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Odd Section Score Swap & Score Plateau

marie3lisemarie3lise Free Trial Member
in June 2018 LSAT 22 karma

Hi Friends,

I'm taking the June test and currently at a plateau, scoring avg. 165 and 173 BR. I would really like to close the gap between timed test score and BR score, if there are suggestions that anyone has when they are no longer seeing score increases. It may be that I am taking too many tests and not devoting enough time to review and allowing my brain to rest/absorb since I work full time and am taking about 4 tests per week (2 timed, 1 5-section), average, plus reviewing. I am reluctant to restructure my schedule to take fewer tests but would appreciate opinions since I'm on the fence with limited time.

Secondly, I've experienced sort of an odd exchange of scores. I went from being most confident in RC (-1 or -2) out of all the sections without much thought or strategy and struggling to finish LG within the time limit with many mistakes (-7 or -8) to the complete opposite. As soon as I started focusing on improving LG and strategy on RC, my timed scores became -1/ -2 and -5/-7 or so for each section, respectively. At this point, I surmise that I likely am pressuring myself overly and that is what is affecting my RC score, but it would be great to get some feedback on whether anyone else has experienced a similar exchange in scores, and if so, what action they took?

Patience may be the best option, agonizingly enough, but I'd welcome any advice with the June test approaching in two weeks so I can maximize the remaining time.

Best of luck to fellow takers!

Comments

  • amatthews304amatthews304 Alum Member
    edited May 2018 215 karma

    I definitely think you're overdoing it on the PTs! I also work full time and I can't imagine cramming that many in one week. I think the general consensus is that they're more of a marker for how you're doing and a great way to pinpoint weaknesses, but not a great way to fix those weaknesses. Honestly this close to test day, the best thing to do is let your brain REST and absorb the info you've already learned rather than try to cram as much as possible in before test day. Try only doing one or two timed sections in a night and really give them a thorough review, and write out your reasoning for any Qs you struggle with (this has helped me tremendously).

    I also saw a drop in my RC scores after I focused on LG and found that most helpful for me was practicing RC passages untimed and really focusing on the structure of the passage. I figured out what works best for me is to make margin notes about the structure/role of each paragraph. I practiced it for a few nights untimed so I could really drill in that way of thinking without the pressure of time constraints.

    It feels counter-intuitive but I think our best strategy in the next 2 weeks is to chill out and focus on helping our brains absorb the information and strategies we've learned over the past months.
    Good luck! We got this.

  • marie3lisemarie3lise Free Trial Member
    22 karma

    The biggest point of conflict for me has definitely been over whether to keep taking so many prep tests— I’m inclined to agree with you; this is definitely the point at which getting worked up will not serve well. If a retake needs to happen, it is what it is. Thanks for your insight and thoughts, best of luck to you too!

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