How to deal with stress and discouragement due to dropped PT scores

jennilynn89

Hey 7Sagers!

I'm usually a pretty positive person, but being this close to the December LSAT and seeing my score fluctuate (usually anywhere between 2-5 points) is starting to drive me nuts. In need of a good pep talk!

How do you guys deals with lower scores in your PTs? I try to learn from them and take them as a positive feedback to acknowledge what I need to work on, but get very, very frustrated and discouraged whenever I don't see an increase in my score after drilling and BRing like crazy.
I was hoping to see a steady increase in my score leading up towards December, but it hasn't quite happened yet (have only seen an increase in my BR score and am having trouble closing that gap).

Your input and kind words are much appreciated, as always!

Cant Get Right

@jennilynn89 said:
I was hoping to see a steady increase in my score

This never happens, lol. Improvement tends to be really erratic. Follow your average, not your individual scores. Individual scores will always be a bit of a rollercoaster. Actually, a 2-5 point fluctuation is about as smooth a ride as it gets. And it's great that you've increased your BR score. You've pretty much got to do that before you can increase your timed score, so you've fulfilled something of a necessary condition. How long have you been plateaued at your improved BR score? Depending on where you're scoring, closing the gap may be more about adopting higher level test taking strategies than it is about further increasing your understanding (although this will remain vital no matter how advanced you get!).

jennilynn89

@"Cant Get Right" thank you for your input! It is much appreciated, as always! I've probably been plateaued at my BR for two weeks. It's usually 10-13 points higher than my actual score.
What do you mean when you are talking about adopting higher level test taking strategies?
I've noticed that sometimes it's just a timing related issue that I can not close the gap between my regular score and BR, and sometimes it is just foolish mistake (possibly due to the time constraints, or misreading something) that I notice during BR.

Wind-Up Bird

This never happens, lol. Improvement tends to be really erratic. Follow your average, not your individual scores.

I second that advice. Honestly, my PT score graph looked like a sinusoidal wave. Like J.Y. often states before test dates, I think the most reliable predictor of how you're gonna do involves averaging your last 3 PTs +/- 3 points.

I think "higher test taking strategies" involves reflecting on those small decisions you make during timed conditions that might lead you to make mistakes. For example, you might've eliminated a question down to 2 answer choices, and half-heartedly chosen an answer to move on.

J_Clarkson

You can do it, @"jennilynn89"!

Cant Get Right

Yeah, with that much spread between your score and your BR, and if a lot of it is timing; you could probably make substantial benefits to your average score just by developing a better pacing strategy. In most cases I think that's what that information suggests.

So, it's a little more complex than this of course, but essentially, you want to bank on your confidence on the easier questions to buy time for the harder ones. So, for example, if you read a question and you have a solid understanding of the stimulus and then you're 90% confident that answer choice A is correct, choose it and move on. That extra 10% is not worth the 20-30 seconds it's going to take you to read and eliminate the remaining answer choices. Use your confidence level to determine good opportunities to trade certainty for time.

If you look through the videos, I believe there are several of JY taking sections in real time. These are exceptional videos of this strategy at its finest.

J_Clarkson

I've been reading up on learning science from coursera.org "learning how to learn". Here's a piece that might be helpful:

"Learning doesn't progress logically, so that each day just adds an additional neat package to your knowledge shelf. Sometimes you hit a wall in constructing your understanding. Things that made sense before can suddenly seem confusing. This type of knowledge collapse seems to occur when your mind is restructuring its understanding, building a more solid foundation.

In the case of language learners, they experience occasional periods when the foreign language suddenly seems completely incomprehensible. Remember it takes time to assimilate new knowledge. You'll inevitably go through some periods when you seem to take and exasperating step backwards, in your understanding. This is a natural phenomenon, that means that your mind is wrestling deeply with the material. You'll find that when you emerge from these periods of temporary frustration, your knowledge base will take a surprising leap forward."

Alex

I think what @"Cant Get Right" said is perfect!

Also, you should try to become emotionally unattached from your PT scores. I know it is easier said than done, but remaining objective is important with this test and doing so is nearly impossible if you get bummed out because of low tests scores. Eventually you'll end up extremely de-motivated and burned out.

Stevie C

Your efforts weren't wasted: you're probably better at the LSAT now than you were before you took those PTs.

Personally, I prefer not to focus on the individual scores. If you're going to track anything, then track a trailing average of your last 5 PTs. Individual PT scores have too much noise.