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" but i'm worried that since my practice tests have been really inconsistent,"
The 70s that you posted do not show your scores being inconsistent. You can't expect to get the exact same score each time you take the test.
My suggestion(s)
- No point in being upset/panicking now. It's not going to benefit you at all.
- Go take the test. If you end up panicking and obviously aren't near your score (by that I mean you don't finish a ton of questions) then cancel your score.
- If you don't get it, then you aim for the February LSAT.
- Don't worry about the implications of not hitting your target score. That's future yous problem. You just need to focus on doing the best you can on the upcoming test.
I can't tell you whether or not to take the test, but I will say this: the higher your score, the more each and every question matters. What I mean by that is that the difference between a 170 and a 171 can be a single question. Similarly, the difference between a 169 and 170 can be 1 to 2 questions. Please don't be discouraged! You are completely capable of getting the score you want, and higher. I think if you do decide to take the test in Dec, then you should focus on your mindset. Find ways to cope with the nerves and build confidence in yourself and your abilities, even if they aren't necessarily LSAT related. If you decide not to take the Dec test, then keep in mind that the test would likely be scary in Feb, Mar, Apr, May or June (if they offered it all those months lol) or anytime you take it. One person who scored a 180 on the test said that she thought of the test date like a wedding day. It's a scary day, but it's a happy day, a happy occasion which signifies the first step of a beautiful and exciting path that you're choosing to walk in life. It's a day to showcase something amazing that you've been working on for months and months! I loved hearing that, and I hope it helps you in some way.
At any rate, I guess overall my advice is to try your best to be as logical as you can about the whole thing and not act out of anxiety alone. I withdrew from the Sep test because I could tell in the days leading up to it that I was far from ready, far from reaching my potential. I was afraid not just of the test, but bc I felt unprepared even after having studied for 3+ months. I was PTing in the 150-153 range. Now that I have worked much harder these past months, and moved through the CC with 7sage, I'm averaging about 165-168 with a high of 171. My goal is above 170, so I'm not super happy with where I am, but I am confident that withdrawing in Sep was the best decision I could have made.
Try to get to the base of those anxious feelings and see if they are logical ideas, or just seeds of doubt and fear which are completely natural when approaching a big test. Whether you take it in Dec or decide to take it later, I am confident that you will do very well
Keep on keeping on
Thanks! I appreciate all the advice.
Does anyone have pointers in how they increase their confidence before the test? I took PT 82 today and I'm not feeling great about the test at all anymore..
I don't have an answer to your question, but I have a sidenote.
How did 82 differ from 80 for you? I took 82 today, and previously the most recent test I had taken was 71. I thought the LR was dramatically different. Normally when I BR, I'll have 100% accuracy on the LR. For 82, I had a few questions that just baffled me even after listening to an explanation. I found many questions to have answers that scrapped by as the best among the worst.
I had the same sentiment when I took LR in. I didn't really think the RC was any tougher than previous RCs, but the LR really destroyed me. I think it's because the answer choices were really close to one another, and it really came down to deciding between two answers that sounded similar but were reversals of one another (i.e. S4, Q3). When you have a limited amount of time, it's pretty tough. Sometimes, I just end up guessing and choosing the worng one. I too thought a lot of the answer choices had to be chosen through POC. I didn't really have a good reason for choosing them except for the fact that all the other answers were worse...
@Lets-Get-This-Done
First of all,I think you should take. Best case you get the score you apply with. Worst case you get more practice dealing with the stress of the real test.
If you purely need to boost your confidence before the test take a PT you already have done well on and blind reviewed and retake it today. You will do even better and can ride that confidence into the test.
I might be biased since 82 was a really good test for me(which was good since it was my real test), but I didn't think any of the LR questions had particularly ambiguous answers. If you do, I think maybe the test is testing something you are not quite seeing. I'd recommend going over the explanations again. Alternatively if you point them out I can try to explain them. If you want me to explain a question, tell me whether it's the 25 or 26 question LR section since mine is the one LSAC gave me and might not be in the same order as the published test.
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
@"Seeking Perfection"
LR1 on this website has 25 questions.
LR2 on this website has 26 questions.
Mind if I throw some questions at you? Don't feel obligated to answer them all.
LR1 Q14:
I was between B and D. I didn’t like how strong the language was in AC B, but I took a problem with AC D suggesting that “computer skills” are a “recent educational development”. We know that computers were a luxury in schools until recently, but that does not mean that computer skills are a recent educational development. Are they suggesting the emergence of computer skills is dependent on the availability of computers in schools? If so, I think that's a stretch. You can take a class on driving or boating without actually stepping foot into a car or a boat.
LR1 Q19:
What did you consider the distinction to be? In the explanation presented by JY the distinction is between "Mere Curiosity" and "Legitimate Scientific Inquiry".
I think it makes more sense if we think of the distinction being between Justified and Not Justified. Pulford says that curiosity alone is not sufficient, but Varela provides many cases where curiosity alone is sufficient. I don't see how you can justify
LR2 Q1:
When I got to AC B, I thought this isn’t great but picked it after POE. Just because Barbara disagrees with how Rhett got to the conclusion, doesn’t mean Barbara disagrees with the conclusion. I think to accept B as being supported, you have to make an assumption that Barbara is providing critique because she disagrees. Is it superfluous to assume that Barbara is neutral, or even supporting Rhett, and is providing critique to simply show him why his method of reasoning is flawed?
