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Discouraged Frustrated Need HELP any advice
MarieChloe
Member
I've been studying for the LSAT for what I feels like is two long years. I took the June 2017 and got 144. Prior to that I did self studying using Powerscore Bibles and also took a Powerscore course which in my opinion seemed useless since the teacher truly didn't know how to teach the material. I took a couple of months off after the test feeling like an idiot got back into it in August using 7sage CC and although I feel like I've learned a lot more and have been able to grasp concepts I do not see any improvement in PTs I am scoring between 149 and 155 and my BR the highest was a 162. However when I go over questions and explanations I feel like I understand. I talk out the stimulus and answer choices to myself and I feel okay but anytime I go into the test I'm anxious. I don't finish any section on time everything is just a mess!
I was terrible at LG before using 7 sage, Ive done the full proof method on 1-35 and although I can get through most games I almost never feel confident in what I am doing I recently took a PT where I froze on each game kept going back and forth and basically ran out of time. Once I went back to BR I got -3 on the section. I wanted to cry.Questions on LR that I've answered correctly 9/10 I almost always go back and change my answer to an incorrect one. I am getting -14 on LR on each section. It just seems like I haven't put any work in at all.
I don't know what to do anymore. I work crazy hours and still try to put at least two to three hours a day of practice in and I am just getting no where with this. I was scheduled to take the June exam but I know ill be wasting my time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am looking to get my score into mid 160s.
Comments
Watch some motivational speeches on YouTube or read some motivational books. They can be a huge help!
I've been studying on and off for two years this September. I also work long hours and it's tough as nails, but it's doable.
Now onto some more practical advice:
1) Get a tutor! Having the help of a tutor is what changed everything for me. We went over maybe 3 tests and we came up with solutions for ALL my issues with LR and LG. The most important thing is having an effective & methodical approach for every question type on the exam. You want to follow the same steps each and every time. You should never be going with your gut and changing answers without a solid reason.
2) If you're missing -14 on LR, you need to basically re-think your approach. Revisit the CC or re-read your books, or try something different all together.
3) Do some LR sections/drilling by type untimed. Speed shouldn't be your concern at this point. Learning is the concern. Learn how to do something, do it right repeatedly, and speed will take care of itself. I promise. There's a lot of value in untimed work.
4) Games are all about exposure and repetition. Again, like LR you need to have a methodical approach. The difference is you can be a bit more creative with how you actually tackle the games. If you can't BR to -0 on games, I think you need to work on your diagramming abilities some more. JY's LG lessons are the best out there, so definitely stick with 7Sage for LG.
This is a very learnable test. If you keep putting in the work, I have no doubt you can and will eventually hit the 160s.
I think that's your problem here. You're not ready to go into the test if you're reviewing answers based on it feeling right and how it sounds to you. You should be able to write out a foolproof argument for why the right answer choice is right and why the wrong answer choices are wrong. I felt like this last year when I studied, like, I think about it, I read over it, I watch the videos. I get it, this makes sense, and I would move on. That thinking doesnt work for the lsat.
Maybe try a confidence drill where you just circle the answer choice that you first think is correct and move on. It could be the case that you're stuck in a vicious cycle where getting questions wrong causes you to doubt your reasoning which causes you to get the questions wrong.
I used to do the same thing! You're just cheating yourself in the long run. You need to be able to type or write out an argument for why the correct ac is correct and why the wrong ac's are wrong. That way when you get a question wrong your faulty reasoning is in front of you. There's no hiding from it.
Untimed drills will illustrate where your weaknesses really lie. I know the test is timed and all, but I think that's an easier hurdle to conquer when you have mastered the fundamentals and have confidence in your reasoning.
Do you also BR using a clean copy? I didn't used to do this but when I did I realized that half of me was set out on justifying my previous reasoning to boost my ego instead of actually analyzing the questions. Your BR for every stage of prep should be really thorough. Try to see what patterns appear in the questions you get wrong. Are you reading for structure? Do you always identify the conclusion and premise(s) when you first read a stimulus? Are you understanding the content and what precisely the argument is saying? Are you correctly identifying the question type? Are you correctly understanding what each answer choice is saying? You can think it's stating one thing but it could be another. Try to figure out why each incorrect answer choice could be appealing and how it's trying to trap you into picking it.
