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15 Likes
PTing in the 80s has made me completely lose confidence in myself.
Started studying in late May with a 150 diagnostic and have improved to scoring in the low 160s, but have regressed to the mid 150s in the couple of 80s PTs I've taken. Before, I was going -3-5 in LR, and now I'm going -11... I just feel so discouraged and like none of the hard work I've put in has helped now. Anyone else experience something similar and overcome it?
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Hey man, this is actually a pretty common sentiment so I hope you know you are not alone.
I myself saw a drop in LR when I hit the PT's in the 80's. I also thought they were just way harder than older LR.
What I think now is the LR is different, but not necessarily harder. They are different in the sense that they may use terminology or synonyms for words in the stimulus that you would not expect if you are looking for a specific word. Or that they are different when they completely ignore a conditional chain statement in favor of an inference that hinges on one or two words.
So it can seem harder, but I would argue that it's just different. If you were putting up -3 to -5 previously, you definitely have the skills to ace LR. Think of it instead as adaptation. You have to adapt slightly to face your new opponent.
There is a reason why people stress practicing with the most recent PT's. It gives you a sense of how the LSAC could be evolving and how you need to adapt to fight your opponent.
Hey man, I've just finished my first two PTs since the my diagnostic 2 months ago (which was 148), but I scored a 153 on 81. and a 152 on 82, so honestly I'm glad to hear you found them difficult because maybe that means I'll score a bit higher in the lower PTs!
I did experience the same thing! Don't be discouraged! What I realized was while I could get away with prephrasing in earlier PT's, I couldn't in the new ones because there would be a trap AC sounding like a popular prephrase, but it would actually mean something else. So I needed to adjust the rigor of my prephrasing (and eventually switched to no-prephrasing, just understanding the argument and maybe spotting the gap if it's obvious approach. But you gotta experiment and practice to find the best approach for you). Overall I think the newer tests do require more flexibility and outside the box thinking. So don't underestimate the power of BR - make sure you really dig deep into questions that gave you difficulty by coming up with parallel arguments, etc. Basically you just need to practice and get used to the newer tests. Also maybe redo difficult questions from these PT's from time to time. In time, and especially if you decide go back to PT 50s or 60s, you'll notice that the questions haven't changed all that much. That's how it went for me and I eventually did fine, so hang in there!
me too! dont worry you're not alone
If you are taking the LSAT in the next few administrations, there is a good chance that the test your receive will be more similar to the 60s or 70s than the 80s, so don't lose hope. Keep practicing and mastering your mistakes and you will be able to tackle whatever LSAC throws your way.
Keep grinding. When the test comes, something in you will grind the heck out of that test and you'll do better than you think.
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. I've done some difficult things in my life, but nothing has been quite as blindsiding or blatantly ego-crushing as studying for this test.
I have experienced the same thing ajspiano. I also have written every single PT (FYI to know this). There are some subtle differences in the 80's I believe I think it is how they make the conclusion a little bit more nuanced. I also think in the 80s they had more fill in the blank questions. The only way to get around this is literally to just get used to the modern LSATs. If the fill in the blank questions are causing you problems go to the test bank and drill those. I know it may seem scary right now and I have been in your shoes, but believe me when I say that you just have to get accustom to the 80s. Once you have seen them enough and get used to this new formatting, I assure you you will be back to normal
Hey!!! I think it's awesome you started to practice the more recent tests. As long as you keep pushing, reviewing, and working through it, with time you will eventually get the hang of it. Don't give up
currently experiencing this... its very discouraging... and I am taking the august LSAt...i have already scheduled a re-take in October...
Yeah, if you're getting -11, that means you need to go back to strengthen/weaken/flaw question types and make those more grounded. Those types weren't as prevalent in the earlier LSATs from my study and they became wayyy more prevalent on the more recent ones.
As someone who took both the April and June flexes, I can certainly say the tests are closer to the 60s or 70s than the 80s
OMG really? The 70s imo have some of the most difficult RC (praying no passages on mirrors) and has a surprising amount of misc games for LG....
I have heard this before -- why is it the case? And how certain is that upcoming administrations will be more similar to 60s/70s than PTs in the 80s?
The harder 80s tests will just make you better when the real test comes around for you. Focus on this perspective and the demoralization will turn around into a confidence boost! Your score drops are just indicative of you encountering questions/concepts out of your comfort zone, and learning from these will make you much more well rounded for the real test.
I am experiencing the same thing. I was scoring 162's consecutively for the PT's in the 70's and now i am scoring 157-160's for the 80's. Although it sucks that we are experiencing this, know that you are not alone!
Is there any data to support this? The 60s and 70s are much easier for me than the 80s
Would love some confirmation on this, thank you.
Why is this the case? I will take the LSAT this Sunday and like many others in this discussion, I noticed the 80's PT's are a bit.. different.
Newer PT's have wrecked me lol. Just continue to sharpen the skills you already have
Still doing the CC, but this comment piqued my interest. Signed up for November, first time. Wondering if you could elaborate? Thank you!
tempting to do it, but probably not worth guessing what flavor the Aug/Oct tests will be most like.
Better to go in expecting it to be totally different than what you have seen before. That way, if it is, you're expecting it and stay cool. If its not, then great!
@ajspiano -- instead of losing confidence, realize that you are practicing the MOST important skill right now, which is performing even when the test isn't what you expected, relying on fundamentals, and staying calm. A bad score on a PT means you got good practice pushing through a challenging test, its the BEST kind of practice, in a way.