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Significant gap between timed vs untimed PT

WhatslsatWhatslsat Member
edited June 2022 in General 476 karma

Hello everyone!

I applied for Fall 2022 but did not get into my top choices so I'm reapplying.

Here's my numbers,

Untimed:
LG: usually -2 or under
LR: usually -4 or under
RC: RC varies pretty wildly, usually ranges from -4 to -10

Timed:
LG: around -4
LR: around -8
RC: usually around -10

This tells me that I could score anywhere from 160 to 170ish (My real score is around 160 but goal is to hit 170+)

*One caveat is that these estimates are based on individual sections of different PTs. So it does not take into account how some sections might be easier than others for a specific test (I.e., they are not representative of actual tests). The numbers can be skewed if I happened to use hard RC LR LG when I study and vice versa.

I don't think I can improve a meaningful amount on RC, and I'm signed up for August LSAT.

I realize that the best way to get the most accurate score is to get an average of fresh PTs in the late 80s and early 90s which I have not done so far. I plan to do this about a month before the real test.

I'm tempted to take a fresh PT untimed to see my full potential, I would estimate my score to be anywhere from high 160s to mid 170s.

Should I push back the exam? Is 3 months enough time to improve from averaging 160 to averaging 170?
I study about 2-3 hours a day almost every day.

Any advice will be much appreciated! :)

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Comments

  • If Glory then GutsIf Glory then Guts Member
    175 karma

    Hi. In my view, you should detach untimed tests from timed scores. Scores are only relevant insofar as they represent the curve of a timed test. Without the time constraint that curve would be very very different. When it comes to untimed questions/sections/tests it's much better to think in terms of mistakes made. If you're aiming for 170+ on the actual test, untimed sections/BR should be effectively flawless, I believe -0 to -1 on all 3 sections is appropriate, assuming by untimed you really review every single question/game/passage and every single answer choice for why it's right and why the other 4 are wrong. In my view, there's really no other option if you want that type of score. If you make a mistake in an untimed section it generally reveals a deeper problem that will only be exacerbated under timed conditions. As for RC, you simply cannot ignore it and must bring that number down. Read journal articles on science passages, economic textbooks, literary journals etc, depending on where you're weak. I personally struggle w/ hard science passages, so I try to read a few articles from science.org daily. If you're going between -4 and -10 on RC untimed, you really need to hold off on timed RC for a while. LG needs to become automatic and should be -0 to -2 on timed sections. I'm not trying to scare you-- I'm aiming for a similar score and my accuracy atm is significantly affected by time. But main point is to shift your focus away from the score of an untimed test. Hopefully you can get something out of that

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