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Related Discussions
Question Regarding Previously taken PT's and Inflation
TexAgAaron
Alum Member
So during my first time studying for the LSAT, I took 2 PT's in preperation (64 and 66); both were about a year ago. Now that I'm slowly entering the PT phase, how inflated would my score be if I took them later on in the process? I never did a comprehensive review of them (I had no idea what I was doing lol) so I don't know how much I will remember them.
Thoughts?
Comments
It's possible that the score might be slightly inflated because your are familiar with the PT's. But lets be honest its been a year and that's a long time -we tend to forget a lot in a year especially LSAT. Second, I have done retakes and sometimes I'll come across questions that know I have done before but if I don't know how to break it down logically, I end up getting the question wrong regardless.
From what you wrote above, its seems like you only took two PT's. Instead of using the scores from these two PT's to test your ability to score your target score on test day, I would use them more for testing your understanding of LSAT. I would use the other ones you havn't touched to see you are ready for the main test.
So in all, I wouldn't worry about how much it could be inflated. That's personal and depends on how much you remember. But I can also say that it's not too high as well if it's been over a year as you still have to see the logic behind the argument. I would use the untouched PT's as a better guage for your score ability.
I hope that helped.
@Sami Yes that helps a lot! Maybe these would be better candidates for section drilling than an entire test.
Yeah, I like to use them in a similar manner. For PT's that are more recent and I have taken them before I mostly use them for practicing test taking strategies. Like If I am trying to train my brain to work a certain way, skip, or test out some test taking strategies like lowering my threshold of confidence before moving on from a question.
For hard core drilling where I am trying to gain a better understanding, I would use PT 1-35 or even 1-40. These are great for learning logical concepts.
But I don't honestly think it matters either way. : ) It all works in a similar fashion.
I guess it is contingent on how good your memory is, but I don't think they would be inflated that much. Maybe somewhere around +5/-5 points. JY has mentioned that a good way to do a retake is to give yourself less time per section, perhaps 30 or even 25 minutes. But if it's been a year, I don't even think that's entirely necessary.
I still wouldn't put too much stock into the score of a retake though. Even if you don't consciously remember the correct answers, I can see even a general familiarity giving some kind of confidence or advantage you may not otherwise have.
That said, I still think retakes are extremely useful as Sami says.
This actually brings a question to mind. I definitely am starting to recognize a lot of these questions now and "remember" the answers on quite a few of them. I've seen so many people talk about drilling whole sections, but with my familiarity with 1-35 how much would those help me?
@"Alex Divine" My memory is pretty good though I haven't touched these consistently at all unlike things in the CC. I did pretty bad on these two tests so confidence probably won't be an issue lol. I'm starting to think these may be chopped up for section drills for timing issues (I'm not the best general standardized test taker in the world).
Sometimes if you immediately remember the answer, see if you can still work out the logical aspect of the question. Force your brain to extract the logical argument out of the stimulus even if you know the answer. See if in blind review you can draw parallel argument. But if you do remember the answer the returns are decreasing and there is not that much you can do if you do remember them except be honest about seeing the logical structure behind the stimulus.
However, there are 85 or so PT's out there. If you are extremely familiar with 1-35, I would focus on taking fresh PTs and really Blind reviewing ever single aspect of that test. Sometimes that can take a week and a half and you will have to use Blind Review to increase your score instead of just drilling from PT 1-35 - this is also a great strategy and no less powerfull.
If you are focused on speed and you are practicing muscle memory during a drill, just know that your goal is to practice a certain way of test taking and do not be too elated by your high score especially if you remembered most of the answers. Keep the goal and perspective in focus and you will do great.
Thanks @Sami , I really appreciate the advice! I think one of the biggest hurdles for me will be speed and recognition but that comes with practice and confidence in my knowledge which I feel better about after the recent PT I took. I the BR definitely helped me and forced me to think everything through. I know the more I do it, the more it will start to influence my thinking on the timed tests.
For sure. Speed will come from mastery of these concepts : ) . Keep going!