy to help
@"Alex Divine" Appreciate you and your advice so much. Thank you!!
Group hug everyone!!!
I just got my score for my second test as well with a 5 point increase from last year - I want to emphasise what's already been said about re-doing preptests. You'll recognise few questions here and there, but beyond the immediately recognisable ones, you'll be surprised at how challenging the test can feel even the second time around if you're keeping to strictly timed conditions. Make sure to use the analytic tools to try and identify patterns in the questions you're getting wrong, and prioritise those areas specifically in your study schedule. Definitely save the PT70+s for the last few weeks of prep when you've reviewed all the principles and are confident that you have complete comprehension of how to tackle every question. Most importantly, don't ever lose confidence in yourself along the way! You've sat the real thing once, so you know exactly what it's going to feel like on test day and for me, that knowledge helped a lot with nerves and anxiety, which I think significantly contributed to my score.
@mscy2293 Thank you for your warm advice and congratulations on your 5 point increase! That's amazing!
It'd be a lie if I say that I'm not anxious (because I feel like 1.5 months is a short amount of time), I know that its about how effectively. This time I want to make sure I get the fundamentals DOWN and tackle the PTs I took again before taking the fresh ones.
Thank you all for your advice!