Why am I having such a difficult time scoring at least in the 150s?

LSAT Determined

I study all the time and have been for a while. I was first exposed to the LSAT 2 years ago and score in the 120s, but then the highest score I've ever gotten was a 139. Am I retarded or something? I really, really try, but I keep getting the same crappy score. I was a great student in college and did a lot of wonderful things but I feel like a failure when it comes to the LSAT and I'm tired of studying for it over and over again...like damn..when will this nightmare be over?

DumbHollywoodActor

Know that you’re not alone with your frustration with this test.

As for your question, first let’s get some more info: what’s your score breakdown in each section (average)? What’s your BR score?

nordeend

@"LSAT Determined" it sounds to me like your study habits are bad. This could be a prime example of quantity does not equal quality. I would camp out on one question at a time taking as much time as you need to have 100% comprehension. If it takes you a whole night of study to get one LR question down then that is ok. Take as much time as you need before moving on. Also, your fundamentals are probably lacking. Go over complex grammer, argument structure, valid/invalid argument forms, etc until you have them down. With this in mind you should probably stop PTing for awhile. Get the basics and review down then start back up. You can do this with self-discipline but keep in mind that law school is more difficult than this test and it is really short in comparison to the rest of what becoming a lawyer is like. Maybe you could do something else? Idk....but if you really want this then you have to focus on quality.

LSAT Determined

I usually get like a 11/12 in LR and probably 13/14 in Logic Games and 12/13 in RC

DumbHollywoodActor

Ok. Can I assume that you’ve gone through the 7Sage curriculum and LSAT Trainer?

LSAT Determined

Semi, I'm almost finished with 7sage and I recently bought the LSAT trainer

DumbHollywoodActor

I’d advise stopping taking PTs. Finish the curriculum and read the LSAT Trainer. Do LG PTs 1-35 after that. Then restart PTs. After 5 PTs, use the Analytics feature to note any question types still giving you trouble and drill them in between PTs.

I never got your BR score. Are you not doing that?

nicole.hopkins

@"LSAT Determined" said:
Semi, I'm almost finished with 7sage and I recently bought the LSAT trainer

May I ask why you're taking ANY full-length PT's having not finished a curriculum?

vtl

It's all about taking care of those little habits you know you should be doing. Once you're finished with the 7sage curriculum, I'd recommend that you review JY's blind review (BR) videos lessons. His message is simple, but it's probably the most important thing you need to accept. If you have reservations because the BR process seems time consuming, or for whatever reasons, I get it. Initially it was different than what my natural approach would be, but after time passed and after reading different books and perspectives on learning and education, I just knew it was the most efficient way to attack the LSAT: I need to have concrete reasons for why all correct answers are correct, and concrete reasons for why the wrong answer choices are wrong. Anything less, and I'm not learning everything that I could be learning from each practice problem... or worse, I'm deceiving myself because I'm getting lucky on some questions using "vague feeling", which will lead me astray when going about other questions.

You can do it!

P.S. on a side note, if you have free time to random books recommendations by strangers, read "A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)". I didn't read it particularly for LSAT specifically, but I found it personally helpful for identifying different modes of attention, and how I could trick myself into thinking I'm learning when I'm actually not. It also helped explain why when I skip questions on the LSAT and come back to it I usually instantly know the right answer.

DumbHollywoodActor

I’m answering your most recent post here because I think the conversation we were having here is indicative of your difficulty. I think you’re really trying to put the cart before the horse. Based on the information you’ve given, I’d say you should take a full week off. You’re clearly burned out. Then I’d wouldn’t touch a PT until you’ve finished the 7Sage curriculum, done all the LGs from PTs1-35 AT LEAST once (maybe more. See foolproofing: http://7sage.com/lesson/fool-proof-guide-to-perfection-on-logic-games/). While you’re doing that, work through LSAT Trainer to stay balanced. Get your fundamentals down. Know how to pick a flaw out of as many arguments as you can. Know how to negate any conditional statement that comes your way. Memorize those valid and invalid argument forms. Get that stuff down. Then, and only then, start PT-ing with some seriously thorough clean copy BR. You could even try writing out your reasoning for the BR for the first few PTs. But take a nice long break. You can’t hate LSAT. You might not have to love it, but if you hate it, you’ll end up hating every moment you spend studying it. I can’t imagine a worse way to go through life. You’ll get there. One step at a time. And once you do start PTing again, please join us on the BR groups. They’re very helpful and a great way to make this experience fun. Best of luck to you!