Improving my score and other soul crushing LSAT related questions

lsatings

Hi everyone,

So, I'm currently studying for the LSAT (obvs). I originally planned on taking it in October, then pushed it back to December. And now I've pushed it back to (hopefully) February. I've been studying mostly on material comprehension and less on timing. I've taken three *untimed* practice tests so far and I've received a 164/165 on each of them.

Here's my problem: so with just a little over 2 months until the February LSAT, will I be able to both
A) hit my 173 target score? I want to be scoring 3 points above my target score, and I dont want to score anything less than a 170
and train myself on timing?

I quit my job to study for the LSAT/work on applications. So I'm currently unemployed and have a lot of time to devote to this. There's been too much distraction at home for me (family of 8 in a tiny apartment) and so I'm moving in with a friend where I can have peace and quiet these next two months to just study.

Has anyone who has been able to bring their score up from the 164/165 range to the 171/173 range comment on the difficulty/amount of time/strategies it took for you to get there? Did you do this timed or untimed? Am I hopeless, and should I push this back to June? I don't completely mind the unemployment aspect, but would rather not delay having to work until June if you get what I'm saying.

Any sort of guidance anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated! I would also love to do study groups/BR even with someone else, if anyone is interested. Thanks!

nye8870

@splitter You appear solidly dedicated. Great decision to move out and allot all/most time to LSAT study. Is your goal achievable? I want to say yes! You will receive tons of support from fellow 7sagers. Some will probably advise allowing yourself more time and to push test date. Ultimately you are the only one who can make that decision. Best wishes!

gs556

@splitter said:
Has anyone who has been able to bring their score up from the 164/165 range to the 171/173 range comment on the difficulty/amount of time/strategies it took for you to get there?

Hi Splitter,

I started studying in January of this year. I went through the 7sage curriculum in 6-weeks and then began taking timed Prep Tests. Within 2-3 weeks after the curriculum I was consistently hitting in the 170 range. That took about 9-weeks total. I don't think I am representative, but it can be done. You are already pretty close but I would want more info about what sections you're struggling with to give you more targeted advice. Here was my schedule after the curriculum phase:

After I completed the curriculum I studied 6-days a week. I took 3 prep tests a week and blind-reviewed on the days in-between prep tests. After blind reviewing, if I saw a specific sort of question type I was struggling with, I would watch the 7sage curriculum videos for it, and work a few problem sets for it.

Before I took my prep tests I would glance over my previous PTs for a few minutes, just trying to remember what lessons/take-aways I had discovered from my review. I did this up to when I took my exam in June. My PTs stayed in the 171-175 range fairly consistently (I took upwards of 45 total).

gs556

I would suggest taking a slow, steady approach to studying. Track your results but don't rush the process.

*IF* you are within range for 170+ by December, go for it. Worse case scenario, you have the experience of a real LSAT in your pocket for the June test. Best case scenario, you break the 170 mark and can move on with your life.

schyler.cox

I would definitely start doing timed PT's and doing clean-copy BR on them. Get at least 5 minimum under your belt... there is a huge difference, at least for me, mentally when doing timed v. untimed. Putting yourself in that stressful situation makes thinking under pressure a habit, and you learn to apply the logic from the lessons in that way, which could be a different way than the way your brain processes it/handles it when it is completely stress-free in untimed conditions. Just my 2 cents.

allison.gill.sanford

Untimed tests basically don't count as actual PTs. Having all the time in the world completely changes your score. Don't take any more untimed tests; take them timed and then BR them afterward. Your current untimed scores are probably closer to BR scores than anything.
I think 170+ is a pretty big jump by Feb... because I assume that under timed conditions you would be scoring currently in the high 150s or low 160s.
Have you done all the core curriculum yet? Where do you score on LG? If you're not averaging -2ish on LG, you can get the most gains there by using the foolproof method to drill games over and over, memorizing how to make inferences.

nicole.hopkins

@splitter said:
I've taken three *untimed* practice tests so far and I've received a 164/165 on each of them.

Well ... Untimed ... That's just not anything to go by.

@splitter said:
hit my 173 target score?

No.

