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For those who do 4 section PTs...

mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
in General 757 karma

Hi everyone,

Is there anyone out there who primarily practiced with 4 section PTs, took the actual LSAT, and wished they had practiced with 5 sections? In other words, did taking the actual lsat throw anyone off due to it containing an extra section?

I know in the course J.Y. says something about 4 section tests being sufficient and that the adrenaline of test day will help you get through 5 sections. Can anyone confirm this through experience? Of course it will be different for each person. I don’t want to canabalize a fresh PT just to simulate 5 sections, but think it may be in my best interest. Maybe a half and half approach would be smart?

Comments

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member
    4850 karma

    I took the test 3 times. In the build up to the first and second, I used the 5 section model. In the build to my 3rd (and highest score), I only used 4 sections (and cut down on timed PTs significantly, but that's another a story for another thread). At some point, there is a trade-off between 'game day prep' and burning up all your fresh material. While interesting as a data point, in hind-sight I don't feel like using 5 sections vice 4 made any tangible difference. Test day adrenaline will get you through to the end.

    Bottom line, IMHO, 5 sections are useful but definitely not necessary.

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @LSAT_Wrecker That is an interesting turn out. I suppose it also depends on what the 5th section is. For me, two RC sections would be terrible haha. I agree, doing a few 5 section PTs might shed light on some weak areas. Thanks for sharing! I will keep this in mind!

  • NotMyNameNotMyName Alum Member Sage
    5320 karma

    I only used 4 sections and I don’t regret it. I think it depends on where you are in your prep. But 5 sections is def not necessary.

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @NotMyName true, if a person was crushing 4 sections at a high score then maybe 5 would be nice for an extra challenge. That makes sense, I won’t worry too much about it.

  • MissChanandlerMissChanandler Alum Member Sage
    3256 karma

    Before September I was doing only 4 section PTs. This time around I decided to add an extra game section to foolproof at the end so that I can kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t really feel like the four sections only hurt me too much, but I did have a slight score drop on test day compared to practices

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @MissChanandler that’s a good idea. As much as we hate it, the “test day penalty” seems to be a common occurrence. I will probably start doing a second LG too since I fool-proof anyway. Thanks for sharing!

  • cqas190517cqas190517 Alum Member 🍌
    535 karma

    Before the test, after I’d been scared straight by the horror stories and the possibility of just like randomly fainting from lack of food or something else, I thought I was doing myself a disservice by only taking 4-pt sections PTs. I was pleasantly surprised during the test that i wasn’t struck by random low blood sugar, fainting or death because of the length of the test. 4-pt tests are just fine for practice, unless you know you’re a horrid test taker to begin with.

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @cqas190517 nice, 4 sections seem to be the general consensus. Glad to hear you didn’t faint haha.

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