Quantity vs. Quality with regards to studying

fishtwentyfive

I scored a 168 on June 2015. I made the decision to take it only 9 weeks before-- In those subsequent weeks I took 30 pt's. The 4 weeks before the test I took a pt every week day, and would study till I was on the verge of tears. It was brutal, and by the last week before the test I was inconceivably burnt out. I had to neglect taking the last pt's I planned to. I was going for quantity this first time taking the test, and now I'm gearing up for Oct 2015. I want quality this time; I want less hours of studying but I want to maximize the time I spend. Most of all, I want to be as fresh as possible on test day. Burnout is not going to slide this time.

Has anybody else experienced this crisis? At some point, quantity, the amount of hours and pt's, begins to yield little in terms of becoming better at taking the test. And it burns you out-- I scored 3 below my average in pt's for June 2015, which I hear is actually normal. How do I, with limited hours and only a few pt's (I'm planning on only taking 5-6 pt's before Oct), maximize the time I spend?

I believe that I'm going to find out that quality of study time, after thoroughly acquainting one's self with the LSAT, is far superior than the quantity of hours spent studying.

jyang72

I would say 20PTs with thorough BR are better than 30PTs with crappy BR. As long as you learn where you went wrong and why you think wrong choices are right, you gain something. It seems that you have a high goal since I believe 168 is already a good score.

Pacifico

@jyang72 said:
I would say 20PTs with thorough BR are better than 30PTs with crappy BR.

This is absolutely correct. Also, if you got within three of your average then that shows you were pretty on track since they give a variability of plus or minus three on the score you get to describe your actual score band. You may just have unfortunately hit the bottom of your score band, and maybe next time you'll hit the top. The fact that you weren't wildly off base (5-7 points off or more) tells me you didn't really have any problems with test day anxiety/stress, and instead just did way more work than you needed to. I bet you could've gotten the same score with half the PTs and better BR and more rest to let your brain catch up. I'm guessing you're shooting for mid 170s if you're retaking a 168, so just remember that people who hit the mid 170s are consistently hitting the high 170s in prep. The 177+ range especially has a degree of luck to it that accounts for how people could get a 175 one day and a 180 another time simply because certain questions just caught them the wrong way.

I would probably take more than 5-6 PTs if I were you, just to stay fresh. I'd say 1 PT per week would be a good way to go, with an excellent BR (you really want a 175-177+ BR if you're going to get where you want on test day). That will help to deepen your understanding and further cement your fundamentals. And you probably need to take 3 days off per week at least since you sound a little intense in general. Try hitting up one of the BR calls to cut loose while getting a chance to develop your skills a bit.

fishtwentyfive

Well guys, I have a confession, I never BR'd.

jyang72

@kylemitchellx , the fact you got 168 without BR shows you are really good and you will definitely be better with BR!!

Alex Short

If you never actually BR'd, then may I ask what your diagnostic score was?

BR on the tests you've taken may very well have been the difference between where you scored and a very high potential score.

fishtwentyfive

@"Alex Short"
My diagnostic was 157

I always thoroughly reviewed nonetheless. Perhaps I wasn't convinced of the value of BRing because that would've spoiled my studying plan-- I would have had to make time to do a thorough BR which would've lessened the amount of pt's I could take.

nicole.hopkins

PT's without BR ... I mean, what are you hoping to get out of them? Just practice and assurance of potential? The assumption underlying neglect of BR may be that one has already learned all that one has to learn. If that were the case, one would 180 on every PT, habits etc. notwithstanding (or 175+ at the barest minimum). In the absence of this quantitative evidence (and even in the presence of it, as certain 175+ PT'ers I know can attest), there is still always more to learn. And BR (or some version of untimed reflection) is the only method by which one can accomplish this.

harrismegan

Wow, congrats on the 168 without BR! I agree with what everyone said above. Limit the PTs you take from here until test day, make sure you have a solid BR, review fundamentals where you feel you are lacking, & keep up with LG practice to stay fresh and on top of it

Alejandro

I have, and scored way below my potential just like you. Chill and make sure you review all your PTs closely this time. You got this!

Alejandro

by the way @nicole.hopkins that was poetic!

Julia L

I realized late into my prep for the June 2015 that I had sacrificed quality for quantity. In the last weeks of my prep, I focused on drilling specific question types, and thoroughly reviewing my reasoning for the right answers and the wrong answers. This proved to be extremely valuable.

I think a lot of the LSAT is about forming the right habits. I'm trying to form good habits for each section, and by doing individual question types over and over, it drills into my brain the right way to think. And then when it all comes together in a PT, your habits will shine!

Alex Short

Well with a diagnostic of157 and a score of 168, you have an incredible amount of potential!

Even if you have taken all PTs, it's worth going through them with BR to identify where you're losing points.

For example, when I blind review, my score is usually over 175, with a timed score approaching 170. Last week I found almost ALL of my missed LR questions are point at issue, and more difficult Pseudo SA, and argument part questions. Odd thing was I aced my SA questions - turns out the stems threw me off and I gained several points from it.

You have a very high ceiling with the improvement done already - proper BR in addition could pull you up to a 175+ but either way, congrats and good luck!

nicole.hopkins

@kylemitchellx said:
At some point, quantity, the amount of hours and pt's, begins to yield little in terms of becoming better at taking the test.

By the way ... I'm managing this right now. Currently in day 1 of a 5 day full-stop studying break. I'm allowed to go on the forums to discuss general topics but not actual LSAT/course material (or @c.janson35 and @Pacifico will mercilessly troll me).

Trust the process. Play the long game. Low and slow.