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From 170 to 180

Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
in General 155 karma
For anyone who is trying to get to where I am, I'm happy to provide any insights. For anyone far beyond where I am, I'm reaching out for help.

I've been tackling the LSAT for a few months now and am somewhat stuck. I started the test doing very badly: -6 on LR, -5 on RC, and missing one game on LG. Now, I'm at -2 or -4 on LR, -3 on RC, and -1 on LG (usually due to stupid reading mistakes). My question is: how to move from a ~170 to a 180 score?

In my case, I know I haven't maxed out yet, since I can occasionally score a 180 during BR. But I always seem to miss a couple during first attempts no matter what. Right now, I'm not confident at all about scoring a 175+ on test day (which is my goal, given my unfortunately terrible college GPA).

I welcome anyone with any insights about how you raised your scores (even by a bit), and happy to provide insights from my end if anyone would like them. Thanks!

Comments

  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    Depending on how you're practicing, you might not have to change anything. I mean, you'll still need to PT and drill and BR and all that stuff.

    I think changing your mentality can help. When I was in the low-170s range, my mentality was something like "yeah, -1 or -2 in a section would be acceptable," but when I was in the 180 range, my mentality going into each section was "I'm definitely going to get -0 on this section." That is to say, you should be PTing with the full intent of getting every single question right. This will in turn determine how you PT, BR, drill, etc.
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    155 karma
    Thanks @quinnxzhang! You're probably right - I do need a change of mentality. Based on your experience, were you able to miss less simply by doing more PTs, BR, and review?
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    Actually, an even better question is: how exactly did you move from -1 and -2 to -0? Did you realize something new about the test? Were you able to see the flaw in LR more clearly? Or was it simply repetition (most of the new questions you see appeared once before), etc.?

    Thanks again for any insights!
  • ServededServeded Free Trial Member
    edited April 2016 16 karma
    @Edmond.Dantes I know this is your discussion topic but do you have advice about "change of mentality" or any approach you personally took to get up to a 170? I've been at this for well over a year (almost two) and I seem to be perpetually stuck at the high 150s low 160s despite having gone through the Ultimate course and BR. Any insights?
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    @Serveded

    Absolutely! Tell me more about your pain points: 1) where are you missing most of the questions? LR? BR? or LG? 2) Within that section, what's the most prominent problem? (e.g. for me, it was recognizing the flaw in LR for awhile). And 3) approximately, what levels are most of the questions that you miss (level 1-5 based on 7Sage)?

    The 7Sage analytics is pretty useful to keep track of most missed questions.
  • ServededServeded Free Trial Member
    16 karma
    I struggle the most with LR. Though across the board I tend to get -6 on average on each section, I see there's still some potential with RC/LG because my BR is better on these sections. With LR, I hardly improve on BR. Though I circle nearly half of the questions and review, I only manage to correct a few and sometimes end up undoing what I would have otherwise gotten as correct by changing my answer. Although I most often get Necessary Assumption, Flaw, and Weaken and Strengthen incorrect, I really feel as though it comes down to how difficult the stimulus is regardless of question type. Worst of all, even after having spent a lot of time going over the right answer, I never get the sense that I would absolutely not commit the same mistake with a different but similar structure because I always fall in the same habits. It's really impossible for me to discern broad patterns too. Any advice on how you were able to track that? In terms of difficulty, there's no clear or consistent pattern with me. It's all over the place.
  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    @Edmond.Dantes said:
    Based on your experience, were you able to miss less simply by doing more PTs, BR, and review?
    To be honest, I'm not really sure. I never changed my study habits -- I maintained a regular PT and drilling schedule. Over time, I just improved and my target for how many questions I would allow myself to miss gradually got lower and lower. I know that that's not a very helpful answer, but I think that you really do need time to let everything sink in and to train yourself to think like the LSAC writers do. I'm not sure that there's a shortcut around this.
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @Edmond.Dantes said:
    My question is: how to move from a ~170 to a 180 score?
    You don't.

