How can I get from a 170+ to a 175+?

JinnyKim

I am generally getting PT scores of 171~173. I really want to get a 175+ but I have no idea how I can get another 4~5 more questions right. Looking at what other people say, it seems like it might be up to sheer luck or being a super genius from the start. Should I just stop getting so stressed out and hope for good luck? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve my score?

10000019

Post your sectional scores, current approach to each section, and how much time you have left at the end of a section

kimpg_66

Hi @sujnkm! Like @10000019 said, it's going to better help us if we know your breakdown. For example, are you getting -0 on Logic Games consistently? That's the #1 way to improve your score, because LG is so learnable. How about LR--what question type is giving you the most trouble? Have you drilled it? Do you Blind Review and if so, what's your average BR score? The more info, the more helpful we can be!

LSATcantwin

I would kinda like to know this as well....my current break down is roughly -5/-6 LR, -4/-5 RC, -0/-1 LG

I know LR for sure is the spot to work and RC can use help, but I feel like I’ve been trying to polish those points off for ever lol

@kimmy_m66 any suggestions?

Seeking Perfection

It is definitely going to depend on your section scores, but the gist of it will be that you get to 175 or 180 the same way you got to 170. You learn how to do more of the problems, learn how to the problems more efficiently, or learn how to make fewer mistakes.

For me, I had a 172 that was from an undisclosed test and probably broke down about -0 to -2 LR, -0 to -2 RC, and finally -5 to -8 LG. What I needed to do was obvious. I needed to get better at games. The path for getting better at ganes was also well laid out (foolproofing) along with continued PTs with blind review to stay sharp on the other sections. I boosted my PTs solidly into the 175+ range and scored a 180 in September.

If your break down looks more like @LSATcantwin then LR is probably the easiest pickings. If you know how to do them, there are not really any hard LR questions. We can get them all with diagramming. You shouldn't have to for the easier ones, but for any which stump you, it should be fairly easy to diagram the logic and get the right answer with enough time. If it is not, there are really only a few possibilities. You don't understand how to do certain question types well enough and need to either return to the CC or watch explanation videos of those questions until you understand. Alternatively, you don't have the time to get them right. If this is the case, you should be getting them right in blind review. If you just need more time on the questions that require diagramming for you, you can get that time, by getting quicker at the easier questions. Finally, if your errors are genuinely mistakes, you need to either be able to do most of the problems faster so that you can slow down and take your time and still finish or so that you have time to check through the problems at the end. I leaned toward the former, but sometimes had time for checking.

For LR I would offer one piece of advice which is most feasible for high scorers and worked well or at least felt reassuring to me. I kept copies of all the LR questions I had missed. I took pictures with my phone, but they can also be cut out, written on notecards, ect. I then went through these LR questions whenever I had spare time. I always remembered the answers, but what I focused on was remembering the rational for each of the correct answers and the incorrect answers which I had learned when reviewing them sfter the test. Because you are only missing a handful of questions each test and reviewing them doesn't require solving them again, but more remembering their solutions, it is feasible to go over all the LR questions that you have missed in the past several months in just a couple hours. If you do that several times(I worked on it whenever I went on a walk, was waiting for a student I was tutoring to show up, was eating alone, or was having a hard time sleeping) it is a huge confidence builder. Except for those from the two PTs I held in reserve, there are no LR questions up until the September test which I hadn't either gotten right the first time or reviewed at least 5 times in the month leading up to the test. That is feasible if you are missing 5 a test, but gets more difficult for lower scorers.

None of these things are fundamentally different than how you got to where you are (scoring in the 170s is probably a major accomplishment depending on where you started). However, gains are probably a little harder in this score range for a few reasons. You already worked through and reaped the benefits of understanding the problem types and difficulty levels where progress came easier to you. Most of the easy pickings are gone. Additionally, the variation in score from missing or getting just a few questions is greater so it is impossible to judge progress based on a single PT. Instead you have to average over several. If your average over the last 5 or 10 tests is higher by even a point or two, you will know you are doing something right in terms of your study strategy. This variation also means that you have to worry more about test day distractions costing you points because every question is so precious so you should probably take PTs in a fairly distracting environment which simulates the real test (maybe a coffee shop or the noisiest part of a library).

Anyways, sorry I couldn't be more help. Nothing here is earth shattering, but I don't think you need anything revolutionary to make the jump in scores.

tylerdschreur10

It is very hard. Once you are at 170 every extra point is as hard as 5 if you're in the 150s and 160s. 2 extra questions right or wrong is make or break at that altitude. My best advice is to drill any weaknesses hard, practice like mad, BR like your life depends on it, and then cut yourself some slack if your end up with a 170 or worse. Luck is absolutely a factor. I was PTing in the 171-173 range before June, got a 170: pretty fair. Then I was PTing between 175-177 before both the Sept. and Dec. tests. September ended up with a 170: devastated, but in Dec using similar strategy, methods, and knowledge, got a 176: elated. So prepare the best you can to increase your odds, but realize that sometimes you can't control every facet :L

JinnyKim

I'm actually getting most questions wrong on the LR section. Thanks for the comments! I'm getting an idea of how I should improve my LR score.

Seeking Perfection

@sjkimkim said:
I'm actually getting most questions wrong on the LR section. Thanks for the comments! I'm getting an idea of how I should improve my LR score.

Have you used the 7 sage grader and looked for any patterns in the types of LR questions you miss? I know that has also helped a lot of people figure out what to drill.