Should I take the January 2019 LSAT? - Study Plan Review

mjmonte17

Hi everyone,

I would like some advice on what I should do. I am registered for the January 2019 test, which is 1 month and 11 days away. I have yet to reach my goal score of 165 on a PT. I have taken 8 PTs (1per week) since I completed the CC, my score breakdown is as follows:

PT37: Actual - 152 BR: 166 (RC:-6, LR:-12, LG:-11 LR:-10)
PT38: Actual - 154 BR: 171 (LR:-9, LG:-9, RC:-9, LR:-9)
PT39: Actual - 158 BR: 165 (LG:-7, LR:-10, RC:-7, LR:-8)
PT40: Actual - 155 BR: 165 (LR:-6, LG:-5, LR:-13, RC:-10)
PT41: Actual - 156 BR: 166 (LR:-10, LG:-7, LR:-8, RC:-8)

Then I decided to skip to the modern tests to give myself the best shot at a potential January LSAT

PT73: Actual - 151 BR: 166 (RC:-14, LR:-8, LG:-10, LR:-10)
PT74: Actual - 150 BR: 165 (LR:-8, LG-14, RC:-13, LR:-9)
PT75: Actual - 152 BR: 167 (LR:-13, RC:-11, LR:-8, LG:-8)

Right now I am trying to adapt to the perceived heightened difficulty of the newer exams, particularly in RC (although I need to make improvements across the board). Was it a bad idea to skip from PT42 to 73?

My rational for wanting to test in January is as that I am an anxious test taker and feel like experiencing the real test will allow me to be more relaxed if I have to retake (probable). Also, since most law schools only care about the highest score and there is no limit to how many times one can test, I feel like I might as well try.

I am also registered for March 2019 and plan on taking June and July if need be.

I work part time while studying for the test and will continue to do so until I reach my target. My daily study schedule looks like this:

7 days a week:
1. Review past missed LR questions by type from my LR binders
2. Take 2 timed LR sections with BR (these are retakes at this point, so not entirely helpful)
3. Take 1 time RC section with BR + FP any RC passage in which I go -2 or more.
4. Take 2 LG sections from PTs 1-35 (I have FPed 1-35 twice already, I just continue to cycle through the bundle + add new games
from PTs)
5. Practice an extra 10 games of a specific type to help develop inference recognition (10 grouping games, 10 in and out etc.)

This makes it all the more discouraging as my score has gone down, but I'm confident I will reach my goal eventually.

I feel as if the majority of my missed points stem from sacrificing accuracy in the name of trying to get 2 passes at the questions in LR. When I take a fresh PT I usually get to the last question in 29-30 minutes, but have rushed through and doubtless circled too many questions to review the rest in 5 minutes.

Should I take January to get the real "game-day experience" and hopefully feel more relaxed when I go for a re-take or do I postpone? My gut says to take a shot.

Any advice is appreciated.

Princess

I honestly think if you want to get the real "game day experience", you should try to see if any university near you is offering practice LSAT. I know at my university they would have the option to get the "real experience" and score it afterwards, but it was just for practice. Otherwise, I think it's not entirely worth the money or effort to go in there only to be disappointed. That's why I decided to delay because I don't want to go there to test it out and then be all upset. Take a few weeks away from LSAT, relax, and then come back to it. Eventually, I think it is beginning to "click" for me now and I hope that this is helpful.

mjmonte17

@Guri_LSAT That's a good idea, I have not heard of any universities in my area that offer practice test, but I will certainly look into it. Although it's probable that I will score low, I don't think I will be disappointed to the degree that it prevents me from studying further. Taking at least one day off per week might help, but I suppose my improvement will determine that. I'm glad things are clicking for you! Thanks for your input!

Beast Mode

@mjmonte17 I think incorporating meditation, visualization, eating clean, exercising and waking up as well as going to sleep at the same time everyday helps a lot, especially getting this close to the exam. Also, doing warm up problems to get your brain going before full study or exam mode helps as well. You still have time to add those things to your routine if you haven't done so yet. You are so dedicated and I like how you organized your daily prep. You should also reward yourself when you do well on a section or PT. You will do great, just remain positive and stick with it. All is in the mind.

PineapplePizzaSucks

I will say, as someone who sat for the exam three times + took the digital field exam, that you are more familiar with the process after a "real experience." That does not necessarily get rid of your nerves though. The pressure of the exam exists whether the newness of the setting has worn off or not. If you see a difficult question or bomb a section or feel that you're not doing well, the familiarity of your setting really really doesn't matter. It's you and the exam booklet and everyone/everything else sort of disappears in your mind (unless you have a noisy room). I know schools only take the highest exam, but I from what I heard at the LSAC forum, they do have a question mark of sorts for people who take the exam 4 and 5 times (unless you have significant jumps). If you don't think you can achieve somewhere near your goal score by January, I'd say don't take it. You can "practice" the real setting with the 7Sage app proctor and a library silent room.

mjmonte17

@"Beast Mode" Thanks for the practical advice, I don't currently do all of your recommendations but will try to begin incorporating them as I continue. Positivity is key, I may begin to take some time off every week as a "reward" I see that I could just need a mental break. Thanks and good luck on prep!

mjmonte17

@"Michaela.Pratt1" I know the nerves of test day will always be present, I currently try to replicate test day on my PTs as much as I can. I understand that schools may see taking the test multiple times as a red flag, I suppose I will have to see how much I can improve between now and then. Thanks for the advice! I will look more into how multiple scores are considered for admission.