    Or rather, you just get lucky.

    I typically tell folks that you can possibly prep up to the 175 range. Anything above that is luck.

    Furthermore, literally no one needs to get a score that high.

    Expectation management for the win!

    Furthermore, I got into a T14 school with a half-tuition scholarship with a 2.74.

    So like, chill :D
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @Edmond.Dantes said:
    how exactly did you move from -1 and -2 to -0?
    You get lucky.
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    @"Nicole Hopkins" - Thanks! I know, I'm not actually aiming for a perfect score, just above 175, which I'm not at yet. For me, most of the questions I miss are the curve-breakers (level 4-5 on 7Sage), which to me means that I'm missing something about how LSAC frames tough questions.

    @quinnxzhang - Thanks! I'll keep practicing and see if there's an improvement. You're right about the shortcut, but actually, I improved my score so far because of some "mental realization." There was a big jump in LR when I was able to see flaws better.

    @Serveded - Thanks for letting me know. I think you are exactly where I was a month ago. Have you bought Mike Kim's prep book? I highly recommend it (specifically the LR sections). It breaks down the flaw questions extremely well (in 3 different types, the piece is not puzzle, apple is not orange, and 1+1 is not 3). Once I understood these flaws, I was able to cut down my mistakes.

    http://www.amazon.com/The-LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-driven/dp/0989081508
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    Yeah you seriously don't need above a 175. If your GPA is shot (below 3, for sure) then HYS and Chicago/Berkeley are already out.
  • runiggyrunruniggyrun Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2481 karma
    I would probably focus on tightening up the LR. Your LG and RC are already close to perfect, and I agree with Nicole - for the vast majority of people the difference between a -1/-2 and a -0 on LR (combined) and RC is going to come down to luck. There can always be something that just sits wrong with you, a word or a phrase that you misinterpret under pressure and so on.
    But you're missing up to 8 questions on LR combined, and that's not just bad luck. Furthermore, you say that you occasionally reach 180 in BR - If you really want that 175, you should be aiming for 180 BR's. I understand that there are things you'll miss even without time pressure, just from being human, (I read "extant" as "extinct" over and over again once. Extra time didn't help) but you can miss 2 questions and still get a 180.
    You probably have a solid understanding of the fundamentals, so I wouldn't rush back to the curriculum, unless you miss a certain question type over and over. I would wager that you haven't yet mastered recognizing what makes an attractive trap answer wrong. Practice and BR help tremendously with this (I didn't do anything special other than really carefully reviewing the missed questions to slowly get my LR scores higher). The key is letting go of your ego and the tendency to think "I understand why A is right, but I still think B can be right too". It's not. Don't waste time thinking of why it could be. It's your job to work on that question until you could convince anyone that B is definitely, hopelessly wrong and why. Often it's just a word, but that word is not there by chance. Practice will help you recognize those subtle clues that make a wrong answer wrong, and that will in turn help you get more of the LR questions right.
    You might not be able to get a 180, but with your LG and RC scores you should be able to get to a 175 (a little luck on test day wouldn't hurt)
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    Thanks! Yeh my GPA is higher than 3, but still lower than the top school's median, so still a chance!

    @runiggyrun - this is exactly what I was looking for. I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm gradually coming to the conclusion that I still don't know why a trap answer is wrong when I first look at it (so missing the question on the first run).

    A thousand thanks for the advice! There are some hope for me yet - I've only done less than 10 PTs (except for the 7Sage curriculum), so still a ways to go, but there's room to improve.
  • cmelman95cmelman95 Alum Member
    edited April 2016 730 karma
    Furthermore, literally no one needs to get a score that high.
    @"Nicole Hopkins" I have to disagree with you here. If you go on Lawschoolnumbers and just browse relevant forums, you'll see that you do need to be in a certain echelon (174+) to get at least a half-ride from Columbia and Chicago, to use a couple top-tier examples, and usually a little higher (176+) to have a good shot at a full ride.