LR2 Q21:
So Traintrack is already so popular they don’t need to attract more customers. They are more popular than Marva. Are we assuming that Marva needs to attract more customers? They can both have a steady flow of customers with one still being more popular than the other.
AC D then suggests that the quality of food remains the same or decreases in response to needing to attract customers. Why did Traintrack start with average food? Why is Marva’s food exceptional, is it because that restaurant needed to attract more customers?
I can see why the other ACs can be eliminated, but I don't see how D would strengthen the argument.
LR2 Q14:
I saved this question for last as I have a lot to say about it.
I was between B and E. I changed my answer to E at last minute, and in review I could not confidently say one answer is better than the other. Why is having more in common with one group than another meaningful?
The music could have 10% in common with Jazz, and 1% with the rest of the music. Why would that suggest is should be classified as Jazz? Wouldn’t that warrant it being its own genre?
AC B leaves us with 3 possibilities.
1. The music is most heavily influenced by Early Jazz and is influenced enough to be classified as a type of Jazz (Weakens argument)
2. There is another music which more heavily influences than Early Jazz (Strengthens)
3. The extent of influence by the genre which most heavily influences is so insignificant that it must be its own genre (Strengthens)
AC E leaves us with 2 possibilities:
1. It has the most in common with Early Jazz, and it has enough in common with Early Jazz to classified as genre of Jazz. (Weakens)
2. The extent of influence by the genre which most heavily influences, i.e. Early Jazz, is so insignificant that it must be its own genre (Strengthens)
How do we conclude that E is a better AC? Is it because it provides one less opportunity to strengthen the argument? I think both B and E are very weak.
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS ABOVE
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS ABOVE
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS ABOVE
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS ABOVE
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
NOTE: PT 82 SPOILERS BELOW
@10000019
D I think you do point out a small gap here. Just because computers were a luxury until recently doesn't automatically mean that attempts to teach the use of computers were rare until recently. However, I think the actual assumptions of the argument were more about what was going on in the workplace. When computers were a luxury good most people wouldn't have used them in the workplace. Therefore, if teaching their use is aimed at "providing the skills to compete in the global marketplace" as we are told then computer skills wouldn't have been taught until fairly recently when the computers became a non-luxury good used in the workplace. Nonetheless, I see how these assumptions even if reasonable could make you a little weary of D.
A,B,C, and E are all much easier rejects though.
A asks you to compare the values of these computer skills and fundamental academic skills(likely math and reading. We have no way to compare their values.
B is wrong because it is too strong. It says that the schools cannot emphasize computer skills without neglecting other skills. From the prompt, we know that they often neglect other skills when emphasizing computer skills, but we don't have any reason to think it's impossible to teach other basic skills and computer competency. Schools just aren't already all doing it. Maybe you can teach math and reading using computers.
C says we need a complete rethinking of traditional subjects to compete in the economy, but what if a partial rethinking is sufficient.
E says giving students knowledge of new tech is educations main goal. We don't know. Maybe getting them a job or teaching them basic skills or any of a thousand other things is the main goal. Maybe there is no main goal.
Pulford makes a distinction between "Mere Curiosity" and "Legitimate Scientific Inquiry".
Pulford is arguing that scientific investigations are merited in studying remains health history if they are doing so for the advancement of scientific knowledge, but not if they are doing so for curiosity.
Varela tells us scientific advances often come as the result of investigations based on curiosity.
So she says you can't separate out investigations purely based on curiosity as having no scientific merit since they might still increase scientific knowledge. We don't get some scientific advancement we otherwise would if we don't let people investigate based on curiosity.
Answer choice a says she contends it is an untenable distinction meaning she rejects the distinction.
I did the same thing. In my opinion, you are right here. It is a bad answer, but the others are even worse. You sometimes get the sort of questionable answers in the most support type questions. Process of elimination is usually the best way to go.
>
I don't think we are supposed to assume that Marva's needs more customers now, but presumably her business did need a steady flow of customers and wouldn't get one in a bad location with average food. Therefore, she makes exceptional food to get her existing steady flow. This is what the critic is getting at when he says it comes as no surprise.
A is that the best way for a business to get a steady flow is to make its products better. Traintrack clearly got one without doing this.
B, anyone can move locations to get more customers is wrong because then Marva could have moved instead of or in addition to making good food.
C, that quality is the most important factor in popularity is wrong because then Marva's would be more popular than Train track.
D, A business will improve only as much as it needs to to get customers fits the facts. Traintrack didn't bother making exceptional food because it didn't need to. Marva's needed to to get a steady flow so it made really good food and now it has a steady flow.
E, There is no connection between food quality and popularity. Then why does Marva have better food and why does she have a steady flow despite her bad location.
Sure, but it either has its own genre or it doesn't. If it does then it has more in common with that genre than jazz and answer choice E isn't true. If it doesn't have its own genre then jazz can be the closest and if it is, it probably has to be in jazz over some other genre which it is even farther from.
I hope this helps a little.
Good luck!
On the issue of boosting confidence I have two suggestions. 1st is something I've spammed on every related post for the past month, because IT HELPS!!!
Warm-up the day of the test with an easy game or two, some LR questions and a RC passage, all from PTs you've done previously. Good to kickstart ur brain, and also give you some mojo austin powers!!
2nd when you get to the test sire keep your brain occupied! It is very likely that you'll sit for up to an hour waiting to check in, and maybe a while in the room itself. I personally like to doodle, but whatever works to distract you. As long as you aren't staring at the table thinking about how vital the ensuing 5 hours will be