170 plus scorers who started in 150s

elizabethh777

I just wanted to seek advice from anyone who started with a lower diagnostic who was able to achieve high 160s-170s.

How did you do it???

I would love some advice as to how you got there and what were some of your "ah-ha" moments?

ishaw18

I started in the 150's, I think with a 7Sage diagnostic of 158, but before I began using 7Sage my scores were even lower. When I first started, I didn't really have a set plan for how to approach each question type, I would just look for what seemed to be the correct answer choice, DO NOT do this.

When I started on 7Sage, I went through the core curriculum, and really tried to engrain the fundamentals on logic in my head. Being able to understand these concepts and the relation of ideas is critical to performing well on the LSAT. While moving through the core curriculum, I took a few practice tests along the way, but honestly, as long as you are doing the problem sets and have the time before your official administration, you may as well wait until completed with the curriculum to begin practice tests. You must listen to and understand the lessons. These are the mechanistic practices which will allow you to find the correct answer, whether it is a main conclusion question, necessary assumption, or parallel reasoning etc. Same goes for logic games. These two sections you can see a massive improvement if you put in the time and effort. For reading comp, which is what I struggle in the most, I can only recommend to watch the lessons and practice, practice, practice. When you get a question wrong, review it and listen to the explanation so that you can get a sense of the reasoning that is used.

When you start taking practice tests, I recommend doing it in a timed environment, and only taking break time as you would be allowed on the real test, so as to make it as realistic as possible. After you finish the test, take a break for a bit, do something to give your brain time to 'recover' and you MUST blind review afterwards. This is where you will build the fundamentals in your process of finding the correct answer choice, no matter the section. Finally, after you blind review, go over your test. Watch the explanation, and truly understand EVERY question that you get incorrect, or else, you are simply shooting shots in the dark and in essence wasting valuable learning experiences, I even recommend watching explanations for questions that you were unsure on but got correct nonetheless. Stick with this practice, and you will certainly see an improvement in your score. Of course, it is a case by case basis, but you will see improvement.

p.s. timing wise, I try to complete the first 10 LR questions in the first 10 minutes, but that is a personal thing. It just gives a bit more time for the more challenging questions later in the section.

ellenmarie

Read The Loophole which helped dramatically with LR (which I was having the most difficulty with). For RC I just practiced over and over and OVER until I began to recognize how to strategically read and retain the info. I was already pretty good at LG, but I still practiced. Besides The Loophole , I honestly felt like not cramming and practicing everyday lead to improvements. I think once you have LR down then RC follows. It's easier said than done, but keep studying consistently and give yourself the time you need before taking the exam.

lsat_sus

Ask specific questions. I just hit the 170s from a 148. I asked hella questions to my tutor and he helped me a ton. PM me your questions or just comment on the 7sage platform questions that give you trouble and put #help at the end.

It's that easy. Formulate as specific of a question as you can and just ask it. Interact with people. Wrestle through the questions with others. Unless you're a super genius you ain't gonna come out of this on your own. All the best QUEeN ElIZABETH!!

BlueRiceCake

@ishaw18 said:
I started in the 150's, I think with a 7Sage diagnostic of 158, but before I began using 7Sage my scores were even lower. When I first started, I didn't really have a set plan for how to approach each question type, I would just look for what seemed to be the correct answer choice, DO NOT do this.

When I started on 7Sage, I went through the core curriculum, and really tried to engrain the fundamentals on logic in my head. Being able to understand these concepts and the relation of ideas is critical to performing well on the LSAT. While moving through the core curriculum, I took a few practice tests along the way, but honestly, as long as you are doing the problem sets and have the time before your official administration, you may as well wait until completed with the curriculum to begin practice tests. You must listen to and understand the lessons. These are the mechanistic practices which will allow you to find the correct answer, whether it is a main conclusion question, necessary assumption, or parallel reasoning etc. Same goes for logic games. These two sections you can see a massive improvement if you put in the time and effort. For reading comp, which is what I struggle in the most, I can only recommend to watch the lessons and practice, practice, practice. When you get a question wrong, review it and listen to the explanation so that you can get a sense of the reasoning that is used.

When you start taking practice tests, I recommend doing it in a timed environment, and only taking break time as you would be allowed on the real test, so as to make it as realistic as possible. After you finish the test, take a break for a bit, do something to give your brain time to 'recover' and you MUST blind review afterwards. This is where you will build the fundamentals in your process of finding the correct answer choice, no matter the section. Finally, after you blind review, go over your test. Watch the explanation, and truly understand EVERY question that you get incorrect, or else, you are simply shooting shots in the dark and in essence wasting valuable learning experiences, I even recommend watching explanations for questions that you were unsure on but got correct nonetheless. Stick with this practice, and you will certainly see an improvement in your score. Of course, it is a case by case basis, but you will see improvement.

p.s. timing wise, I try to complete the first 10 LR questions in the first 10 minutes, but that is a personal thing. It just gives a bit more time for the more challenging questions later in the section.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Would you recommend blind reviewing in one go or taking your time. Currently I'm doing half a section BL at a time, idk if there's any extra benefits in trying to BL all at once

ishaw18

I'd say to take your time. It's not a timed environment, so if you step away for a bit that shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure to be fully confident with all of your answer choices.

brookegojazz

Hey! You've got this, the test is truly learnable! I started at a 151 and am consistently 170+ now.

Here's my advice:
-Don't set a timetable for when you'll be able to test or what you "should" be able to do by now. It's taken me 2 years and a lot of work (I also work full time and am a parent). But basically, patience and time are things you need to learn this test. It might not take you 2 years, but it might take longer than you like.

-Be solid, solid, solid on the core curriculum. Once you've got that down pat, your score will likely start jumping into the high 150s, low 160s under timed conditions.

-Don't burn through material too quick. PT-ing when you're still in the same place might not get you as great of a place as you think, especially if you don't blind review it. Take your time and make sure you blind review your tests. That way you can identify if it's a content/LSAT gap or more of a testing/timing gap.

-Once you've got a really good grasp on fundamentals, reach out to others. I joined a few study groups with people who were in the same range and a bit higher than me and group studying helped me get into the solid mid-160s. After that I really needed a tutor. I would not have gotten into the 170s without a tutor helping me with testing strategy and seeing gaps I couldn't see for myself.

-Have fun and keep living your life! At the end of the day, while it's an important test, it is truly just a test. If you want to go to law school, you'll be able to! If you want to get a great score, you can! It takes time and effort yes, but don't forget to be a human and have fun and take care of yourself. Rejuvenate, take a day off every week from studying, and be kind to yourself. Get sleep, keep your friendships, and do fun things too.

You've got this! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.