Drilling vs. PTing

john1234-1

Is there a PT score/BR score combination at which drilling becomes an ineffectively use of time and instead one should solely focus on PTing with BR?

Or do even folks with PT170+/BR near 180 still drill?

I'm trying to grapple with how much drilling vs. PTing I should be doing

keepcalmandneuron

What is your average PT score and BR score? And to what extent have you used the more recent ones from PT 50 to 80's? When do you think will be your "final" LSAT exam? The answer to your question really depends on these factors...

keepcalmandneuron

If your major weakness is in LR section, and assuming that you have entered the low 160's and on your way to mid 160's and up to 170's, I would suggest taking PT's and BR (THOROUGHLY) because you are still getting 18-20 questions wrong which means you are lacking in some sense on the fundamentals of logic and correcting your way of thinking would require you to go back, spot the flaw in your reasoning and articulate it out (first why it's right and why 4 others are SO wrong).

But if your major issue is with LG section, (if you're getting mostly wrong on the LG section), drop everything and just foolproof PT1-35 the heck out of it. You will see a dramatic increase in your score.

If RC was your major problem, then don't burn up fresh PT's but go back to JY's videos and other supplementary stuff like the trainer or the bible on how to approach passages and what you should be asking yourself when reading. AND then, drill certain TYPES (ie law, humanities, science, etc) that are slowing you down.

keepcalmandneuron

I'm in my mid 160's as well and have thought this through very carefully. I know where my weaknesses are. I know that I need to focus on my skipping strategy so that I can come back to questions when I have time. Actually, my entire LSAT strategy is reliant upon this skipping method.

john1234-1

My context: I started with the Powerscore Bibles, have done 7sage CC, and have taken 6 PTs.

Most recent PT was 165 with a 174 BR:
LG -2 (new PR; finished fool-proofing)
LR -11 (higher than usual despite LR drilling in the past, but neglected LR for a while b/c of FPing )
RC -5 (new PR)

PT avg 164 but general improvement with more recent tests.

Haven't done on any recent ones yet, still in PT40s (early in the PT timeline).

I want to apply next cycle so either June, July or September I suppose.

I'm also planning on starting to supplement with the LSAT Trainer.

That's a good point that it's context specific. I was just wondering there's sort of a range where drilling isn't going to help as much.

john1234-1

Ok thanks @keepcalmandneuron That's helpful. Just gotta keep at it and really understand not only why the right answer is correct, but also why the other four are very wrong. And YES, skipping is imperative and I've seen big jumps from that alone

ChaimtheGreat

I really think PTing helped me more than drilling. That being said, if you do not want to take a full pt or worry about running out of pts, I would suggest doing sections. Sections allow you to focus your energies on a certain subject, for instance you could do two rc sections, while also helping you get your timing down. I found sections to be better at preparing me for test days than drilling, even if I don't take a whole pt. That being said, drilling may work for you, people learn differently.

keepcalmandneuron

@ChaimtheGreat said:
I really think PTing helped me more than drilling. That being said, if you do not want to take a full pt or worry about running out of pts, I would suggest doing sections. Sections allow you to focus your energies on a certain subject, for instance you could do two rc sections, while also helping you get your timing down. I found sections to be better at preparing me for test days than drilling, even if I don't take a whole pt. That being said, drilling may work for you, people learn differently.

Hey I like this approach. Learned something new today.Thanks! This sounds helpful than just mere drilling.

john1234-1

Kudos thanks. I'll give it a try!

Leah M B

If you haven't watched this webinar yet, highly highly recommend it: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

There's more to drilling than just question types as well. Josh goes over confidence drills, which I think are very helpful in the mid to upper 160s to start pushing past a plateau. Unless you're consistently PTing over 170, I think question type drills can still be helpful. There's always going to be a question type that's a thorn in your side. Or RC or LG, whatever it is. And then as I said, also drills to help you work on your test taking skills, like skipping and confidence. Timed sections with BR are very helpful between PTs. I think PTs are best used as tools to gauge your progress and building stamina for the full test. Obviously, BR of the PT helps too. But there's lots to do besides just a full test. That will help you to spread the material out over time as well.

I am pretty consistently scoring 167-169, but in between PTs I work on foolproofing, confidence, and just recently started recording myself and working on analyzing that to see where I can shave off time in LR. My BR are usually 175+, so I use the time between PTs to really work on figuring out how to get my timed score closer to that BR.

john1234-1

Thanks @"Leah M B" ! Yeah I did watch that webinar and found it to be helpful. Maybe worth another look. Have you worked with the LSAT Trainer at all? I'm thinking about heeding your advice about drilling between PT's and I was thinking this would be a good supplement.