Advice Please - 155 to 160

Avatario43

I started my journey about a year ago, with about a 140 diagnostic. Went to 148, then 150, now 155 on the last April test. My average for the last 10 practice tests I had taken was from 158 - 163. After the 150 test, I made some serious shifts in my mindset, study habits, overall approach to review and drill etc. I was starting to feel so good, intuitive, confident. I seriously thought I was ready.

I need a 160 on the August test - 5 more points - it truly will be my last try for personal reasons I don't want to get into on here.This is 3 months worth. Is this doable?

If so, how? Drill each section for now, review? Or practice tests and then analytics from there and review? 76 75 84 85 91 69 is the ones I have left that I haven't taken or were taken long ago. Is it okay to retake tests already taken and see the comparative improvement? In terms of material, how do I use it to my advantage?

I feel so lost, confused, and this shook my confidence down by a lot. Figuring out technology for 30 min and starting late, starting at a much later time than most of my past tests, and during the third section feeling my brain already fall asleep - these are the factors that come to mind, if that is of any value. I don't mean to sound self - defeatist and I'm aware that my situation isn't necessarily unique, but I truly do feel disappointed and so low after seeing this. I really think I can do better, I'm just feeling down and confused and lost as to how I can specifically execute that.

Any specific study guidance (moving forward in my particular situation), words of wisdom, and genuine advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for whoever chooses to respond.

Also, here are my analytics from my last 10 practice tests on here:

LR: -5.7 average
LG: -7 average
RC: - 7 average.

I don't understand how I got a 155 on test day and missed that many more points, like I'm truly so confused. Any and all thoughts and insight would be much appreciated.

JesseWeNeedToCook

Personally I would really double / triple down on bringing your lg to 0/-1

Your other sections are good enough to get a one 160 so long as you can get more efficent with the games.

logic games is the easiest section to make consistent improvements so it to being one of your weak points is actually a boon. Drill a minimum of four games a day, save games that you can't complete accurately within the target time, watch the explanation, then drill those games again going through all the inferences until you can complete them in an accurate and efficient manner. The do some spaced repetition, where you're re-doing these challenging games at 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days from when you first saw them. If you've got any questions just send me a message.

best of luck

bailey.luber

Hi @BullfrogFairy, 7Sage tutor chiming in here! First off, I would echo the previous comment and emphasize the importance of mastering games. I completely agree with the drilling, foolproofing, and spaced repetition advice. I think you can definitely re-use already seen PTs, especially for LG. Start with what you've seen least recently and focus on mastering it and getting more out of it, not on if you memorized that C was the answer to question 3 (for example). For LR and RC, your goal should be not to lose ground and focus on getting a few extra points on average from LR. Predicting answer choices and having a cemented step-by-step process for each question type can really help. I'm a fan of letting yourself do more untimed practice than you normally would, if you're someone who usually practices timed. Focus on going back to the fundamentals and truly checking in on understanding for each stimulus, question stem, and AC.

I was also someone who took the test multiple times and I actually got a lower score than my PT average for 3 out of those 4 tests. The difference was that I walked away from my last LSAT feeling like it was just another PT, and confident in predicting my score. That's your goal, so how do you get there? I was endlessly frustrated with what could have changed on the actual test, and writing out a list of anything and everything that could have been different or extra (in terms of external factors like environment and internal factors like mindset) was a helpful first step. After that it's really a matter of building the mental-game aspect of this test (confidence, stamina, a Plan B, C and D etc for if something goes wrong) just as much as you work on timing and accuracy. Some helpful ways to do this are to not move on from a question/game/passage when wrong answer journaling until you are fully confident you could send an explanation for it to another 7Sager on a forum. If you aren't already keeping a wrong answer journal, this is your sign to start! Sometimes just introducing a more formal WAJ where you assess not only why the AC was wrong/why the right one was right BUT ALSO writing down why you eliminated the right answer, why you selected the wrong one, and what you can do to never make this mistake again (preferably with an action item, like a specific strategy or drill set).

Finding study buddies to stay accountable and talk through reasoning can help! I also really recommend considering signing up for our Live Classes, as we have many that are focusing on mastering LG, building a Study Plan, and just about anything else that is perfect for pushing through those last few months studying. We are also going to be offering simulated Proctored PTs every Saturday, so look out for those announcements on the Forum/events page to get more chances to experience the test in an environment most similar to test day. Let me know if you have any more questions! I'm always happy to help.

Avatario43

thank you so much. appreciate it a lot. where will the proctored tests be posted? Do you think nerves / taking the test 2 hours later than normal / having issues logging on for 30 min could have had a negative impact?

secondly, why did I just take a pt after break and receive a 161, everything same conditions other than the proctor. For LR I was a lot more intuitive and went with my gut and didn't neurotically re - read everything like I did on the actual test, how do I stop doing this? it's like I get so scared that it's the real thing that I want to be sure of everything I'm reading / interpreting but instead that's the only thing in terms of strategy I felt like I did differently.

bailey.luber

@BullfrogFairy Of course!! We are having a Proctored PT this Saturday at 1 pm ET, if you're able to join! Here is a link to the forum post with the details: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/34869/june-3rd-proctored-pt

I think you're spot-on in identifying those external and internal factors. Now, your goal is to expect that all of those things will happen and prepare for it! Write down your game plan (even if it seems unnecessary) for every obstacle you might encounter, and think yourself through those responses.

As for your second question, congrats!!! That's an awesome PT, and you really can get that score on the real test. You know exactly why this happened: you did (to some extent) something different or extra on the actual test! Now, write down exactly what you need to do to succeed in each section on the real test (IE trusting your initial LR judgement because it was rooted in evidence and logic), and exactly what you need to avoid (IE re-reading to the extent that you don't normally). Keep that on a sheet of paper or on a sticky note on your computer (remove it for the official LSAT of course) and read it before every full timed section and PT that you do. Add and edit as you continue learning! BTW, start doing full timed sections apart from full PTs if you haven't done that yet). Your goal is to remind yourself to intentionally stick to what works and get rid of anything extra or different, and repeat that enough times under timed conditions to be absolutely confident you can do it in a less-than-perfect test day environment.

Hope to see you at the Proctored PT!