Time to throw in the towel?

CalmChristopher22

Hello people of the good earth,

In need of some clear coated advice. I studied for eight months and scored a 150 on the August LSAT. This was my second time writing it as my first time was me being an overconfident rebel thinking I could swoop in a perfect score with 2 months of studying... I was very very wrong. I canceled that score. But, I came back with vengeance and determination and scored a 150. Am I happy with this score? Absolutely not, I was aiming for 160. I wrote the Saturday exam that had dual RC with African Languages and photo apertures. This section was brutal and I wish the best for anyone who got thunderstruck by it too. I must have scored a -15 on that RC alone. The rest of the exam went good. Now I am trying to figure out if I can increase my score by 10 points in two months? I know there is a lot of optimistic people saying its possible but is it a reasonable climb? I was PTing at 150 and I scored exactly 150. I know the perplexity of getting a section drilled to a T but, reading comprehension is my pitiful. So many high and lows with RC. Any advice improving in two month or should I throw in the towel for this year and continue grinding until everything clicks? Any help or opinion will help me immensely. Thank you beautiful people.

TE CSC 2021

I think it's impossible to really answer this question without knowing what you did during your eight months of study and what you're going to do differently during these next two months. If you spent your eight months totally on your own, perhaps depending piecemeal on 7sage and a smattering of other resources and only studied a couple of times a week, then there's greater reason for optimism than if you maxed your resources and efforts over eight months.

I will say that the climb from 150 to 160 is still more about mechanics than the more subtle things you need to master to move within and beyond the 160s. It's entirely possible that you have glaring gaps in your knowledge/strategies that working with the right person/people could help you resolve quickly.

EliasLsat

First off good job on seeing your improvements from your first time taking the test. The leap from 150 to 160 regardless of your weakest section is difficult but manageable. Focusing on your weak areas and evaluating your struggles is definitely a good place to start. My other advise would be to delay your test until you are PTing at your goal score. If your aim is a 160 and you have only PT'd at 150 then push on the breaks a little bit. RC in my opinion takes the longest to get good at. Drill, drill, drill RC and take a practice test before November registration opens and see where you're at.

sarakimmel

Agreed with @EliasLsat , the best predicter of your score on test day is your average PT score, perhaps a few points below. Believe me when I tell you that I understand what you are going through. I got a 155 last year, and in retrospect, I shouldn't have taken the test at all, I wasn't ready, and having had the negative experience of taking when not ready did not help my confidence. Having to reconcile that I needed to wait until I was ready was painful and humbling, but I discovered there is no room for ego in this test, it will always win!

Yes, RC can be difficult to work out, and typically sees the slowest gains, so if that is your toughest section, I would say, take the time you need to make it less daunting. I used to get -10+ on every RC section, and have only recently gotten that consistently down to -5 or better. RC is likely to remain difficult, too, as they de-emphasize games in preparation to phase them out in the next few years. Having proper strategies and knowing your strengths/weaknesses is huge, but those take time to implement, and even longer to begin to see results.

I wish I had a rosier prospect to share, but experience has proven to me that if I can't preform where I need to be with all conditions in my favor (no proctor, and no real consequences on a PT), then why do I expect to be able to do it on test day with all the pressure and stakes involved (and believe me, I DID think I could)?

I found this podcast particularly helpful in diagnosing areas to work on in RC, it really breaks it down to help you know where the disconnect truly is.
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/lsat-podcast-episode-41-reading-comprehension-skill-tests/

I sincerely wish you the best of luck, and know you are not alone in this journey. Find study buddies/groups, keep refining, do your blind review the slow, painful, right way to maximize your learning for every question.