Advice Needed: Should I Retake?

LoraxMan

I have been studying for the LSAT for roughly 1 year, and I recently re-took the June administration of the LSAT (canceled first exam). For June, I scored 5 points below my monthly PT average leading up to the exam. This definitely put my numbers off target for the group of schools I was hoping to apply to.

I have taken, all told, 43 fresh practice exams, complete with BR (all but 4 exams taken after PT 36). I have also gone through the entire 7sage curriculum, plus powerscore curriculum I started with. I simulate conditions on practice PTs (usually take tests after hours in my office with timed proctor), and deliberately go through every question on my BRs. One frustrating aspect of my practice was consistency. I saw wild 10 point fluctuations in score on fresh PT exams, even adjusting for relative difficulty of exams over time.

I am wondering if there is value in further study and a retake. Given the amount of material I have covered, is more study going to amount to banging my head against the wall? Are there new ways I can try to study that, at this point, make further study a good idea?

I value your opinions, 7sagers, thanks in advance if you have any advice!

mpits001

The one thing about this test that can be stressful is being a couple of points off your target. Anything can influence a 5 point difference. Crappy proctors, noisy students distracting you, nerves, and etc. When I first took the exam in December I scored 9 points lower than my average. So I know how you feel.

If you think you can get a better score, then do it. A lot of people take the LSAT more than once. The first time is usually a learning experience, the 2nd can also be a learning experience. The best thing about 7Sage is that you will be able to go over all those mistakes in the future with detailed videos. I was able to do that for the Dec 14 exam, and it helped immensely on the June exam.

If you don't have the Trainer I would suggest picking it up, go through the 7Sage curriculum again and retake practice exams. There is no doubt in my mind, with all of the PTs you've taken, that starting over will be beneficial. You won't get a 180 on all of them, right? I'm not sure what your target score is, so I can't say how much more improvement or how much harder/easy that improvement will be, but if you're looking to retake in Oct/Dec you have plenty of time to get on track. If you haven't joined the BR groups, join them because they are extremely helpful.

Consistency can be attributed to fatigue as well. Did you burn out easily? Did you give yourself breaks? Some question types appeared more often than not, while others disappeared. This is annoying for some and better for others. It may be question types you struggled with (like it was for me as I moved up in PTs,) or question types that are easier for some. Also, the way they approached the questions in later PTs was a bit different, so a lot of factors can go into fluctuation. 50s are different from 60s, and 60s are different from 70s. I'm sure you understand/know this, but it's important to reiterate and keep this in perspective. If you have any doubts, dispel them. There is nothing worse for a law student, than going to a school he/she doesn't want to go to.

Pacifico

Were your BR scores as wildly inconsistent or was it just your timed scores? If it's just the latter then it sounds more like nerves possibly hitting you in different situations. So it might benefit you to pay more attention to how you feel during a test just as much as how well you do, and then record something about those feelings, that way you can see if any patterns emerge when your score is lower or higher. If your BR scores were lower as well then that points to some issues with your fundamental skill set which may need to be addressed more specifically through drilling and BR.

You have absolutely nothing to lose by retaking since I assume you're not applying until this fall anyways. You could retake in October and it still wouldn't hurt your admission chances. Worst case scenario you apply with a 164, best case you apply with a 165+. You've still got a third test you can take so if you're not satisfied, then why not go for it? Whatever you do, save those 4 fresh and clean PTs for the last week or two of September.

Unlike your original year of prep, blind reviewing is going to be where you really make your money now. Keep hitting those timed PTs, but that BR will show you exactly where your skills are at. And I would definitely agree you should get yourself on one of the group BR calls, they are absolutely invaluable to improve your reasoning skills. If you can take 3 PTs a week, I'd start with the ones that you haven't seen in the longest amount of time, and do one of those per week, then for the other 2, just jump in with @nicole.hopkins on the Wednesday/Saturday cycle (52 is this Wednesday) and go from there. You will find yourself learning a lot more from listening to the thought processes of other 7Sagers and I think it will be immensely helpful for you.

emli1000

I think you should retake there is great advice left on here and I would say that joining a BR Skype group can only benefit you.