PT 71 Difficulty

Comments

• 1 Like

  allison.gill.sanford Alum Inactive Sage

  November 2015 1128 karma

  It always depends on who you talk to. I think it is more likely that the test didn't click with you or play to your strengths. The 70s are a bit different and do take a little adjustment, but they aren't necessarily more difficult (with possible exception of RC, which many people think has become more challenging).
  Keep in mind that all the LSATs are adjusted for real difficulty; you get a bump if the LSAC determines there were a few more than average very tough questions on a particular test.
  For me, PT 71 was my best score for a while. I think it really depends on the person.
• 1 Like

  LARamsNation Member

  November 2015 592 karma

  I completely agree. 71 was damn tough.. That's mirror physics passage was out of control, absolute devastation. We can't "guarantee" that the 70+ PTs are harder per se, but there sure as hell is a damn strong correlation with harder RC, and trickier/lengthier LR Stimuli.
• 1 Like

  alexroark5 Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  November 2015 edited November 2015 812 karma

  Remember that the curve for all PTs are pre-determined prior to the tests being administered. All LSAT questions were, at one time, experimental questions. And each question's level of difficulty is determined by the percentage of students who get the question right while also taking into account how well that student performed on the test. For example, say that 60% of test takers who scored a 170 get a particular experimental question incorrect. That particular question then, would likely be categorized as being of greater difficulty. LSAC has an idea of how many easy, medium, and difficult questions they are going to include in each exam.
  
  With all that being said, the difficulty of each PT is, to a degree, subjective. Some PTs will have more question types that you are stronger/more comfortable with and less question types that you are weaker/less comfortable with. Other PTs will be the opposite. So while there is a certain level of consistency in terms of the difficulty of each PT, there will always be some degree of subjectivity involved in the matter.
  
  Also, over time, due to technology, additional resources, the rise of test prep companies, etc. people have gotten better at taking the LSAT. Naturally it would only make sense for the PT curves to reflect that reality.
  
  The best thing you can do is focus on your skill sets. Have a very solid understanding of what you are good at and what you are not good at. In both areas, always be looking for ways to get faster.
• 1 Like

  schyler.cox Alum Member

  November 2015 152 karma

  @movanation said:
  That's mirror physics passage was out of control, absolute devastation.
  

  YES THANK YOU. I remember staring at it and thinking, what the hell, I have read my whole life, I love reading, it's literally one of my strongest skills (comprehension, speed, ability to paraphrase) and yet it was so hard to visualize. Total mindf****.
  
  Thank you @alexroark5 and @allison.gill.sanford ! It is good to be reminded that they all play to our strengths or weaknesses at some point. I guess I just wanted a bit of validation that my RC skills didn't suddenly start sucking and that maybe it was this specific test that played to more of my weaknesses than strengths.
• 1 Like

  Nathanial Alum Member

  November 2015 124 karma

  @schyler.cox I'm in the same boat as you. Just got done for 71 and thought it was more challenging than the others, especially the mirror passage. I still have to BR it so I'm curious to see what type of mistakes were made.
• 1 Like

  LARamsNation Member

  November 2015 edited November 2015 592 karma

  @schyler.cox , so happy you posted this. I feel the same way, before this I used to do script coverage for production companies so I felt my reading comprehension skills were through the roof, passages like that make me cringe and second guess myself... so seeing that others were struck by its difficulty makes me feel better as well. 72 was a little easier, but it definitely continues the trend of more difficult RC in the 70+ exams. so lame, lets hope they tone it down it a bit for #77. How people nail -1, or -2 in these more recent RC sections is beyond crazyyy... hats off to them!
• 1 Like

  sean.marz Alum Member

  November 2015 edited November 2015 181 karma

  @alexroark5 said:
  With all that being said, the difficulty of each PT is, to a degree, subjective. Some PTs will have more question types that you are stronger/more comfortable with and less question types that you are weaker/less comfortable with. Other PTs will be the opposite. So while there is a certain level of consistency in terms of the difficulty of each PT, there will always be some degree of subjectivity involved in the matter.
  

  THIS. We all have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the LSAT. I got a great score on (170+) on 71 but then dropped 9 points on 72. Just because I found 72 to be the hellspawn of satan does that mean you'll find it as difficult? Of course not because your strengths might be completely different than mine.
  
  My 2c definitely echo the sentiment that RC has become more difficult during these most recent tests. From 70-76 my RC average is -6 which surprised me since I had tightened it up to between -4 to -2 during the 60s PTs. I hope that this time the experimental section is not RC like it was the last time I wrote the LSAT because I find 2 RCs to be very draining. But if it is SO BE IT because we are going to slay December regardless.
• LARamsNation Member

  November 2015 592 karma

  Cheers @sean.marz , well said. Anyway we want to spin this the overwhelming majority of people agree that 70+ RC is harder... some may be naturally strong at RC and say otherwise. But when you combine overall longer passages with more "difficult" in terms of being able to break it down structurally, naturally its gonna be harder. I know there will be others on here who will say otherwise, but the bottom line is yes, they are harder, longer, trickier, and more dense.. but we can, and WILL adapt to them...
• schyler.cox Alum Member

  November 2015 edited November 2015 152 karma

  @sean.marz said:
  But if it is SO BE IT because we are going to slay December regardless.
  

