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Related Discussions
Confidence, timing and feigning enjoyment
lady macbeth
Alum Member
Hello all! I've had this problem for a while now. But I've been having trouble closing the gap between timed score and BR score. The gap is dramatic like from 150s-160s timed to high 170s untimed. It varies. I know it's not a fluke because I have been getting high 170s during BR for the last like 5 or so practice tests.
During a timed preptest, I find myself being increasingly anxious. It kills my mood for the rest of the section and so on -- which obviously tanks my timed score. I just began meditating several days ago to try to combat my anxiety and focus. It helps to a degree but that drastically. Although I am skipping, I do have a tendency to spend time on time sink questions and have a tendency to second guess my instinct.
I really need help on trying to close this gap and working on my confidence before the July test. I know there's no magical formula to being able to close this gap, any advice would really be appreciated!
Comments
This is going to sound really weird - but hear me out.
Have you taken a decently long step away from the test in awhile? Not like 2-3 days but more like 1-2 weeks?
Something I think a lot of people struggle with on the LSAT is that they think they constantly need to be doing something. They feel the need to PT a ton, study questions endlessly, and constantly BR. They never give themselves a break.
What I found helped me the most between my Sept test and my Dec test was to NOT touch LSAT much. I knew I had the fundamentals down. I had PT'ed in the high score zone many times. Going into the Sept test I just didn't have the rest required to take the test fresh.
These little breaks away from the LSAT seem to do a lot, and address some of the issues you are having. Frustrations will be let go, your brain will feel faster on questions when you come back, you'll have more confidence because you wont be riding off that last "bad PT".
Just a thought.
Another thing that really helped is when I took the test I focused really micro. I didn't think about sections, I thought only about the question I was currently on. I stopped thinking ahead and getting myself panicked with the clock. Eventually I noticed my speed increasing because I was just focused on the test itself. My accuracy stayed pretty high as well!
Just some minor food for thought for you!
Great advice here, especially the bit about taking time away from the test.
I think there are a few things to diagnose here. It's good that you recognize at least part of this is anxiety. Keep up the meditation. What environment do you do your PTs in? Are you doing them at home? In a library? Coffeeshop? Maybe it would be good to change things up that way.
If you think your problem is mostly second-guessing yourself, try doing some confidence drills. If you haven't watched this webinar yet, you absolutely should: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/
He goes over confidence drills in there. Basically, practice taking a section and flying through it, answer as fast as possible. Don't think, just answer. And then see how your score is at the end of the section. That will tell you a little more about what your gut instincts are like.
If you know you have a tendency to spend too much time on some questions, try giving yourself a maximum amount of time you can spend on 1 question. If you hit that, just answer your best guess, and keep moving.
Probably some other folks around here will have good and better ideas. But that's a good place to start, I think.
I haven't taken that long of a break from the test as in 1-2 weeks. I just have this paranoia that I won't be ready when time comes if I take that long of a break lol. Also, I'm not scoring high 170s untimed consistently! I don't know if I can trust myself with that long of a break away from the test.
It's not really a matter of trust. To improve most fully you need to take breaks periodically.
The reason people tell you to take a break is because it's actually conducive to success on the LSAT. You are changing the way your brain works by studying for the LSAT, not cramming for a test.
Hmm. I think you need to practice timing strategies as well drill more heavily on your problem areas. As obvious as this sounds, finishing questions on time or earlier requires a deeper knowledge on the LSAT
On top of drilling, should i go through the CC again? I feel like if I’m not getting 180 BR then yeah, i don’t have a hard grasp on the fundamentals. I heard that the CC is more lucid the second time around!
Definitely go through it again. Perhaps with a focus on your problem areas. Revisiting the grammar sections has helped.me alot
Yeah i agree with you. I just am like paranoid that if i take breaks, i won’t be ready for when i want to take the test. I feel like if i take a break, i would go light on the studying and just break off the intensive PT-ing.
That's exactly what I thought!! lol This test is really bad, since I assume most of us are pretty type A people who want to go go go and make sure we're always making progress.
You should definitely put the test down for at least a week if you feel this way. You are putting too much pressure on yourself. If you aren't ready for this test, you can take the next one.
Every time I took an extended break, I returned refreshed, able to enjoy the LSAT, and usually with a better understanding of the test. In my preparation, I scored a 159, 160, 160 in the days before a month long break, and scored a 162 the day I returned. I took the last two weeks off before my official June, and on test day I had a perfect LG, a -1 LR, and a 97th percentile score.
Your brain needs time to absorb what you have been saturating it with.
That jump is amazing. I aspire to your ways! Do you think your test day score would have turned out differently had you not taken that break?
Just going to back up what others have said - you absolutely won't lose any ability if you step away. I got burned out at one point and had started doing worse on LR. I thought I was losing my mind. I stepped away for 3-4 days, came back and nailed LR. It was just burn out.
Also, I took the LSAT in December and then totally put it aside while focusing on applications. Sometime in mid- January or so I took a PT just to see where I was at (was planning on retaking in Feb), and I scored 1 point higher than I did on my early December test. It's a skill that sticks with you and isn't easily lost.
I am currently studying full time and I experience the same type of anxiousness as you. I tried studying for 40 hours a week and I was getting pretty burn out as well. I am not sure if you are studying full
time or not , but what I would like to echo the importance of breaks. I now follow the suggested 30 hours a week schedule JY suggested. I study only during the week at most 6 hours a day. I treat studying like a job. The weekends are only for binging Netflix and socializing and it has really helped me immensely with my studies. I was frustrated with logic games during foolproofing and after taking a week off, everything clicked, and I became much better at the games. I wouldn’t be able to do more than a week off personally, but a week can make a difference for sure. Also make sure you set at least a day off every week, this will also help your brain recharge so you will be refreshed for the next study session.
Yes. My LR section scores were continually decreasing before that two week break. I was burnt out. I needed every day I took and I wish I had at least few more.
This. So much this.
Personally I’ve never surfed better than after I sprained my elbow and couldn’t surf for a week. I’ve never taken more than a couple days off surfing for years and after that break a lot of things clicked for me and I was able to nail tricks much better. I was more cognizant of the mistakes I was making bc I went back into the water with a clearer mindset and some distance from bad habits I was repeating. I went into the water with a big picture as to what good surfing looked like, and I was better able to reflect like oh wow I should have my foot farther back wait have I always had my foot here this isn’t right.
I think that when you take a break from something, you’re taking a break from bad habits, from self-centredness, and from stubbornness. You’ll remember the important things, the fundamentals, the logic, the grammar, the timing pace you should be at, and maybe forget how much principle questions stress you out or how frustrating long sentences with referential phrases are or how you feel too slow and how much you just dislike this whole thing etc.