Am I studying wrong? Should I focus more on timed prep tests?

gigglebot3

Hey everyone! So, I've been studying for the November LSAT since the beginning of summer but have recently started to really pick up the pace (I was super busy in the summer but have way more free time now). While I've seen some improvement from my original prep test, I seem to have reached a plateau. I can't seem to get past 165-166. After every prep test, I BR, then go through the question types that I got wrong. When I go through the lessons and drills of those question types, I legitimately get every question right before JY's explanation. Is my issue just the timed aspect of the prep tests? Therefore, should I abandon focusing on the content and focus instead on taking more timed prep tests and see if that improves my score? I know I'm slightly pressed for time as well, but not sure if I should fork over the fee to postpone the exam. Any thoughts or suggestions, maybe similar experiences, would be very welcome!

Ohnoeshalpme

I would try doing an untimed test and see where that gets you. If you can manage a much higher score, it probably means that you have some timing issues to resolve. You could be skipping over key sentences or not giving hard questions the attention that they deserve. I have found that my biggest issue with timed sections (I also score in that range) is skipping over a sentence, word or answer choice that is crucial to getting the question correct.

gigglebot3

@Ohnoeshalpme Thanks for your response! I honestly hadn't even thought about taking an untimed test - but now that seems completely logical. I'll go from there, thanks again!

Leah M B

Do you know your average BR score? If it's pretty high, then you do know what you are doing but having issues with the timed conditions.

Also when doing BR, are you only reviewing the answers that you circled during the test? Because I also think for proper BR, it's really important to do it that way. That helps to show you areas where you are over/under confident. That can help figure out your pacing issues on a timed test.

gigglebot3

Hi @"Leah M B" , thanks for your response! My BR is usually higher than my original score by a 5-point margin, never a perfect 180 or anything, but a significant difference. I am only reviewing the questions that I mark during the timed exam, glad to hear that's the right way to do it!

To add detail to my first post, my biggest area of a struggle is LR. I'm thinking I might also try playing around with a "skipping" strategy on those sections, since some have found success that way.

Thanks!

Cant Get Right

This is really common actually. By the time you're good enough to reach the mid 160's, most people have long outgrown question type drills. The results from those follow up drills seem like solid confirmation that this applies to you. Your studies need to address the reason you're missing questions. Question type drills worked earlier on in your prep because question type was likely a big contributor to your errors. Now that that's not the problem, figuring out why you're making your errors is a really big undertaking, big enough that it should be the focus of an entire study session, just the way BR probably is.

Look at each error and diagnose it. Figure out precisely what went wrong. Determine what would have made the difference. Was there a statement in the stimulus that you interpreted to mean something a little different than what it actually meant? What did you think it meant, what does it actually mean, what is the significance of the difference, and why did you think what you thought? Often times, answers like this will come down to a single word, phrase, or quirk of the grammar. Developing insights on these types of things is one of the biggest things separating the 170's from the rest of the field.

And yes, timing is likely a huge contributor. I don't slaughter every LR section that is unfortunate enough to get in my way because I have perfect understanding of everything I ever read. It's because I manage my time well enough to complete the entire section with enough time left over at the end to roughly BR the whole thing. If you can do that, you should pick up quite a few points, and you'll also see a lot more consistency at the top of your range.