Looking for advice for retake! (scored 169, target 171+)

Comments

• Liz L 123 Free Trial Member

  June 2016 73 karma

  That's a tough one. What exactly were you averaging on your last five PTs before the exam, and how many missed in each section? In particular, were your LG and RC scores on the real exam average for you or high?
  
  My next question is, how closely did you mimic test conditions in your PTs? (Five sections, breaks, distractions, analog watch, wooden pencils, no food until break, etc.). If you weren't strict, be strict going forward. If your PTs were really rigorously simulated, then I'd try doing 6-section PTs or even back to back PTs to build your endurance and make yourself an LSAT machine (not just a LG machine or an LR machine or a RC machine, which it seems like you already are). If you felt really confident content-wise, then by process of elimination it's the test-ness of the test that's getting you. So I'd focus on crushing that. Make sitting down to take a half-day test just an ordinary Saturday for you (as grim as that sounds).
• 2 Likes

  Inluskwetrust Alum Member

  July 2016 60 karma

  This will be a short post but.... I got a 168 last year and in taking it again! Your target score is yours .....nobody . can. Tell . you . otherwise. Peoplle told me I shouldn't and this and that but I knew what I wanted and I know what I want to get. So I say take it . Also,if you want to team up and crushthis next test then hmu!
• 1 Like

  jessicalj Alum Member

  July 2016 172 karma

  First, commenting to express solidarity. I am in nearly the exact same situation as you, except I wrote in February instead of June.
  
  What was your PT score range? If it was close to your target of 171+, I would suggest aiming higher - based on advice I've seen around here and personal experience, you might try for at least a 3 point margin of safety.

  @cal6005 said:
  feel like I have an intuitive grasp of the questions, so I don't know how I should approach LR now. ... the questions I missed are question types that I had considered my strong areas during my prep so I think I made careless mistakes on the actual test.
  

  I too, felt like I had an intuitive grasp on LR questions. In order to make that significant score jump, I figured it would be important to really understand the logic - to make LR as straightforward as LG. This includes foundational skills (e.g., translating conditional statements, keeping track of referential phrasing) and question specific approaches.
  
  7Sage is definitely a solid resource for developing and mastering hard skills, not just intuition. Aside from the curriculum, the community has been great - I've especially benefited from Blind Review calls. In dissecting questions and answer choices, everyone pushes each other on thought process and reasoning - to an extent we may not have patience / discipline for on our own. If you haven't been on a BR call, I highly recommend you check them out.
• 1 Like

  Ron Swanson Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2016 edited July 2016 1650 karma

  @cal6005
  
  Quick question: Which section # was your -6 LR? I'm asking because I also had a -6 LR section and it was #1 for me.
  
  I think a bad section early indicates test day nerves even if you say you don't feel anxiety. Especially if -6 is an unprecedented underperformance. If the -6 came at the end of your test then you may have some endurance issues. My point is you might not need to do anything "different" as far as studying goes..maybe just fine tuning your approach to certain things on test day.
  
  Sounds to me like you feel confident enough to score your PT average tomorrow if you got the opportunity?
• cal6005 Free Trial Member

  July 2016 106 karma

  Hey @Liz L 123
  Thanks for responding. I was averaging about 173 on new PTs before I took the June test. RC was my weakest section so I was very surprised to have only missed 2 questions on the actual test (average was about -4). And missing 9 total LR questions was more than I would normally miss. Sometimes I would only miss 2 per test. I think that's a really good idea to do back-to-back PTs - I'm going to try to do that possibly with one fresh test and one re-take test since I don't have that many left to take. Thanks for your insight!
  
  @Inluskwetrust - we can definitely team up to study for the September test!
  
  @jessicalj - sorry to hear you're in a similar situation. I think I'm going to check out a BR call - it seems like it would be super helpful. And good point about aiming higher. Since I was scoring 175 on some PTs, I know I can score higher than a 171, so I should aim higher for sure.
  
  @Ron Swanson - the LR section I missed -6 in was my section 3, so my 2nd LR section. I also had an experimental LR section that I believe came before the 2nd scored LR section.I think you might be right about nerves - I'm SMH at the questions I missed because I fell for such trap answers. I like the advice here to take a few PTs in a row to build up endurance. That way, a 5-section test would seem pretty short (I hope!). About your last question...I feel like that's my issue. Some days, I would PT and get a 175, other days I'd get a 169, mainly due to variations in RC scores. I think fine-tuning and re-visiting the question specific approaches is my best bet.
  
  Are you happy with your score from the June test?
  
• TheLoftGuy Alum Member

  August 2016 698 karma

  What is your GPA? With a high GPA will the the 2 points matter?
• 1 Like

  Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  August 2016 11542 karma

  @TheLoftGuy said:
  will the the 2 points matter?
  

  a 154 to a 156, not so much. 169 to a 172, absolutely.
• TheLoftGuy Alum Member

  August 2016 698 karma

  That's good to know. I would be ecstatic with a 169, say my goal is 165
• 3 Likes

  cal6005 Free Trial Member

  August 2016 106 karma

  @TheLoftGuy said:
  What is your GPA? With a high GPA will the the 2 points matter?
  

  GPA is 3.85. Based on mylsn data for one of my target schools, I think even a 2 point increase could increase my chances of acceptance by over 50%, so it's definitely worth it to me!
  
  Since you brought this thread back to life, I guess I'll give a quick update about my retake studying. My boyfriend decided to start studying for the LSAT, so I've been tutoring him in addition to drilling RC and LR. My last two prep test scores were 179 and 178. Though I don't expect to get that high of a score on the September test, I'm feeling pretty good about being able to raise my score at least two points.
  
