course work or prep tests?

mackenzie_fitzgerald

I plan on taking the June LSAT and seem to be running out of time. I took 21 hours during this semester at school and it has been kickin my butt! That being said I didn't have anywhere near as much time to study for the LSAT as I had planned. I still have about 30 hours of "course work" left but with the end of the semester coming up I don't know how much extra time I'm going to have. I've taken a couple of PT's randomly and I'm scoring about a 155 - which is no where where I would like to be. I was wondering if it would be more beneficial if I used my spare time taking and blind reviewing tests, or if I should finish and review the coursework and then do some tests? Please help. My goal is around 163-165. Thanks!!

blah170blah

Finish the coursework and then take/blind review tests. Most people on here will tell you to not take PTs until you feel like you have a solid grasp on the fundamentals because you'd be cannibalizing the precious resource of 74 untainted tests.

deleted account

No way that mackenzie is going to get to all of the tests before taking June. I'd say that it's a better idea to do as many tests as possible. Try 5 a week -- that's what I've been doing since February. You (and I!) have 6 weeks left to the June test. At 5 a week you can do 30 tests before then.

Also, I don't agree with the comment about "cannibalizing" the tests. I have been retaking a number of them and I think that in every section except for RC, it makes no difference whether you have done it or not before. It's just too difficult to remember LR answers, and the LG are always the same (except at low-numbered tests) anyway, so the repetition makes n difference.

RC, otoh, is much easier second time you do it (although I still tend to get the same questions wrong).

emli1000

Exactly what @blah170blah said... Finish the coursework, drill and BR before touching the rest of your PTs. Also, focus on LGs because that section actually helps your score.

emli1000

@josephellengar also keep in mind that 3 PTs per week is the most that JY recommends to prevent burn out... not everyone can manage to take more than 1/2 when they have a full work course as @mackenzie_fitzgerald ... and you don't want to burn out so quick before the June lsat...

AlexanderL0

Honestly if you started on PT 40 and went all the way up to 72, it would be very unlikely that you remember any of the questions from PT 40. If you do, that's commendable

blah170blah

I'm curious as to why you want to take preptests before you finish your "coursework." I ask because I was always under the impression that PTs were to test your understanding of your concepts under timed conditions, not as an avenue of learning the fundamentals. The fact that we learn how to improve upon the fundamentals is a crucial component of the PT and blind review experience but taking PTs without a solid understanding of the foundational principles of the LSAT will not only affect your PT scores but affect your ability to maximize review.

mes08

I def wouldn't recommend taking more than 3 a week. If you're taking 5 PTs a week with your current class load, I don't see how you could possibly thoroughly BR each PT and also carefully watch all the explanation videos. And if you're not thoroughly BRing, then as @blah170blah pointed out, you'd be burning through valuable PTs (which you might possibly need if you decide to retake).

Maybe consider finishing the 7sage curriculum and taking 1 PT a week until you finish. Also, it might be a good idea to postpone until October because you'll have the whole summer to work through PTs after having done the whole curriculum.

nicole.hopkins

@mackenzie_fitzgerald :

1) No matter the stage of prep, this advice stands: Take fewer tests and BR more. BR is the highest and best use of your time; of course you have to take tests in order to have material to BR, but I vote in favor of taking 1 or 2 tests per week and BR'ing every single question over and against taking 3+ tests and minimal BR'ing.

2) I wouldn't get too hung up on the "must finish all course material before any PT" idea, but I would recommend holding off on PT'ing more than once or twice every other week (preferably limited to the earlier PT's) until you've covered all of the fundamentals, whether through 7sage or another course.

3) Burnout is real. If someone like J.Y. warns you against certain actions in order to avoid it, I would take that advice seriously.

emli1000

Adding to what @nicole.hopkins said you could focus on working through problem sets and the Cambridge packets and drill those according to question type. DRILL and BR every single question you have difficulty with and if want to make it more challenging, BR every single question type and also write out why the 4 answer choices are incorrect and why 1 is correct. It's time consuming at first but after a while you'll recognize a pattern on certain question types. Avoid touching PTs until you're done with the course and also until you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals.