Consistently scoring 169 --- November Flex --- Advice Appreciated

gluckmachnich10

I am signed up for the November LSAT Flex. I first studied for this test 2 years ago for about 3 months before having to set it aside for personal reasons. Started back up in May, after graduating from university, and studied for 6 months for 4-6 hours a day 7 days a week. My diagnostic from 2 years ago was a 149.

I've take almost every single PT some of them twice, except for 7 from the 80s that I'm planning on taking before test day. I am consistently scoring at a 169 without fail, I've surpassed 170 on four occasions but it's not consistent. My BR is always around 176. No matter what I try it feels like I can't get my actual score to reach that level.

My goal is a 170+. It feels like I've hit a plateau and its incredibly frustrating. Is it realistic for me to score above 170 on test day? Are there things I can do in my last week or so to increase my chances? Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this.

zachverbit

I was in a similar position to you. I took the August LSAT and was testing consistently in the 165-170 range and scored an 168 on the actual test. There is obviously a chance you can hit a 170+ on test day but my experience and the experience of others seems to be that typically you end up scoring within your prep test range.

I obviously don't have any advice for you on how to improve your score, but I'd like to remind you (because I sure needed it around the time I took the test) that should you score around your average of 169, you will score in the top 4-5% of test takers. This is ELITE. Though 170 is a nice square number, you still know this test VERY WELL and should be VERY HAPPY with your score. You will end up at a great school with considerable scholarship money. FOR SURE. So don't kill yourself trying to crack 170.

gluckmachnich10

@zachverbit Thanks brother, that helped a lot. I feel like I've been psyching myself out a bit lately.

jmarmaduke96

Hi there!

It is going to be hard to make significant progress in the next two weeks before the November LSAT, so you will likely end up scoring within your range. That being said, a 170 is clearly within your range if you are averaging 169s on your PTs. So, there are a couple things that you can do to maximize your chances. The first is to not burn yourself out. Before my first LSAT I think that I fell victim to this. I was trying to do so many problem sets, foolproof all of the hardest LG sections, and doing each RC passage that gave me trouble, etc. I ended up really fraying my nerves and when I had technical difficulties on test day, I had a much harder time handling them. I am not saying to just take it easy until the test, but moderation is important.

The second point is that you need to bring your own ability out and let it shine. If you have scored 170+ on several PTs then you know that you can do it on the real thing. If you are averaging 169 then you understand the fundamentals of the test. If you BR 176 consistently then you understand the fundamentals of the test very well. The last few points that you are leaving on the table all come down to your test-taking/skipping strategy. To that end, what sections do you find yourself having the most trouble with? what does your skipping strategy look like at the moment? With some more information I can probably give you some more targeted advice.

Either way, remember that your scores are in your target area. You can hit the 170, just have a process and stick to it.

I hope this helps!

gluckmachnich10

@jmarmaduke96 Thanks that was fantastic. I feel my issues have to do with timing specially RC. I miss 3-5 each time around. I’ve noticed I’m comfortable with the first 3 passages but by the fourth I’m under a time crunch and I’m spending 2 mins reading and 3-4 mins on questions (even on 5 star passages with 6-7 questions). I usually finish them all but average 10-15 seconds per question. I’ll end up with 1-2 wrong on first 3 and 2-3 wrong on the last passage.

I’ve got guide posts that work for LR and LG. But I haven’t been able to figure out how to pace RC. Also I’ve never experienced having extra time on LR or RC. Occasionally I’m forced to leave a parallel question unanswered on LR due to time constraint.

Thanks again for spending time reading all this 🙏🏼

VerdantZephyr

@gluckmachnich10 I was not in exactly the same situation as you, but I was an incredibly consistent scorer. In the five weeks before the test I took 9 PTs and 7 of them were between 174 and 177, the other two were a 173 and 178. I felt pretty good in general going into the test about the content, and about my consistency. However, all that time working on the test built it up in my mind, and reading about Proctor U disasters definitely didn't help. I was so ready to take the test and here in Asia I had to take it in the evening. I even after taking melatonin I ended up getting less than a full night's sleep and, though I took the day off work and tried to nap I couldn't. By the time the evening rolled around I was super keyed up with adrenaline. It was not necessarily fear about the test really, but I definitely developed anxiety about a technical issue. By the time the security check finished I was flooded with adrenaline. I felt like the test was super easy, but I also really struggled to focus. All of LR was a blur, and I did not settle down in LG until I was half done. There was a hard RC passage, but that was the only part of RC I thought was hard. I thought for sure I hit around my average. However, I think all that stress and adrenaline about the experience kept me from doing my best.

Do not build the test up in your mind. Keep your mind active the day before the test, reading, video games, whatever. Do a few problems or some easy LG games. Sleep in if you can. Keep yourself calm about not just the test but the incidentals. Maybe avoid reading any Proctor U or test day horror stories. I ended up okay, but at the very bottom of my range and 3 points below my average despite feeling like the test itself was really easy. I am pretty sure being keyed up was the cause. I'm going to apply and then try to retake to improve scholarship odds, I will certainly still be okay, but it sucks knowing I did my recent worst rather than my best.

Stay relaxed and loose, it is just another PT and the results aren't important. I know that isn't true, but try and think of it like that.

One thing you could try with this last week is BR a test with someone else and see if they can teach you anything from a different perspective on the questions. BRing with others really helped me and I saw benefits from every session. Just do one or so though, do not stress about it.