    Obviously the LSAT isn't the only factor, but it's the most significant one and I think we're kidding ourselves if we're saying that there's no benefit to getting a 178 as opposed to a 173. They're very different scores, and likely worth very different amounts of scholly coin. Do you have to get a 180 to get into HYS/get a Hamilton scholarship from Columbia? Of course not. But ceteris paribus is it better (regardless of GPA) to get a 178 than a 173? Quantifiably yes.
  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    I don't think the difference between a 175 and a 180 is luck alone. Certainly, luck does play a significant part on test day, but PTing consistently in the 179-180 range (which is definitely possible) vs. PTing consistently in the 174-175 range is the difference between -1/-2 vs. -6/-7. I would be very, very, very surprised if that difference could be attributed to luck alone.

    Moreover, I would certainly not tell someone PTing in the 174-175 range that there's nothing more they can do, and that it comes down to luck at that point. Consistently scoring in that range suggests that the person has room for improvement on the subtle, curve-breaker questions.
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @cmelman95 said:
    you'll see that you do need to be in a certain echelon (174+) to get at least a half-ride from Columbia and Chicago, to use a couple top-tier examples, and usually a little higher (176+) to have a good shot at a full ride.
    Are any of the LSN folks you're referencing splitters, like OP?

    One must consider both numbers. And LSN is really an awful reference—being less than 3% of the data pool.

    I stand by my comments. OP has made no statements about focus on scholarships, nor should splitters count on much (if any) money from top schools, even with high LSATs.

    Furthermore, the pressure it puts on one to "need" a 175+ is, well, good luck with that. I wouldn't wish it on anyone unless they had a 165+ diagnostic.
  • runiggyrunruniggyrun Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2481 karma
    @quinnxzhang said:
    I don't think the difference between a 175 and a 180 is luck alone. Certainly, luck does play a role on test day, but PTing consistently in the 179-180 range (which is definitely possible) vs. PTing consistently in the 174-175 range is the difference between -1/-2 vs. -6/-7. I would be very, very, very surprised if that difference could be attributed to luck alone
    Yeah, that's probably right. I was referring mostly at the score per section - I believe it's possible to miss 1-2 questions in any given section due to what one might call "bad luck" (of course it's always going to be an error of some sort rather than "luck", but it can be very random and have little relationship to a fundamental understanding the test). Missing 1-2 in every section of a given PT is statistically less likely to be due to "bad luck". Missing 1-2 in every section consistently in a series of PT is even less likely. Consequently, PT'ing consistently in the 179-180 range is very likely quite different from PTing consistently in the 174-175 range, but probably doesn't completely preclude hitting a PT (or exam) where you score 175. I believe the LSAT claims the score on any one administration is within 3 points of someone's "true" score (presumably that's the average score you'd get at that point in your prep if you were to take a whole bunch of exams).

  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    @quinnxzhang said:
    Consistently scoring in that range suggests that the person has room for improvement on the subtle, curve-breaker questions.
    This is the point of the thread - how do you improve on the curve-breaker questions? Is it just a matter of recognizing trap answers? understanding the flaw better? what else is in play here for the top scorers?

    So far, for someone who is scoring at 174-175 to reach the 179-180 range, the key is to keep PT and BR, no?
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    @quinnxzhang said:
    I would certainly not tell someone PTing in the 174-175 range that there's nothing more they can do
    If I may, what would you tell them?

    I think most people progress linearly, i.e. from -10 to -6 to -4 to -1 on any given section. Every time you progress, it's because you "realized" something new.

    For example, I went from -6 to -2/4 when I saw flaws better. In the past, I wouldn't see a flaw in arguments like "Because religious differences cause violence, thus tolerance is necessary for peace." Or, "My study suggests A -> B. I see /B, thus definitely /A" (you can weaken by questioning the study itself).

