How many PTs a week in my situation?

Another Day

Hello, I just finished my CC, took 36, 37, and improved 10 points from the last PT of another company (Smh on my poor bank account...). I am still aiming to improve much more until September...
Anyways, I've improved greatly on LG and RC, but not too much on LR. I am continually doing BR right after the timed PTs.

My study schedule says I should be taking 3-4 PTs a week... I don't think this is very realistic and effective.
I'm taking time off from literally everything, but with BR, I may be able to squeeze in 3 PTs, but for sure, 2 solid PTs.
My ultimate goal is to take the September exam, but I'll also be taking the one in July.

I believe these two are my available options:
1. Should I pick and choose which PTs I should do each week so I get through up to the most current PTs?
If so, how many, and which ones to skip over?
or
2. Should I do the PTs in order up to a couple of days before the exam (which would force me not to get through the current ones)?
If so, also, how many per week?

Also, if you have any suggestions in terms of improving LR, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm thinking that I should just go back to the CC and look for drills for those sections...

Thank you!!

ebalde1234

Three pts a week might be far too much in my opinion. I think most students on here would agree 2pts a week is the max to stretch it , providing you’ve nailed the fundamentals down. If lr isn’t improving figure out where your weaknesses are , still those types of questions. Simply doing more pts doesn’t correlate with a higher score. Typically it’s advised to drill with older pts (1-40) and to use the most recent ones as pts. Side note / new pts are more representative of the modern lsat.

Another Day

@ebalde1234 Thanks for your reply!
Do you suggest that I should just use PTs up to 40 as timed drills, and just continue on the 41+?
I definitely will be going back to the fundamentals for the LR.. I feel that it could be stronger.

Leah M B

Agreed with above on the number of PTs. I tell most people that you should only do 1 full, timed PT per week. (The study schedule on the course just calculates it based on how much time you have and covering all of the available tests. You don’t necessarily need to take them all though if you’re on a time crunch. Quality studying is better than quantity.) Doing a full PT is really best used as a way to build up stamina for the real test and checking in on your progress. BR is of course very important for learning though and you want to make sure not to rush it.

In my case, I did a PT every Saturday and then would BR it on Sunday. The rest of the week was for focused drilling and timed sections. I often would go through a full PT piecemeal during the week, so it’s kind of like doing 2 PTs per week. The same amount of material, at least.

I would recommend skipping around some for full PTs. You won’t want to burn all the most recent PTs before your first attempt, since there’s a good chance you’ll retake at least once. I used mostly PTs 50 and lower for drilling and then skipped around randomly doing some from the 60s and 70s for PTs, and then could throw in 1 from the 80s close to test day.

The biggest thing to look out for is the comparative sections in RC that started I think in the 60s? I can’t remember exactly. But you’ll want to make sure you don’t neglect practicing those. LR and LG also has changed some over time, which is why the early tests are good for drilling but you need to make sure not to neglect more recent tests to get a feel for the more current material.

ebalde1234

@TakinginJuly said:
@ebalde1234 Thanks for your reply!
Do you suggest that I should just use PTs up to 40 as timed drills, and just continue on the 41+?
I definitely will be going back to the fundamentals for the LR.. I feel that it could be stronger.

1-40 is typically used as drilling , jy uses those in the cc. 1-40ish probably now that the newer tests are being released. How many pts you do is going to be determined by your target score , current score and how much time you have. Adjust your schedule based on that , and try to get exsposure to the new pts the closer you get to rest day. The key is to make sure you don’t run out of the new material - but not to focus on old material for pt scores / full pts. As stated above the newer ones while similar are different then the older ones . Good luck

SomewhereBetween120and180

There's not much to add, the advice everyone has given you here is correct!

What I will say is that PTs are a tool to help you practice for the real test. The point of doing them is to give you practice and identify weaknesses. If you're taking 3+ a week, you probably will be getting less out of it than if you took 1 or 2 and really milked each one for every bit of information that you can. If you're fresh for each PT you do, and learn from every mistake you make, you an only improve.

I'd say do 1 a week until you're scoring at or above your target score, as odds are there will be bigger conceptual issues that you initially run into.

Another Day

@"Leah M B"
@ebalde1234
@SomewhereBetween120and180

Thank you all for your advice! I will take it in and apply it to my studying strategies.
Hopefully, I'll see improvement in the long run!

samantha.ashley92

Just to echo what everyone else is saying, it's better to spend your time truly learning than rushing through PTs. When you're a few weeks away from exam day, and you really want to work on stamina, taking more than one a week is a good idea.

As for me, I'm working through a little bit of a time crunch because I had a pretty serious concussion, so I was out of commission for 5 months. I'm not going to finish the CC for another 2 weeks, and I'm testing in September. While I was initially freaking out about not getting enough PTs in, I realized that I'd rather spend my time learning everything and feeling more confident in my skills. The last thing I want to do is spend 8 weeks PTing while I still have questions about the basics!

hl_alarak

3 PTs a week is way too much. I quote this directly from J.Y. when I met him in person last month.

I know this from my own experience because I was in the exact same situation earlier this year. I put in my next test date and the 7Sage Study Schedule tells me I have 3-4 PTs to take per week. My response was just go with it, and each week I was tormented with the stress of cramming taking a PT, BR, fool proofing LG, drilling, reviewing CC and so forth, times 3.

It was only last month when I met J.Y. (he visited my city to provide offline RC sessions) that I realized I had been doing it all wrong. He explicitly said 3 PTs a week is way too much. He added that taking 1 PT every week or every two weeks coupled with a thorough Blind Review + drilling is an ideal pace, provided you have laid down firm foundations through the Core Curriculum. If only I got to meet him earlier

I do not presume that his words would apply to everyone equally - laying out the study schedule really depends on your abilities and how much time you have left. But at the same time I do not think J.Y. would have ruled out the 3-PTs-a-week plan if it had a slight chance of working to the student's advantage.

Another Day

@"samantha.ashley92" Wow, I applaud you sincerely for overcoming such a physical hardship in between! I'm sure you will do great, with your enthusiasm and commitment to the exam! I also need to focus more on the CC and foolproofing the sections down.

@hl_alarak That's great you got to meet JY for some offline sessions. I wish he would come near here too. But, you're definitely right. I don't think I'll be learning much from just cramming everything.

Thank you everyone, really, for the advice. I'm planning to do 1 or max 2 per week, but only if I have enough time after thorough drills, CC reviews, and BR.

kimpg_66

As far as which PTs to take, I also PT'd for about three months, and did every third from 55 on, twice a week with blind reviews and timed sections (using 40-50) in between. So 55, 58, 61, etc. Eventually when I got into the 70s I was sure to hit some of the standouts, such as PT 79 for the virus LG and then the most recent test as my last one. This made it so there was a method to my madness but also left a ton of relevant material for a retake.