I don't mean in this in any condescending or judgmental way at all, but I would maybe suggest seeing a therapist or at least trying to get to the root of the issue. I have generalized anxiety disorder, and a lot of what you are describing sounds spot on in terms of when my anxiety is triggered. I can crush a section of study or a timed PT section, but when I'm in anxiety mode, my mind cannot even finish complete thoughts. I get frozen, I re-read then re-re-read then re-re-re-read the stimulus, and then what do you know, I'm out of time! Ahh! Then this snowballs and just gets worse from there.
I started therapy a few months ago and, no exaggeration, my performance got WAY better. I went from going -10 on LR to consistently -3 to -5. I recently had anxiety about LG and now I'm doing much better, understanding that I don't NEED to blow through every LG game to get a good majority of questions right. I found stress triggers that I didn't even know about!
Two things though that I would really suggest that helped me:
1.) Don't put so much pressure on yourself! I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but over-stressing yourself does waaay more harm than it does good. Keep in mind, for the most recent LSAT, if you missed 29 questions (roughly 7 per section), you still could have scored a 160 on the LSAT, which is still a pretty decent score.
2.) Do not demean yourself, no matter how you may feel. You are not an idiot. The LSAT is a beast of a test, and it does not have any definitive time-table in terms of understanding and conquering it. Some people study for 2 months and score 165+, others study for 2 years to score the same. This does not mean that the former is smarter than the latter. You have to stay positive and motivated, and self-love can go along way. I believe in you friend, and we're all in this together!
Admin note: edited out "#"
Also, trust yourself. Remember a time when you struggled in a class and then improved. Or maybe your team had a weak start then went on for a great season. Stuff like that. It's a long game and we can do this. Keep up the good work and keep posting updates. To quote from a webinar, if one of us has a question, more likely than not, someone else does as well, and someone else on here has experience to help address the question and it's a win-win.
Also wanted to put in a recommendation for the ThinkingLSAT podcast. Maybe see the blog for episode summaries and go from there.
You can do this @MarieChloe! Is there a way to cut down on work? Before I also tried to study while working looong hours, but it’s much more difficult to be on your top if your mind is tired and used. Your mind is not inexhaustible at all. It can be overworked. Good sleep, less mind clutter (cutting out things that way on your mind at all), will make it much easier. Also, be thorough, don’t just half watch the videos or half take notes. You have to be 100% there when you study and be methodical and record your progress. Those are mistakes I made in the beginning.
@lsatplaylist
I've took your advice and have been listening to the Thinking LSAT podcast and it has helpful so far. I have a good number of episodes to go through but so far so good.
@keets993 I've never tried BR on clean copy so I will be doing that today and ill keep you posted on how it goes as well as doing a confidence drill because it pretty much seems as though i have none.
@Reissie73 unfortunately I don't have that option right now to cut down on work. I've tried to change my schedule at work but that hasn't worked out so I basically start my days at 6am and end somewhere between 1030/11 that includes the time i put into studying daily.
Hi @"surfy surf" I was wondering if you think it’s super important to actually write it down. I started doing that before and ending up stopping because sometimes I would write down things guessing (since it’s BR) and sort of solidify wrong things after, or sometimes I just wasn’t sure no matter how long I stared at it if it was contingent on something I just plain didn’t know. Now I just write some notes if I feel I need it on my PT and sometimes write them in a notepad after. I just can’t bring myself to explain why each is wrong, I feel like it’s a waste of time since it’s usually quite clear why in my head anyway. How do you see it? How do you avoid this?
YES. Shout out to my fellow GADs. This post totally spoke to me. I have ridiculous anxiety. My biggest hurdle is getting out of my own head...but like also engaging it to do problems.
Such a positive framework! Life is bigger than LSAT, and the worst case scenario isn't necessarily a bad scenario.
If you can't write it down then it's not clear in your head. If you write it down, and then watch the explanation video, then you can see what you did wrong. You can write below the right explanation, and write down why exactly you had the wrong explanation.
It's not possible to memorize and keep in your head why you think answers are right/wrong, and then compare those past thoughts in your head to what you managed to retain from the explanation video. And then again memorize for the future why it is that your past thoughts were wrong compared to what you retained from the video.
What you're doing is like if a professor just wrote down -15 on your paper with no comments and then expected you to figure out what you did wrong and then implement the right strategies in the future.