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Any tips for a struggling test-taker?
ParisthePrince
Alum Member
Hey guys,
I don't know if anyone can help me but I've been studying by myself since the end of April for the September LSAT. We are already in August and my score seems to have improved very little. My diagnostic score was 146 and my highest has been 152. I find that when do a timed-section every day, I am able to get nearly 20/25 answers correct on LR section but when I do the actuall full-timed practice exam, I score sometimes as low as 10/25. I am not sure if there is a psychological reason behind this but I feel very disappointed that I spent so much time studying (like almost every day) until now and the results have been quite disappointing. I even cut my hours of work during the day so I can make extra time to study. When I wanna do an exam, I feel like the sections are so doable but when I start the exam, the prospect of 5 full sections ahead just really demotivates me and I think this may lead to the significantly poorer performance at the end.
I have always wanted to study (in fact before I graduated high school) and my grades are good enough to get into the best school in Canada but I just feel like the LSAT for me has been a really big failure, something that I have not really yet experienced.
Idk if there is really something wrong with my studying: since I took the July LSAT, I modified my study schedule to include one full timed section every day with review of the incorrect answer choices as well review of the core material (I use Khan academy's material mostly, but do the tests on paper). I do this for three days and then take one full exam on the fourth day (with a non-scored section). Unfortunately, I cannot afford a full course with any of the famous institutions and I feel like even if I did, it wouldn't help because I feel like I have already covered so much and learned so much that they could teach very little new material, if anything.
I really do not want to give up but I feel like I should just cancel the September exam and rethink my future. This scares me because I know I am capable of 165+ score, and I know I already put a lot of effort and modified it to overcome my weaknesses. I have only thought of law and the blank prospects of my future without law just scares me. Has anyone experienced something similar, and overcome it? Any good suggestion will be appreciated.
Comments
Hi there! First of all, just want to encourage you a little bit. We all know this test is brutal and can be really demoralizing. Don't feel like you're alone in that. I've had days I want to throw either my computer, the test books, or myself straight out the nearest window. But I really do believe progress is possible!
That's really great that you've been able to utilize the Khan materials. I know that's exactly why LSAC made them available to everyone, so everyone could have access to study material. I'm not familiar with the course at all yet. One question I have is, when going through the Khan Academy stuff, do they include real LSAT questions to practice from? As in, questions pulled straight from the published prior LSATs? I know some companies (I believe Kaplan is one) use questions that they wrote themselves that are similar to LSAT questions, and sometimes this has tripped students up when they take the LSAT. It's better to use actual questions than ones where companies are trying to imitate the real thing. And when you take timed sections and full PTs, I assume those are coming from the published LSAT books from LSAC? Just want to cover all the bases here.
I totally understand it's not feasible for everyone, but have you checked out the pricing on 7sage? It's significantly cheaper than most other LSAT prep companies, partially because the creators of it want it to be accessible for as many people as possible. Even the lowest priced Starter course has their entire curriculum included, just fewer practice sets to work with. That's the package I started with because of having less available cash, and it helped me so so sooo much. That said, again I know it can be difficult to afford even the lowest priced options.
So let's start with: what are your average section scores? How are you doing with LG? Is LR the only section that fluctuates so much when you take a full PT or do they all go down like that?
Have you checked out 7sage's free LG explanation videos? They are so, so good. You can find them both here on the website and also on youtube if you search for 7sage there. For self-study materials, the Powerscore Bibles are some of the best. I was able to rent one on Amazon for not too much and sometimes public libraries have them. The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim is also often recommended here. So that's an option to check out for a low cost alternative.
Sometimes, it's just the material that doesn't work for you. I know it's tough to motivate yourself to keep doing this, but you may just need different material to shake up your methods and try something new. I'd say, if you think some of this might be mental and you are psyching yourself out, stop taking full PTs right now. You need to build some confidence and not be freaked out by the full exam. So I'd say, keep doing the full sections for right now. Work through one at a time by section, and then calculate your overall test score based on doing the individual sections. Hopefully that will help build some confidence! Put off taking the full PTs until you feel more confident about things.
I agree with @"Leah M B" about sticking to timed sections as opposed to full pts for now (as well as her recommendations for cheap self study guides/the 7sage starter pack). To comment on the mindset of your differences in scores I can definitely relate. I BR close to 175+ for full PTs but can't get over the 160s plateau during timed exams since I've been consistently running out of time for LR (and other stuff). I just started taking whole sections of LR and have gotten down to -1 to -4 for the last few. What has been a huge help was repeating to myself what I need to do before I start a section. Mindfully thinking that I need I should aim for 5 in 5 10 in 10 25 in 28, etc and skip any questions that I'm taking too long to read the stimulus for has helped me immensely. So try repeating the strategies in your head that you know result in success during a time section before you start LR during the full pt. Before I would just get too anxious and forget all of these things that help me and end up running out of time. I think the key here is that you need to know what works for you though. When you do well on an LR section is it because you're skipping when you should, reading every AC then choosing, taking deep breaths when your heart starts beating too fast? After doing a section that yields success try writing down what helped you succeed and reading that before you PT. Good luck, you're definitely not alone!
