Stuck in the mid-high 160s... help!

sb253310

Across all three sections, I find that the biggest cause of incorrect answers ends up being that I end up stuck between two options, and choose the wrong one. Or, I believe it is one answer, and then overthink it, and choose the wrong one. I start each section with the mantra that ONLY one answer is correct and all others are unquestionably wrong, but I still have a hard time feeling confident in my answers. Sometimes my initial answer is right and I talk myself out of it, but often times I catch wrong answers and correct them before the time is up. Does anyone have any advice for how I can break this cycle? My current strategy has been to spend a healthy amount of time doing BR & focusing on WHY the incorrect answer is the wrong one, and why the right one is truly right. Still, I worry I won't be able to correct this by June. I'm hoping to break 170 on the exam. Any advice is appreciated!

Ravinder

When you are down to two, don't dig in as that increases anxiety which leads to errors. I find skipping the question and coming back with a fresh mindset (and rereading the stimulus) often makes it clear which to pick. Also, I found BR to be not very helpful for improving because it is 'blind' review....meaning that you can't fully remember your thought process at the end of a section. I did over 50 practice tests (over one year) with blind review and was plateaued at 162 despite several attempts at the test. I then focused on quality over quantity and studied just 5 LR questions per day doing one question at a time and immediately reviewing it after reviewing the right answer. This approach of immediate review allowed me to easily remember in detail my thought process and see where I went wrong. I noticed immediate improvement. I applied this same immediate feedback approach to RC and also noted rapid improvement. I only studied from 5 practice tests over the next few months and got a 177. If you want more details of how to do this you can message me.

sarahislam

Hi Ravinder,
I would love to learn more about this process too. I am currently stuck in the mid 160s on my lsat, a good 8 points below my PTs.

Thanks!
Sarah

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