Stuck in mid 150 range

AlexanderL0

any advice for getting out of the mid 150's? My last 4 PT's have been 155-156, with a highest of 157. My LR average is 15-19, LG average 17-20, RC average 15-17. Was there anything you guys did differently that pushed you into 160's?

ddakjiking

Def continue to drill all 3 sections. I would slightly focus on LR though since it's possible to push that average to 20+ and it's half your score!

Pacifico

The above advice is good but I think we need to know more to help you more than that. Did you use 7Sage? Are you blind reviewing and if so what do your BR scores look like? If you're not blind reviewing you need to start. If you are then that will give you a better idea of where you need to put your focus. Also, what was your diagnostic, how long have you been studying and what did you study? And of course, how many PTs have you taken? If we have a better idea of where you started and how you got here then we should be able to help you shore up because I think anyone who really learns 7Sage and puts it to good use should be hitting the 160s easily. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to share all those details or put them up here so we can all help.

emli1000

Go back and review specific lessons in the course. Also, drill, drill, drill and drill specific question types in LR/RC/LG that are giving you a hard time and don't forget to BR every single question that you had difficulty with.

rblackshear

emli, how do you personally go about drilling specific question types in RC?

nicole.hopkins

@AlexanderL0 said:
Was there anything you guys did differently that pushed you into 160's?

Yup—learn all of the material. IMO if you're still scoring in this range, it's because you haven't learned the basics (as well as the more advanced content ... but what would that even be, really? It's all in 7sage/Trainer). Let me be a bit bold and say that almost anyone can get into the mid-160's based on "book learning" (meaning studying LSAT curricula) alone. The really tough part comes when you're moving from the high 160's to the 175+ range. That's where it's a question of mastery.

In the 150's, it's a knowledge issue. Take your time, be honest with yourself about your true level of comprehension, and analyze *why* you're getting questions wrong in your drills and PT's.

emli1000

@rblackshear For RC, if you haven't already pick up a copy of the LSAT Trainer. Important tips on how to approach RC questions. But mainly for RC what I've done is drill Cambridge packets based on the same subject matter. 4 back-to-back where I am able to see what question types are giving me a hard time. The Trainer helps break down the questions and answer choices in RC. And I also BR every single RC passage.

Quick Silver

Review any lessons you need to and BR. I mean really BR - even JY says to talk out your thinking when you BR - essentially talk to yourself :-) seriously talk to yourself - nobody is there to listen anyway and by speaking your reasoning you really think things through.

AlexanderL0

@nicole.hopkins @Pacifico in my opinion you should try to be less ignorant in saying what's easily attainable for different students. I highly doubt every single student studying for the LSAT can attain the 160 range from just this course.

AlexanderL0

Thank you @emli1000 for actual suggestions, people like me who suffer from learning disabilities aren't as gifted as some might think. Hopefully mentors in the future won't be so ignorant

nicole.hopkins

@AlexanderL0 I don't recall implying any of this would be "easily attainable." Why not reconsider how this perspective could be an encouragement to you? We've all dealt with the "what if I can't do it" thoughts. The reality—if you choose to accept it—is that by deepening and expanding the breadth of your understanding and knowledge base, you can improve your scores. The tools to do so are at your disposal (and I agree with @emli1000 that the Trainer would likely prove helpful).

And, I would remind you that "be kind" is among the stated rules of this forum. I don't see anyone in this thread attacking or belittling you; I see no evidence of behavior from the commenters on this thread that would warrant a negative response on your part. We're all here with the goal of answering your questions and sharing knowledge.

DumbHollywoodActor

@AlexanderL0 As aspiring lawyers, we should try to adhere to the well known principle of dealing with the argument, not the person. You may disagree with their advice, but it does them nor you no good to call them ignorant because they gave you advice that may or may not have contradicted your experience. It’s an ad-hominem attack and it’s so well known of a flawed argument structure that, I’m sure you know, it’s a common answer on Flaw Description questions on the LSAT.

As for my 2 cents to your predicament, you just need time, time to let all of the work you’re doing become intuition. I think it’s wise to study LSAT with either a timeframe in mind ("6 months and that’s my limit”) or a goal score in mind (I won’t stop until I get that 170), not both. It’s been my experience that the two do not go well together.

AlexanderL0

@nicole.hopkins True however it implies easily attainable when you go on to say "The tough part comes when..."

Pacifico

I'm not sure why you felt the need to attack two people who have done nothing but try to help you, especially when you took the time to PM me with more details and I responded to you with more advice. I stand by my comment that for those who put in the work into really learning 7Sage then you should easily hit the 160s, but that doesn't mean it will be handed to you, you still have to perform on the test. And honestly for you, maxing out your LG would get you there, and that is what 7Sage is really known for above all else. If you just took the time to focus on that one section then you'd already be where you want to be without improving in either of the other two sections. Furthermore, if you're BR'ing in the 160s now, then with more work that should be well within your grasp given that you're not even halfway through the PTs. (Out of respect for your privacy I tried not to divulge too much in the way of details you provided me with). Personal attacks aside, I'm still here to help if need be, and just remember we're here to motivate you not tell you to just give up and go home, so take the advice for what it is and best of luck in your studies.

AlexanderL0

@Pacifico i apologize for that, I mistakenly tagged you

Fritz A W

Overtraining (overstudying) is a common sign of weak performance; signs of overtraining are when you get grumpy and irritated; sometimes it makes sense to take it easy for a while; then, come back and try again. There is only so much you can do. One of the true secrets of high performance is to know how to recover. It is during the recovery periods between the workouts when we actually get better and not during the workouts; this analogy is taken from running. Sometimes its good reduce the amount of training; perhaps everybody in this forum is prone to study too much rather than too little. Take it easy. My 50 cents.

Pacifico

To echo what @"Fritz A W" said, it wasn't until I had to take off a few days of LSAT studying to write a paper for one of my graduate classes that I realized how much had really sunk in from all the LR prep especially. I had to write a critical review of an anonymous essay supplied by our professor and I found myself writing completely differently than I normally do because I was analyzing every logical issue in the author's arguments rather than just issues related to the content and research. It made me a lot more comfortable getting back in after almost a week with no LSAT work knowing that certain things were becoming hard wired. It's hard to do that without stepping away for a bit. If you're waiting until October, I'd take a week off or more. If you're going for June, then I think a day or two off would definitely help.

nicole.hopkins

@"Fritz A W" said:
Overtraining (overstudying) is a common sign of weak performance

**YES** your reply is brilliant. My mindset is that it's time to take a break when it's not fun anymore. Of course, one has to experience genuine enjoyment as a prerequisite for this test to work, but for those of us who do ... Yep, time to chill when you've lost the thrill.

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
It made me a lot more comfortable getting back in after almost a week with no LSAT work knowing that certain things were becoming hard wired. It's hard to do that without stepping away for a bit.

And—word to this. I think the micro-habits that develop over the course of a fews days/a week tend to phase out as well, thus it's more clear what needs to be cultivated and what wasn't so essential after all.