What's wrong with me?

taytay2015

I'm at the point that I just don't know what's wrong with me and why I can't break into the high 160's/170's. Somebody please tell me, because I'm lost. I planned on talking Sep exam and am now panicking.

First, I have always been under the assumption that I can just keep studying till I get the score I want. That's why I've been at this for so long. Here is my history. I have taken Testsmasters in-class course twice. I did the LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim. And most recently done 7Sage. I have taken every LSAT except 76 and 77 (Scores below ordered in the date I took them). When I blind review exams I always get almost a perfect score if not a perfect 180, so I get the concepts. I never run out of time except maybe 3 questions on games and sometimes have to rush my last RC passage a bit and complete in say 5 minuets. The questions I get wrong are a random assortment of easy/hard/different types of questions. It's worth noting that my two biggest jumps were after a prolonged break (easier to see if the info below is graphed). And so I'm wondering if maybe I should just kick my feet up till Sep 24th in order to make another jump. My typical day consists of finishing my 8hrs at work and studying 3-4 hours after work. At this point... I feel like I'm just an idiot. I have studied the LSAT more than anyone I know or read about. I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Any advice?

# Date Taken Score
61 7/19/2013 140 (Day 1 of Testmasters Course 1)
63 8/17/2013 145
54 8/19/2013 147
55 8/22/2013 146
64 9/7/2013 148
56 9/18/2013 152
65 9/28/2013 152
62 9/30/2014 146 (Apx Day 1 of Testmasters Course 2)
68 10/4/2014 153
55 10/11/2014 153
56 10/12/2014 154
58 10/19/2014 155
64 11/8/2014 149
65 11/15/2014 155
67 11/22/2014 156
52 3/11/2015 162
53 6/8/2015 158
7 6/14/2015 164 (The LSAT Trainer Book Diagnostic)
54 6/14/2015 160
9 6/18/2015 161
10 6/22/2015 156
11 6/23/2015 160
12 6/30/2015 159
13 7/8/2015 160
15 7/9/2015 155
16 7/11/2015 160
14 7/12/2015 162
18 7/12/2015 161
19 7/13/2015 158
20 7/16/2015 158
21 7/28/2015 163
22 8/4/2015 161
23 8/5/2015 162
24 8/6/2015 162
25 8/11/2015 161
26 8/11/2015 163
28 8/18/2015 166
29 8/19/2015 160
30 8/20/2015 161
27 12/19/2015 166
31 12/20/2015 154
46 1/24/2016 157 (7Sage Studies began)
47 1/30/2016 161
48 2/7/2016 155
49 2/15/2016 162
50 2/25/2016 161
51 2/27/2016 164
45 3/16/2016 164
32 3/17/2016 166
33 3/21/2016 165
34 3/22/2016 163
35 3/27/2016 163
36 4/2/2016 166
37 4/3/2016 163
39 5/23/2016 164
40 5/26/2016 163
41 5/28/2016 162
42 6/4/2016 163
38 7/1/2016 165
43 7/6/2016 163
44 7/8/2016 161
57 7/12/2016 162
59 7/21/2016
69 7/24/2016 162
70 7/31/2016 165
71 8/7/2016 158
71.5 8/8/2016 162
72 8/23/2016 163
73 8/26/2016
74 8/28/2016 158
75 9/3/2016 160
76
77

stepharizona

First there is nothing wrong with you.

Second...

@taytay2015 said:
When I blind review exams I always get almost a perfect score if not a perfect 180

So are you saying that you correct marked all of the answers you were going to get wrong and then got them all right before you graded the test?

BR is not redoing the entire test untimed its only redoing the ones you marked that you werent sure you go right.

If thats the case, that you correctly predict which ones you are going to get wrong, are you skipping those questions when youre doing the test to allow yourself a better chance to get the other questions right?

Have you looked to see what the common things in your reasoning are for the reason why you picked the wrong answer the first time and the right answer the next?

I have found this is when the missed question logs can be really valuable.

I am sure other people will have some great advice, but nothing is wrong with you. Just make sure you are getting the most out of your studies.

You should also be proud of your increase. Youve gone from a 140 to a 166, that is a 26 point increase!