    I also went from -6 to -2/4 when I learn to recognize the type of LR questions right away (and thus know what I'm looking for in answers).

    So what I'm getting at is: what other "insights" did top scorers figure out as you went from 174-175 to 179-180?

    I think @runiggyrun was getting at something when he said "recognizing why trap answers are wrong."
  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    @Edmond.Dantes said:
    So far, for someone who is scoring at 174-175 to reach the 179-180 range, the key is to keep PT and BR, no?
    Yes, but that's what you should be doing no matter what your score is. I don't think you should be doing anything differently if you were trying to reach 180 than you should if you were trying to reach 160. I think the difference is time, practice, and a bit of innate talent.
    @Edmond.Dantes said:
    So what I'm getting at is: what other "insights" did top scorers figure out as you went from 174-175 to 179-180?
    I can only speak for myself, but I never had any insights or epiphanies or anything. I just improved gradually over time. There are definitely things LSAC writers like to do to trip high-scorers up (e.g. subtly shifting the topic of discussion from bears in a preserve to bears in a valley or something), but I don't think it's possible to drill for these things in particular, since the hardest questions can be hard for a wide range of reasons, and the LSAC writers won't be following any obvious patterns. Rather, I think you just have to really perfect the relevant skills, such as close reading, conditional logic, and causal reasoning. As I said above, I realize this isn't a helpful answer, but if there were a foolproof method that anyone could follow to score a 180, then a 180 wouldn't be very meaningful.

    Something that I did, which I'm nor sure if you're doing, is I would drill the hardest LR questions and hardest RC passages on top of my PTs. You can filter by difficulty in the question bank section here and do a certain number of them each day. Doing this might help you pick up on the sneaky LSAT tricks faster, but it's not a guarantee, and it may not be an option if you plan on taking every PT.
  • cmelman95cmelman95 Alum Member
    730 karma
    @"Nicole Hopkins" said:
    Are any of the LSN folks you're referencing splitters, like OP?

    One must consider both numbers. And LSN is really an awful reference—being less than 3% of the data pool.

    I stand by my comments. OP has made no statements about focus on scholarships, nor should splitters count on much (if any) money from top schools, even with high LSATs.

    Furthermore, the pressure it puts on one to "need" a 175+ is, well, good luck with that. I wouldn't wish it on anyone unless they had a 165+ diagnostic.
    I acknowledge that the sample size is small and that you're never going to get a completely representative sample. But if you look at LSN, TLS users' self-reported data, Law School Predictor, and other sites, there are clear patterns. (And no I'm not looking at splitters here, only high GPA/LSAT.) Leaving all that aside, I think it does matter if you get above a school's 75th percentile vs. falling between 50-75th percentile. That just factually means you're better than more of the other candidates they consider. I find it hard to believe that you don't measurably increase your odds by making that leap.

    But if this was an LR question that asked what the authors of this argument most likely agree about, it would be that the pressure one with a lower diagnostic is wont to put on oneself to get to 175+ is dangerous. I had a 154 diagnostic and have spent time in the 177 range, but managing the strain and the stress along the way has been a massive challenge. Bottom line, do the right things and see where your best takes you.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27809 karma
    I think ultimately the things you do to push higher from 170 are the same things you do to push higher from a 160 or anything else. You just have to do them better and for longer.

    When you PT, simulate testing conditions as meticulously as you can. From what time you take the test to what you do in the morning before, the closer you can mimic the real thing the better.

    When you BR, you can't cut any corners. It's a tedious process and you've just got to do it right. You've got to fully understand every stimulus and question stem, and you've got to recognize why every right answer is right and why every wrong answer is wrong. Don't do it in your head, write out your entire BR. If you haven't been doing this already, you'd be shocked how frequently you think you understand and then go to write it out and have no idea what to write.

