Retakes & Mental Exhaustion

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  Will Dearborn Alum Member

  January 2017 edited January 2017 218 karma

  This is a layman's opinion so take it with a grain of salt. This is what I do and it works for me.

  I try to get at least a 180 BR on repeated tests, if not a 100% correct timed. Given the fact that I'm already familiar with the PT (which to me already acts as a handicap), if I'm still getting questions wrong then I know for sure I need to improve something somewhere. I guess my perspective is that you should focus on building your skills, not necessarily on your score. Who cares about your score?! If you're getting questions wrong on a test you have already taken, then you should be grateful that the test exposed your weaknesses. If you've taken so many PTs you should already know the LSAT tests the same fundamental skills over and over and over, if it were possible I would love to take each PT 10x and then do it all again. You start to pick up all the nuances and tricks the test writers use. If you're scoring particularly high, you can focus on those small handful of questions that trip you up.

  You can motivate yourself by aiming for 100% correct on every test, and if you score below that thank the LSAT gods for rewarding you with the opportunity to improve and apply those lessons to the next test. I just remember to follow my processes exactly for every exam, for every question even if I've seen it before. Since you've seen the test before you might be tempted to cut corners, make sure you're conscious of that, and don't allow yourself to do that.

  For the record: I haven't gotten a 180 BR yet because LG was always tripping me up. I did LG 1-35 following the classic foolproof method, now I'm going through all of them again following the Logic Games Attack Strategy by Pacifico. I love how after each plateau I get more and more correct each time. My BRs started at 153, then wallowed in 155, then jumped to 163, then swam around 165, and now I'm at 172-173 getting whole LG games wrong plus 2/3 RC. Since it's less than a 180 I know I still have a ways to go, and that's all the motivation I need.
• danielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  January 2017 4181 karma

  For those of you who practiced with old materials how did you cope with the mental and emotional exhaustion of it?

  Just keep developing your understanding for each section. I myself was in a somewhat similar situation, and while my scores were probably inflated on PTs, I knew my understanding of the logic was growing.

  Start writing out explanations to your reasoning - both before and after BR, after if you got a question wrong or incidentally right in spite of your incorrect explanation. I can all but promise that will improve the depth of understanding you have for even the hardest questions.

  I imagine you're not getting a 180 every time; thus, you still have things to learn. Take advantage of that and you will naturally have a better chance on the real test.
• paniz.gh91 Free Trial Member

  January 2017 82 karma

  @Patroclus Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me. I started studying for the lsat again in September. My starting point was 160 under timed condition and right now it has gone up to an average of 170. My BR score started at 89/101 and now it hovers around 96-99/101. I barely have any mistake with LG , at least in these routine LG questions. My main problems are with LR and RC. No matter how many times I see certain flaws and patterns when I come across a new stimulus I just stop seeing those patterns. The reason for loosing my motivation is that I feel like I'm definitely not at 170 and not knowing where I'm sitting at for months its absolutely disheartening.I keep on saying the exact same thing to myself that if I'm not scoring 180 it means that there is room for improvement. But I hope if I could one day score 180 consistently then that would be an indication of my ability to score above 170 in a real test.
• paniz.gh91 Free Trial Member

  January 2017 82 karma

  @danielznelson Thanks Daniel. You are right I don't score 180 and that is my target score in repeated PT. Do you recommend writing down my reasoning for each question during the test and during BR, or just during the BR? For the most part I do write an explanation for the questions I struggle during the BR and also the ones that I got wrong either after BR or during the test. I try to imagine I'm teaching the answers to someone so I force myself to articulate the full explanation. I even try to understand what I did wrong in the test but with not much of a success. Because I don't know why in that 30-60 seconds I made a mistake or what I was thinking unless I missed a word or something. Did you lower your time for the test? Also, another problem of mine is RC like many other test takers. I don't read slowly per se but when I get to the questions I stumble and take more time to Eliminate wrong answer choices as I should but when I BR since I have enough time I can get the answers right. I know its repetitive but what is your suggestion in that area?