Discouraged

krose1011

I have been studying since June and just completed a practice test with a score of 144. I'm so discouraged and feel like nothing is working. I'm feeling like the test has gotten the best of me. Any suggestions or anyone who has been through this? It seems like my accuracy has gone down with the more I've been studying

cmelrose

Hey! I totally understand how you feel. My diagnostic score was 160 and after 5 months of studying, my most recent score was 155. What has been keeping me going is knowing that progress is not always linear. The good thing is, you can keep pushing your test date back so long as you do it within the deadline. That way you can ensure that you take the test when you're fully prepared.

One thing I have done when I feel like giving up is writing down all of the reasons I want to be a lawyer. Studying for this test it can be easy to forget your "why". Try to remind yourself why you are studying for this thing in the first place. You got this!

You Gotta Show Me

Don't study for too long on any given day. Your first hour of studying is going to be more enriching and productive than say your 4th or 5th hour of studying in that same day. You have to let everything you learn sink in.

Wario Fan

I learned the most from some of the PTs that I did the worst on. Put time into BR and take note of not just the questions you got wrong, but also how you felt throughout the test, and what you can do to not make the same mistakes next time. This is really general, I know, but keeping these principles in mind has helped me improve.

tina.marie

Hi you're not alone. I seriously get sort of discouraged hearing people scoring in the high 150s and 160+ range. It sometimes feels like I won't ever get there. I keep reminding myself that I need to be realistic. I have never been great at standardized testing, but I also know my strengths. I know my GPA is high, my personal statements have also been well received, and I have solid recommendations for schools.

While this line of reasoning seems like I am choosing to neglect LSAT studies (that's not the case), but it eases my anxiety. The score we get is just a number that someone will look at. I remind myself that my SAT score didn't correlate with my undergraduate success. That gives me comfort. Maybe this is an illogical view going into this journey, but I know myself and how I learn.

As much as I want to see my score reach 170+, putting that pressure on myself doesn't benefit me. It causes me to shut down, question my intelligence, and disrupt my ability to continue learning. Be realistic with yourself, your goal doesn't have to be a 170, it could be breaking into the 150s, that's still a goal you should feel excited about reaching.

Right now it seems like you need to find a question type that you like, and build your confidence with those. I feel good going into Logic Games, so when I am frustrated I turn to doing those practice problems. Yes, it doesn't necessarily fix my problem area but it takes the weight off my chest and reminds me that I have some sections/ question types down pat. On my PT I have started to move through the LR questions types that I hate and do the ones I enjoy first then move onto the hard/ questions I don't like.

Something that has kind of help is writing down my thought processes the way it's done in the syllabus. So if the question is wrong, I can see what happened. Maybe is misinterpreted something or misread the question. That was more helpful to me in the beginning especially since I was getting mostly everything wrong. I would do this even with hard questions and simply write "WHAT?, this makes no sense to me, etc" so when I watch the explanation I can go "ohhhhh, that's how I should approach it"

I hope this helps, and you're not alone in your LSAT struggles, but don't give up.

Juan23vr

I would forget about that prep test and keep studying. Its normal for scores to fluctuate because there could be many factors that contributes to a drop that are beyond your understanding of the test or a reflection of your work. I've had 8 point differences that I believe I could attribute to external factors like lack of sleep, focus, or simply no motivation to get through the test. Or sometimes would rush a test before work only to be disappointed. The sooner you get over that 144 the more time you can commit to studying :]

focusandbreathe333

I would definitely not get discouraged. My PT score tanked to a 147 when I had seriously been studying for a month. I was sad for the rest of that day, but I didn't let it deter me. The next day I just kept learning and writing out on top of my initial work (in logic games) you went wrong here, your train of thought went here when it should have really gone there. Then, I review those notes before right before I go to sleep or before I start driving my car to try to build up my subconscious with these accurate deductions. Just keep going. Little by little. Brick by brick. Everything will work out, just don't give up on yourself. Continue to stay encouraged. I also think it would be helpful to try to aim for 100% accuracy on the first 12 LR questions every time, the first 2 games -0 and the first two RC passages -0. Getting 100% accuracy in baby step versions will help you master the foundation skills needed to attack the harder questions.

lsatlover-3

If the questions you're getting right are scattered across the three sections, I highly recommend trying to perfect logic games first. I found this to be really rewarding in my studying process. It's notoriously typically the hardest section at the start of studying, but actually the easiest to learn. If you can manage to master logic games, averaging -0 to -2, I find that it can be a great motivator because you have now shown yourself you are capable of learning this test. Additionally, a lot of the ideas of conditional logic and extrapolated diagramming in this section can be translated to quite a few logical reasoning questions as well. You start to get a handle on things like contrapositives, and ideas about linking from one premise to another to the conclusion. This is great for things like parallel reasoning questions, and must be true.
Based on the score you're citing though, it is possible you've already mastered this section. In that case, I highly recommend starting off with questions that are easier to master like main conclusion questions and start getting comfortable with arguments. Then start slowly moving to questions that are slightly more challenging for you, but you sometimes get right. Begin to understand why you're getting them right sometimes, but not other times. Are you getting others wrong because you missed something in the stimulus? Or are you maybe getting others right on happenstance and not as a result of understanding the core fundamentals of that question type?
I would also recommend to diversify your study sources if you haven't already. Don't get me wrong I love 7sage as much as the next person, but there were just some concepts that I needed additional help with. For instance, The LSAT Trainer approaches LR not directly with questions types, but with a general approach to reading arguments and finding flaws. This wasn't useful to me, however, until I had begun using 7sage and then used The LSAT Trainer as a supplemental. Not every prep resource will 100% be helpful across the board, some are 10% helpful, others are 80% helpful. Begin to get other perspectives and approaches. Maybe reading question stems ahead of time actually isn't the best approach for you, even if it is for others.
Finally, always remember this test is a beast—even AI struggles with this test. Learn from your mistakes, and always keep pushing. But at the same time, remember it's just a test. It does not make you a worse or less deserving person if you don't get a perfect score. There are schools out there that accept low LSAT scores. There are schools out there that are not allowing GRE instead of the LSAT. You can still go to law school if you don't do well on the LSAT. Make peace with getting a low score, and the likelihood your score starts to improve at least slightly as your stress slips away is high. If you're getting very close to your application season, make a list of schools and see if they take the GRE. However, I did notice a couple schools that, if you have already taken the LSAT and have a score on file, you cannot submit a GRE score and have to use your LSAT. Make the decision that is right for you, and best of luck with your studies.

keller.jay

It's tough when you put all the study work in and don't see the results right away. Continue practicing and following along through the lessons. Keep going, it will click one day and your scores will reflect that.

mrumiu345

@krose1011 survivor io said:
I have been studying since June and just completed a practice test with a score of 144. I'm so discouraged and feel like nothing is working. I'm feeling like the test has gotten the best of me. Any suggestions or anyone who has been through this? It seems like my accuracy has gone down with the more I've been studying

Hello, I also encountered this problem, so even though it's a bit late, I wanted to share a bit. Surely everyone is under a lot of pressure before an important competition, and that pressure will multiply many times over when they see their scores drop. The reason may be because you have forced yourself to study too much. You should allocate your training time reasonably and not do too much because it will be counterproductive. You must try to keep yourself in the most comfortable state of mind and always remember to have fun while doing the test. I understand it's very difficult, but try to find joy when you successfully solve a difficult problem, when you don't make any mistakes in one attempt. Try not to feel too pressured when you don't do well. Calmly review your mistake and remember it so you don't make it again. Gradually your score will stabilize. Don't worry too much, good luck!