    And as uncomfortable as it may be to admit, luck becomes a bigger factor the higher you score. There are intangibles and no level of preparedness can perfectly guard anyone from error. You've got to have such a high level of mastery to reach the mid - upper 170s that at that point I don't think there's really a higher level of readiness.
  • only3monthsonly3months Member
    13 karma
    @Serveded said:
    I really feel as though it comes down to how difficult the stimulus is regardless of question type
    Would you say you spend more time on the stimulus or on the answers? I think you should spend more time on the stimulus than on the answers. Ideally enough time (on the stimulus) for you to prephrase the correct answer, but if not, enough time to get a firm understanding of it. You can spend all day reading the answers, but if you don't understand the stimulus, you might as well just be guessing. I could be wrong, and I'd love to hear others thoughts on my thoughts.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27809 karma
    That's an interesting question @only3months , it's not something I've thought about. Of course, ideally you'd read the stimulus quickly, fully grasp it, and then burn through the answer choices similarly. Short of that, it's going to depend on the question type. Obviously on a parallel question, you're probably going to need a lot more time on the answer choices. But for an ID the conclusion, you would probably not spend much time in the answers.
  • hlsat180hlsat180 Free Trial Member
    edited April 2016 362 karma
    My LR sense is tingling. The back and forth on this thread is rife with flawed reasoning! Anyway back on topic:
    @Serveded said:
    I circle nearly half of the questions and review, I only manage to correct a few and sometimes end up undoing what I would have otherwise gotten as correct by changing my answer. Although I most often get Necessary Assumption, Flaw, and Weaken and Strengthen incorrect

    there's no clear or consistent pattern with me. It's all over the place.
    Those question types are actually related, and therefore suggests a root issue fundamental to all. Every type presents a weak* argument with a gap in logic for which you must do something. How well can you recognize/describe/distinguish the various logical fallacies?

    *weak = argument for which the conclusion is not guaranteed.

  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @cmelman95 said:
    I think it does matter if you get above a school's 75th percentile vs. falling between 50-75th percentile
    That unequivocally matters—and it matters A LOT. That's where a one point difference can mean an admit vs a WL. But, one must consider the actual LSAT medians for top schools; LSAT 75th for Chicago is 172.
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @cmelman95 said:
    That just factually means you're better than more of the other candidates they consider.
    It means you have a higher LSAT score ;)
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    And as uncomfortable as it may be to admit, luck becomes a bigger factor the higher you score.
    It is uncomfortable, isn't it—that such things may just actually be beyond our control.
  • ServededServeded Free Trial Member
    16 karma
    @quinnxzhang Based on some of your previous posts, it sounds like you had a strong logic foundation outside of LSAT studies. If so, would you say having a background in logic helped you perform to the extent you have? Would you recommend any general books on the matter?
  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    @Serveded said:
    If so, would you say having a background in logic helped you perform to the extent you have? Would you recommend any general books on the matter?
    Not as much as you might think. I've TA'd both symbolic logic and mathematical logic courses, and, like, 90% of it is unnecessary for the LSAT. If having an academic background in formal logic helps, it's only because LSAT "lawgic" is taught so badly everywhere (but that's another rant for another time). If you're determined to read a formal logic textbook, then I guess I'd recommend the Barwise & Etchemendy Language, Proof & Logic book, due to its balance between readability and comprehensiveness.

    I think what helped me the most on the LSAT was my background in analytic philosophy -- the skills developed in both are nearly identical. Unfortunately, I don't think it's feasible to just casually study analytic philosophy to prepare for the LSAT.
  • Jonathan WangJonathan Wang Yearly Sage
    edited April 2016 6866 karma
    What does luck have to do with anything?

