When do I know i'm ready to move onto the PT phase?

Ohnoeshalpme

I've been told that one should aim to master the fundamentals of the LSAT before moving on to PT's. At what point did you all decide that it was time to move on to PT's? Also, was this assessment correct, were you actually ready to start PTing? What are some things that you wish you had mastered/understood better before starting your PT phase?

Alex

@ohnoeshalpme said:
I've been told that one should aim to master the fundamentals of the LSAT before moving on to PT's. At what point did you all decide that it was time to move on to PT's? Also, was this assessment correct, were you actually ready to start PTing? What are some things that you wish you had mastered/understood better before starting your PT phase?

First, check out Sage @"Cant Get Right" 's webinar about post-CC study strategies. It details how/when to PT.

I decided to start PT'ing after I finished the CC. However, after I took PT36, it was clear I needed tons of work. So I went back and spent a month fool proofing and doing question by type drilling before I took another PT. After my next PT, I spent about 3 more weeks working out more weaknesses. I think my assessment to take time between PTs to work on my weaknesses was the correct assessment. Otherwise, I feel like my improvement would have been stifled and I'd be basically burning PTs/time/energy.

I think when you should move on to PTs partly depends on what your ultimate score is, your timeline, and what your weaknesses are.

Things I wish I mastered before I PT'd include logic games, RC, and LR question types that should be "freebies," such as SA/PSA/MBT.

Seeking Perfection

I'd try one right after the CC. If it reveals some weaknesses which is likely, work on them for a while before PTing again. PT again when you think the weaknesses are addressed. One of these early weaknesses is likely to be the whole games section addressed by at least a month of foolproofing. Then on the next PT maybe you uncover some new weaknesses in other sections. Repeat this process.

Eventually, you will be better at the test and it will take more than one PT to uncover a weakness on a question type. I might call this a PT phase since you start spending more time PTing and blind reviewing relative to drilling things. But the idea will still be the same. The PT(s) diagnose(s) what you need to work on. You learn from it(them) a little in the blind review and the not blind review after that and then learn more about whatever the weakness is through some sort of targeted drilling.

Cant Get Right

Don’t think of PTing as a fully distinct phase of study from mastering the fundamentals. They will go hand in hand, particularly in the early phases of PTing. Take a PT and use it to identify the specific fundamentals you need to focus on. These issues will likely be broad at first but will become increasingly surgical the more advanced you get.