Feeling Kinda hopeless after scoring lower on my second PT than my first

sumaiyarehmann

I take a PT every Saturday. The first one I took was a 143 (average for first time esp after only 3 weeks of studying) but I just took my second one and score horribly, I honestly feel embarrassed saying I scored lower than a 143.

What do I do going forward? Does this happen to anyone else? Do I use my analytics page to see what I need to work on?

I just feel really hopeless. I've been studying ~3.5 hours a day, and my exam is in 9 weeks. Thoughts?

jor.hinze

This is only your second PT you've ever taken? Just keep going tbh because it sounds like you are doing everything right. Try not to let your first practice tests hold you back, this test is psy-op by LSAC as much as it is about logic and reasoning lol. If you want my opinion, push back your application a year or more. You will feel way less stressed and like you have time to study (I have been studying seriously since like October 2023 and on and off again since like 2022). Plus it gives you time to find a job and gain some real-world experience which may help your application altogether.

Besides that, keep a wrong answer journal, find where your weaknesses are and study those. I am awful at SA and NA for LR and pretty bad at RC still, so I study those the most. I am averaging 152ish for my weekly PTs but the concepts are getting easier each week! And my first PT's were in the low 140's as well, we all start somewhere

You got this!!

salamatsammie

Just keep grinding! This is all about repetitions. You can definitely machine-learn this test. You might not be getting a 180, but not everyone in the world can. However, I am certain that your level best can definitely but up in the 160's! 3 weeks of studying is such a little amount of time, people will undergo months of studying for this test. Continue studying, be resilient and review properly and then anything is possible!!!

sumaiyarehmann

Do you have a template of a wrong answer journal I could use? How do you structure yours?

jor.hinze

I use google sheets and my rows are test.sect.# / Blind review confidence % / Question type / Reason missed / Solution

sumaiyarehmann

Do you feel that helps you? If you can, do you mind attaching a copy of the way you're doing it so I can gauge how I should do it?

m88127357

Well have you tried taking a third one to confirm how bad you really? You can't make inferences from two data points and chances are you're being hard on yourself

sumaiyarehmann

I decided to push my test. I am taking an untimed practice test this weekend and working on solving the questions. Then once I feel more confident I'm going to take another practice exam.

jilliankirkland

I wouldn't worry about the PT test scores at this point. Unless you're confident that you know what the test is asking for in any which way it's asked, your PT scores won't reflect your actual ability. My scores went up by 15+ points in just the first two weeks after I realized that I really didn't understand what the questions were asking me to do. You may be like I was in the beginning— looking at the PTs you've taken, and after reviewing the questions in detail, you see why the correct answer is correct but don't have any confidence that you'd answer it differently if you had to do it again. Don't burn through more of the PTs until you're certain that you understand how to answer these questions.

I would first go through the lessons and get super clear on the type of answer you need to find and when, and why certain wrong answers are wrong for certain questions. Practice with one section at a time instead of entire PTs, then review all of the questions (those you got right and those you got wrong) and learn why each answer choice is or isn't correct. There are several sites that give free detailed explanations for every question on every PT. I use two in addition to 7Sage for every single question I review because it often takes that many different ways of explaining it to come across one that clicks. You'll find what works for you as you go along.

Along the way you can pick back up with the PTs once you see that the questions you're missing in the practice sections are very specific, correctable mistakes such as missing strong language in the stimulus or misreading and answer choice. But if, when you're reviewing, you think to yourself "ok that answer makes sense as the correct answer but exactly what the question was asking for wasn't that obvious to me," then you need to work on whatever that is until that is not the reason you got something wrong. Hope this helps

sumaiyarehmann

Thank you! This is a great perspective and I will give it a try!

Older_LS_Applicant85

Don't take too many PTs, you don't want to run out of practice tests, that can be a significant problem. Also, take the LSAT when you're ready and scoring above, at, or near your target score. The LSAT isn't going anywhere. Be patient and apply yourself to understanding and dominating the material.

nazlsatprep

Dont fret same just happened to me. Look at the sections see how u did on those sections. If uve studied them and got it right then ur fine if u havent studied them and got them wrong then ur fine too.