Sudden Score Drop- Help!

abbymajerus

Just took a PT and my pre-blind review score was almost full 10 points below my average. (Post BR was still around 4 points below by usual pre-BR average)

As I was taking this PT I could tell that I was really struggling to focus but I powered through because I want to make sure that, even if I am not at my best on test day, I am preparing for that. This has really stressed me out though- I'm scared that on the real day I will have another bad day like this and get a bad score, despite all of my hard work. I've been studying for over a year at this point and I've had some drops in score but never to this extent (I mean- this was lower than my diagnostic over a year ago!)

Needless to say, this has really shaken me. Any advice as for what to do next would be greatly appreciated.

mikalyn.greenzweig

I had this same thing happen to me on the January test. My score dropped 10 points below my average and I think a lot of it had to do with nerves. The same week I hit a PT high and I had been studying for 8 months prior to taking the test. Sometimes factors such as stress, your environment, and even taking a test that so happens to focus on your weaknesses rather than strengthens can make a huge difference. If you were already struggling to focus before and during the test, this is probably why your score dropped. But don't let this bring you down! The lsat is a journey of highs and lows. Some days you may struggle, and other days you may do great. Test day is no exception to this. I don't think it's lack of ability for the situation you described above, so don't let one test get the best of you! What's most important to do in this situation is stop, close your eyes, take a few deep breathes, and continue on. After seeing my score drop so much on the real test, I decided to start throwing in PT's that I'd take that were under unusual circumstances. I've taken one in a coffee shop, a different room in my house, with tv or music playing in the background, and started telling myself that regardless of the circumstances I WILL do great and that I AM capable. Adding another element of pressure to my PT's was very difficult for me to do at first since my scores were still dropping, but as I continued to do this, my score and mental toughness increased. Sorry for the lengthy post but hopefully this helps! I completely understand how you are feeling. Review the test, learn from your mistakes, move on, and try your best to do better next time!

abbymajerus

Thank you for this comment! I'm definitely feeling a bit less stressed than I was at this time yesterday. I've looked at the PT with fresh eyes and understood everything much better. I definitely think I have tried a little too hard to make my practice test environments "perfect" and I will try to add some variety in environment as the test gets closer- hopefully that will help me adjust much better on my future "off" days. Thanks again- it helps just to know I'm not the only one who has experienced this!

madelinemulcahey

This happened to me last week! I am worried studying too much has had a negative affect on my performance. I took a break for a few days and felt better.

I have been trying to focus less on my individual PT scores. You have been studying for so long you know the test well and have all the tools you need to score highly! Try not to get too caught up on the numbers.

I have also read that people have seen scores decrease as they get to more recent PTs. RC seems to get much more difficult.

abbymajerus

Interestingly, I had taken a lot more recent PTs when I first started to study (I was using a different service) and when I started taking the older ones my score dropped a bit. I think it's at least partially just a matter of the wording and types of questions being a little different and that can kind of throw people off. Also in a happy update, I took another PT and scored right on my average. I'm honestly glad I had that drop because I think I was getting sort of complacent and just assuming I would score high no matter what and I needed to be shaken up a bit and remember my basics and strategies.
Thanks to both of you who commented!!