Finished everything... What now?

Bamboosprout

I couldn't find any discussion about what to do in my situation, so here's a post:

I've taken 3 actual tests, done the CC twice, and have taken every available PT at least once. I've also completed all the powerscore books, and the LSAT trainer. I've BRed 180 before and PT at about 170, but can't see to get higher. I think it has a lot to do with my reading speed, which is really slow (max = ~250words/minute), which forces me to be overly aggressive. I think I did average on the Sept test, but still want to be prepared to take the Nov test. I have about 6 weeks left. What do you guys think I should do now? Anyone currently or previously in a similar situation have advice on how to improve, and what to do?

I plan to redo a PT a week, watch some live PTs, record myself doing a few sections, do some confidence drills, and focus on the hardest question types. What do you guys think?

Leah M B

Hmm.... this might be a case for @"Cant Get Right".

Have you worked with a tutor? You can see this thread for the list of approved tutors. (It's an old thread, but mods keep the main post with the tutor list up to date.)
https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/4760/7sages-approved-tutors/p1

If you haven't recorded yourself, I think that could be really helpful. You can track where you are spending your time and see if it is about reading speed, lingering on certain questions too long, etc.

eRetaker

I ran into this problem after my first take. What ended up helping me a lot (and what you seem to plan to do anyway) was retaking PTs, it will really help you see things that you haven't before. I recommended it before, but I would also suggest trying to fool-proof RC as well. I redid the RC passages from preptests 60+ several times until it clicked but you will need to space the passages out a little more than you did when you fool-proofed LG. I am sure it's not very popular to do since RC can be so dry (while games are fun) but power through it and learn to fake interest. I also think there is a common misconception that at a PT average of 170, there isn't much more to learn in terms of fundamentals, but at 170 you're still missing 10% of the questions. Really dive into which type of questions are making up the bulk of that 10% of mistakes and drill those question types (even questions you've done before).

Bamboosprout

@eRetaker said:
I ran into this problem after my first take. What ended up helping me a lot (and what you seem to plan to do anyway) was retaking PTs, it will really help you see things that you haven't before. I recommended it before, but I would also suggest trying to fool-proof RC as well. I redid the RC passages from preptests 60+ several times until it clicked but you will need to space the passages out a little more than you did when you fool-proofed LG. I am sure it's not very popular to do since RC can be so dry (while games are fun) but power through it and learn to fake interest. I also think there is a common misconception that at a PT average of 170, there isn't much more to learn in terms of fundamentals, but at 170 you're still missing 10% of the questions. Really dive into which type of questions are making up the bulk of that 10% of mistakes and drill those question types (even questions you've done before).

I have trouble fool proofing RC passages. For some questions, I just can't seem to get the right answer, no matter how many times I do it, or how many times I watch the explanation. Do you run into that problem? For LG, there is clearly one or a few best methods and objectively correct ways to do each question, but for RC, it's much more nebulous to me. Some of JY's explanations just don't click for me. I agree that I still have a long way to go in terms of refining the stuff I've learned, and will work on it, somehow, hahahaha.

Bamboosprout

@"Leah M B" said:
Hmm.... this might be a case for @"Cant Get Right".

Have you worked with a tutor? You can see this thread for the list of approved tutors. (It's an old thread, but mods keep the main post with the tutor list up to date.)
https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/4760/7sages-approved-tutors/p1

If you haven't recorded yourself, I think that could be really helpful. You can track where you are spending your time and see if it is about reading speed, lingering on certain questions too long, etc.

Yeah, I recorded myself for a bit, and analyzed my recordings pretty meticulously. It helped me speed up my RC by quite a bit. I guess trying a tutor sounds like the next logical step. Thanks for the suggestions.