For those who do 4 section PTs...

mjmonte17

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?

LSAT_Wrecker

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.

mjmonte17

@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!

NotMyName

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.

mjmonte17

@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.

MissChanandler

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

mjmonte17

@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!

cqas190517

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.

mjmonte17

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