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Help: Where Do I Go From Here?
Apologies for the dramatic title (and for maybe getting that song from Buffy stuck in your head), but I could really use some advice.
Background:
I took the February LSAT and feel very confident about my performance in 4/5 sections... but on the 5th, I know I missed at least 4 questions. I made an absolute rookie mistake, something I haven't done for months: I skipped over a %$*%ing rule when reading the prompt for Game 3. I just passed right by it like it didn't exist.
I caught my mistake 3 questions into the game, but between redoing the set-up and the questions, I only had 6 minutes left for the last game. I literally bubbled in 3 random choices for the last questions on the scantron when I heard the proctor start the "put your pencils down" sentence, and I was rough-guessing on the other questions anyway.
I've accepted my February score isn't going to be what I need.
...
(mostly accepted it. Okay, there's some small part of me that still hopes that, given the recent flurry of statistically improbable events, maybe I'll luck into a 175. But that small part is stupid, so I'm trying to ignore it)
Current Issue:
I've registered for June, but I'm feeling a bit lost in terms of how to structure my studying. I mean, I feel REALLY good about the rest of how the rest of the test went. I was PTing between 175-179 for my last 10 practice tests. When practicing, I took two 4 section tests back-to-back with a 15 min break between, and the actual test felt short in comparison. With the exception of that one, stupid mistake, I really feel I would have gotten the score I was hoping for out of Feburary. (Not that it matters, but I killed it on the first 2 games on the real LG section and I finished the experimental LG section with time to spare).
So what should I do? Go through all the curriculum again? Take some time off? I had such a definitive plan studying for the February test, now I just feel lost. I'm NEVER going to make the mistake again of not checking off the rules as I diagram them, but how do I prevent myself from making a new, exciting, and equally obvious mistake?
I have PTs 36 - 55 and PT 80 left fresh (took 56-79); I work full-time Tues-Sat, and I'm in CA which makes joining a BR group tough since it seems like most groups are on EST.
Anyway, reading over what I just wrote, it's clear that the main issue is likely just how disheartened I feel. The months of studying, going MIA on my friends, abdicating 90% of household responsibilities to my saint of a spouse, going to bed at 9pm every night: all of that effort and I blew it on the dumbest mistake. It's hard to brush that off and start again, though I know I have to.
Comments
Just wanted to add a bit more for clarity (the main post was getting REALLY long so I'm doing so via comment:
I need the best LSAT score I can manage to increase my scholarship chances: I'm an older applicant, and my husband and I just finished paying off our undergrad loans last year. Going 100k+ in debt for a law degree doesn't seem manageable when I'll be graduating in my 30s with a family and playing catch-up on retirement savings.
First of all, congratulations on your high level of achievement, no matter where you landed exactly on the real test.
In your case, I'd just take a break for a while. Your knowledge clearly isn't the issue and you won't be getting anywhere productive by studying while like this. Maybe take 2-3 weeks off and get right back to it. From there, you can probably afford to keep doing what you're doing, given your PT averages. Try developing habits that enable you to avoid making a mistake like that ever again and invest in retakes during your prep. 2-3 months out before the June test (if you're taking that one, anyway), do nothing but PT 65ish and beyond, slowly working towards the newest of the new. Outside of that, I suppose it'd be helpful to work on really old/weird LG, but that's about it for material outside the newest.
I agree with everything that @danielznelson wrote above. If you were PTing correctly and were scoring in 170's you do know LSAT and going through the core-curriculum wouldn't add to that knowledge and will therefore not be an efficient use of your time.
I would say take a break. The scores should be out soon and then you can make a better decision based on that. A lot of people think they did really bad on the test date. But it ends up not being the case. Give your mind a much needed rest and rejuvenation period, it clearly has put in a lot of work already towards lsat.
How far off from your goal do you think you may have scored? And what schools do you plan on applying to?
@danielznelson and @sami, thanks for the encouraging words
Taking a break seems to be both the consensus and the best idea right now.
@TheLSAT I'd guess I scored in the high 160s, maybe 170 if I didn't miss anything on the other sections. I need at least a 1/2 scholarship at a T14 to make attending feasible, but other than that I'm not focused on a particular school.
@haellios Just wanted to say, I am in the same boat. I misread a rule in game 1 and didn't notice until I went back to finish up a question. Felt great about the whole rest of the test, and those 3-5 points could be the difference between retaking in June and calling it good.
I'm going to be doing a refresher course by going through the core curriculum just so I can catch where I may still have some weak points. I imagine this will take a lot less time on the second round, because some sections I know really well already.
I worked really hard to curb my mild tendency to flip/miss rules in game sections by working a little bit too quickly. So my goal in the next few months is going to be to get my my fundamentals down to the point where they are nearly automatic. My hope is that this will allow me to feel more comfortable taking time on passages so that I can ensure that I do not miss any info.
Also, if you are interested in BRing, I am on the West coast, and would be happy to figure out a time to BR! There are several tests that we both have not completed.
@BenjaminSF; PM'd you--- BRing with someone who shares my tendency to make 'quick scan' errors sounds really helpful!
-Scoring higher than 170 is necessary to get at least half a scholarship at a T-14?
-Do you have a strong UGPA?
-Do you have strong softs?
I understand how frustrated you are. To score consistently at the level you did indicates understanding and comfort working with the LSAT. Test day nerves cause agitation and discomfort to many test takers, which lead to mistakes for the sort you experienced. Similar thing happened to me during the December test and my score suffered greatly because of it.