Hello guys, thank you for your replies.
@"Leah M B" , yes, Khan Academy provides access to real LSAC material. The machine prioritizes what needs to be done according to priority but unfortunately, it may be uncomfortable to have to do it all on computer. I prefer paper but the system did not allow me to print the practice exams. I do not use it anymore because I feel like I have more control over what/how I want to practice if I do it by myself. For example, the system does not allow me to do one timed section per day as I want to.
I have bought a few books from craigslist for a much cheaper price but honestly I do not find them any better than Khan. They cover the basics. For example, I noticed that for necessary assumption questions the book tends to pretend they own the negation method by calling it the KAPLAN method, whereas this is a logical approach to testing necessary assumption answer choices that is taught in Khan Academy as well. Reading your guys' reviews, I am thinking maybe 7sage is the one place that offers real methods to doing different question types rather than just repeating the theoretical approach. I am thinking to do what it takes to be able to do one of the 7sage courses. Which one do you recommend?
@"Victoria." Thank you for the great advise as well. When I do better on LR it is when I feel motivated to do it (as simply as it sounds). When the sections starts out well, it really goes well to the end with maybe max 5 wrong. When it starts bad, it ends up being bad. That's why I felt stuck cause I know I am capable of much more but it is just not consistent. I will definitely do what you told me.
Hi @ParisthePrince , I think I can give some advice on studying for the LSAT on a budget since all my prep materials together came out to about $120 and I did not use a course. I mentioned this on another thread, but I was one of the beta testers for Khan Academy and I had seen Kaplan material at my university's career center. Both are terrible for building your fundamentals and you should switch out now. Obviously the best option here is for you to pay for 7sage's course materials and get access to everything (preptests, explanations, and CC). If that is too financially difficult, then buy the LSAT Trainer (Used - very good copies for $20), Powerscore LG Bible ($25), and some preptest books ($30) on Amazon. Then use 7sage's free LG explanation videos for drilling. You're going to need to rebuild your LSAT basics at this point and carve out at least 2 months to study if you're looking for 165+. Other users here can give you better perspective on the benefits of buying the 7sage course if you are leaning that direction.
@ParisthePrince Ok, gotcha! I haven't gotten a chance to look around the Khan stuff. That's interesting. And yes, Kaplan has a lot of negative reviews and seems like you've caught on to some of their issues, haha.
7sage is incredibly thorough. It doesn't just tell you how to work through the questions, but there are whole lessons on LSAT grammar, formal logic, and other things that I never saw in other books. If money is tight, starting out with the Starter course would be fine. The bigger courses really are an incredible value, but you can upgrade as you go if you want. I'd highly recommend checking out 7sage's free LG explanation videos. They should give you a glimpse of how they work through things and are an awesome free resource. I've known a lot of people that only used that free part of 7sage but loved it. I decided on 7sage because it was so much cheaper than the others. Blueprint is typically the other highly recommended online prep. I'm sure it is great, but when debating between it and 7sage, the low cost of 7sage was what hooked me. And I haven't regretted it for a minute!
@"Leah M B" Hey Leah, thank you for your response. I have indeed looked through 7sage's LG videos. They have helped me quite a bit and I find myself thinking similarly to the instructor who teaches those lessons. Since you've succeeded in getting an excellent LSAT score, do you think I can aim for 165 for the September LSAT? Do you think it is realistic if I am about 150 now? Thanks again.
@eRetaker Hey thanks for your advise. Considering how I have prepared which course do you think I should try with 7sage? Also, do you think I can achieve a 165 on the November exam while I study as I am in school?
@ParisthePrince , yea I think you should start with the Starter Course since you're currently on a budget and you can always upgrade later for more content. You will probably take 1-2 months to relearn the basics and build your foundation with the core curriculum stuff and fool-proofing LG. Most people do not see the big improvements during this phase. After you're done building your basics, you should start taking full-length exams and blind-reviewing them until you sit for the Nov exam. At that point, I think you should have a good shot at mid-160s. Personally I think you should take the LSAT after you graduate and focus on maintaining your GPA while in school. After all, LSAT scores are temporary and GPA is eternal once you leave undergrad. A final note is that the LSAT is reflective of your work ethic much more than "natural smarts." If you feel you can not dedicate significant hours to studying the LSAT while in school then all the more reasons to wait a cycle.