June or later?

guitarnara

Hello,
I am not sure as to whether I should take the June or the Sep exam. I am aiming for 165+(canadian) . My recent PTs have been in the 166-168 range. With only 13 fresh PTs left, I am alternating between retakes and fresh exams.

Should I take the exam when I am well above my target score,in order to be safe, or do you think I should still aim for June??

Thank you in advance for your advice

stepharizona

@guitarnara said:
I am aiming for 165+(canadian) . My recent PTs have been in the 166-168 range. With only 13 fresh PTs left, I am alternating between retakes and fresh exams.

I would say that with this level of scoring only you an determine that. In my opinion, if you are averaging 3 points above your desired score then you should test. We are still 10 weeks out, as of this Monday, for June so there is still lots of time to improve.

But really, only you can gauge your progress at this level. If you've been studying for a year vs a few weeks that could all factor in as well. Are you still missing points in LG? Is that average on old, or fresh material? Will you be able to remain dedicated If you wait till September? All of those thing need to be considered before you decide if you should test.

You say you want to score 165+, but there is a big difference between a 165 and a 170 as far as prep goes too. If you're averaging a 167 10 weeks out and want a 165, I think you're in a good position, but you have to feel that way too.

guitarnara

I've been studying for close to a year now. My LG is usually around -1 to -6 (hard ones), so there is definitely still room for improvement. 166-168 is my average of my fresh materials. My retakes are in the 170-175 range.

My biggest frustration is with RC. When I do well, I get -2, but when I do poorly, I do as poorly as -11. My LR is very consistent. Because of this, I feel like there is still so much to improve on.

Now, 165 is not my actual goal. It's more like 167-168. 165 is the minimum I would be okay with. That is why I feel like I am not putting myself in the best spot by taking the test when I am not scoring over 170.

Do you think taking the June, while not exhausting all my fresh PTs (saving 5 ), and then taking Sep again is a good idea?

runiggyrun

I think if this would be your first take and you're already scoring above your target under strict conditions you should be OK to take June. September will still be there if you need it. Focus on Foolproofing the games to get those scores more consistent, and keep mixing fresh and old PT's so you don't run out.

guitarnara

This will be my second take, and I've been trying to take all exams under strict time conditions. I will definitely try to foolproof all my games

Ron Swanson

I would personally advise you to take the test in June, as @stepharizona mentioned, there's still a lot of time to improve.

Think about it this way: you've been prepping for a while, this would be your second take, are you really prepared to add on 2 more months to your prep after June? I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but burnout is real, and I think if you're prepared you should take the exam.

I'm also a high 160s/low 170s scorer with a 165 floor in mind. I understand where you're at. But in my opinion I would rather rise to the occasion in June than postpone, but that's me. I'm ready to move on from this test. You have to think about where you're at, how much more LSAT prep you can handle, and go from there.

Regardless, to be scoring above your 165 floor this far out is an accomplishment. You should be feeling confident and harness that confidence to keep kicking ass.

Good luck!

jessicalj

@stepharizona mentioned subtracting -3 from your average to account for test conditions, I would say this is accurate based on personal experience. If you've taken the test before you probably know this as well.

I was in a similar situation to you in terms of PTing around my target score, but much closer to the test date (this past Feb). Instead of postponing, I went in hoping for the best and betting on soft factors instead of skill. Now I'm back to drilling the fundamentals, aiming for September.

Given your time frame and score improvement needed for a buffer (+5 points), I would study as though taking the test in June, then re-evaluate based on how you're doing closer to the test date (1-2 weeks before).

guitarnara

@"Ron Swanson" Your advice is very sound. I have experienced burnt out before, and having to wait till September may be too much of a drag. Are you also planning on taking the June exam?

@jessicalj Yes, I think that's what I am aiming for. But I am trying to be cautious as to not exhaust all my fresh PTs, just in case.

Ron Swanson

@guitarnara Yes I'm going to take the exam in June. I feel like Sagers tend to err on the side of postponing (for good reason, people waste takes all the time), but I don't think that someone should consider postponing out of apprehension due to the infamous test day penalty.

You're scoring where you need to be at this point. Don't stress, keep on keepin' on