PT Order

Comments

• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @abmustephan said:
  I remember seeing someone say it isn't good to do PTs sequentially because when you get to the 70s, scores typically tend to drop significantly. I was thinking about doing 1 in the 60s, then 1 in the 70s, and then keep that same order throughout.
  
  What do you guys think about this idea?
  

  I think that more or less sounds like a good idea... Are you taking in December? If so, I would suggest focusing solely on the 70s and/or postponing so you have enough time to properly PT and BR both the 60s and the 70s.
• afelsafa Alum Member

  October 2016 164 karma

  Yeah December, but it's a rewrite and my target score isn't substantially high so as to postpone. I need literally anything above 155 to get into a Canadian school.
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  I'd personally focus solely on the 70s then due to timing restraints. There are 8 PTs from the 70s available, 5ish weeks left until the December exam, so you can do one a week and maybe squeeze in two per week if you're up to it. If it was me, I'd probably do one per week and do a thorough blind review and drill work to address my weak areas.
• afelsafa Alum Member

  October 2016 164 karma

  Thanks, Alex! I'm honestly willing to do 3-4 exams a week, I don't feel it will hurt me because I can do an exam, take an hour lunch, come back and blind review for however long it takes. What do you think? That way I can do more PTs and be able to learn how to gauge what my score might be.
• 1 Like

  jowens7317 Alum Member

  October 2016 244 karma

  I personally think the stigma of the 70s being harder than the 60s leads some preptesters to lower scores because they're automatically assuming the exams get more difficult which can lead to overthinking or undecisiveness on some of the newer tests questions. I personally scored higher on my 70s PTs and BRs than on the 60s but granted that I only took half of the 70s (74-77) that isn't completely representative. With that being said, your PT plan for the 60s and 70s is a great one in that it may help you eliminate that stigma of the 70s being tougher than the 60s which can further help your confidence on exam day because you'll know that the LSAT you're about to take is fundamentally the same as all the preptests you've already taken, it's just an early preview of the next official preptest LSAC will release.
• 2 Likes

  inactive Alum Member

  October 2016 12637 karma

  @abmustephan said:
  I'm honestly willing to do 3-4 exams a week
  

  https://66.media.tumblr.com/cea3be7b1bc6bb8e762e06733e6b3231/tumblr_nbxv0rhmHd1trzb4po1_500.gif
  
  Burnout will come and nip you in the bud real quick and you really don't want that to happen this close to the LSAT.
• LSATaker Free Trial Member

  October 2016 250 karma

  @"Dillon A. Wright"
  Does this apply to PTs we have already done? I mean, I already finish doing recent ones and thinking to review them now.
  I did review back then when I first took them, but I feel I want to review them again to see whether I can solve the questions/understand the logic behind now.
  Since it's kind of re-take, do I still get burn out?
  
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @abmustephan said:
  Thanks, Alex! I'm honestly willing to do 3-4 exams a week, I don't feel it will hurt me because I can do an exam, take an hour lunch, come back and blind review for however long it takes. What do you think? That way I can do more PTs and be able to learn how to gauge what my score might be
  

  
  I don't think doing a greater number of PTs is going to be what helps you at this point; I'd still stick to 1-2 tops/week just to get yourself exposed to the material. The reason is that PTs are really good for gauging your progress, but targeted drilling and blind review is where you are going to see your score increase.
  
  Do yourself a favor and do all the tests PT 72-78 each 3x each before you try to do every PT from 60-78 once. You get so much more out of taking a test multiple times in my experience.
  
  Also as @"Dillon A. Wright" warns against, burnout is real my friend.
• J_Clarkson Alum Member

  October 2016 edited October 2019 585 karma

  Sounds good. I know other people have sequenced them like 44, 45, 54, 55, 64, 65, for example
• 2 Likes

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  Hey @McLovinLSAT ,
  
  I don't think there is any "ideal" order, but I'd be sure to not go through them in chronological order with only 13 weeks left. The reason is because you won't be hitting the 70s--which are bound to be my on par with the test you'll be taking--until way later in your prep. And you want to make sure you become acclimated to the 70's style of PT sooner than later.
  
  So if you're planning on doing 1-2 per week, I would just put heavy focus on the 70s, redoing several of them if time allows. Also, if time allows, you'll want to do some of the tests from the 60s. You don't need to do them all as full-timed exams, but make sure at the very least you get to the logic games on the 60s. I know there are a few harder games in the 60s you'll want to make sure you master before heading into test day. This is what I would recommend if you are sitting for the Feb test at least.
  
  If you're beginning your PT phase now and aiming for June, I would just alternate between the 60s and 70s since you should have enough time to do 20 PTs by June. Something like this:
  
  PT61
  PT71
  PT64
  PT74
  PT62
  PT72
  PT65
  PT75
  
  ..... You get the idea, haha.
  
  One thing I am a REALLY big fan of is retaking tests. And the one thing I can tell you is that no matter whether a high scorer did Kaplan or 7Sage, did 50 tests or 10 tests, they almost ALWAYS made time for retakes. The great thing about retakes is that the second time around you can really see where you weaknesses are. If you get the same question wrong both on the original take and the retake, you will know for sure that you have a weakness to address. Secondly, the second time through a PT I think you are better able to focus on the process rather than just worrying about getting the questions right.
  
  Good Luck!
  
• J_Clarkson Alum Member

  October 2016 585 karma

  Thanks, @"Alex Divine"!
• inactive Alum Member

  October 2016 12637 karma

  @LSATaker said:
  Does this apply to PTs we have already done?
  

  You're talking about BRing 3-4 PTs a week, or taking them timed? I still would advise against it. That's a lot.
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  October 2016 27900 karma

  I definitely agree to mix up the order of the tests, particularly after you've started BRing consistently above your target score.
  
  As for the number of PTs a week, if your goal is to take a lot of PTs, then knock yourself out. Hell, do one a day if that's your goal. If your goal is to increase your understanding of, and score on, the LSAT though; you're wasting your time and PTs by doing more than 2. The only exception to this might be if your PT average is above your target score. At that point, you may could go to 3/week, but even that I think is really ambitious and you risk aimlessly burning PTs without much benefit.
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @"Cant Get Right" said:
  As for the number of PTs a week, if your goal is to take a lot of PTs, then knock yourself out. Hell, do one a day if that's your goal. If your goal is to increase your understanding of, and score on, the LSAT though; you're wasting your time and PTs by doing more than 2.
  

  Truer words about PTs have possibly never been spoken!