Last Minute Decision for November Retake: NEED HELP!

Tortsillustrated

I am super perplexed on where to go from here, my goal admission is for the 2019 Fall Cycle. After a year of studying and Pt'ing in the Low 160's, I finally bulked up the courage to take the September LSAT after a debacle of a December 2017 score and fell 8 points shorter of my avg. at a 152 and hold a 3.6 GPA. I went -8 on RC (normally -1/-2, the first passage did me over), -8/-13 on LR, and -11 on LG (struggled to concentrate here as the guy next to me was being removed from the LSAT Testing Center). I foolproofed LG 1-20 and PT'ed 56-75 using other sections from 1-20 as my fifth. I went through Kaplan worst decision ever and then moved over to 7Sage for the past 9 months. I am a full time elementary school teacher and know I can get into most of my desired schools with a potential 75-80% scholarship if I hit a 161 and some full rides. I just truly don't know what would be a good starting point to pick back up and if even bumping up a score by 8 points by November is even possible. I am really stuck and don't know if to roll with the punches and see how ED apps go or to retake and post-pone applications for a few months. I am petrified that my score would fluctuate again putting me in worse shoes than I already am. HELP

cqas190517

It sounds like maybe the testing conditions did you in? Maybe retaking the rest without those issues taking place would help you. Also someone just explained to me that 7Sage has webinars, which are saving my life right now. They gonreally into depth on some core subjects.

alyhobbs

What is your average for LG? I have heard many people say that section is the one where you can improve the fastest. Which is kind of a bummer for me because I am the opposite. LG is my strongest section, I got -0 on the September test. The other sections is where I am trying to improve before November. My strategy is focusing on my weaknesses. Currently going through the Trainer and working on flaws. After that I will work on my other LR weaknesses and do some drilling. From there I am going to focus on RC. If you were already PTing in the low 160s then you have a really good chance at that 161. I would stay focused on that along with your weaknesses and go from there. Sometimes your score on that day is because of other testing factors and those you can't really prepare for, except to maybe take a PT in a Starbucks on a weekend. I have done that before and I only recommend if you want to get used to a ton of noisy distractions.

Tortsillustrated

The testing conditions were a little rough, but I normally am hyper focused! My LG is normally a -8. I can typically Ace RC. But LR is so inconsistent with me, I really struggle with assumptions/Strength/Weak ?'s. It seems I miss those more than any other question stem. Khan Academy Prep Test even solidified that information for me today, when scoping out that resource. What are you referencing when you say the trainer? I've always noticed people saying that, am I missing something huge? Is that just the ? bank?

Thanks for the tips and bit of motivation. I feel like I can totally achieve my PT just frustrated that after two tests, it seems apparent I am lacking some foundational or key components of the test.

Tortsillustrated

Do I have time to filter back through the course material, would that be recommended. Should I be Pt'ing, with BR. Should I go back to FP Logic Games. I'm just stuck

BinghamtonDave

@Tortsillustrated this might be a case where a study schedule very specifically tailored to where you fell short on the September exam might be the answer. In my response, I hope that you'll forgive old fashioned plain speaking. If you have a clear goal in mind, here is what I think might be the formula to get there: you've got 38.5 days until the exam. The specific jump you are looking for is entirely doable, but is going to require some precise planning.

First: you've got to get that LG down to a -2/-1: fool proof, but also attempt to go deeper into the underlying logic of the games, this is not an impossible goal, but should be your #2 priority to reach your goal score. You've got to really live games: watch the videos, review and redo, constantly be searching for ways in which rules interact to create inferences and make the job of solving the game easier and less time consuming.
Second: you've got to keep and sharpen the skills that got you the score you got, you don't want your core skills to fade, this is your number 1 goal, the score you got is the foundation upon which you build your progress, constantly drill the fundamentals.
Third: you've got to employ a strategy for LR to minimize any damage: this might be a combination of an aggressive skipping strategy, a pacing strategy that is all your own and a real close look at the fundamentals, argument forms (for example phenomena/hypothesis) and question types. I would like to see both of those number of missed questions cut at least in half.
Fourth: Keep that RC in line. You're in the range that many people strive for, next time there probably won't be such a distraction, touch RC at least once er day with a deep review to make sure your core abilities don't diminish over the next 38 days.

Ordinarily, I would not dispense the advice I did above, but it seems to me from your post that there was some distraction in the test center that contributes heavily to the gap between where you want to be and where you scored. With that being said, I believe the above rough outline will net you a 164ish in practice, and hopefully that 161 on test day.

David