  THIS. THIS. Trying to keep positive, because at the end of the day it is us against our own brain on this test, and even if the RC is more difficult, that doesn't matter because we have been prepping our ASSES OFF. We are going to go in there and take PT 77... just like we have been doing the past few months (...and months.. and months).

  @movanation said:
  I feel the same way, before this I used to do script coverage for production companies so I felt my reading comprehension skills were through the roof, passages like that make me cringe and second guess myself... so seeing that others were struck by its difficulty makes me feel better as well.
  

  Same for me, I'm glad you posted. It is nice to be in the same boat. 7Sage has saved me from insanity: being able to talk to people who understand what this test is really like has been invaluable.
  
  UPDATE: Just finished BR'ing this PT (71). I was struck by how nit-picky they have gotten, but so be it, I'm going to have to become more nit-picky myself then. Must adapt.
  
  To elaborate, I found it to be true on both the RC and the LR, but mainly the RC. For example, RC Q13. I put AC (A), but it is wrong because "real items for virtual currency" is not the same as "in-world sales for virtual currency"... we can't guarantee that in-world sales means real items. Oh.
  
  I'm not complaining, because I have never found a question that doesn't have 4 legitimately wrong AC's, but damn.
  
  Since I couldn't pay for the Ultimate package, as I had wasted thousands on other *useless* prep classes, I don't have access to all the explanations. If you are in the same boat as me, I have found lsathacks.com to be so so helpful. He gives it to you straight, and although sometimes I need more elaboration, it is generally enough.
  
  
• schyler.cox Alum Member

  November 2015 152 karma

  @Nathanial said:
  I still have to BR it so I'm curious to see what type of mistakes were made.
  

  Post on here and let me know! I'm curious to see what you thought of it
• 1 Like

  Ravi.Singh Alum Member

  November 2015 27 karma

  The last time I took PT 71 was before the October Test. I went -1 on RC and ended up the entire test being close to a personal best. Don't let that say anything to you, because on the October i ended up going -6, close to my personal worst. (Proctors decided to have a whispering conversation during my RC section, the one section that any discernible conversation will throw me off)
  
  But, the main difference I saw was that there were way more inference questions. Before, you could sort of rely on the fact that the a good portion of the questions were just going to test specific details. Now, every passage has multiple inference questions. Once you get used to these new inference questions, you should see your score go back to where it was at.
• Nathanial Alum Member

  November 2015 124 karma

  @schyler.cox Actual: 173. Br: 178. The reading comp was truly a pain, I'm gonna be harsh with myself and suggest that its more luck i got some of the Rc questions right. When I Br'd the RC section, the 3,4th passage still didn't seem that clear to me although i did make more effort to just get the main points of the passage and mark certain areas of the passages i felt relevant.
  For the LR: mainly stupid mistakes which i hope will go away by the coming saturday
  LG: Didn't find any difficulty in it, a breeze. (LG is my strongest skill)
• 1 Like

  gs556 Member Inactive Sage

  November 2015 568 karma

  @schyler.cox said:
  I'm taking the Dec test, and I guess I want to see if it's really just me.
  

  
  Word of advice: Don't look too much into your PT scores this close to the actual test. If you've already been performing in-range for your target score, it might be beneficial to not even score your remaining PTs at all. This late in the game, your PT scores can only give you paranoia. If you want to take PTs to stay fresh, great. But don't allow them to shake your confidence.
  
  At this point in your prep, your confidence is as important as the skills you've acquired through months of preparation. You must go into this test with an unshakable resolve and conviction that you are going to own it. Focus on the lessons/take-aways from the PTs, but don't over-analyze the score. You have already earned your score, now go and get it.
  
  
• schyler.cox Alum Member

  November 2015 152 karma

  @gs556 said:
  At this point in your prep, your confidence is as important as the skills you've acquired through months of preparation. You must go into this test with an unshakable resolve and conviction that you are going to own it.
  

  I really needed to hear this. Thank you.
  
  

  @gs556 said:
  You have already earned your score, now go and get it.
  

  I think I want to print this out and tape it to every surface I will see this week. That's such an awesome way to look at it.
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  November 2015 7965 karma

  @gs556 said:
  This late in the game, your PT scores can only give you paranoia.
  

  Yes!
• 1 Like

  nicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  November 2015 7965 karma

  @gs556 said:
  You have already earned your score, now go and get it.