Understanding Breakdown of Exam

umich101

Obviously no incorrect answers is ideal, but I just took my first PT and I was curious about understanding how to see my potential given each section breakdown.

For example, I've heard logic games are something that can be quickly improved upon - but does anyone have insight into LR and RC. For example, is a cold ~75% in RC a good base - or is there typically not much improvement in that section given reading comprehension is something learned for years

In other words, are there any markers for a base in certain scores indicating a range people should (and should not) be aiming for? I guess I just want to be realistic in my expectations of what I should be aiming for, but I don't know what one should expect in terms of improving section by section (as opposed to people generally saying they've improved ~8-10 points overall).

drbrown2

RC is learnable because we don’t all naturally pay attention to the important structural details that RC questions test is on. Seems like you’re starting at a good place.

Leah M B

It's tough - there's no way really to say what you're capable of. There are people who improve from the 140s into the 170s. It's more about how much time you invest into it. I think most people have a very high ceiling, but it can take some longer than others to improve. Definitely all 3 sections improved for me, including RC. There are certainly things you can do to improve your score there, and a lot of RC questions are similar to LR question types. So as you figure out how the LSAT works and what methods work best for you, you can improve in every section. But I think LG is the one that is easiest to quickly improve on. The others just take a little more time and repetition in order to see the same level of improvement.

For me, I started PTing with averages around -9 LG, -7 LR, and -7 RC. By the end of my studying, I was able to get LG consistently in the -2 or so range, but RC never got past around -4/-5. LR varied from about -2 to -4. I improved fastest on LG, but then RC and LR followed but on a slower pace. Those numbers will vary a lot though on your own personal strengths and weaknesses, how much time you have to study, what point you are starting from, etc.

I think the best thing to do for setting your goal is to decide what schools you want to target, and then figure out what you want your overall score to be in order to maximize both chances at admission and scholarship money. Then you just study study study and work to get where you need that final score to be.

Good luck!