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First PT after finishing curriculum
Hi Everyone! I just took my first PT after finishing the curriculum and I'm really disappointed. I had gotten a 152 on my diagnostic and I just got a 153 on my first PT. I ran out of time and I feel like I'm overthinking too much which is making me take too long on the test. Does anyone have any recommendations of what I can do? I'm going to BR it in a little bit to see if I will change answers and complete the questions I didn't have time for. I can't figure out when I should skip a question and I keep leaving a bunch until they end. Any advice would be great. I am taking the June LSAT and I'm really worried. In general, I feel like I have learned a lot and I understand, but I think the anxiety of taking the test makes me really unfocused.
Comments
I really understand how you feel. I expected that my score would improve significantly after CC because I came to understand better. But I learned that understanding materials and implementing that understanding under timed conditions are two different things.
I'm sure other 7Sagers can give you good advice, but one thing that is helping me is video-recording myself doing PT (with iPhone and this: https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Holder-Gooseneck-iPhone-Phones/dp/B00JK70KUY). I am trying to find out how much time I spend on what question type and trying to come up with a timing strategy.
Also, I am trying to get a sense of timing by drilling questions with timer and to develop skills of quickly choosing a correct answer (without spending too much time on wrong ones). And I have decided to skip a question when I am not understanding the stimulus.
I don't know if this means that you've already looked at answers, but I think you shouldn't look at answers before BR.
Just keep practicing the tests! They are the best way to improve your score in a short period of time. Aim for 3-4 35minute sections daily and after a week take a full practice test and see if you improve any. I know I gained about 10 points after about 2 weeks of doing it.
@paul1234 this is normal. Don't get discouraged. You just learned the curriculum and now it's time to learn the test. Just as you mentioned, you're gonna have to figure out how to time yourself for each question so that you can finish in time and also figure out when to skip questions. There's no way you've retained everything from the curriculum on the first go around so it's expected that you'll return to brush up on certain things. These are all normal things. Also, I wouldn't score the test until after a thorough BR. Make sure you're giving your all to each BR because this is where you'll see the most gains. IMO, BR will tell you what you know and don't know if done correctly. BR is the time for you to break down each question part by part. After you've broken down the question figure out what was wrong, if applicable, and return to the curriculum to address the issue. I would suggest postponing June so that you don't have the added pressure of forcing yourself to be ready. Good luck, you've got this!
I agree with @tanes256. I would suggest postponing too. It really takes a lot of time to BR especially when you're starting out.
I jumped to a 172 on BR which I'm happy about but I will do the timed sections The deadline for changing to September literally passed yesterday so that's not an option.
Sound advice already, but I have another suggestion that I didn't see mentioned. Sorry if it was mentioned.
After you finish up the questions you didn't have time for, then try BR-ing with an entire clean PT to do all of the questions (even the ones you went back to finish in BR part 1.
So I guess that clean PT would be a BR part 2...
Any time I BR I always do it with a clean copy, no matter if its part of a PT or a whole one. That way I won't be influenced by any previous choices.
I hope this helps! But if you're already doing it, then you're ahead of the game!
@paul1234 you have until the night before to withdraw but you would lose your money. I guess it's not a big deal now anyway because the takes are now unlimited. If your school only takes the highest score you're good.
I think the above advice is good.
Check out this webinar in which JY and a panel of Sages discuss skipping strategies/when to skip: https://7sage.com/webinar/skip-it/
Implementing a skipping strategy was what finally got my LR down to below -5
Also, just to echo the above, it was your first PT and what happened is completely normal. True improvement comes from PTs and thorough blind review.
Have you fool proofed the LG Bundle (LG sections of PTs 1-35) If you aren't at a near perfect score with LG, then definitely consider doing that. That will certainly allow for you to tack on some points.
And you still have time to withdraw from June. I think you should give yourself more time than a month to do a proper PT phase of your study.
What is your goal score? I'll be honest, if it's anything more than 4-5 points above where you're currently at I just don't think it's going to be possible. I know that the takes are unlimited now, but I can assure you having one good score on record is always going to put your at an advantage for those who have taken it multiple times. This is especially true at top law schools....Just food for thought!
Anyways, good luck!
Hi Paul1234,
I was in a similar position as you coming out of CC; in fact, I didn't take a diagnostic, but my first PT after CC was better than expected; but I hit a major plateau for like 6-7 PT's and stayed at that score. Here's what I've learned from a sage @"Cant Get Right".
You're not even close to your potential/abilities PT'ing after CC. After CC, you've barely cemented your fundamentals nor have you learned any test-taking abilities. The latter will come with doing PT's and trying new strategies. For instance, during RC, I used to struggle and try and disprove every answer. No wonder I wasn't finishing the sections on time. I had to learn to be more confident and eliminate quickly. Things like that will improve with time, along with drilling to cement your fundamentals.
There are 3 stages to prep. You're in your first stage where your BR score is going to be so much higher than your actual score. Your BR score is your theoretical "ceiling" as of now. Taking time out of the equation, that's your maximum score. Your goal right now should be to push your BR score up to and/or close to +5 of your target score. Then, when you are satisfied with your BR score, you should try and close the gap between BR and PT, which is stage 2. This is where the test-taking abilities come in. Being more confident and moving on, skipping, splitting game boards, notation methods for RC, etc, etc. When you've bridged the gap between your BR and PT, then you go into stage 3, where you can cement all that you've learned and get a "graduate degree" in prep. This is working on your routine, cookie cutter structures, etc etc.
Your BR scores and the things that you mention (being anxious, skipping, etc) all indicate to me that you are on the right track and asking the right questions. I highly suggest meditating before PT's, exercising (aerobic) before PT's and keeping a routine. Please do not get too discouraged by your first PT. Some have said that their PT's didn't click until like their 15th or 20th PT. The PT's are a means to an end; not an end in itself. It's there to reveal what we need to work on and how we can improve.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to inbox me if you have any further questions or comments.
@ tanes256, really? The takes are now unlimited?
https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/11103/confirmed-unlimited-lsat-takes
OMG - this inspiring piece of advice seriously made my day!
Thank you for this.
It looks like this is already covered pretty well, but just to echo a few things:
This is perfectly normal, and there is nothing to worry about. You should still consider withdrawing from June though. Now that takes are unlimited, it's not as vital, but why go in knowing you're not ready and putting an unnecessary low score on your record? There's just not enough time. Most of us are not ready until months and months in the PT phase. You've got two weeks. Two weeks is the amount of time I took off from PTing right before the test in order to decompress and chill out. Regardless of what you do, do not take any recent PTs. You're not ready for them and you will only be losing precious and irreplaceable study material that you are going to need. Losing a take isn't as consequential as it used to be. But burning study material is still just as devastating as ever.
And don't grade your tests before you BR. It's not blind if you know how you did! And if you aren't already, make sure you're using a clean copy, only reviewing the questions you marked, and working from a clean copy.