Advice / validation

C_J_2020

Hi guys,

I've recently taken the Nov 2024 LSAT and am pretty discouraged by the results, to say the least. I had been preparing for the last two months or so (about 5 hours per day appx) and had been doing a lot of PTs (too many I'm sure) in a range of 172-176 with a couple outliers outside the range on both sides, and I ended up scoring a 167 on the actual exam. There were a few adverse conditions which I am confident wouldn't occur again on a retaking, but I don't think any of it could have had that big of an impact so there must be something else. I took a 'diagnostic' two and a half months ago or so and got a 169. Please note though that I did take the exam back in 2020 (hence the username), and I scored a 168 on that one, so the 169 'diagnostic' wasn't a real diagnostic as I was obviously still familiar with the exam from four years ago.

I usually get from -1 to -3 on both the LR and the RC, but generally if I miss 3 on an LR section for instance I'll only miss 1 on the other and only miss 1 on the RC. Doing the math for the 167, I guess I must've missed 13 total at a minimum, which is pretty outside of my range, and almost unbelievable to be honest. It's also frustrating that they no longer allow you to view the exam to find out where you missed your points and review the questions for potential inaccuracy.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, where you've dropped 6 or 7 points from your average PT score on the actual exam? It's hard to take to be honest, and I can't help but feel like my PT scores are meaningless in the face of the score I just got. Also, I know it's somewhat common, but I don't understand how my score could have been below my diagnostic after multiple months of prep. It's all very discouraging, and I'm not really sure what to make of it or what to do differently. I know I need to take fewer practice tests (which is good because I burned like 15 of them in total), but what should we be doing to practice, actually? Just timed drills? At this rate, I worry that I'll run out of legit LSAT questions before I can get my target score (174) on an actual exam.

I don't know if I'm looking for advice or validation, but I think I would be happy with either or both. This was a long one so thank you if you've read this far. I'm kind of considering buying a few hours with a tutor (unsure of where) so let me know if you have an opinion on that with the poll below. Thank you

JDream2025

Your score is pretty good but if you are looking to improve then defintely invest into a tutor. They can walk through your process and tweak it a bit. It generally does makes a difference. I believe 7Sage offers 2.5 hours of tutoring with one of its packages so definitely look into it.

C_J_2020

@JDream2025 thank you very much for your insight

GamesHater

You need to relax bro. It’s clear to me why you scored outside of your range, you’re freaking the heck out. Start studying less, wind yourself down until like 2 days before the test and then don’t study anymore at all. If you’re PTing in the 170s then you’ve learned the material. Your progress isn’t going to come from studying any longer, not substantially anyway. It’s a mental game for you now, breathing exercises and accepting your expertise over the LSAT.

natemanwell1

yeah, you gotta to be a lot better at the lsat to get your practice test scores on the live test, even if you get them in practice, need higher understanding

C_J_2020

@GamesHater thank you so much for your comment, I think I really needed to hear this. Wishing you all the best. Love your username btw

Unknown1234567

I was pretty much in the exact same situation as you. Going to second what someone else said, you are freaking yourself out. I did the exact same thing, studied for months on end, PTed in the mid 170s constantly was scoring significantly lower on actual tests. I didn’t study before my last test, I hardly did any review and I just focused on relaxing and letting my brain work. I needed to get out of my own way and let my brain do what it needed to do. My last test I finally got into the 170s, it is totally doable, you are prepared and capable.

_may_0.0

I also scored way lower on the actual test than on my PTs, so thanks for asking this. I didn't think I had test anxiety, but clearly something happened... I'm also trying to work out where to focus my studying for round 2.

taha.rizwan10

Hey C_J_2020, hang in there. I can tell you, I've been around 2 months into LSAT prep now, preparing for my first ever take in January and I have a loooong way to go, compared to where you are. Considering the LSAT and applying for law schools was a very last minute decision for me, as I am 4 years into my full-time career already.

You're aiming for an ambitious score, which is admirable, but also don't put too much pressure on yourself. Ask yourself 'so what?' if you don't get that dream score? It's not the be-all-end-all and I'm certain a long way down the road you won't even bother thinking twice about it. This is just a milestone, just a gate that needs to be crossed, towards something bigger. At least that's the narrative I tell myself. Keep your hopes high and reassure yourself that you've taken the right steps and the rest will be taken care of, if it's meant to be right for you. We're often the biggest critics of ourselves and so it's important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Happy Holidays!

RNthenJD2b

C_J_2020 even though we are in a completely different realm of LSAT goals (mine extremely much lower than yours lol) I had the same experience when I took November's LSAT- scoring around 7 points less than average PTs. And like you there were some variables in play that I can ensure won't happen during January's test. However, I remember distinctly telling myself this actual test is much more difficult than PTs...as it should be... its a test.The only PT I feel that has come close to what I saw in November is PT 157 and maybe 156, I'm saving 158 for final PT before Jan test. The wordiness the contextual/ referential jargon of Nov test was out of this world. It boils down JY's CC and basic structure and grammar and the ability to get to the foundation of the argument. The other thought I can recall having during Nov test was, I should've spent more time simply studying RC as some of the stimuli in LR we're super long and could be considered mini passages... who knows. You should be super proud of yourself , that's an amazing score and I'm sure with a tutor will get you to your goal, best of luck !