PT score isn't improving - feeling like I am not smart enough.

gcoughlan-1

Idk what i'm looking for here but I am definitely feeling upset. I wrote in 2018 and only got 151.

After nearly 3 months of studying, I am now PTing 151-154 with a few outlier scores of 158-159. I didnt know if i would hit my goal (low 160s) but I thought there is no way that I couldn't at least do better than the last time when I took it without even studying.

Im writing in January which is my last opportunity to get a good score for this application cycle and I am just feeling so defeated. I feel like all of this money and time was probably just a waste because I'm not improving even though I am studying constantly and taking breaks when I feel like I need them.

Any advice?

mnkim

What methods have you employed in studying for the last three months? It's best to experiment and figure out what works for you.

Considering there is only a month until the January exam, I'll just talk about what methods worked for me. For LG, I drilled for about a week with the games from PT1-35 until I got all the questions right under the target time. I think this is where the most drastic change in score happened for me. For LR, time management was my biggest problem so I practiced LR sections with strict timing goals (i.e. finish first 10 questions in 10 minutes) to prevent excessive time sink. Practicing LR in 33:20 rather 35:00 helped as well. Learning when to skip questions and being able to manage time were the most beneficial for me. As for RC, I didn't have a specific method in prepping and my fundamental approach is pretty much the same.

Also, before taking a PT, I found it beneficial to take a few minutes to clear my mind and remind myself of the lessons I found useful.

LG: when stuck, revisit the rules; misc. game I don't know how to approach -> skip then come back; don't sink too much time on first two games
LR: first 10 questions in 10 min, skip and come back to wordy parallel question, flag and move on when stuck between two answer choices

dpena

Sometimes we set goals and deadlines of when we NEED to accomplish THE LSAT score we desire. However, that only lends to more stress and anxiety. I went through this last year and I'm trying a new approach. I'm going to continue studying for this test and WHEN I hit or range in the score I want THEN I'll start looking into applying. I find myself happier and less stressed. Too often we set deadlines and if we're not ready then we're just not ready. It's ok to enter law school the following year if needed. You'll probably be in a much better place mentally if you took more time to study. You WILL conquer this test and you WILL enter law school. It's ok if you take extra time to study. Everything you are doing right now is already preparing you to THINK like a lawyer.

You got this and here's a meditation I do everyday that helps me.

Here is my playlist on motivational speakers that I listen to everyday

I also started doing the fool proof method with the logic games and saw HUGE jumps in the games section.

I also joined LSAT community chats which helped me not to feel alone in this process which is important.

Good luck and keep going!