Baseline test disappointment!

L.Schwartz

Took my baseline test, and got a disappointing 146. A major factor of such a low score is that I ran out of time in every section.

For section 1, did not get to read the last 7 questions before the time ran out.
For section 2, did not get to read last 8 questions and skipped 1 before the time ran out.
For section 3, skipped 3 questions near the end and didn't get to go back before time ran out.
For section 3, did not get to read the last 5 questions before the time ran out.

Speed is obviously a major contributor to the low score. If anyone has any words of wisdom, or encouragement it would be appreciated!! As you study for this test, I assume you will speed up, but do you think its possible for me to speed up enough to get to all the questions? Thanks for reading!

ddakjiking

How were your LG/LR/RC?

L.Schwartz

Ok, so lets see. Ill let you know how many I got right out of how many I answered.
In LG, I got 12/16
In LR 1, I got 13/16
In LR 2, I got 15/22
In RC, I got 13/22

L.Schwartz

@ddakjiking

nicole.hopkins

Please don't get discouraged, @L.Schwartz . It's tempting to pretend like we're all doing much better much faster and with a lot less blood/sweat/tears than we really are, but allow me to encourage you by means of transparency.

Understand that the vast majority of us on this forum put in 30-45+ hours per week on the LSAT and have been doing so for a good chunk of time. We don't do that because we're dummies. We do that because the LSAT is the hardest thing any of us have ever faced (at least academically/intellectually). It's the hardest thing the smartest people have ever faced. If they say it's not, don't believe them.

I started studying (rather casually, in retrospect) in July and only got deeply serious at the beginning of February. Prior to that I was only spending about 15 hours a week on LSAT, ramping up quite gradually as I've been out of school for a few years and it took me a while to figure out that I was capable of doing much more. My diagnostic was a 153 and, as of this writing, I hover between 166-170 (goal is 180) and have for what seems like a long time (it's not really a long time—it's just hard to manage expectations when so few top scorers are open about what their progress actually looked like quantitatively). I've been going hard (really hard) for 6 weeks without a break (keep ramping up more and more each week) and have 11 weeks to go. That's 11 weeks of 5+ hours per weeknight, 9-12 hours on Saturday, and 6-9 hours on Sundays. Did I mention I work full time and set Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings aside for group bible study/church? And I don't expect to be consistently at or near my goal range for at least as long as I've been studying this hard already (more than likely it'll come more slowly than I expect and I'll probably go into the test without having too many PT's under my belt that have hit that magic number). That's why it's a goal and not a presumption. But my goal is attainable with hard work—both LSAT skills and the emotional/mental diligence necessary to maintain motivation and mindset—and everything I've read has confirmed this.

You must love the LSAT in order to be able to pursue it like this. You must love it in spite of the fact that it seems to invalidate all of your hard work. It doesn't feel very good to put in 40+ hours every week and have my PT score go down by 4 points, then back up by 2, then down by 1, then up by 5, then back down just below the average—and to have that happen for weeks on end. But I have learned that I must not seek validation nor encouragement from this test. I have a number of tools I use to measure progress on the different aspects that I am still working to master conceptually/habitually; but as soon as I have mitigated the effects of incomplete understanding or lack of practice or fuzzy thinking in one area, I am faced with the same and other challenges in another. But I'm learning; and so I press on. There are still topics I haven't covered in the depth I need to cover them. And soon I'll move from the conceptual stage into the next stage, and continue to supplement my understanding as needed. But I'm done expecting a magic fix that will make my score jump 10-15 points overnight. But I am still working towards the same goal.

If I waited until I thought the LSAT was finally loving me—by giving me what I want from it, that number I want, all the time—to love it back, I would have collapsed weeks ago. Months ago. Each time I sit for a test or a drill I have to fight that temptation to look to it to tell me I'm not on a fool's errand—that all my hard work is worth something. I (you) must find a source of validation that has nothing to do with my (your) performance.

Set a goal, and then become the person who reaches that goal. And know that it will take more out of you than anything you've likely experienced. I feel like I can say this with a high degree of confidence—I'm a survivor of one of the most grueling undergraduate educations known to modern man. And LSAT is harder than anything I did in college. But it's possible, and it's worth it.

Nilesh S

@L.Schwartz that's a base line score... and though it is an integral part of test prep... it means ABSOLUTELY nothing... now the real process begins... people go up to 170 from their baseline score... I mean you took a test that you had absolutely no idea how to deal with... this was an more or less an expected outcome... don't lose too much sleep over it and start prepping... All the best...

