The Importance of Confidence and Stress Management: 154 to 169

joezim425

As you probably know, the LSAT measures your logical ability, reading comprehension, and mental acuity. Perhaps just as importantly, though, it also tests your confidence, fortitude, and ability to handle stress. I’m going to talk about the latter, because focusing on these made a world of difference for me.

I started studying off and on for the LSAT from about February to May and I was getting about mid-to-high150’s in a couple of PT’s. I started to study seriously in May, and thanks largely to 7Sage I moved into the 168-170 range on my PT’s by September! This range was my goal, and so I took the September test hoping that I could match my PT’s and start applying by October. Unfortunately, though, I got a 165. This was still a fine score, but I didn’t understand why I had underperformed. The more I thought about it, the more realized that it had more to do with how I prepared for the test than how I had studied for it if that makes sense. I made some significant changes, and in November I got a 169!

Those four points have COMPLETELY changed my application outlook. At best, I had a fair-to-middling chance at getting in to a T14 school before, with a T20 school being more likely. That would have been great, but now I have a decent chance at a T6 school! (I should note that I’m a former Air Force officer with a masters and some other strong soft factors.) The thing that might surprise you, though, is that from September to November I did almost no studying. The only thing I did was take two PT’s in the week before the test to shake off any rust that might have developed. Below is a list of what I did do.

1. I took the November test in a unique location. In September, I took the test in my hometown on the same campus that I had taken most of my PT’s. I thought this would help by making me feel comfortable, but instead it just reminded me that everything was riding on my ability to perform in that moment. This stressed me out and mentally I tensed up on both LR sections (-9 and -6). By going somewhere different, it was more like an adventure and I felt like I could anything that I set my mind to.
2. Once I felt secure in my knowledge of the rules and logic of the LSAT, I stopped thinking about the LSAT. This is the counterintuitive part for me, because my gut reaction in September was to study, study, and study some more. However, by not beating myself over the head with endless problem sets and PT's, I let the concepts of the LSAT settle in and get nice and cosy in my brain.
3. At the same time, I kept myself mentally engaged on subjects that were closely related to LSAT concepts. I had the benefit of being in a masters program where logic and philosophy were commonly discussed, but reading Scientific American or philosophy articles and playing sudoku can probably do the trick. The key here is for the LSAT to feel natural, normal, and connected to the rest of your field of knowledge. The LSAT can feel like a foreign language, and it will help your confidence so freaking much if you can find a way to overcome that.
4. REST. I cannot stress this enough. If you are like me, you will be tempted to try to get a good score through sheer force of will. I thought that if I completed the 7Sage curriculum, read all three Powerscore Bibles, and took 50 PT's, then I would get a 170. In the end, I finished about 35% of 7Sage's core curriculum, maybe half of just the LG Bible, and took 22 PT's, and I got a 169. Programs like 7Sage are incredibly important for learning how the LSAT works, but there are other factors that can directly effect how you do on the LSAT. You can go through the core curriculum seven times and have it memorized, but if you tense up during the test then that might not matter. My four point improvement had much more to do with feeling rested and relaxed on test day than anything else. By the way, when I say rest I don't just mean sleep but also take mental breaks. Catch up on your favorite shows. Take a vacation. Spend time with your family and friends. This is pretty much all I did for two months, and it worked for me. Your brain is not invincible. For optimum performance, sometimes you need to hit the refresh button.

To be fair, 7Sage says a lot of this in one of its early lessons, but I think my example is a good anecdotal case study of the importance of the intangible factors. Feel free to use or not use any of the things I did, because in the end it all comes down to your specific experience and how your individual brain will respond. I'm probably an extreme case to be honest, so you should probably tone some of these things down a bit if you do use them. Bottom line, the important thing is that you do everything you can to create the best circumstances for success. Good luck!

P.S. I just used the Edit Once sentence-level edit feature in the Admissions course, and it might be the best $200 I ever spent. I definitely recommend it for peace of mind before you send off your applications if you are at that point.

Maitotoxin

Congratulations and thank you for sharing!

NotMyName

Totally agree that big gains on this require more than study. There is a mental component that can be much trickier to overcome. Congrats!

Avery6555

Are you going to write an LSAT score improvement addendum? I am in a somewhat similar situation and am having difficulty figuring out how to explain my change in scores.

joezim425

Honestly I hadn't even thought of that yet. I don't think so, though.

kpj744___

This is wonderful to read. I'm in a similar boat. I first took the test back in February without studying (I honestly was so naive about the whole thing) and got a 150. I have a full-time job (uni. professor) and didn't really think much about the LSAT again since I wasn't applying yet (silly error #2...should have been studying). Over the summer, I took two non-Sage courses (repeat; big error #3) and didn't seem to learn much and didn't have room to study with the non-stop class hours and two kids. University started again and I tried to study... Tried the LSAT Trainer book, got half way through, and took the test in November scoring a 155. My goal is the 160+ range, as high as I can go. I need to work on increasing generally across the board, although I'm weakest in LR (I think I peter out in timing; when I'm not timed, I'm fine).

I'm considering the January test, since while my primary school choice said I should apply (and can re-take the LSAT and let them know if I get higher), they did suggest that more money for awards might be more available in Feb. when Jan scores come back, rather than wait for March (obviously pending I even get in in the first place). After reading your post here, I'm wondering on your opinion -- should I just do the Starter course here? Should I go full out and get the Ultimate+ (which has the admissions pack built in) and pick and choose the areas I know are weaker? Other ideas? I am open to shooting for January test for admissions sake, then risking postponing to March if it seems like I'd actually increase my score so much that perhaps the schools would "find" the money (I'm not looking at T14s; can't move with my children/spouse). Would love your insight on this @joezim425 . Thanks!

joezim425

Uffda that's a tough one. I'm not going to lie, that is a very severe time crunch. Going from 155 to 160 is easier than 165 to 170, but 5 points is still a tall task in just a few weeks. What is your PT range right now? I obviously don't know your exact situation, but if I were you, I'd seriously consider sitting this cycle out and applying next year. That way, you can max out your LSAT and have your application ready to go in September when most scholarships are untouched and ready for the taking. You could do as much of the Starter course as you need over this upcoming year and go from there. It sounds like you have a pretty stable situation in life right now, so if law school is your life-long dream, then my advice is to not rush it. I was sersiously considering this myself before I got my November score back. I mostly say this because it seems like you are setting yourself up for doing some very crammed and rushed studying, and it is very easy to forget that surface-level knowledge the second that the proctors say "Go" on test day. It all just sounds unnecessarily stressful to me; the process is already stressful enough as is. That's just my two cents, though. If it's this year or bust, PT's might make a bigger difference than the course if you are taking the January test. The admissions course could definitely help, because as a university professor I assume that you're soft factors will be pretty solid and it is important to maximize their impact. Soft factors are a big deal for all of us that are more than a few years removed from undergrad. Best of luck!