Hey guys,
So, I'm tripping out since the September LSAT is coming up so quickly, and I don't feel ready. When I say I don't feel ready, I know the most common response from everyone will probably be "postpone then" or "don't write until you feel ready," but the score I need to get into my school of choice would be somewhere in the mid 150s. I've posted before, and I've taken all of the advice that everyone has given me, and it definitely helped. However, yesterday I just had a terrible feeling in the 15 minute break of my PT, and I stupidly decided to correct the first 3 sections of the exam, just to see where I was at (I know, I know, really stupid, shouldn't have done it). As my feelings suggested, I got shit on; I got -11 on LG (I KNOW) and I couldn't believe it, I mean, I typically score between -3 and -1, which is OK for me, since I only need to get a 155 to get into the school I want. I got so mad after that, that I threw out the PT I was doing, and left school (where I was studying) and just went home and did nothing. Now, I just feel like shit all of the time, and I keep thinking to myself "what if this happens on game day?" "should I just write and cancel?" I literally have no confidence left. I kind of just want to write a PT and get in my goal range, just to boost my morale a bit. But I am also preparing to write this December as well. I've been doing timed LG sections, and doing well on them, but I just feel in the gutter, and I don't know what to do at this point. Sitting out this cycle is really not an option either, but do you guys think getting a score in the mid to high 150s range this close to game day is possible, given my circumstances? My average PT score is 155, and I wouldn't be so worried if I was in the 160s consistently, but it is what it is.
Now onto the rewrite, so I haven't really used 7sage all that much to study (stupid, I know, but as you guys can tell, I'm prone to stupid decisions), but I bought this course plan so I could have some LR explanations for some PTs. I did do a bunch of lessons in areas I was weaker in, but I would say I only did around 50% of the CC. I used the Powerscore Bibles for 3 months, until I discovered this site, which I must add is 1000000 times better than Powerscore, I was planning on just doing the CC from September 26 until December 3rd, and I generated a study schedule with it, and it seems pretty comfortable to me. It gives me 42h/week, which is OK, considering I've already done many of the lessons and they would most likely just be refreshers. I've only done 11 PTs (36, 52, 41, 53, 54, 55, 56, 70, 63, 67, 71) so I still have a bunch for a December rewrite, and the study schedule generator gives me like 3 or 4 PTs to do per week, but I feel like I can do 5 per week, so I might do that.
For background, in case anyone was wondering or has some specific knowledge applicable to my situation, I'm applying to University of Alberta Law School, wherein the most recent applicant profile shows what every regular applicant had GPA-wise and what their coinciding LSAT score was. I'm at a 3.93 GPA, so I could possibly get in with a 152, provided the averages stay fairly similar, which has been the case for the last 7-ish years, as per my conversation with the admissions lady at the school. This is just in case anyone was wondering why I would be happy with the score stated above.
Also, I just wanna say I LOVE 7sage, and its discussion forum. You guys are phenomenal people.
Comments
This is one of the theoretical (though for you, very real) issues with taking PTs so close to test day. You're clearly stressed about this test, and your performance on a PT suffered significantly as a result. I stress "significantly," because this really does seem like an outlier, especially if you unperformed so dramatically on LG of all sections.
I would definitely retake that test, section by section perhaps. But I think the bigger issue is that you're burnt out. No confidence or energy? Burnt out. If you're taking anywhere near 3-5 PTs a week, that'd probably be why. I wouldn't take more than three, though I'd recommend 1-2 a week. If anything, use some of the unused, older PTs for drilling individual sections, so you're exposed to everything in the LSAT's past.
This is a tricky situation, and I don't quite know what advice to give from here. Since you're obviously burnt out, I think a break is in order. If you're set on giving September a go, maybe take on Thursday that test you bombed, and do each section individually.
You're in a good spot. You've taken little PTs and have plenty of time before December. You also seem relatively new to studying for the LSAT, and more importantly, 7Sage, so I think it's reasonable to expect some improvement in three months. If you haven't yet taken the LSAT and thus still have three takes, and if you're scoring, on average, in your desired range - excluding, of course, that outlier - take two days off and retake that test to be ready for Saturday. Do some by-section drilling on Friday, as well. Keep telling yourself your most recent performance was a fluke, if only because it most likely was. Should you take this Saturday, realize you know your stuff and that you have future tests dates and room to improve in the future should you not do as well as you'd like.
I would say good luck, but only suckers need luck.
Other than that minor oversight, I think @danielznelson has you covered. You are in a good spot.
I found it was hard to be comfortable with this decision since a lot of people in this forum are trying to get into the top law schools in the states (which is incredibly admirable), but seeing that people are feeling the same way has been encouraging.