Breaking 170's

ker142

Hey guys. I'm enrolled to take the April LSAT, and am consistently scoring 168-169 on prep tests. I can't seem to break into the 170s and do not see any particular patterns in questions I'm missing. Sometimes I'll get -1 and -3 on LR, sometimes -3 and -6. Reading comp I miss about 4. There have been a few cases where I've simply been rushed for time and misread a question, but my results just feel inconsistent so I don't know where to focus my energy. If anyone has any advice please let me know!

Constantine

There is inconsistency across sections. In Logical Reasoning (LR), scores vary from -1 to -3 at times; they drop to -6 at other times. Reading Comprehension (RC) consistently scores around -4. You also experience occasional timing issues that lead to rushed questions. There isn't a clear pattern in the missed questions; therefore, the problem may not lie with a specific question type but could be related to test-taking strategy, endurance, or a deeper understanding of the material. Since your scores are already high, the margin for improvement is small, and each question carries more weight in the higher range. You should focus on minimizing errors in the areas where you are already strong while addressing your weaker spots.
Regarding the inconsistency in LR: When you miss more questions, is it towards the end of the section? If that's the case, fatigue or time pressure could affect you. Alternatively, certain question types may appear less frequently but still trip you up when they do appear. Analyzing your past tests to identify any hidden patterns would be beneficial. For example, you might be consistently missing a particular type of question, such as parallel reasoning or necessary assumption, without realizing it because those questions are not frequent.
You could create a list of your mistakes, and I can help you determine what you might be doing wrong.

yhtkim

Try taking a break! I was in the exact same boat as you. What I did was quit the LSAT for a week. When I came back, I hit my first 170. Week long breaks broke pretty much every single plateau for me after that

ker142

@Constantine Wow thank you for such a detailed response! I do definitely see that I'm missing questions nearer to the end, but I think that has more to do with their difficulty than timing because I don't frequently correct them in blind review. Honestly what I think is costing me those crucial mistakes is random blunders (I recently missed a question because I mistook the word "sandslide" for "sandstorm" in the prompt!). I will say I am not as strong as I want to be in my formal logic mapping, I've reviewed the courses on it but can't seem to get it to click in my brain, so most of the time I go mostly based on my instinct rather than the concrete map (generally I have faired fine this way, I don't often miss them). My most missed category is causal reasoning!