psychological wall-question

granny_smith

hi,

for those of you (like me) who might have started in the late 140s and have been stuck in the 50s for a while...

how do you convince yourself that it CAN BE DONE? I had 161 as my best score and 160 and then dropped back down. I can feel that part of me doesn't even believe that it even is possible, to get into the higher 160s much less in the 170s. i know at this point i need to convince myself of the actual possibility of this happening, or my scores won't budge. do you meditate on a specific number? Use a vision board? zone in on where improvement has actually happened? I was just curious if anyone had any advice. I read the "don't give up post" (thanks!) but can still feel this weight...

Petrichor

hey I think you might benefit from switching up the material. i started off using one method and my score barely improved over 2-3 months. took a break and started with something else and saw immediate improvements. had another stall (although scores were higher) for 2 months or so until i finally reached my goal on the real thing (took test twice btw).

Pacifico

Forget the scores and focus on the learning process and the scores will come. In my opinion, below 160 there are usually still issues with fundamentals at their core as opposed to issues with implementing them consistently across many tests and reproducing those results on test day. My third PT after finishing the 7Sage curriculum was a 171 and it was probably the worst thing that could have happened to me. I broke through that psychological barrier you're talking about, and then subconsciously thought I was good to go. I let life overtake consistent prep work and didn't PT for awhile and then dropped back down into the mid 160s for a month or two before I passed 170 again. I had unconsciously stopped focusing on the learning process and where I was really weak because those high outliers convinced me I knew what I was doing. Rather than take them as outliers in the same way I treated any sub 165 score, I felt they were emblematic of my skill level. Really though, they were outliers and I was averaging a 166 and change.

People tend to ignore the low scores that reinforce where they are really at because of their egos and your ego is enemy number one on this test (after the dark lords at LSAC) and so you really have to set all that aside and get back to basics and learn to recognize the patterns of the test and where you consistently get caught up or tricked by the test writers. There is a plateau to be encountered in every score band. Some you might avoid, but others will get you sooner or later. Recognizing that and taking the steps necessary to rectify it are what is most important, not just getting a score back from each PT. Of course that is easier said than done. So grab the low hanging fruit first and make sure your LG is on point. When you tighten that up it will propel you into the 160s and keep you there and then it will in turn give you the confidence to keep pushing and tighten up the other sections. You can do this, just don't obsess over the score because it gets in the way of your learning process.

nordeend

@Pacifico word.

nicole.hopkins

@"granny_smith" said:
I can feel that part of me doesn't even believe that it even is possible, to get into the higher 160s much less in the 170s.

Oh, of course you can. My diagnostic was a 152--not much higher than yours.

You just play the long game and you put your whole heart/soul into this thing. Make it your favorite hobby. Embrace the journey.

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
My third PT after finishing the 7Sage curriculum was a 171 and it was probably the worst thing that could have happened to me. I broke through that psychological barrier you're talking about, and then subconsciously thought I was good to go. I let life overtake consistent prep work and didn't PT for awhile and then dropped back down into the mid 160s for a month or two before I passed 170 again.

+10 !!!!!! I also had a an early 170 and was like OK I'M AWESOME. And then guess what ... Spent lots of time around 163-165 ...