I really need some help

chezadam10-1

I started taking PT's and my scores fell into the high 150 range. I got a 157, 158, 159 and a 156 respectively. Frustrated that I couldnt get a 160 I changed the way I studied and felt like it would have helped. I took a week off, came back and got a 155 on a PT. After that I reviewed my test and took another one. Today I got a 152. My lowest ever. Unsure of what to do and very lost.

tlr011499

Hi,

Similar situation happened to me a couple months back. I was crying over a PT because I hadn't hit a personal best in a month and a half, kept going down. I have a few pieces of advice that helped me through it.

1. Progress isn't linear. Especially on a conceptual test like the LSAT where a 2 question difference could mean a difference of 2 points overall. You're gonna go down every once in a while. Just keep at it! Your highest and your lowest score could be a fluke. You're working on consistent scoring here. A 160 might feel nice, but it'd feel nicer just to be able to consistently hit that.

2. The LSAT is a mental test. You need to be in routines and have the right mindset for each section. For instance, RC takes extreme focus and interest during a passage, then you need to be able to relax to think about the question sets. A lot of these sections require you to slow down, not get frustrated, and stay fresh. I took the LSAT-Flex in June and scored 158, 10 points lower than what I was PTing at. It's because my proctors kept coming in and out, I got so angry that I was kicking things and it completely messed my score up. It's very very possible that your 152 is a result of discouragement, frustration, or distraction. Stay as fresh as you can, don't burn yourself out, and keep a positive mindset.

3. "You show me someone that has the discipline to keep testing and practicing through this discouragement and trials; I'll show you someone who'd make an excellent lawyer." Don't give up, OP. This is not only a logical test, it's a test of discipline. If you can't sit through months of this grueling practice and reading, you might wanna rethink going to law school. You got this OP. Keep a positive attitude, every day is a new day.

chezadam10-1

This is an amazing response, and I appreciate the level of encouragement and wisdom. Thank you, and good luck to you as well.

ARMANC74

I score in the mid to high 160's and my advice, is dont bother taking practise tests. Im serious. I would only take 1-2 a few days leading up to the actual test to be accustomed to test day conditions. I usually do 2 timed sections a day on two of the sections, BR, watch videos for mistakes and even correct ones that i was hesitant on. You should just focus on each section separately, timed or untimed to really hone in on where your mistakes and weaknesses lie, and get to the crux of the problem.

People over exaggerate the importance of taking full practise tests in my opinion, I tend to spend about an hour and a bit in total on every section (35 timed) (10 BR) (30 min review) and its really helped me understand where I'm going wrong and how I can fix my mistakes

brookegojazz

I love what tlr said! I had a bummer test this week too, but like they said, the LSAT and improvement is linear, and not just based on one PT score (or even a few PTs)!

My tutor has been telling me 'mistakes are opportunities, the more the better!'. I've been using that to really find where my weaknesses are and look at them as growth opportunities instead of frustrating examples that I'm not where I want to be yet. I've also had to be more honest with myself about not knowing certain things and what is making me pick certain AC's under time that I don't do in BR. That's been helpful to look at it as well. Is it an LSAT knowledge issue or is it an under time issue that I'm making poor decisions/choices, because studying for those are two very different animals .

Hang in there, you've got this!

lexxx745

whats your BR score?