@gs556 said:
Within 2-3 weeks after the curriculum I was consistently hitting in the 170 range.

This is somewhat unusual, TBH. It took me Over 30 tests to consistently score in the 170's. It takes a lot of folks a lot longer than this amount of time to see this kind of consistency. Of course, it depends largely on your diagnostic score.

nicole.hopkins

@gs556 said:
I would suggest taking a slow, steady approach to studying. Track your results but don't rush the process.

Yes!

lsatings

thank you @nye8870 that was very motivational.

@gs556 I'm currently struggling the most with LR. I get an average of -2 per LG section, and at most -5 per RC section (but can usually average it out to -3, plus have only been studying RC for a month now so I assume I can only get better from here). But LR I average about -6 or -8 per section and the questions I get wrong are across the board. I have the manhattan books, the power score books, and the LSAT trainer. I've relied mostly on manhattan but it might be smart of me to start using power score as well. I'm going to follow your advice and take 3 practice tests during the last week of December: if I'm scoring 170+ ill take the February exam.


@schyler.cox I completely agree with you on that, and I think I'm going to start timing my sessions from now on. Thank you!


@allison.gill.sanford I understand what you're saying. I usually only take about 45 mins per section for LG and RC, but it takes me about an hour for LR. I'm averaging about -2 per LG section and at most -5 per RC section but usually get -3 there. My biggest problem is with LR.

@nicole.hopkins yeah I think I may need to push my test back to June. It's just a little bit frustrating because I had intended to take the October LSAT and my family is pressuring me excessively to take the December and get it over with. They dont understand that the LSAT really takes time and I know I'm probably just not going to listen to them and focus on my score > an earlier application cycle, but its difficult to navigate around angry parents. it's easier said than done but I was a bit hopeful about the February exam.

schyler.cox

@LSATsagha said:
It's just a little bit frustrating because I had intended to take the October LSAT and my family is pressuring me excessively to take the December and get it over with. They dont understand that the LSAT really takes time and I know I'm probably just not going to listen to them and focus on my score > an earlier application cycle, but its difficult to navigate around angry parents.

Can I just say that I completely COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THIS. Then again, sometimes it's me struggling against copping out, and giving myself an excuse to not go in thinking I am going to do as well as I had hoped. You got this!

Castruccio

I just want to echo earlier posters about taking untimed tests. I took two untimed tests and scored 164/165. The first time I took it timed under strict conditions*, I scored a 155; I simply was unable to complete each section in 25 minutes, and my brain was fried by the fifth section. Key takeaways from that experience: 1) I need to work on my timing, and 2) I need to build my stamina. There is no way I would have picked up on that by taking untimed tests.

*By strict conditions I took the test at a public library at 0800, used a virtual 5-section proctor, and bubbled answers into a scorecard.

I am currently going through the 7Sage curriculum, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

lsatings

@Castruccio said:
1) I need to work on my timing, and 2) I need to build my stamina.

Hey -- yes that's definitely something I need to focus on for sure. I've noticed it as well. I also find that as comprehension becomes better, so does timing. But you can't just leave it at that you have to train yourself on timing as well.

@schyler.cox said:
Can I just say that I completely COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THIS. Then again, sometimes it's me struggling against copping out, and giving myself an excuse to not go in thinking I am going to do as well as I had hoped. You got this!

Thank you! Yes it seems the trend is here that unless you've taken the LSAT/have studied for it a bit then you do not really understand the monster of an exam that it is. My friends who are studying for the MCAT for example don't understand why 4 months isn't 'sufficient' time to get a 'good' score. And even when they hear that someone is scoring in the 90th percentile for example, they dont see why it is something not worth settling for. The LSAT weighs more heavily in law school admissions than the GRE or the MCAT do in grad school / medical school admissions. So the misunderstanding about the exam is two fold (in terms of difficulty + weight). But yes, we both can do it! Fingers crossed for us all.

nicole.hopkins

@LSATsagha said:
My friends who are studying for the MCAT for example don't understand why 4 months isn't 'sufficient' time to get a 'good' score. And even when they hear that someone is scoring in the 90th percentile for example, they dont see why it is something not worth settling for.

Haha ... yes ... the eternal struggle ...