T-minus 2 weeks; best course

joshuanmoreno5

On my most recent, and best pt, i did -5 both LRs, -5 RC and -10 LG. Second time getting that 161 3rd in the low 160, average is 157. I am aiming for 165 or bust and feel im super close. Thinkin trying to get that LG to -5 would be the best way to focus next two weeks? Drill the weakest LR categories and same for LG? Thoughts? Any encouragement?

CantStopWontStop

I’d just go crazy on lg for the next two weeks. The other sections seem solid enough if you want a 165

MissChanandler

There’s almost no way you’ll get a 165 in two weeks, unfortunately. I think you could gain a few LG points by foolproofing, but if your average is 157 you can reasonably expect to score 155-160

---JEh---

Don't listen to MissChandler,

With a lot of hard work, and a bit of luck on test day, almost anything is possible.

Hit those games over and over and over again.

Stay positive!

drbrown2

Seriously not to pile on, but don't listen to someone who says there is no way you can go from a 160ish score to a 165 in 2 weeks. With better timing you can net yourself a couple of extra points here and there in every section. You need to drill LG hard so you are fast at basic sequencing games and proficient at in/out and grouping games. Don't try to get a perfect score in LG (that's not going to happen in 2 weeks). Just skip the hard questions and the questions you haven't made the required inferences for so you can finish all the games. If you have time you can go back and try to answer the ones you skipped, or you could just guess and have a 20% shot at getting it right (maybe better if you can eliminate some answer choices).

Your ability and average scoring range won't change much in 2 weeks, but your personal best score could change in one sitting. Keep at it.

tekken1225

Stay positive, and don't let others bring you down. 2 weeks is still a lot of time, and anything is possible with hard work and little bit of luck.
Crazier things have happened.

MissChanandler

I sincerely hope that OP proves me wrong, but most people won’t outscore their average by eight points on test day. Especially considering the last week before the test “the hay is in the barn,” OP realistically has only one week to make improvements. They say they are “165 or bust.” If a 165 is really their minimum acceptable score, then postponing might be the best option. Again, I hope I’m wrong and I wish you good luck!

studyingandrestudying

Not an expert, but I'd get rest and study in some public areas--not too loud but not silent and pack 1-2 days before test day so you don't have to do as much on the day of.

Adam Hawks

A 165 is -15/-17. Your average is in the high 150s to low 160s. You're missing about 25-30 questions wrong. That is a huge hurdle to overcome to get half of that correct. You're on the up and up, but it is probably not realistic to reduce that gap within two weeks. There are too many holes to patch up within that span of time.

@"---JEh---" said:

Don't listen to MissChandler,

With a lot of hard work, and a bit of luck on test day, almost anything is possible.

Hit those games over and over and over again.

Stay positive!

She's putting a dash of cold reality on to someone's unrealistic goals within 2 weeks. So you can post KG videos, but KG was in the league for 12 years before he won his first and only championship. He did a ton of grinding. It takes time, patience, a few resets and rebuilding to get to a level of competence. And then you find new holes or weaknesses to improve on.

Pride Only Hurts

@"Adam Hawks" said:

She's putting a dash of cold reality on to someone's unrealistic goals within 2 weeks. So you can post KG videos, but KG was in the league for 12 years before he won his first and only championship. He did a ton of grinding. It takes time, patience, a few resets and rebuilding to get to a level of competence. And then you find new holes or weaknesses to improve on.

I absolutely agree. It took me well over three months to go from 157 to 165. It takes time and that’s OK! Sure it’s possible but you want to be consistently hitting at or around your target going into this thing because even someone who’s averaging 170+ On PTs can score a 163 on the real thing.

---JEh---

This may sound odd... but I agree with most of what has been said throughout this thread.

Part of the objective in my message was to not dampen one's spirit heading into the test. Positivity and confidence can be powerful tools for success. Another thing to remember is that not all journeys are the same... just because it took one person 3 months to improve at such a rate, doesn't mean that another can't improve much faster or slower.

There are several issues in evaluating the chance of such a score on test day. Not knowing the precise details of the scores is one. Sure we have the breakdowns by section but even that is not enough detail. Also, which PT was the best score on... if it's PT 85 then there may be something there... if it's PT 40... maybe not so much... Also, how long did it take to get to the current score? There are several other variables that could affect one's score improvements as well.

Having said all that, "165 or bust" is probably not the right attitude given that such a score would be a high end outlier. An adjustment to something along the lines of "I'm really gunning for 165" is a little better and more realistic. Probably the key is to not beat yourself up if you don't reach your goal on this test. Leave open the possibility to hit your target on January 26th.

Lastly, I wasn't making an analogy to KG's NBA career. That would be stupid on so many levels. That video simply has the power to excite and possibly even motivate, so I added it.

joshuanmoreno5

I agree with everyone, and felt no disrespect by @MissChanandler's comments. My average is slightly skewed by a 152 and 155s from a year ago, and the five most recent tests have been in the 159-162 range, so that's why I have praying for what @drbrown2 was saying by some luck. I agree that 165 or bust is the wrong attitude as well. I've been re-studying for 4+ now after taking the sept 2017 test. I'm more of a 160 or bust, with a gunning for 165. I'm disinclined to do Jan test cause this will be #3. But I appreciate everyone's feedback, positive and constructive alike.