Plateau-ing very hard...

LuckyPigLuckyPig Core Member
in General 45 karma

Over the past 9 PT's (taken over the last three months or so -- I've had to take roughly one PT per two weeks due to other commitments), I have been scoring basically 171-3. BR for these have ranged from 175-180. It feels like the most intense plateau. I usually get around 7-8 wrong, and they're pretty evenly distributed between the two LR sections and the RC section. My intuition tells me that LR is where I can squeeze out some more points (probably RC too, but I really think I have more to give with LR). But I'm totally unsure as to how to get those extra points. It's not like there is a common type of question that I get wrong, even though they generally tend to be the more difficult questions.

I have around 10 modern PT's left. I recently started taking one per week. I'm now wondering if I should space them out more so that I don't run out of material and focus more on drills. Trouble is, I am lost as to what strategy I should take for overcoming this plateau. I was hoping that others who have been in a similar place before and succeeded in breaking the plateau had some tips!

Comments

  • natemanwell1natemanwell1 Core Member
    314 karma

    I would focus on learning the strategies for the question, and learning the wrong answer types. For example for a strengthen you have the general technique [expand gap most on net from both ends or if not that from the weaker end or if not from the weaker end], and in order of the best specific options you want to [provide sufficient condition, remove alternative explanation, remove obstacle, show expected correlation holds, provide necessary condition]. Then you want to learn all the wrong answer types such as [opposite, value judgment vs. non value judgement, qualification, etc]. I feel like being totally clear on the gap is what to focus on as well.

  • SufferingfromSufficientConditionSufferingfromSufficientCondition Core Member
    edited January 16 336 karma

    Do you know how your time fans out across questions in a section? Look at the time analytics of questions and try to narrow down the amount of time you spend on the (generally) easier questions (1-15 ish) while maintaining accuracy. This will allow for more time on the more difficult questions which (if I had to guess) you're rushing through at the end due to time constraints. Rushing and stress will cause you to miss out on the little details that are so important to distinguish the ACs for difficult questions.

    For consistency, you mentioned that you had other commitments that impacted your PT abilities. Lack of consistency (I get it, life happens) can significantly impact the progress you make.

    I also want to caution against burnout. I and many others in this community can vouch for the "burnout-based" plateau. Sometimes you don't even realize it, so take a step back and take breaks. It might seem counterintuitive, but taking ~1 week off can be monumental for score gains.

    When do you plan to take the test? If it's not till April or later, stick to PTing every other week until you're a 1 month to 1.5 months out.

  • LuckyPigLuckyPig Core Member
    45 karma

    @SubpoenaColada

    Thank you so much for the comprehensive feedback! I will take heed of everything you've mentioned. It really does help!

  • domignatdomignat Core Member
    77 karma

    What question types are you struggling with? For some, there are quick ways to identify how to go about answering the question. Let me know and I can help.

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