Low PT, recent breakdown, unsure what to do

1danlynch

Hey everyone! SO, I am planning on taking the September test, hoping that it is my last one, but yesterday is making me wary of my prospects. For the past few weeks I have been working exclusively on RC, since that was my weakest section. I took PT 70 on Saturday, hoping to hit around a 163-165, but ended up getting a 156. Based on what I had been scoring on my timed, full sections of RC, and my usual scores on the other sections, this came as a big shock to me. I had been averaging from 3-6 wrong on RC, 2-3 on LG, and around 6 wrong on each LR section. Definitely looking for a bit of inspiration, since I totally fell apart yesterday when reviewing, and started to question whether I should even take the test in September. My BR was 164, also lower then expected. Overall, I was thinking maybe the results were due to not taking a full PT in a while, but I am really unsure what to do at this point. I really wanted to take the test in September and do well on it and be done with it, but like I said, this score is making me reconsider things. So for those much more wise than I, what should I do?????

danielznelson

I think you're right on with your reason for scoring lower than normal. Also, is this your first test in the 70s? That could be a big factor as well; it was for me. Since you've been working exclusively on RC for the past few weeks, I don't find it much of a surprise that you took a dip in your total score. Taking a week or two off from the LSAT has helped me greatly but it does come at the minor cost of taking an initial dip in PTs. But studying only for one section will probably bring about similar results. I would recommend instead that you focus on one section while still incorporating the others to keep your techniques up. Your BR score may have been lower simply because your actual score was lower. This is an almost hard fast phenomenon for me. I think I make more overconfidence errors, among other errors, on significantly poorer PT performances.

Really review the heck out of that test, and get back to studying up on LG and LR. Don't feel like you can't focus on RC, but definitely don't do that at the expense of ignoring the other two section types altogether. Your performance on PT 70 seems to be an anomaly to at least some extent, so I wouldn't question your actual knowledge of the test. You may just be off your game.

1danlynch

Yea this is my first test in the 70s, definitely what I needed to hear. I had no idea that the 70s were an anomaly for people generally. My plan is to take 1 PT in the 70s every Satruday, then BR on Sunday. Then I would leave Monday-Friday to drill individual timed sections, maybe around 2 a day. Hopefully this will bring me back to where I need to be.

Sprinkles

@1danlynch try taking 2 pts and leave lots of room for solid BR a week especially if you're aiming for September

Sprinkles

Also you still should be taking a day off where you're not thinking of the LSAT. If you find you still aren't scoring up to par, take a few extra days off to recharge your brain

Alex

@montaha.rizeq said:
Also you still should be taking a day off where you're not thinking of the LSAT. If you find you still aren't scoring up to par, take a few extra days off to recharge your brain

I think this is solid, solid advice.

1danlynch

Sounds good, I'll definitely do that. Like I said, I'm aiming for a 165 on test day in September, so I want to make sure that I'm confident of my skills going in. But this set back has my mind all messed up.

Shireen Bhatia-1

@1danlynch I've just started training this summer seriously for the LSAT (So feel free to take my words with a bit of salt) and honestly the biggest thing that helped me with getting questions correct is to relax. I know its really odd to say, especially since you already know how practice intensive this test is. But one thing I've learned from even just being 2 years into college is that burnout or mind blocks can happen. It's ok. Don't get discouraged. I know what disappointment is like, but as they say, treat yo'self. Take time, and come back to it. With a fresh, well rested mind, you'll be much better. Don't let your mind fall into the trap of worry.
I hope this helps and all the very best.

MrSamIam

I can almost guarantee that every single person here has had one "what the hell just happened?" PT. Take a day off, relax, get a good night's sleep, and take another PT in the AM. See how you do on that one.

Cant Get Right

Yeah, it happens. The important thing is to recognize that it’s an outlier. Until your average starts tanking, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. When averaging my last 5 tests, I actually disregard my highest and lowest score. This frequently balances out, but it removes any outliers which might be unrepresentative.