Very little improvement in the past few months

RaeD4512

Hello everyone,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma and could use some advice. I have taken the LSAT in the past and had a total freak out. I did very poorly and I have seen minimal improvement. I'm currently scoring in the low 150s and can barely make it through a whole PT without giving up. I have spent countless hours in classes and with private tutors, but I am already an extremely nervous test taker, which hasn't helped in the past.

I was shooting for a 160, but that is a lost cause. I just want to score in the high 150s and I'm starting to have serious doubts as the date approaches that I can achieve this goal. This is my second shot at the exam and I really don't have it in me to postpone to February, or study anymore than I already have. I have a high undergrad GPA and a high graduate GPA (both upwards of 3.7), awesome letters of recommendations and internships in the legal field. I know the LSAT is incredibly important, but I'm literally doing everything I can and nothing seems to help my overall score. I score fairly well when I take just 1, or 2 sections individually, but otherwise I'm totally screwed.

I am adamant about going to law school next fall and with the way I'm scoring I'm sure I will not be offered any scholarships. My top choice is Ohio State, Moritz College of Law and their median LSAT is a 160.

I have dedicated ALL of my time to studying and I have been studying for over a year (with minor breaks in-between). Should I postpone until February, or just keep studying (although it is so painful at this point) and cut my losses this December?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

brna0714

@RaeD4512 said:
have spent countless hours in classes and with private tutors,

Have you completed the 7Sage curriculum? Do you complete thorough blind review on every prep test? We need more information.

RaeD4512

I took an entire Kaplan (I know they're terrible) course then began the 7Sage course. I used the 7Sage course to tackle areas that I thought were my weakness and really get a strong foundation of the fundamentals, but I did not complete the entire 7Sage course.

I complete BR on every PT although it seems almost unnecessary because I rarely ever finish an entire section and I know (for the most part) when I do well. I wonder if I'm just not blind reviewing well enough? I catch myself making many stupid mistakes and skipping at least 5 questions in LR, RC and usually unable to finish all of the games.

brna0714

The curriculum builds upon itself so if you went through it piecemeal, there are likely still gaps in your understanding. I would recommend starting over and going through the curriculum slowly, being sure to understand each concept as it arises. Probably not the answer you're looking for and it's likely going to take more time than you have right now. Unfortunately, 24 days just isn't much time.

RaeD4512

At this point I just want to study correctly so I can get the best score possible even if that means postponing until February. Should I continue to see a private tutor, or just start from the beginning again? I started from scratch before and I'm just wondering if I'm ever going to see improvement… @brna0714 Thank you so much for the advice!

brna0714

You're very welcome. I just sent you a PM with some advice. Take care.

markariangeorge

Think about it this way: if you build a house on a poor foundation, you will hit a point that no matter how much you add you it, it will keep falling apart. Kaplan is a poor foundation. You can't just go back and try to add some extra cement. You need to take the whole house apart and rebuild. Retake the 7sage course slowly from the beginning and rewire your brain. It's going to be hard but Kaplan probably instilled in you some bad habits you need to break in order to move past your plataue. I'm also taking in February so if you want to chat and maybe BR together let me know. I work full time but sometimes have time during the week and always study on weekends.

poohbear

Just PM'ed you!

twssmith

I scratched writing Dec test because of the exact reason discussed about poor fundamentals. Not being able to break through a plateau on my PT scores and recognizing thru BR areas lacking full comprehension of the task at hand, I have re-started the curriculum from the beginning. Even areas that I was doing okay in, I am building stronger skills to improve in accuracy and time. The increased proficiency will also allow me to spend more time on the questions that I deem as time sinks! As someone currently in the process, I am finding restarting the curriculum highly valuable and recommend it - (confidence could help reduce test anxiety as well). All the best!

nicole.hopkins

@twssmith said:
I scratched writing Dec test because of the exact reason discussed about poor fundamentals. Not being able to break through a plateau on my PT scores and recognizing thru BR areas lacking full comprehension of the task at hand, I have re-started the curriculum from the beginning.

@twssmith said:
As someone currently in the process, I am finding restarting the curriculum highly valuable and recommend it - (confidence could help reduce test anxiety as well).

RaeD4512

@markariangeorge that makes a lot of sense. I will be going through the entire curriculum from the beginning and hopefully build some confidence along the way! I'm also down to BR. I'm currently dedicating all of my time to studying so I have plenty of availability. @twssmith that makes me feel much better. I'm glad it is working out for you so I am going to get started right away.