Regression... help

LaryssaC__

Hey Guys! I'm looking for advice.

Here's a little background: I began my studies in July (initial PT 143) and have been studying full time (9-4) since. My score has gone up to a 159 (BR 164) (I took this test about a week ago) but I took two PT's after that and scored a 151(BR 157) & 152 (BR 159). I have NO IDEA why I am regressing.

My LG score is now at a -1/-5 depending on if I can finish the game set BR -0. BUT I CAN NOT SEEM TO INCREASE MY LR or RC score ): I BR after LR, but somehow i'm stuck at -7/-8 per section (BR is sometimes the same score sometimes it's -2). And my RC fluctuates vastly as well, but normally I only get about 14 correct. ): At this point I have no idea what to do. I feel so defeated after studying for five months and not even being able to reach 160's yet. So what would you guys do in this position?

tristan.locke1

Don't worry, this happens to a lot of people! If you're weaker in specific areas, sometimes a PT can give you a "perfect storm" of questions that are particularly challenging for you specifically (but may not be challenging for other people that are good at those types of questions). This can result in a big fluctuation in your score.

RC is really difficult to master. Even the highest scorers sometimes struggle to improve there. LR should 100% be your focus given that it's half of the exam. Did you do CC? Check the analytics tool and see if there are particular question types that are causing you to have issues. I feel that LR is incredibly predictable, and if you can find your gaps, you should really be able to limit damage from those sections.

MorbidlyObeseCheetahs

@"tristan.locke1" said:
Don't worry, this happens to a lot of people! If you're weaker in specific areas, sometimes a PT can give you a "perfect storm" of questions that are particularly challenging for you specifically (but may not be challenging for other people that are good at those types of questions). This can result in a big fluctuation in your score.

RC is really difficult to master. Even the highest scorers sometimes struggle to improve there. LR should 100% be your focus given that it's half of the exam. Did you do CC? Check the analytics tool and see if there are particular question types that are causing you to have issues. I feel that LR is incredibly predictable, and if you can find your gaps, you should really be able to limit damage from those sections.

All of this. Great job on LG, btw.

Hit the analytics and look at different sets of tests from different times during your past 5 months. Look at big picture, early, and late, and notice the question types and difficulties of those questions that you got wrong or burned time on. Look at your performance trends. Look at the Q type priority ranking, and see what you can glean from that. The more PTs you've taken, the better the data.

Next, make some custom problem sets highlighting those question types that you're tripping up on. For example, pure MBT of mixed difficulty. Brush up on the CC then take a mega set of the Q type in question. Examine your results and reasoning on the questions you got wrong. Pay careful attention to questions you took too much time on.

Later on, make some mixed problem sets of difficult types and cram. When you're feeling more comfortable, you might even try reducing the time. It might sound counter intuitive, but I would recommend that you focus down on specific Q types or families in this way and just really burn yourself out. Make sure you're well-fed and recovered afterward, then get right back to it.

Good luck!

LaryssaC__

Thank you so much @"tristan.locke1" & @MorbidlyObeseCheetahs for taking the time and offering me advice. This was greatly appreciated. I will definitely start utilizing the analytics tool more, and go back the CC and drill the LR question types that make me struggle.

workin_it

Idk if you've had this recommended before but if you're looking to improve on LR-- I ordered "The Loophole" by Ellen Cassidy per a few 7sage recommendations and it's actually really helpful in understanding the meat of LR. It's not too expensive on Amazon, and it's certainly helped me out a ton. Anyway, sounds like you are doing amazing! I wouldn't worry too much about score fluctuation, happens to everybody. Just keep at it!! You got this!

PatriciaHighsmith

I had a very similar problem, and along with all the great advice already offered, I took a week or two off from PT's and just focussed on doing timed sections. I was struggling to really target all the types of LR questions I was getting wrong, because the ones I had a hard time with didn't seem too consistent. But the timed sections helped me to really focus on each individual section of the test, and when I went back to PT's, my overall score increased significantly. I also tried to help myself in RC by getting really involved and engaged in the outside reading I was doing, whether it was a dense article or even a simpler novel. Keep at it and you'll get there. Easier said than done, but it's for sure doable with all your hard work!