Sprinkles

First, nothing is wrong with you. The LSAT is super super difficult and people from all walks of life have taken it and those who study the right way will succeed. I see you began 7sage almost a year ago - did you finish the curriculum and did you take your time with it? I do see an upward trend in your score for the most part which is good but one thing I also notice is how often you've taken PTs - often back to back and some in the same day! that's very counter productive and won't show any progress. You say you know the concepts - but if that were true you'd get a higher score and even a 180 every now and then. I would say STOP taking PTs, review the fundamentals, and for sure postpone the Sept date.

Cant Get Right

So you're definitely not dumb. You score 180 BRs which is something many highly intelligent people do not do. Your BR score is what you're capable of and your potential is through the roof. You've just got to figure out how to bridge the gap so that you're achieving that potential.

It looks to me like your focus has been wrong. From your timeline (and number of 7Sage logins) it seems like you take PTs to study without stopping to listen to what they're telling you. The value of the PT is not in taking it. It's not even fully in the BR. PTs expose your weaknesses. Once exposed, you must address those weaknesses, and you shouldn't PT again until you are satisfied you've made significant progress. There may not be a clear pattern to what questions you are vulnerable to missing, but I guarantee there is order if you listen closely.

There's also a lot of things about this test that go way beyond the actual material. Test taking strategies are a really important part of a high scorers success. Given your stats, I think you could benefit a lot, maybe in a very short amount of time, by working with a tutor. Even a few meetings could potentially make a big difference.

You also are probably super burned out, so I definitely think that taking that break is a good idea.

You may also want to think about December. I know delaying is really frustrating to even think about, but you just seem to have so much potential I think you could really benefit from the couple extra months if you can develop a more effective study strategy.

jjwang120

I have done all the Powerscore, all the Manhattan, and Mike Kim's book before coming to 7sage! I don't have much advice, but one thing I've been told is that I probably believed more in the "brute force and volume" method of studying, which can be hugely physically and mentally taxing...and is probably not the most efficient nor an assurance of quality study.

Alex

@"Cant Get Right" said:
Your BR score is what you're capable of and your potential is through the roof. You've just got to figure out how to bridge the gap so that you're achieving that potential.

@"Cant Get Right" always says what I want to say only better! I would echo everything everyone else has already said says by 1000. If there would be one piece of advice I would give you it is that you are 100% capable of your 180 BR score.

Also try to take a week off. You seem to be burned out. I took1.5 weeks off while I was moving last month and came back and got my first -0 on a LG section. You'd be surprised how much difference a little distance from the test can do for you.

And also to just work on bridging that gap. If it takes until December or even next year, there is no question it is worth it. Don't stress yourself out working towards a date you can set.

Good luck!

Lsatbreakingnews

20 point improvement is huge.

Nanchito-1-1

No matter how long that increase took, it's huge. Be proud of yourself.
Find those weaknesses and attack!!

DEC_LSAT

@taytay2015 it seems like you don't take enough breaks between practice tests. Did 7sage make you think about the concepts differently? Was the LSAT trainer helpful? It doesn't seem like any of the materials helped you get to a *much better* understanding of the test. Maybe it's because you rushed through practice tests.

desire2learn

@"taytay2015" you are doing great. KEEP GOING! Struggles happen to all of us. Keep working on learning and improving. The results will come eventually. Don't let discouragement and the lack of linear progress get you down.

Not Ralph Nader

@taytay2015 nothing is wrong with you, on the contrary you are amazing as you have seen 26 points improvement which is more than many people could ever manage. Your BR score shows you have a better understanding than me, and others addressed most of your concerns. I just want to ask three questions and give a suggestion about LG.

1- Have you tried to record yourself? specially for LR and LG this may help you to see where you are losing time?

2- Do you participate in BR calls? They are really helpful, they help to see different perspective on how to attack various question types.

3- Have you done the LG Bundle and foolproof all the games from PT 1-35? It is part of 7Sage Curriculum. I think if you want to break into 170s anything less than -0 on LG is unacceptable. It is possible to achieve -0 on LG. I started with -16 on LG and ended up -1 to -0 on my most recent PTs.

My suggestion: after fool proofing LG Bundle, take LG sections of PT 1-35 under time and watch J.Y explanation after completing each section but this time when you watching focus mostly on how he teaches to perceive the right answer choice (instead of brute force) and try to implement his suggestions on the next section.

