Sacrificing CC for more PTs

LSATHopeful-2

Hey Ya'll,

Just less than 2 months before my December exam, I am at a crucial point in my preparation. I want to start Blind Reviewing and taking full PTs by October 24th. However, I will not be able to complete the entire curriculum. Fear not, as I've already taken a Kraplan course before and have a good understanding of how to approach all LR and LG types - I feel as though I just need more practice.

SO, should I sacrifice finishing the CC for Blind Review (2 pts a week) starting October 24th? My plan is to do a PT one day, spend the next day blind reviewing, and then the third day I would watch CC videos for anything that needed clarification. Do this routine twice a week with one day off.

Should I risk begin only starting to PT by November 15thish or do you think actual practice can be more rewarding than the CC?

twssmith

I hope you do not fall into a trap I fell into last Fall:) I rushed through the curriculum because I had already studied Kaplan and Powerscore books. BIG mistake at least for me thinking that I had a thorough knowledge of the concepts. Took and wasted a few PT's, withdrew and then re-started at the beginning of the curriculum last Winter. (One positive, I had no clue what I was doing on those PT's especially how to BR them that they have been a great resource for retakes:)

@"LSATHopeful-2" said:
have a good understanding of how to approach all LR and LG types

Maybe take a fully timed with proctor app PT now in the mid-upper 60 range to verify that your knowledge equates to performance. (Personally I would take PT72 not because it is more difficult than other PTs but because of its notoriety and a good experience earlier in the PT phase)

If your Timed/BR scores are within your target range, then maybe continue with your plan but you really are pushing yourself with your back up against the wall as Dec test date looms. As recommended, you want to have at least your 4 last PTs at or hopefully above your target score before taking the LSAT. Counting down days to actually writing the test, most people recommend doing lite drilling that last week. Please be mindful that forcing yourself to take PT's that last week can be counter-productive and actually harmful to your confidence as the pressure builds - It happens over and over again that a lower score will wreck confidence leading to a withdrawal or a less than optimum score.

Brutally honest:)

@"LSATHopeful-2" said:
Should I risk begin only starting to PT by November 15thish or do you think actual practice can be more rewarding than the CC?

Seriously, you are doing yourself a disservice by trying to cram PT phase into a couple of weeks. The LSAT is learnable building upon a strong core of the fundamentals and taking some time to really invest in the PT/BR stage. I do know of a Sage on this site that only did about 15 PT's before taking the test but they had put so much time (6 months, 8-5, M-F) into the fundamentals that their only concern was to tie together all of the pieces into a whole PT - very rare. Finally the last aspect is burn-out and it is real. Most brains can only process so much at one time and if forced beyond that it will shut down.

Hope this helps! Let me know if there any factors that I missed to help support you:)

Edited to add:
I completely forgot we are doing the BR call on PT 72 this Saturday - if you have time to take it maybe join us for an interactive experience to gauge your progress.

desire2learn

Obviously it all depends on the factors you find most important. What is your target score versus your PT average? How far through the CC are you? Things of that nature.
I will say over and over that the best advice is to not let dates and deadlines dictate when you take the LSAT but to take it when you are ready! Obviously real life sometimes gets in the way with parameters that may trump the ideal approach but I would not shrug off that mantra lightly.
If your PT average is 5 points above the 75th percentile for your dream school then go with what you like because that is the ultimate goal anyway. If not and your goal is to truly maximize your score, I would not rush things. Why not take in June?
If postponing is not an option then you may find that some hybrid approach is the best way to go within the rushed parameters because it will maximize your score for the Dec LSAT, I just don't think it will result in your "true" max score.

Cant Get Right

1. What is your target score?
2. What was your current average PT score?
3. How many do you miss, on average, in each section?
4. Why have you specifically chosen Oct. 24 as a deadline?

I can tell you now, if your answer to number 1 is 170+, you can't cut any corners. Period.