    Did you misread something? Well, you shouldn't have. Misinterpreted an answer choice? Shouldn't have. Misapplied a concept? Shouldn't have. Failed to understand the flaw? Shouldn't have. Not enough time to check for all of those things and still finish the section? Sounds like a skills deficit to me. Got tested on something you're weak on? Looks like you have something to work on. New logic game seems objectively unfair? Well, how come others were able to ace it then?

    The bottom line is you're answering questions wrong when all of the information necessary to get the correct answer is laid out in front of you, and you have the benefit of a multiple choice setup that is suuuuuuper precise just in case you can't articulate it on your own (people would do a LOT worse on the LSAT if it were short answer). I don't understand what's "lucky" about the ability to avoid making mistakes in a perfect-information scenario.

    To me, that's the attitude adjustment that @quinnxzhang is referring to. People think of 'unavoidable' mistakes and accept them, where in reality there's nothing unavoidable about them. Achieving perfection requires you to accept nothing but perfection. Is it hard to be that perfect? Yeah. Does the skill curve steepen substantially? Absolutely. Does the effort-to-improvement ratio get increasingly out of whack as you go along? You bet. Is the distinction between 99.9th and 99.7th percentile irrelevant to 99% of practical situations? Yup. Feel free to say any of those things. Just don't blame luck, unless you're willing to defend the notion that anyone who can get consistent 180s is just getting lucky every single time.
  • joecarterruskeyjoecarterruskey Free Trial Member
    166 karma
    @"Jonathan Wang" said:
    To me, that's the attitude adjustment that @quinnxzhang is referring to. People think of 'unavoidable' mistakes and accept them, where in reality there's nothing unavoidable about them. Achieving perfection requires you to accept nothing but perfection. Is it hard to be that perfect? Yeah. Does the skill curve steepen substantially? Absolutely. Does the effort-to-improvement ratio get increasingly out of whack as you go along? You bet. Feel free to say any of those things. Just don't blame luck, unless you're willing to defend the notion that anyone who can get consistent 180s is just getting lucky every single time.
    Holy crap, that was super inspirational.

    OP, I'm literally in the same boat as you; let's do this
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27809 karma
    Maybe "luck" isn't exactly the right word for what we're talking about. Luck isn't actually a real thing, so technically, it's never the right word for anything. What I mean when I say luck here is that no one, not even consistent 180 scorers, can prepare themselves to a level which will remove human error from the equation. It can only be minimized. It can be greatly minimized, but it can never be eliminated. In most situations, I think avoidable human error can reasonably account for the difference in a 180 and like a 178.
  • westcoastbestcoastwestcoastbestcoast Alum Member
    3788 karma
    Didn't the founder of testmasters get something like 14 or 15 perfect scores? I'm not so sure if one can chalk up his scores to be that of mere luck.
  • hlsat180hlsat180 Free Trial Member
    edited April 2016 362 karma
    Here's more inspiration! For advice (rather than opinions, including my own) about scoring 180 I recommend listening to actual 180 scorers. Here's an excerpt: "I was unlucky” is not the right answer, because it excuses you from taking any corrective action."

    http://www.top-law-schools.com/how-i-scored-a-180-article1.html

    TLS has advice from other top scorers, many with initial diagnostic scores in the 140s-160s range. Trends in common I noticed: disciplined preparation, obsessive attention to detail, and intolerance of repeated mistakes. All good traits I would want in MY counsel.
  • quinnxzhangquinnxzhang Member
    edited April 2016 611 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    What I mean when I say luck here is that no one, not even consistent 180 scorers, can prepare themselves to a level which will remove human error from the equation. It can only be minimized. It can be greatly minimized, but it can never be eliminated.
    This is probably right, but the idea behind changing your mentality is so that you don't get complacent with your score. It gets very difficult to consistently score above the mid 170s, so it's easy to chalk the tip-top scores up to luck or whatever. And if you think that scoring 175+ was a matter of luck, what motivation do you have to push yourself above that boundary?

