Dejected Student

1danlynch

Hey all,

I'm reaching out since I have run into a few problems with the LSAT that I didn't anticipate, as I'm sure some of you have as well. I started studying through this course over the summer, and planned to take the test in October. Then, probably around August, I decided to sign up for the December test only and not take it in October. Over the summer, my PT scores were slowly creeping up, but now that I am at school (a pretty challenging one at that), my scores have started to plateau at a point where I am not at all satisfied. I was around a 162-163 over the summer, but once school started, I kept at the curriculum (doing 2 tests and BR a week, along with the LSAT Trainer), but my scores have fallen to a lower plateau (158-160). I am signed up for the test in December, and still plan to take it then, but I am most likely going to take the test again unless there is some kind of divine intervention on test day. I am not really sure why my scores are falling, maybe its because I wasn't holding myself as strict as possible to the time restraints over the summer, or possibly vice versa, but I need advice regardless. By this point, I have done most of the 7sage curriculum and just finished PT 69 yesterday. But with finals around the corner, I was going to take at most 1 more PT before the real thing on the 5th. I was thinking about possibly taking the test in June, but I am not sure what my plan of action should be. I was thinking I should maybe go through 36-72 PTs again with a stricter sense of time, or at least focus on certain parts of the previous tests in places that I am having trouble in. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Pacifico

If you weren't taking any of your PTs under strict timed conditions then you have taken 0 PTs. Cancel December, take a year off, shoot for June and October and just know you'll have to rely on retakes to get you where you need to be.

nicole.hopkins

Amen. @Pacifico

And why the heck are you taking ANY PT's without having finished the curriculum?

Yikes. Sounds like you were trying to rush it/cut corners, to be honest.

Julia L

Just curious, by school do you mean undergrad or a master's? That's a lot on your plate! I think full-time work and LSAT is one thing and can be managed, but going to school and taking on the LSAT seems difficult to handle. I personally would have hard time knowing how to prioritize my time, but maybe that's just me.

Echoing what @nicole.hopkins said, it's not beneficial to use PT material when you haven't finished the curriculum. The LSAT is a skills-based test, so it's about identifying and strengthening the right skills and forming them into habits. This also means identifying and destroying bad habits. First and foremost you must know the fundamentals. Or else you're taking PTs blind and using up precious material. There is still plenty of value you can gain from retakes though, so don't worry about that.

Of course we all want to score at a certain level, but wishful thinking isn't going to get us there. The LSAT demands hard work and constant self-examination. There's no point in worrying about where you're scoring at. Just keep focusing on learning the material, and time and persistence will pay off.