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This test is going to give me a nervous breakdown??

Lolo1996Lolo1996 Member
in General 498 karma

Hi everyone

Its me again. I think I am going crazy from this test?

I am consistently scoring -10 in my LR sections, -5 in LG, and RC varies TREMENDOUSLY. Generally 10 wrong. Today I got 20 wrong in PT 38. Last week like 8 wrong in PT 62. PT score is like 154-155 which is really not good.

When i go through my BR, I can score -2/-4 in LR, -2/0 in LG, and RC... it really depends how much time i put into it, and on the passage. My BR score is 165+. So, I do know what im doing (I think)

When I go through the LR, I notice that I make the DUMBEST errors. Like i misread, I stress, I rush, I try to get it done. I just miss things the first time around. And the RC can barely hold my attention, some of the topics are honestly terrible and horribly abstract (I am MUCH better with science/econ/law passages). I tend to misread and get tricked easily by MCQ, because im under the time constraint.

Anyways, its starting to really stress me out and my score is getting WORSE. Like, a lot worse. And it is really awful and frustrating?

I really dont know what to do. I've been studying like a crazy person, I spent my whole summer in the library, like 50+ hours a week. My expectations are not even that high, I just need +160. I am writing in October.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Suggestions that are not "get a tutor" (I really, really, cannot afford it/anything else). I honestly feel like I am going to lose whatever bit of sanity i have left :(

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Comments

  • october_testtakeroctober_testtaker Member
    92 karma

    Hi, I am happy to know that I am not alone!!!! I am taking the test in October and I am in a similar boat as you, performance wise and goal score wise. Two weeks ago I was scoring -10 / -11 on LR, -9/-10 on RC and -5 LG despite doing much, much better during BR. This week I scored my first 161 and I think I broke that rut of mine. Here are some things that helped me-

    (1) Once I realized I was just making dumb mistakes in LR, I reversed the timing aspect of the section by using a stopwatch instead of a countdown timer. I realized a lot of my stress came from the timer, so I did a few practice sections with a stopwatch to ease my nerves and reassure myself that I actually do know the material!!!

    (2) I also started forcing myself to enjoy RC lol. Similar to you, I don't like the abstract/ science passages much (some of the abstract legal ones are tough too for me) so what I try to do is having a running real life parallel that I compare the abstract words to. For example, I did a passage on free will and the law and I was legit like ????. But i just used a real life parallel in my head. I do this with plenty of tough LR stimuli too.

    (3) Finally, I stopped trying super hard. This may seem really counter-intuitive, I know, but I have been consciously trying to stop racking my brains over every question and beating myself up over every wrong answer. This has been the hardest thing for me to do, and its honestly a battle everyday. Once I start panicking during a section and I hear myself thinking, "uh oh, i'm gonna screw this section up", I force myself to take a few seconds, roll back my shoulders, and take a breath. Then I get back to it. This helps like 9/10 times.

    I hope this helps in some way. Please share some of your tips too!

  • Pride Only HurtsPride Only Hurts Alum Member
    2186 karma

    Are you able to push back your test date? Or even perhaps delay a cycle. I don’t know how long you’ve been studying but it sounds like you just need more time. For me, brute forcing my way through learning the material wasn’t enough to actually fully understand it. I have to spend a lot of time just learning the ins and outs of the test.

  • AudaciousRedAudaciousRed Alum Member
    edited October 2019 2689 karma

    In with @"Pride Only Hurts" on this one. You are stressing out and burning out. Set the books down and walk away for a bit. Slow down, delay and find your calm center again. Study the questions in depth, not for speed. Speed comes naturally with understanding. I say this as someone who hit total burnout on my second attempt at the test. It went bad, and I realized I had way too much on my plate. I stepped back and skipped an admissions cycle, and it was the best thing I could have done.
    You can brute force a lot, but your brain takes time to absorb the lessons and make the connections. You can't force that. You are human, and this journey takes a while sometimes. Do not beat yourself up over that.

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    Seconding @AudaciousRed.

  • Kristen RKristen R Member
    24 karma

    Hi @Lolo1996! From your BR scores, it sounds like you know your stuff! It sounds like you just need to focus on closing that gap between your raw and BR scores. I'm in the same boat. For me, I've found that forcing myself to go slow in timed tests has been helping the most. When I started doing this I wouldn't finish sections and have to guess for a bunch of them, but this number has gone down as I've gotten better at my pacing. I'd rather know that I've gotten 20/25 questions right then be only kind of sure for 25/25 questions.

    As for the general stress, same girl. This is not just testing your comprehension of logic, but your capability to perform under stress. I heard in an LSAT-related podcast that this is just like any other test, and it's beatable. They suggest being a little cocky going into the test and actively reminding yourself that you are smart and you can do it. This has helped a lot for me, hope it does for you too!

  • PrincessPrincess Alum Member
    821 karma

    Hey! I completely understand your frustration and confusion. What I recommend is taking timed sections of tests and then BR-ing the test thoroughly. I've been able to increase my score greatly in logical reasoning by doing that. Also, use the analytics tool to see what areas you may be weaker in and then drill those certain question types. I feel like after you see questions for so long and write the explanations out, it finally starts to click. Take a break and don't feel guilty either! Try to just do at least one timed section with thorough BR/watch videos :)

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