Beast Mode

@mjmonte17 You're welcome. You're really committed. Studying and working part time is very challenging. You should be proud of your self. You don't want all of your mental fatigue to affect your performance so self care/positivity is critical as the test date approaches and you might even see your score increase as a result.
Best of luck!

keets993

I don't think you should take it in January. First, and most obvious, is because you haven't hit your target score or close to it in PT. Also, ideally, your BR score should be many points higher than your target score. Either you are suffreing from overconfidence errors or you need to brush up on your weaknesses.

The test anxiety is a real factor and I commend you for wanting to 'counter it' but there's plenty of people who take the real test when they're feeling ready and then bomb. If you are someone who has test anxiety anyway, I'd suggest planning to take more than once when you are consistently hitting your target score (to counteract test anxiety) than taking it now and hoping that your test anxiety goes away. It also depends on how much progress you make between now and january and if you are able to consistently hit above 165 on recent tests but based on your current PT scores I'd advise against it.

mjmonte17

@keets993 Thanks for the advice! I will admit, I don't do BR to the best of my ability. I usually BR 3 of the 4 sections the same day I test. After thinking more about it, I may postpone. I agree with your idea on test anxiety, I plan on taking the test in March, June, and July (January if I feel ready). July will be the last time I test for sure due to the test going digital. Another reason I was pushing for January was based on the idea that most schools only consider the highest score. I thought that since I only have 4 opportunities to test, I might as well try even if I bomb it. Are you against the idea of having multiple scores on record even if there is an upward trend?

keets993

@mjmonte17 I'm not against the idea of having multiple scores on record even if there is an upward trend but just against the idea of testing when you know you're not ready (your PT average is lower than your goal score) because if you just look through forums you'll find some people underperform by quite a bit on test day even when they are ready. People have gotten scores on test day that they haven't had on a PT for months. So there's no point in having a score of you not being ready when there's a possibility that you might need to take it more than once or twice.

mjmonte17

@keets993 I see, I will keep testing and see where I am at 2 weeks out from January. Thanks for offering your point of view. Nearly everyone I interact with is pressuring me to just take the test in the hopes that I will get "lucky" and score really high (laughable I know) and other forums such as the Thinking LSAT Podcast Group sometimes give LSAT advice that conflicts with 7Sage. I suspect if I'm not ready in January, by March I should be close. Thanks again! Good luck on your prep if you haven't already reached your goal score!

keets993

@mjmonte17 ah yes, I've had that pressure before too. I'm surprised that people who know the lsat would advise for it. I think the "get lucky" aspect applies if you're 2-3 points away from your gaol score. I personally have not heard of many people getting higher than 3-4 points on test day that was higher than a PT score. I think the bonus for you is that you're not deadset on applying this cycle and since you have already planned on taking in June/July you can come up with a long term strategy to reach that score. It always sucks when your prep becomes longer than what you had expected but you seem to have a good schedule planned and are open to taking advise that conflicts with yours. Good luck with your prep!

pauls95

I’m just gonna throw my two cents into this discussion as I was in your position for the November 2018 exam.

I wouldn’t be so concerned with the dip in your recent scores, as it is not that uncommon to have a few lower scores on PTs. I was scoring fairly consistently in my PTs, mostly in the upper 150s with the occasional score in the low 160s as well as a couple in the low 150s.

I think it’s good that you have a target score that you’re dedicated to achieving and I completely understand the test anxiety. Personally speaking, my anxiety was so bad during my 3 months of study and then on test day, I was super relaxed since it felt like any ordinary PT. I ended up getting the exact same score that I got on most of the PTs I took, but many people I know “peaked” and scored higher than what they were getting on PTs.

My advice would be to take the January exam. You can do everything to make yourself relaxed in your prep, as I did, but I think the best way of really knowing if the prep has helped you improve is to just take it and see how you do on the real thing. Good luck!

mjmonte17

@pauls95 Thanks for the advice! I'm still thinking of taking January. Honestly, a lot of my score issues may stem from the fact that I am still not consistent on a strategy for LR. I have used a skipping strategy and used the "Thinking LSAT Podcast group" method of doing the questions in order without skipping. I think I will stick with the skipping strategy as I tend to have higher scores with that method. I suppose it's just about doing the reps and being consistent in a strategy for each section. Good luck on your prep!