165+ scorers, drop in your advice here for us newbies please

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• 2 Likes

  Constantine Member

  8 days ago edited March 16 1359 karma

  Please don’t hesitate to ask for help as you did here. I recommend meeting with a few people who understand the test to review a passage or two together. Try to internalize their way of thinking.
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  jeanchan Live Member

  5 days ago 30 karma

  Be able to identify the premises and conclusion for each LR question. When it comes to RRE, Weakening, Strengthening, Flaw questions, be able to identify the gap/jump between premises and conclusion.
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  vanessa.liu24 Core Member

  5 days ago 1 karma

  Seriously cannot underestimate the benefits of doing full length PTs at least once a week. Learn how to block out all unnecessary background info intuitively. I personally don't find diagramming to work for me, but I gave it a shot for a month and can conclusively say it doesn't work for me- so 100% try it (I know it saves some people) but also be totally fine with not needing to use it if it's not for you- don't force it is basically what I'm trying to say. Stay on a schedule where you give yourself 1 to 2 days off a week (I work FT so this is extra necessary for me) in order to not feel burned out.
• 4 Likes

  mark.andrew.garner Member

  5 days ago 15 karma

  Omgosh how did I get here?

  It definitely was a point at a time. Having a full breadth understanding of approaches to EACH question type (some of which have a primary and secondary strategy). And then not being too hard on yourself for making mistakes (even for the second or third time), but knowing how to fix them eventually.

  I think one of 7sages most recent podcasts said it best, that your studies aren’t going to feel linear zoomed in. Meaning, your trend line isn’t always going to be score increases every PT. But as a whole, from when I started it’s definitely up and positive! Best of luck friends!
• 3 Likes

  finnlyn26 Core Member

  5 days ago 6 karma

  Honestly my first piece of advice would be to have faith in yourself. I struggled with a plateau for months and then finally it started to click and my scores have increased ever since.

  I would also focus on your wrong answer review more than anything else. For every single question I get wrong I would ask why did I get this wrong and then say out loud to myself why I will never make that mistake again on another question.
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  backphlip Core Member

  19 hours ago 6 karma

  I'll chime in with the structured process I used. All of the following assumes you've been through fundamental lessons/the 7sage curriculum. If you haven't learned those basics yet, start there.

  Then, begin with untimed drills. I did 10 LR questions or 1 RC passage at a time, then blind reviewed it all. For every question you got wrong or weren't 100% confident with, watch the explanation video. Do this until you're able to regularly get -0 or -1 on those untimed drills.

  Then, introduce some timing. I started with target time + 3 mins, but feel free to start as high as target + 5 mins. Once you're consistently getting -0 or -1 with target + X mins, drop it down by 1 minute and repeat the process until you're drilling at target time.

  If you're consistently doing these drills with -0 or -1 at target time, you'll certainly be able to hit 165+ on a full test. 170+ would be very attainable as well.

  I firmly believe that 165+ (and 170+) is achievable for everyone, but it's a (long) process. It'll take many months of consistent practice to get there, but you'll definitely get there. Good luck!
• BenkoFromPetco Core Member

  18 hours ago 24 karma

  I especially agree with the last thing @mark.andrew.garner said. Progress, when studying for the LSAT, is not linear. From my personal experience, the score I'd get on weekly PTs would jump up and down, but the overall trend would be positive. It's so important to pay attention to the big picture when looking at your scores. Don't let a couple of low scoring PTs upset you - a bad mental state affects your score negatively in a way that doesn't accurately represent where you're standing now and your potential to improve.