Nilesh S

Oh and speed and stamina are resultants of your familiarity with the test and the practice that you put in... I was where you are... and I ended up finishing every section 5 minutes before the 35 minutes allotted per section except for RC and running out of time on that was my own fault. Its totally possible.

L.Schwartz

@nicole.hopkins Thank you very much for the response! It was very kind of you to put so much thought into it! As suggested on the site, I have not booked my test so I can take as much time as I need and when I feel confident, I can then book the test. You are quite the studying machine! To give you a little insight, I plan on studying about 15-20 hours per week. I am going to take it week by week though and see how I do. Did you use any other resources to study from? I did not buy anything other than this online subscription and about 40 practice tests. Im debating whether or not to also purchase the powerscore set. My only hesitation is that I see that people say they over complicate stuff and everything is much more clear from the tutorials on this website!

L.Schwartz

@"Nilesh S" I would love to go to a 170! Thank you for the info. Very much appreciated. Time to start putting in the hours and hours and hours of studying!

Nilesh S

Stay away from Powerscore... if you have to get anything, get the LSAT trainer... it provides a sufficiently different approach while still complementing the 7sage curriculum.

Nilesh S

and let me modify what I said... people go up to 180 from their baseline score

ddakjiking

Yeah @nicole.hopkins pretty much has a good write up on how to go about this. @L.Schwartz
It's very possible to up your score on 15-20 hours of weekly studying.

emli1000

Don't forget that it's your baseline score. Now after hours of studying/drilling you score should slowly start to increase. But you won't see that type of improvement until the end when you're done with the course. You want to make sure that you do not touch any prep-tests until you've gone over the entire course.

emli1000

Following what @"Nilesh S" said, stay away from PowerScore! The Trainer goes along so well with 7Sage

nicole.hopkins

@L.Schwartz Skip Powerscore. If you end up—after months and months of hard studying, completing 7sage and Trainer—wanting additional perspective, get Powerscore. BUT. Do NOT get Powerscore until your skills and habits are already solidly wired in your brain. They use a very different, really stupid, overly complicated method. If you can look past the method there is something to be gained from their explanations. But IMO that is not the best $90 I ever spent (LRB/LGB). The Trainer was, however, the best $45 bucks I ever spent (same price as one of my manicures, oddly enough ... also a worthwhile expense ).

GSU Hopeful

I would not be overly disappointed with that score. By using the Fool Proof Method of LG, it is very possible to get a perfect score or -2 or -3 at the most on LG. IMHO, it is the easiest section to learn and therefore yields the most improvement in the long run. Looking at your numbers for the first section, if you were to get to all the questions and only miss 3, you make up 8 total points just in 1 section! To take it a step further, if you were to get a perfect score, you make up 11 points in just a section. I know it was a disappointment, but I feel as though you are in a great place because you can make up a lot of points just by mastering the logic games.

nicole.hopkins

@"GSU Hopeful" true that—also, @L.Schwartz —on my diagnostic I got 7/23. I typically miss 1 or 2 per LG section and I'm far from done with my studies.

VegMeg55

Totally agree with @nicole.hopkins I started with Powerscore and it really was a massive time suck. Skip to 7Sage and do their fundamentals first. Then perhaps supplement with other methods but only after you have a solid grasp on the core material. I'd get the trainer before getting Powerscore because their explanations are so overly complicated. I spent several months reviewing the bibles and at the end of it all I was still in the 'f***ing lost' phase. The Cambridge Drill Packets are also good but only after you have a solid grasp on each question type. Good luck!

VegMeg55

Also @nicole.hopkins your above post about your LSAT journey was one of the best things I've read on this forum! Thank you!

shine.on.me

I agree to stay away from PowerScore. My very first baseline score was roughly a 139 in May or early June 2014. I used PowerScore. I bought the full set of the Bibles and the workbooks. I took the LSAT in September 2014 got a 145. I'm now prepping for a retake using primarily 7Sage and The Trainer. If I'm still confused, I will review the PowerScore chapter but those luckily those times have been limited. I also occasionally use PowerScore for additional practice sets but I really don't have to. My last PT was a 153 BR was a 160. Admittedly, I still have a lot of work to do. But I got my first 8/10 on a weakening set today untimed yet mindful on timing (did it at work where at the time it was difficult to get 15 uninterrupted minutes) and it made me happy. Weakening questions have been a problem area in the past and now its been relatively easy. I'm doing about 10-15 hours a week but working my way up to 15-20 hours a week. Its a work in progress and all I do is one day at a time. My goal is low 170s. LG the biggest issue is timing and to some extent RC. But on comprehension of material, BR has been the key for my improvement. Best wishes to everyone.