    But there's always room for improvement and if you're aiming to be above, say, the 75% at YLS, then you should be PTing with the intent of getting every question right, instead of being satisfied with a 174 or 175 or whatever. The curve for the tip-top score range is so unforgiving that you can't allow yourself that luxury. I went into my test day with a every intention of getting a 180 -- I didn't get a 180 in the end, but I truly believe that I scored what I did because I was practicing and going into the test seriously trying to get every question right. I suspect this is true for many (most?) of the tip-top scorers; it's certainly true among my friend group, at least.

    I'm not saying this should be everyone's mentality, nor am I saying anyone needs a 180 (I don't think anyone actually does). And I fully acknowledge that the risk of burnout and stress are very real concerns. But if you're aiming for that top echelon, I feel like you do have to be sufficiently motivated and driven, to the extent that you should be aiming for 180s on your PTs.

    Ultimately, in complete opposition to some of the other comments above, I think this is much harder to accept than chalking the top scores up to luck. When you chalk that up to luck, that absolves you of responsibility. But if you accept that it wasn't luck that you didn't reach your target score, then you have to accept that it was you, and that there's something you could have done.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27809 karma
    I totally agree @quinnxzhang . I don't think the ideas have to be mutually exclusive though. I aim for a 180 every test. I beat myself up pretty bad if I BR at -180. Acknowledging that error can be a factor is not the same thing as not caring about it or as being insufficiently motivated.
  • Nicole HopkinsNicole Hopkins Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    4344 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    Maybe "luck" isn't exactly the right word for what we're talking about. Luck isn't actually a real thing, so technically, it's never the right word for anything.
    Yep.
  • Edmond.DantesEdmond.Dantes Alum Member
    edited April 2016 155 karma
    @quinnxzhang, @"Jonathan Wang"

    Great comments. I absolutely agree. I think Jonathan nailed it with the "all the information is in front of you." If you get it wrong, it's really because you still got to sharpen your skills. Having that realization ultimately constitutes a "mentality change."

    @hlsat180, I saw those! Very helpful.

    I do think that there is something else to preparation besides practice, discipline, drive, and mentality. I'm still on my single digit PT (not PT #1-9, but my 8th or 9th PT), but even though I think I understood all my mistakes from the previous sections, I still make mistakes.

    I'm hoping that, as I practice more and see more variations of the same problems, that the mistakes would go away. Anyways, we'll see what happens!

    Thanks for the advice - definitely helped me a lot and hopefully for others as well.
  • tanes256tanes256 Alum Member
    2573 karma
    @Serveded I stopped reading all the comments halfway down, so I apologize if someone already mentioned The LSAT Trainer. It's about $45, I think. See if it's available in a bookstore around you so that you can check it out before purchasing if you're hesitant. It really helped me grasp the flaws better. Not that 7 Sage was lacking, sometimes you just need a different perspective. Things started to fall into place for LR for me after going over the flaw section a few times. When I say a few I mean more than 3 or 4. Repetition is key for me. It seems like each time I read it something else jumped out at me. That could be due to having a better understanding overall, who knows?? I would buy the book just for the flaw section, but the RC sections are golden as well. Also, you might want to purchase the starter pkg and check out Nicole's webinar on RC. I'm not sure if it's offered anywhere else. The LG sections are definitely throwaways, but I prefer 7 Sage. Repetition is key for the LG. You're missing about 6? Just repeat the games and watch the videos until you can finish the game in the suggested time provided. The LG explanations are free. If you're hesitant about purchasing the pkg, the LG explanations will give you an example of the course overall. Also, I think there's still the 14 day guarantee period. If it's not for you, you get your money back. Hope this tidbit helps.
  • ServededServeded Free Trial Member
    16 karma
    @tanes256 I appreciate the feedback. Yeah, I'm starting to notice that Flaw and Necessary Assumption are the keys to the LR section, at least for me. I've never been a fan of drilling types, but at least on these two I can see how beneficial it could be
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