Based on what you said I believe not only you can do it but also just want to say the level of commitment you showed inspired me. I wish you luck and hope to see you on BR calls.

taytay2015

Thank you all for the input! I really appreciate it. Sorry for the late reply. I was having quite the ruff day when I posted that and I took time away from all things LSAT. Currently based on how I feel and what you have all said I'm definitely going to take a break and slow down my studies. Anxiety and burnout may have a lot to do with this. I'm also going to review fundamentals more than just doing PT's. Hopefully I can walk into test day fresh and do well. Otherwise I'll reassess and take a different approach to studies as some of you have recommended.

But going down the line...

Yes, @Stepharizona I get all the Q's I marked as questionable as right before I grade the test. I am not skipping questions simply because I am aiming so high I don't feel you can skip much of anything if aiming for 170's. Typically if I get a Q wrong I just didn't infer something that I should have or didn't go into the questions with a strong sense of what I should be looking for. Somehow I make such inferences when the clock is going is my issue. And thank you, I am proud of what I have done but I'm aiming just a bit higher!

@montaha.rizeq Thank you for that. I did finish the curriculum fast. I did what it said, and thought there would be no harm in just keeping myself fresh once while back. That's because I planned on taking an earlier LSAT. I( have delayed many times. I think that's why I'm so stressed now because I feel I've really reached a point where I need to just do it. I am for sure taking your advise and reviewing fundamentals. That is my plan now till the test because I am hearing that from multiple people. More PT'ing won't help at this point. And I totally agree back to back PT's are dumb. I never plan to do that btw. It's always because something threw me off. I work full time in big law and a late meeting can kill my ability to test. So I only do back to back when my schedule was messed up on a prior day. Wish I didn't have that happen! Life goes on

@"Cant Get Right" Thank you for the thoughtful response! Hopefully I can show that potential on test day! You are correct, I may not have taken full advantage of the 7Sage resources and finding my weaknesses. I should put more of my pt results in and analyze it more in depth. And i'm not totally sure how to go about the tutor idea. It's so close to test day and I work full time. But I will for sure be reviewing fundamentals and videos on 7sage. Maybe even revisit old Testmasters material. I agree i'm burned out. This close to September my best bet may be to relax a bit. So that's my current plan becuse it's a bit late in the game to do other tactics. True, I don't want to push back. I'm going to see how this month goes. It's too late to withdraw now I think. And I may do Dec if I don't feel good after taking Step. Is that a a bad idea? I sure don't want 2 scores on my record... but time off now till the Sep test might just allow me to relax enough to show my potential of a high score on test day.

Same goes to @"alex divine". I will for sure be taking a week off (half way done, haha) and see how things go. I don't plan to hammer studies before Sep because obviously what I was doing was not working. Thanks!

@Nina_lucas it is quite possible I did no leave enough time between exams. Sadly that's a fact of the past. I did was the courses said to do... but ended up pushing back test dates over and over because I was not where I want to be.

@Nader.parham Thank you. I have never recorded myself, but often write how long a game took really quick at the bottom of the game. So that I can see where I lose time. I am always finishing games, but it get's close sometimes. I commonly skip the last game question if it is a replace the rule question so that I can get to other questions. But i have never seen more than 2 of those on an exam. I'm not sure what a BR call is... But my games are actually pretty good. The time i lose on LG is if i get stressed and bomb a game. I do feel I just need to relax and then I do games well. I typically already watch game videos if I missed many or took too long on one. Thanks for the advice!

stepharizona

@taytay2015 said:
Yes, @Stepharizona I get all the Q's I marked as questionable as right before I grade the test. I am not skipping questions simply because I am aiming so high I don't feel you can skip much of anything if aiming for 170's.

Actually skipping is one of the keys to getting into the 170s. Unless you are aiming for a 180 (and even then you can often miss 1 or 2 questions) you should be skipping questions that are meant to be curve breakers for the 178/177 student.

I am not saying to skip a question and never come back to it, but you should skip questions as you go through each section allowing yourself the best opportunity to answer questions that you can score a point on. You can go back to the skipped questions as time allows. There is a person taking PT 37 that shows how to skip and use that strategy to reach a high score.