Is one month enough to move from the high 160s to low 170s with self-studying?

ebrown1996

Hi, I've been studying for the January LSAT for a few weeks now, and since my blind diagnostic of 169, I've been plateauing in the 167-169 range on timed prep tests. I've been studying for a couple hours every day (except for a brief recess to travel to my undergrad graduation) and I'm starting to feel dejected about reaching my goal of around 173/174. My errors are spread equally between LR and LG (and are usually the product of overlooking little details, so I've been working on trying to amend that), while my RC scores have been surprisingly good and I'm not particularly concerned about that area. My study methods include reading the LSAT Trainer, the Powerscore LSAT Bibles, watching videos, and taking prep tests every other day and then reviewing my errors. I decided against paid courses/tutoring because of my diagnostic score and the prohibitive costs. Is my goal of the low 170s realistic given the timeframe and my study methods? Does anyone have any tips about strategies to maneuver oneself out of the high-160s zone?

luxembourg93

Just don't stop grinding.

taschasp

I think its definitely doable! If your mistakes are usually from overlooking little details, continuing to practice at that pace will take you a long way.

How are you reviewing errors? Are you using Blind Review? At your score level, in addition to Blind Review (as in, after you're done BR), I recommend quickly taking note of which questions you got wrong, without writing down the correct answer; then, go back to those questions one by one and take your time to re-solve them without knowing what the answer is. Kind of like an extended BR but for those questions that you thought you answered correctly, but didn't because you misread something. That way what you learn from that process will stick more in your head than just going and reviewing the correct answers.

cooljon525-1-1

Are you trying to apply this cycle? I would suggest to give it a bit more time, get ur 173-174 and apply in September.

ebrown1996

Hi, I am applying this cycle, and I am reviewing my errors and doing blind review. I don't actually need a score above 170 to get into the schools I applied to since my current scores would be average or above average for those schools. However, I would like to maximize my chances of getting a decent score on the LSAT, so if I can start getting into the 170s, it would likely be a good sign for the actual test.

Ilnyy123

Making an error log of the type of errors that you're making and figuring out patterns might be helpful. Once you discover you're making a certain kind of error over and over, you could try focusing on avoiding it on the next prep test.