is it really this tough? ~15 hours to do/review a PT?

youbbyun

hey all,

i was just wondering if everyone else also felt the the toughness of this test.

for me, it takes approximately 15 hours to complete 1 prep test cycle.

This consists of: 3 hours to take the test, 4 hours to blind review the entire test, 4 hours to check answers and review the test (watch video explanations, etc), and then 3 hours to watch my video footage of me taking this test.

Man, it's a ton of work -- just for one PT. And then I try to improve my weaknesses and then rinse and repeat.

So if I were to do 30 PT's, then this would take me 30 * 15 hours = 450 hours.

Man this is tough. I was wondering if others felt the same way .. or if anyone had any advice/suggestions/comments, etc. Thanks!

I've also heard from individuals like @"Cant Get Right" that in the end they were performing at a rate where they didn't even have to blind review anymore (they just did the blind review during within the time allotted of the test).

How long did it take to get to that point where you could feasibly do a test and completely review it in just 1 day? (currently, it takes me approximately 2-3 days to fully review a test).

I'm trying to figure out whether I should register for an LSAT date, but also trying to see if I can reach my goal score within that target period. I'm currently BR'ing at about my target score (mid 170s), but I just don't know if I can get my target score to my BR score by like July for example.

I've done all PT's as drills from 19-40, so I have 50-80 to do as full PT's, and I'm trying to create a PT schedule to aim to do all of them. Should I do aim to all 30 of those PT's? Currently it takes me like 3-4 days to complete a PT cycle... I really want though to be able to do more PT's and to get faster at this PT cycle (eventually bringing it to like 1-2 days to complete a PT cycle) and to finally just take this test (I've been studying for about a year). How long does it take to get to that point?

Sorry fo the rambling thoughts. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated! thanks! you guys are the best 7sage!

btate87

Yes, it definitely is that hard. The good news is that it doesn't have to feel that hard. The BR time will decrease the better you get. I totally get your pain with how long the cycle can be at this stage, though. I would highly recommend doing individual timed sections each day instead of full test followed by full BR. For me that huge process is substantially less effective when you feel like you're still climbing up the score ladder to where you want to be. Repeated days of BR is monotonous and can dampen the learning potential within each test. 35 minutes for testing then 1-2 hours of BR on that section right after can be substantially more valuable.

I also think it's hard on morale to think big picture like that when you're in the middle of it. 1,000 hours would be a very conservative estimate of how long it takes to master concepts in the LSAT. It helps to keep your eye on the next land mark rather than the ultimate destination. Focus on your process. Trust your process. Always try to improve your process.

Hopefully something in there is helpful! The grind gets to all of us sometimes!

youbbyun

@btate87 thanks for the encouraging words!

LSAT_Wrecker

@username_hello said:
I've done all PT's as drills from 19-40, so I have 50-80 to do as full PT's, and I'm trying to create a PT schedule to aim to do all of them. Should I do aim to all 30 of those PT's? Currently it takes me like 3-4 days to complete a PT cycle... I really want though to be able to do more PT's and to get faster at this PT cycle (eventually bringing it to like 1-2 days to complete a PT cycle) and to finally just take this test (I've been studying for about a year).

Question: Are you using the PTs as diagnostic tools to identify areas of LSAT knowledge in which you are weak and then fully reviewing and drilling those sections BEFORE you do another PT. This just could be friction in your communication, but it seems from what you have written that you are focused on getting through the PTs, instead of using the PTs as diagnostic tools to help you drive your study focus areas. Just doing more PTs for the sake of doing more PTs isn't really helpful, IMHO.

FWIW, I've been at it for over a year, I'm currently PTing in the high 160's, and it still takes me 2 days to do a good BR and another 3-4 days after that to do a full review / drilling of the area of weakness identified in the PT. YMMV.

youbbyun

@LSAT_Wrecker

thanks for following up. it's kinda both.. I use 7sage analytics to see areas I'm weak in and try to pay special attention to them/improve on them. The thing is, I've already used all of PT's 19-40 as drilling material for areas I knew I was weak at. Any suggestions on how to work on weaknesses? Should I like redrill certain question stems?

