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First timed test - 152 ?! Really discouraged :(
Hi everyone,
Today I just did my first timed test
My weakest section was definitely RC (I feel like i spent too much time on the third passage and rushed through the last one, I dont really know what happened) and best was the LG (completely messed up the first game though). I am about to do my first BR.
I did the "learning" and the drills in our course. I have been studying constantly for nearly 2 months now.
I was feeling really down about this and feel terrible about myselif, in general. I wanted to know how you all saw the most improvement in your scores. I want to bring mine up, ideally, another 15 points. I wanted to know what your suggestions to improve were. Should I keep doing timed tests and BRs or should I get a prepbook or a tutor? I know it is only my first PT, and I intend to do the most recent (as of 50).
Any advice would be really appreciated. 
Comments
First- a 152 is average, and you should not feel terrible about yourself for that! It will take a while to get faster and solidify things, so try not to get discouraged. You will see progress. After you BR, if there are any question types that you notice you did poorly on, review those lessons in the CC. Now that you've finished the CC, you should foolproof games.
As a side not, don't check your score before you BR!
Yep you can't improve without putting in the work. BR is the work. The PT is a snapshot of where you are at. In fact, any individual PT is an incomplete snapshot of where you stand in your prep. Early in your prep you are going to be more inconsistent. Certain PTs will play more to your strengths than others. Expect big score fluctuations in your timed scaled score. You should only care about your BR score which should be a bit more steady, with an upward trajectory generally.
As @MissChanandler said you should be working on games every day. Just because you finished the CC doesn't mean you shouldn't return to it. This test is so huge that you will need to move back and forth in practicing different question types and different sections, and it helps to revisit the lessons to solidify your understanding.
Lastly, I think you are a part of the best LSAT community and you have access to every single released PT. Prepbooks can help you learn certain concepts in a different way from the CC, which may help you. I've never worked with a tutor so I can't comment from experience on how much it helps, but obviously you still have to do the work yourself to improve. Tutors will likely be able to provide helpful guidance and a plan of attack, but for now use the other resources available on 7sage. There are BR calls led by J.Y., study groups forming that meet to do BR, and a bunch of really amazing webinars and podcasts. In fact, I recommend listening to the @"Accounts Playable" podcast episode for some inspiration and guidance towards the BR process.
The first timed test I took I got a 149 on test #7. Yesterday, I got a 175 on test 12 and a 173 on test 87. Don't limit yourself by starting point. In my opinion, the three keys to improving my score have been: mindset that I will not miss a single question, laser focus, and visual sequencing on LG. You got this, friend
I was pretty much in the same position as you when I started studying 2 months ago! I received a 154 and was incredibly discouraged and truthfully, none of the forums out there telling me that that is perfectly normal made me feel better. However, I'm almost at 170 after studying extensively and taking practice tests. The LSAT is incredibly learnable--I promise you! I'm of the belief that anyone, with the right amount of hard work and given ample time can get in the 170s. Hit the books and get that 180
@nycgal123 its so motivating to hear your story. I just gave my first 2 PTs and scored a 157. Do you have any tips on how to improve LR? Its currently my weakest section.
@MissChanandler
Thank you, I did not know I was not supposed to check my score before the BR!
@drbrown2
Thank you for your advice, I will definitely be putting the work in to improve
@jjd610 @nycgal123
Thank you for sharing this with me -- it is encouraging to know you were able to improve your scores by such a vast extent! Congratulations
Did you do anything special to improve your score, or just did the BR and multiple PTs?
@Lolo1996 @jappy215
Hi my lovelies! My studying journey basically consisted of going through the Powerscore books twice as well as taking a prep class (although truthfully the class only really helped me at the margins and I kind of regret taking it, PS has everything you need and after looking through those you can also try 7sage methods if you like those better). My approach was basically getting all the conceptual stuff down before drilling practice tests, which I basically started a week ago. Before that I was taking about one test a week, but I didn't know all the material yet so reviewing them was a little pointless, though it helped me continue working on my test-taking stamina/timing since it has been years that I have had to do standardized tests. I'd definitely recommend this approach but everyone is different.
I'll keep my reply short since we have some many awesome responses above.
My first PT after CC was 152. I wish I did a diagnostic but it would have destroyed my confidence. My confidence was in the dumps after my first PT already.
Here are my top 5 full length PT scores, all within my last 10 PTs:
173, 172, 172, 172, 171.
The point is you can do this. It takes time to learn the test.
Especially for your first practice tests, your score is a data point and not an evaluation of your capabilities. Wrong answers are an opportunity to find what you an work on. You'll find gaps in your understanding of core curriculum, basic logic, approach to RC. It is all in the process. If you analyze what you were thinking during the timed test, find out why you made the mistake you did, your score will get higher.
Keep your head up, study hard between PTs, and you'll get where you want to be!
@nycgal123
That is amazing! How long did it take you to go through each of the 3 books?
@Wesley-B
What studying techniques did you use? Did you only use 7sage or did you supplement with other materials?
Thank you for your responses and suggestions! It is super helpful
)
@Lolo1996 It took me about a month to get through them all one time, and then I had to revisit them after that month. It took me about a week to get through LG and RC each and about 2 weeks to get through LR. Just keep in mind that it does take time to let certain concepts sink in and so take it slow and steady if you need.
I used only 7Sage.
I went through the core curriculum, then started doing practice tests to identify my gaps in knowledge. After doing those, I stalled out around 165, so I did first untimed then timed sections and saw the biggest gain in my raw and BR score.
Once I seemed to stall out with broken sections, I tried putting it all together into full length, proctored, practice tests. A slight regression was followed by getting near the score from untimed sections.
Hi! I'm not sure if I can offer much more other than encouraging you not to feel disheartened! 152 after just 2 months of studying is not cause for concern at all. Just so you can relate -- on my first PT I got a 154, then after 2 months of studying I dropped to a 152! Yesterday I found out that I got a 173 on the June LSAT. However, I remember feeling so dejected and hopeless on days when I didn't score what I wanted on my PTs, so I really do empathize with you. I just wanted to comment to say that you're not in a bad place, and that over time it will definitely improve.
Concerning specific study techniques, here are 2 pieces of advice that helped me jump from mid-150s to mid-160s. (1) Unless you are getting everything correct, don't try to answer every single question. If you're getting 16/25 on LR, stop attempting 25; try 19 and try to get 18/19 correct; once you've got that down, try 20, then 22, and so on. This applies to games and passages too! (2) Take the earlier PTs (1-35) and do them untimed. I really underestimated the benefit of doing full sections untimed until I forced myself to do them!
I hope this helps at least a little! You got this!