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Advice for LSAT score dropping again after improvement?

hfeketehfekete Live Member
in General 6 karma

I was doing well on my prep tests and saw a lot of improvement in my score until last week when I started getting questions wrong that I usually don't even think twice about. I feel like I am back at my starting point. Has this happened to anyone? And what is your advice for starting to improve again?

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  • kmcke01kmcke01 Core Member
    edited October 17 17 karma

    Yes this happened to me and it happens to a lot of people. The reasons for why are going to vary a lot for each person though.

    What helped for me was taking the pressure off and really deep diving into why I was getting answers wrong.
    Apart of the reason I was getting worse was that I was finally understanding concepts and this was taking me LONGER to do each one. Before I was just going off intuition and I had an ok chance of getting answers right. After studying the concepts I was understanding the logic behind them, but was a bit more delayed timewise as I wasn't comfortable. After sticking with studying in drilling I not only understood the concepts and got more answers right, but I did them quickly.

    Another thing I noticed is that I was looking at my practice-tests in a very short sited way. I was really getting "lucky" on a lot of them and would often bomb the experimental sections. In reality my performance didn't get much worst as a whole, but the way I was testing was just less favorable to the score I was getting.
    I made sure to hone in and analyze my practice tests and identify any weak spots.

    The biggest thing for me though was stress management. I made the decision that if I wasn't ready for this years test cycle and had to take January it wasn't going to be the end all. I was able to focus more on what was going to improve my results long-term and not just short-term, and this shift in studying had dramatic impacts in the way I was taking tests. When I take tests I feel more prepared and well-rested despite actually cutting my study time down. I only study a maximum of five hours as after this point I feel myself stop making mental progress.

  • mas441mas441 Live Member
    27 karma

    This was great advice! Thank you for sharing it. I appreciate what you said about it taking longer, initially at least, to answer questions, after you had delved deeper into understanding them. I'm looking forward to returning to drills and practice tests with this in mind.

  • dizzyfrootloopsdizzyfrootloops Core Member
    19 karma

    Hi there! I experienced this pretty recently as well, so I hope it helps to know you are not alone in facing this (it really ruined my mood that day haha). This may sound counterintuitive but sometimes stepping away from the test is SO necessary, I can't emphasize this enough. Yes, it may feel like time wasted because you aren't studying. But trust me when I say that all of my plateaus and periods of consistently making seemingly silly mistakes were overcome by not thinking about the test! I know taking prolonged breaks isn't feasible for everyone, but even a day or two off will only benefit you when you come back with a fresh mind.

  • mtawamwpsmtawamwps Core Member
    7 karma

    I also had this experience! currently still in the thick of it and honestly probably a little scared to take my next practice test, as it could be my last before the November exam. I was improving for a while and then suddenly started getting consistently lower scores multiple times. For me it had so much to do with nerves and confidence, and my theory was also that i was understanding things better but often applying them incorrectly or at the wrong times, or that since i was understanding more i wanted to get more questions right, and thus lost time spending too long on each individual question. I have been trying everything and the stress of it doesn't subside, so I'm just hoping that if I keep trying something in my brain will click before the exam and help me rather than hurt me. best of luck : )

  • mirabambmirabamb Live Member
    98 karma

    you are probably experiencing burn out. maybe take a week off if you can

  • vd290110vd290110 Live Member
    61 karma

    i had this too! I realized that one of the (biggest) factors was how I was feeling the day I was taking a PT. I would often worry about how early to start my PT so I can feel like I got a lot done that day (e.g. PT, review, etc.) Unfortunately, this would cause me a lot of (unnecessary) stress and I would get anxious for no reason. Do some warmups before taking the PT, take a break, eat a good meal, make sure you are comfortable!!

    Remember, you got to your improved score before for a reason! You are capable of doing this! We all experience some (or multiple) hiccups but we are fully equipped to get through them. I believe in you, friend!!!

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