  Good luck to all of the retakers out there!
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  August 2016 11542 karma

  Whoa congratulations @cal6005 !!!! Keep it up and keep us updated
• inactive Alum Member

  August 2016 12637 karma

  @cal6005 said:
  My last two prep test scores were 179 and 178.
  

  
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  August 2016 23929 karma

  @cal6005 said:
  My last two prep test scores were 179 and 178.
  

  Congrats! That is amazing... You are going to kill it on game day ;D
• 1 Like

  stepharizona Alum Member

  August 2016 3197 karma

  2 points can be a big deal at almost any level. Some of the lower tiered schools give scholarships at 155 vs 154. You want to fight for every single point.
• cal6005 Free Trial Member

  August 2016 106 karma

  @"Alex Divine" said:
  Congrats! That is amazing... You are going to kill it on game day ;D
  

  @"Dillon A. Wright" said:
  Dillon A. Wright
  

  Thanks guys! Didn't mean to sound boastful...just realized it may have come off that way
• TheLoftGuy Alum Member

  August 2016 698 karma

  Not boastful at all, I appreciate you sharing. That gives me hope to try harder. If you don't might would you give me a few pointers? Are you only using 7Sage? What is your study schedule? @cal6005
• 2 Likes

  cal6005 Free Trial Member

  August 2016 106 karma

  @TheLoftGuy said:
  Not boastful at all, I appreciate you sharing. That gives me hope to try harder. If you don't might would you give me a few pointers? Are you only using 7Sage? What is your study schedule?
  

  I don't mind at all! Hope this isn't too much info...
  
  Prior to the June test, I had studied using The LSAT Trainer and the Powerscore Logic Games Bible, as well as the Cambridge LR and LG question type collections, the 7sage LG videos, and about 30+ PTs. (Personally, I wouldn't recommend the Powerscore Logic Games Bible, since it teaches some methods that directly contradict the methods that I now use.) I never signed up for a 7sage course since I found 7sage well after I had already started studying, but I've only heard great things about the courses. And the LSAT Trainer is great!
  
  I think my mistake with the June test was that I didn't spend enough time with the most recent tests (70+). I had a rigorous study schedule prior to the test and burnt out super hard towards the end, which caused me to neglect the newest tests. Though I think the RC section has remained essentially the same, and the LG sections are typically easier, I feel that the LR on the newest PTs has changed slightly and I should have spent more time with the newest questions.
  
  But, what really changed the game for me was deeply reviewing every LR question I got wrong or was even slightly unsure about. I'd read the Manhattan Prep thread for each of those questions, and think about how I could avoid making the same mistake again. This taught me to be quicker at eliminating wrong answer choices by understanding the patterns of wrong answers, and to recognize how important pre-phrasing is for certain questions. For RC, I would drill by doing lots of passages timed, and then go back untimed and underline the support for each question and write out why the wrong answers were wrong. I kind of naturally understand LGs, but watching the 7sage videos for the more difficult games helped me to improve my speed and techniques.
  
  Also, creating good test-taking habits is essential. Practicing skipping questions and managing my time was super important, since now I finish most sections with enough time to go back and calmly answer the questions I skipped. Keeping track of time sets my mind at ease and helps me stay on track in each section.
  
  That was all before the June test. Now, my main focus is on not burning out I read the Manhattan Prep LR and RC books a few weeks ago (highly recommend reading both if you have time) and now I'm retaking sections of tests that I did poorly on many months ago, and targeting my weak areas. When I'm tutoring, I get to practice lots of LGs and LR questions while also having to explain the right approach and why answer choices are wrong/right, which helps to reinforce what I already know or expose what I don't quite understand. I'm trying to only take 1 full timed prep test each week, and am focusing primarily on the newest tests this time (70+). I feel that my test-taking approach is pretty solid, so I'm trying to spend my time thoroughly reviewing. Now, since I thankfully rarely miss questions, I obsess over the questions that I do I miss to make sure that I understand the flawed thinking that lead me to choose the wrong answer.
  
  The #1 LSAT tip I could give is to constantly be aware of and in charge of your thought process by training yourself to think about the right things at the right time (during PTs and when studying). Having the right thought process for each section/question type helps to see the formulaic nature of the test, rather than seeing each question as a unique challenge. On the LSAT, there are only so many types of wrong answers, so many types of reasoning errors, etc. Most LG questions can be answered by looking at the rules and making inferences rather than drawing out diagrams if you know what to be to be thinking about.
  
  Personally, I would suggest maybe trying something different rather than trying "harder." Don't burn yourself out! Try a different approach, or, if you realize you don't have a specific approach, you should work on implementing one. Writing down and memorizing the process for each type of LR question and making sure you use that process every time is a great tool. If you want to take a look at my strategies for each LR question type, let me know.
  
  Good luck! You can totally do this.
• TheLoftGuy Alum Member

  August 2016 698 karma

  Thank you for sharing. As it stands I have powerscore logic games (lol) and 7Sage starter. Most of the people high scores I spoke on here say that 7Sage is the only prep they used until they completed the bundle than they followed up with the LSAT trainer. I definitely need help with the rules for each type of question. My study schedule is 30 hours a week, 8a-1p Mon-Fri with review and test prep on Saturday. I don't want to burn out because like everyone else I would like to only take the exam once. Please share your strategies @cal6005
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  August 2016 11542 karma

  @TheLoftGuy said:
  My study schedule is 30 hours a week, 8a-1p Mon-Fri with review and test prep on Saturday.
  

  i don't foresee a burnout from this, it seems pretty solid! I like that you begin at 8.