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Related Discussions
Should blind reviewing affect your LSAT score goals?
In full disclosure, I took PowerScore's course 3 years ago, though I didn't pay attention or complete assignments as I wasn't yet sold on law school. Two weeks ago I took PT 62 as a diagnostic (I had already taken June 2007), and scored a 163 (-5 rc, -4 lr, -8 lg, -9 lr).
Today, after going through 7Sage for one week (only up through their basic logic core curriculum, so no games or rc or advanced lr), I decided to blind review my PT 62. Admittedly, I only went back and wrote down all questions I got wrong (not the answer I selected originally). Then I took that piece of paper with the section and numbers I had gotten wrong and redid the problems. I ended up with a 174 (-2 rc, -3 lr, -0 lg, -3 lr).
If I continue to study hard (about 20 hours per week, ~20-25 full timed PTs), does it seem feasible that I could take the June LSAT and score a 169+? After this blind review, part of me wants to aim for scoring a 172+ on the LSAT, since I was able to understand the concepts in my quasi-blind review. It seems like I just need to work on solidifying concepts strongly so that I can work at a more diligent pace while doing PTs. Is that crazy out of reach? Thoughts? How do you manage expectations between blind review and timed tests?
My feeling is that I would like to see my timed tests and blind review margin shrink over time (ideally with timed and br growing in score).
Comments
"does it seem feasible that I could take the June LSAT and score a 169+"
No one knows. Speculating won't do you any good. All you can do is work hard.
I don't want to go as far as saying BR scores don't matter, but I really think they are limited. Early into my studies, I was able to score high on BR. I wasn't taking an exceptionally long time to work through problems, but I was still using strategies that weren't practical for test day. Towards the end of my studies, I would get one or two questions wrong when reviewing my test. On test day, I went -15 (-8 on LG).
I think when you BR it's important to thoroughly work through the problem, and then you should also consider how you would have tackled the question if your time was limited.
@10000019 Thanks for the tip. I completely agree. When I blind reviewed, I did the 100% method, where I was 100% certain about each answer choice for the questions I answered incorrectly during my first diagnostic. I concur that, in the end, it comes down to hard work. I just wasn't sure what folks use to set goals for themselves (be it br, or just a hope of a certain score).
I think it's important to have a score in mind. Perhaps it is speculation, but you need to know when to stop. Don't accept a score less than the one you want. You're in a pretty good spot to make a jump to the 170's. I'd say go for it, but expect to push your PT date back to July or September.
@Ohnoeshalpme thanks for the advice. I'm sensing a trend, so I'll just create my own method for estimating what I believe my score potential could be. When you say "PT date," do you mean my real LSAT date? Definitely open to pushing it back. I plan on registering for the LSAT only once I've begun scoring consistently within 4 points of my goal score.
@stormNYC Yeah, I meant real test date.
In my opinion, score potential is probably not real. If you spent long enough prepping you could probably get high into the 170's. However, it also probably gets harder and harder to improve as your score increases since you have already improved on the things which are easier for you to improve. I think 172+ sounds like a good goal for you to get for next cycle's admissions.
I think foolproofing the logic games from tests 1-35 will be your first and most important step after the core curriculum. That should get you close to -1 or -0 on the section. If it doesn't, add more games and redo 1-35 even more times.
After games you will need to start drilling LR question types you are bad at or feel you could get faster at. Hopefully, with time you can cut your LR misses to -2 to 3 per section. Maybe you find a way to shave a point or two from RC too. That would get you to something like -0 LG, -4 to 6 LR, and -3 to 4 RC. That could get you into the 170s. I think that could be done by June, but it is hard to say for sure.
Definitely get your PT scores to where you want them to be before taking your first test, but don't rule out a retake. I had a goal of 173, took and got a 172 on my first take. On my retake(admittedly after finding out about 7sage and foolproofing) I wound up with a 180. Even if I had a much smaller gain within LSACs 3 point margin of error; a 173, 174, or 175 would all have been worth the retake to me and lower scoress probably wouldn't have significantly hurt my applications.
Good job being able to get many of those questions you missed originally wrong though! It certainly shows that you have great potential for scoring well on this test.
But what you did wasn't blind review at all. If you know which questions you got wrong, then that essentially defeats one of the main purposes of BR. The ability to recognize when you've made mistakes. https://7sage.com/lesson/the-blind-review-is-a-habit/
Next time you want to make sure you're circling questions you're unsure of when you take the test and then go back and blind review before you score.
As @10000019 said, there's no way to say if it's a feasible goal or not by June. I certainly think with your diagnostic and score breakdown that you can eventually reach the 170s. It's hard to say if it will be by June though, even with 20 hours a week. Literally every single person is different, has different strengths, weaknesses, and as a result, time to reach a 170 score can vary quite a bit. A 163 is a very strong start, though! Just know that there's no set amount of hours, tests, or anything else that is sufficient for a 170 score. So don't make your prep so focused on getting through a set amount of material or studying a set number of hours. I think it's best to think about and set your prep around developing and mastering the skills needed to score well.
To manage my expectations, I just expect my BR score to consistently improve and in turn expect that my timed score will follow.
I would take time to go through the CC deliberately and carefully before taking more PTs. Until you have a good reason to think your next PT will be better, there's better ways to spend your time.
This is such good advice, @"Alex Divine" ! I am in a similar situation as you, @stormNYC . Originally I was planning to take the June exam but I underestimated how long it would take to get through the CC while working full time. I started studying in October and just took my first timed PT, scored a 163 (-10 on LG, -8 on LR combined and -3 on RC). I didn't finish the last logic game. I'll be BR'ing tomorrow on a clean PT. I feel like a completely clean copy would not play to my biases on answers I had chosen on the timed test. Hopefully from there, I can sparse out which questions I got wrong due to timing issues and which questions I just don't understand.
As to bridging the gap between timed and BR scores, my plan is to fool proof the logic game bundle and work on timing/skipping questions. I'm also going to drill LR questions I'm weak at, revealed through the blind review. I've had to reassess my timeline. It looks like a September or even November exam is more likely for me. My goal is for a 169/170 to ensure a safe admit to my goal school.
I manage expectations by shifting my focus from "getting x score" to understanding the content and focusing on my timing strategy. Let the score be a reflection of the work you put in and your mastery of the material. If you're not bridging the gap as much as you like, then there's still room for improvement.
Congrats, that’s a really solid score to start with. I think it is reasonable that you could get to upper 160s by June but moving from 168/169 into the 170s is a really big jump. A lot of people plateau around that level and it can be a grind to get into the 170s. I’d guess that you’d probably need more time for that score range, but everyone is different.
I do think it’s reasonable that your goal score changes as you study. When I started out, I had a goal of 165+ because I’d be safe to get into my #1 school. However, as studying went on, my goal school began to change and so did my goal score. I don’t have a set in stone goal anymore. I just know that as you study, you can feel what your potential is. You can tell when you’re still improving and when it feels like you are peaking. So I think your goals naturally shift along with that. I now consistently am scoring in that 168/169 area and am shooting to break into the 170s by July or September.
The best thing you can do is get your nose down into studying and get cracking. As you improve, you’ll start to figure out what your potential is and how long it might take to get there. The best piece of advice I can give is don’t take the LSAT until you are ready, once you’re consistently scoring around where you want/need to be.