170+ scorers: how to study?

bunnyfriend7

So I've been studying since Jan and took the June Lsat, got a 169. Honestly, I'm happy applying with my score (I just want a T20 and have a 4.0 gpa) but am taking the August one just to see if I can walk away with a better score cause the competitiveness of the last cycle is freaking me out lol. I have been pting in the low 170s with some higher outlier scores. My BR scores usually correspond closely, but slightly higher, with my pt scores (so timing isn't the issue, Ig I'm just stupid lol) I'm good with the fundamentals, there isn't an area where I'm specifically weak at, I just always miss a few of the hard ones (usually LG -0 and LR and RC are around -3 give and take) I only have 3 clean prep tests left. Sometimes I feel with the new tests the difference between a correct and incorrect LR question is so nuanced, or an RC passage just comes down to how well it clicks with me.. but then I see people consistently PTing in the mid 170s and ALWAYS BRing at 180.. So, how should I study from here? Anyone else in the same boat?

MissionLsat

I would advise you to redo atleast 6 PTs from the 70's . And analyse them to a great depth. Identify the lapses that are withholding you from getting a 170plus. Whether you are running out of time or there are some specific question types that are causing you some problems. And then do the 3 fresh tests, simulating actual test environment- Like doing at the same time on which you are planning to take the actual test, with using the same laptop,mouse and in the same room.

At this point I believe, practising and getting more used to the incurring pattern will help you a great deal. Also another advise would be to practice some really hard questions (5stars) especially in LG, a week before the test to be prepared for absolute worse

bunnyfriend7

@MissionLsat thank you!

jwoodlee0613

damn reading this I am in shock how much more advanced you are than me. if you have any advice I would love to hear how you got to where you are at, and what I should start doing. by the way my highest score is a 150. Thanks!

bunnyfriend7

@jwoodlee0613 honestly im not the best person to ask this question lol, I would just get a solid grasp of the fundamentals and then take a bunch of pts and review them. There’s lots of good, more specific advice from qualified people who scored really well in the discussion forum. *I do like looking at the comments underneath explanation videos bc some people go really in depth. Good luck!

Hal Incandenza

I got really obsessive about the LR questions that I missed. Like … I’d spend twenty minutes reviewing each one, first making sure I understood it perfectly, then sorta berating myself for my mistakes, then really internalizing what I should have done correctly. So it’s more than just “reviewing what I got wrong” - it’s a deep dive into what I got wrong.

The other thing that I don’t see frequently mentioned is the importance of high level reading for fun. If you can manage it, aside from formal study time, try and read for 30-60 minutes a day. Not The Economist or even The New Yorker, but a dense novel or philosophy or something on economics. Something you really have to chew on. Then - and this is key - make sure to really process every sentence. Many readers - including myself - have the flaw of sorta reading “paragraph by paragraph” and skipping poorly written sentences, instead relying on context clues. This is fine for day to day reading, and it might even work on the test, but as a matter of practice and habit, I tried hard to avoid it and retrain myself to read every word, not sentences or paragraphs holistically. Hope that makes sense / helps!

66_Umair_55

Wow, that's amazing!...I'm definitely not in the same category as you...lol but that's really admirable.
...Currently trying to learn L/G and too afraid to take a PT cause I'm worried i'll get a score that will just disappoint me. ; p