168 on November Flex (Not Giving Up on My 170+ Dream!) Retake Advice Please

gluckmachnich10

I earned a 168 on my November Flex (my first real LSAT) I started out in the mid-140s as a diagnostic. It's been 3 weeks since I looked at any LSAT material. I registered yesterday to write again in January. I have taken every single PT (some of them twice). I was wondering how to choose which full PTs to take from now until January in order to maximize value.

Do I stick to PTs from the 40s and 50s so the material is not as fresh in my head or do I take some from the 70s and 80s anyway? If anyone has any other experience or advice pertaining to studying for a retake I would greatly appreciate it.

Not entirely sure how to approach this. I was taking a full length PT every other day towards the end of my studies. Is continuing on that course going to be effective? Or do I primarily focus on drilling and take 1-2 PTs a week? I truly appreciate you all for taking the time to read this.

HelloMoto

Great score! Thats awesome that you're not giving up on the 170+ dream score even when you got a 168. Just curious but are you thinking of applying this cycle?

I was in the same boat as you (no new PTs and was redoing tests). As a result, I started to look for things outside of just drilling/taking PTs. What really helped me was joining a study group. It was helpful seeing how other high scorers approached problems which you can add to your own arsenal. Learning a way to shave off a few seconds off specific problem types can potentially give you more time on other questions to push you to that 170 score.

Another thing I did was keep a LSAT journal. Every time I would study, I would write in the journal anything new I learned, a new flaw I saw, a new way to diagram, just so it was more cemented in my brain. For RC, I began dedicating about an hour to actively read. I made sure I was actively reading by having a pen on me and writing in the margins about anything I disagreed with/agreed with/found interesting. This helped me actively read during LSAT passages.

gluckmachnich10

@HelloMoto Thanks for the in depth reply, it is very helpful! I am planning on applying this coming October for Fall 2022. I was just accepted into a compressed (3 month) paralegal certification program at the University of California, Irvine. I am going to complete that and work as a paralegal until I start law school. It will allow me to get a third non-academic letter of recommendation under my belt, while also giving me some valuable experience. I want to devote a solid year to my personal statement(s) as I will be applying to approximately 14 schools.

gebrolto

Let's go dude I got the same score in November let's get this 170+ in January!!! I can't believe you've taken every PT that's insane. If anyone deserves this 170+ it's you. My technique is to literally never take full PT's. I select the question type I get wrong the most (for example in LR for me that's weaken, flaw, NA) then make 6-10 question sets of the "medium," "harder," and "hardest" questions from the first 58 PT's. Then once I feel good about all the questions I usually get wrong I'll take a practice test from 59 and beyond of only that section (LR or LG). I basically don't study RC because it's the hardest to improve on and if I can just get -1 or -0 on LG and LR I can afford up to -8 on RC. Also I feel like LR teaches a lot of the close reading skills necessary to improve on RC. I don't like full practice tests because I get burned out easily. Good luck!

gluckmachnich10

Thanks @jack.mullinkosson sounds like you’re killing it as well, best of you luck to you brother. Let me know if you want to review or study together sometime 💪🏼