I'm trying to balance between #1 getting as much from a PT as I can (in terms of identifying weaknesses, getting better at the weaknesses, etc.) and #2 doing more PT's.

Ideally, I would want to do every single PT from 50-80 by my test date (this would give me a really broad exposure of all the cookie cutters, patterns, etc. of the LSAT). And ideally, I want to take this test SOONER rather than later, hoping to apply this cycle (Because the earlier you apply, the better odds it is for your cycle).

But it's like really tough to try to do 20-30 PT's in a few months...if one is shooting for the July/September test dates.

So yea, it's the difficulty of balancing #1 and #2. Would appreciate any advice or suggestions! Thanks

LSAT_Wrecker

I think you are trying to do to many PTs too quickly. It is 11 weeks between now and the September 8 LSAT date. If you are trying to 50-80 between then and now, that's almost 3 PTs a week. I know that for me, there is no way I could test, do a thorough BR, and then review / drill the identified areas of weakness sufficiently between tests at that pace. I do 1 test a week now max, often less, and am very happy with my rate of improvement.

FWIW, I would recommend taking the emphasis off testing so much and turn that to actual review of the material. If you have thoroughly exhausted the earlier tests, then pick out a handful of test material you haven't seen and use the 7Sage question bank to ID the topic / question difficulty desired and pick out the ones you use to drill / review. Personally, I find that going back and doing 4/5 star questions from tests I took 6+ months ago is still pretty challenging. When drilling, I also tear apart the entire question, writing down the stimulus / premise and writing a one line sentence for each A/C noting how its either right or wrong. That level of detail helps me.

Regardless, good luck to you.

IntoTheFray

I've been at it for roughly a year too now, and if I can give you my honest advice, you do not NEED to have done those 30 PTs.

On the contrary:
If you actually slow down a little and thoroughly analyze all your individual mistakes, you may be PTing around 170s after only 10 PTs. That should leave you ready for the test.

However, if you rush, you might finish all 30 PTs, but while averaging a lower score.
Remember, quality over quantity.

A friend of mine got a 174 and only did 26 fully timed PTs.
Once you have solidified your knowledge and are consistent with your PT score, there is no need for more for the sake of more.

Just my 2 cents.

JustDoIt

@IntoTheFray said:
On the contrary:
If you actually slow down a little and thoroughly analyze all your individual mistakes, you may be PTing around 170s after only 10 PTs. That should leave you ready for the test.

Seconding this. Take your time. Some people advocate only taking one PT a week or one every other week. Depending on when you finally decide to test, you can ramp it up to one a week. But definitely focus on building your skills and habits for now.

_oshun1_

I slowly BR over the course of a week while still drilling. Probably takes me an hour+ per section. I’ve started handwriting notes to force me to slow down and really catch all the nuances. I agree that in the long run it’s probably better to go thru BR slowly. Repeatedly going through BR in slow mo will really ingrain everything into your mind so you can speed through PTs and just crush it. Just drilling sections timed and grading and maybe reviewing 5 questions from the section over an hour total can be a great ego boost to show you that immediate score and improvement but it might not be the most effective way to really learn.

youbbyun

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

@LSAT_Wrecker are you saying to use precious PT's from 50-80 to use as drilling? I always thought you're supposed to save them for full length PT's.

or would u just recommend redoing/redrilling LR questions from 19-50?

keets993

I don't know if it's necessary to do ALL of them. I'd suggest skipping every 3 or 4 and doing it so that way you have PTs left over if you need a re-take but also so you don't run out of fresh material.

You can also use some of the sections from 50s to do timed drills if you need to. There's real benefit in retaking tests or materials you've already done because if you can gauge whether you've really learned or not. Say you got a question wrong during the first time you took it and then again the second time,maybe even after BR. So you know theres something about that question that really hinges on your weakness.

I feel you though, that PT and BR cycle is gruelling. My sample size is small but I really think a thorough BR is more beneficial in the long run than rushing through it. I usually a spend a few days BRing. I think as you take more PT's and your score goes up, you'll have less questions circled for BR and less time spent on it.