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Took a lot of PTs before. Need Advice on what to do now.

JuliaZLSATJuliaZLSAT Member
in General 77 karma
Hello.

So I am not sure where to put my question, so I will just write it here. I apologies if it is redundant, but I cannot find an answer yet. I have taken a prep course with Test Masters, and even though I improved from my original score and did learn something I am still not happy with my mid 150. My problem is that I did a lot of PTs, all of them starting from 2007. Some I did almost a year ago, but some were just recent. Of course there was no BR, so it was pretty much a waste of time. I am going to do all of the theory here again, since it seems that I have some fundamental misunderstandings there, but what should I do about PT practice? Should I take the tests I have already done again? How good would that be for me? Should I take the older ones? It seems that we'll do a lot of questions from those during the initial theory course. Any help or advice will help. Thanks.
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  • blah170blahblah170blah Alum Inactive ⭐
    3545 karma
    Honestly, I wouldn't worry so much about taking tests you've taken before for 2 reasons: 1) There's a very small chance you remember a bulk of those questions. 2) Sure, it's true that you're PT scores might be a bit inflated but the point isn't to get high PT scores -- it's to get better at the test. Retaking tests is actually extremely helpful at assessing your strong points (the ones you consistently get these right), weak points (the ones you consistently get wrong), and iffy points (the ones that are hit or miss).

    My advice for PTs going forward is to actually stack them, taking old tests and new tests simultaneously. This is because you don't want to save the new tests for the very end and find out you have to make some adjustments a week or two before the test. Spreading the tests out (ex: if you intend on taking 3 PTs a week, doing one from the 40s, 50s, and 60s) allows you to see the fluctuations in the test and start preparing for those ahead of time.
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    @JuliaZLSAT said:
    Of course there was no BR, so it was pretty much a waste of time. I am going to do all of the theory here again, since it seems that I have some fundamental misunderstandings there, but what should I do about PT practice? Should I take the tests I have already done again? How good would that be for me?
    A lot of folks here, including myself, have done a LOT of retakes. Sometimes even after rigorous BR. What's there to lose? Absolutely. Nothing. You're still working under time pressure, still honing your skills—and I for one am often surprised by how little I remember having taken so many PT's twice or even three times.

    Now, I do think it's important to save maybe the last 3 PT's (for October takers, this will be 73, 74, and 75) to use as "ok am I really ready to take the test" because, of course, with a truly "Fresh" PT you eliminate the X factors introduced by repetition and can get a better sense of readiness in terms of desired score range.

    But for practice, on the whole? You have plenty to gain from retaking. Especially if you didn't BR at all. I always gain something when I take any section/PT under timed circumstances because I'm at least engaging the mechanical/habitual parts of my brain and putting them to work.
  • sarkisp23sarkisp23 Alum Member
    374 karma
    I totally agree with @blah170blah retaking preptests has been extremely helpful for me. Sometimes, I feel like I learned the most from retaking them. And you said "starting from 2007" so I would do those older ones prior to 2007 that you haven't done. Also, the upcoming June LSAT will be released in preptest form soon enough so you'll have that as well. If you choose to wait a year for law school while working let's say, then you'll have another 4-5 depending on when you decide to write. And don't forget, BR is where you get a substantial amount of value in doing a preptest, so focus on that this time around, even in questions you've already done.
  • JuliaZLSATJuliaZLSAT Member
    77 karma
    @blah170blah , @nicole.hopkins @sarkisp23 Thank you for your input. Everything you said is very helpful!
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    edited June 2015 8021 karma
    The only thing I'll add to the already great advice is that if you weren't doing BR then presumably you were just looking at your score and moving on, perhaps giving a cursory glance at the questions you got wrong. So since you never reviewed any of those questions in depth after taking each PT, it is even more unlikely that you would remember the questions, let alone know which ones you got right or wrong and why. Tackle the 7Sage curriculum for a month or two and then attack the PTs and you should be fine for October.
  • jdawg113jdawg113 Alum Inactive ⭐
    2654 karma
    relevant: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2156/recycling-pts
  • JuliaZLSATJuliaZLSAT Member
    77 karma
    @Pacifico , @jdawg113 Thank you, guys!
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