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Related Discussions
Postpone to September or take June test??
Hello everyone.. some advice needed!
A bit of background.. I am registered for the June 2017 date and I am wondering if I should postpone to September? I've taken around 18 PTs. My goal is to get 160+ on the actual test (mid 160s would be ideal). I've only PT'd between 160-164 on 5 PTS. Below is my recent trend:
PT 64 162
PT 65 160
PT 66 160
PT 67 158
PT 68 158
PT 69 159
PT 70 164
PT 71 163
PT 72 158
PT 73 159 (taken yesterday)
As you can see.. with June test approaching Monday I've started to get stuck in the 158-159 score. I also want to account for the test day drop in points due to nervousness because I've heard this is something definitely to factor in?
I've been told you need to be consistently scoring higher than your goal on multiple PTs in order to be ready, however with a few days left, I'm still not there..
Should I stick with June test on Monday or Postpone to September? (Disclaimer: I would be able to devote to studying over the summer full-time).
Any advice appreciated! Thank you!
Comments
If you can devote to studying over the summer, aim higher -- because one you have it in it you-- and two, because you have the time to do better. It's a rare win-win.
Plus with the summer months you'll be able to get plenty of PTs under your belt and really up the confidence. Usually anytime someone asks if they should postpone, it's just their way of looking for someone to tell them that it's ok to.
It seems like the conventional wisdom is that if you're not scoring all the way up to your potential in PTs, you should postpone. Especially since you have lots of time available for studying in summer, it'd probably be better to wait and kill it then instead of taking it now and leaving points on the table.
Have you taken any real tests before? If not, you might think about just taking it. Schools will not look at your lower score, and if you had two takes (June and September) that's not going to cause an issue with admissions. You could also take and then cancel.
Either way, you're unlikely to score much above your average, and you are very likely to improve with the right study techniques by September. Also taking in September will not affect your application cycle.
So, regardless of whether you take in June, I encourage you to plan on studying and taking again in September. You can definitely score above a 165. Critically evaluate your knowledge and skills, improve relentlessly on those, do blind review, etc.
That's not necessarily true. Many schools no longer average scores like they used to, but that's different from ignoring the lower score entirely (i.e. if you do extremely poorly on your first take, and improve significantly, a school could question your judgment as an applicant - there was a really useful law school admissions seminar someone shared a few months ago where one admissions officer specifically mentioned that as a negative). Cancelling scores also doesn't look great on your application. The rest of the advice is spot on though; taking in September won't affect the application cycle for this year, and it's much better to just take the real test when you're really ready for it and hitting your target scores consistently on PTs.
Thank you all for your input! I really appreciate it. @AllezAllez21 I have taken the test once before, 4 years ago and scored low due to poor prep and not realizing how much of a beast the LSAT really is.
Any advice for the right study techniques to get to 165 (ish) by September?
My LG is usually 17/23 - would it be beneficial to start fool proofing? I haven't done that yet.
My LR varies from 17 correct up to 23 correct.
My RC is kind of all over the place, it varies from 17 to 24 correct (I find the more recent PTs have difficult RC sections).
I saw that video and it's true, but that was for top schools. Quite honestly, if you are going to a school that's looking for a 165 LSAT they're not likely to question your judgment if you scored a 159 on a previous take. But I definitely appreciate you adding that perspective.
@JDtobeeee Get started on fool proofing right away. Do you blind review? That will give you insight into what your weaknesses really are. It looks like you aren't a 7Sage subscriber. I recommend signing up for 7Sage because the curriculum is really helpful. Even if you just do the starter pack. The LSAT Trainer is also a great book for LR and RC. I think you need to really look at your study habits and critically evaluate if they're actually helping you to learn. Progress is non-linear, but if you're doing the right study techniques and practicing the correct habits, it should come with time and you should expect your scores to rise (with fluctuation).
@AllezAllez21 Yep, I have been blind reviewing (my BR score have been going up from low 160s to 170s recently, so it has really been helping).
I am actually considering the 7sage starter pack - at this point in prep (since I will most likely postpone) do you think the CC would be beneficial? Approximately how long does it take to go through? I also don't want to neglect my PT taking stamina and endurance that I've built up. I've gone through the LSAT Trainer! And yes you're right, definitely need to re-evaluate. I will start fool proofing PT 1 - 35.
If you can get your BR score consistently into the 170s, that will be a strong indication that your skills and knowledge are greatly improved.
Do you have a skipping strategy practiced and nailed down solid for LR?
I think the CC is beneficial. It took me 6 weeks to get through but I spent 40hrs/week doing it. You could probably go faster if you did fewer of the practice problems, but they're important to do. I think what 7Sage does really well is to absolutely hammer in the basics of logic into your brain, so that you can easily translate things into conditional logic. That's a big help for MSS/MBT/SA questions. The flaw argument forms are also helpful. I found the LSAT Trainer's mindset for LR to be the best.
I dunno. I might suggest just being really critical and as objective as you can be and just write out your problem solving process for every type of question and also for sections generally. Be deliberate and honest. Compare those to the 7Sage and Trainer methods. For me, I think the best approach is starting slow, getting the right habits and steps in order, and doing them at a pace where I am doing them right. Then speed comes as you repeat them correctly over and over.
I like to think of progress in most abilities as building a pyramid. In order to go higher, you've got to build a base wider. That means laying a solid foundation. Sometimes we get to the top of our pyramid and we haven't reached our goals yet, and we are looking for a way to go higher without having to climb back down and work on that foundation. But you can't really do that. You've got to have the patience to go back and work on the fundamentals.
Hey! I was actually on your same situation and it took a lot from me to go ahead and postpone. I've been going through 7sage's curriculum (starter pack) for less than a week but I can tell you that it definitely convinced me to postpone. It quickly helped me realize what I was doing wrong and how I could improve significantly. Yesterday I could tell that my way of approaching the exam had changed and that I will get a better score if I wait for the September exam. I just withdrew this morning but because I have all July and the beginning of Fall to go through the curriculum and practice. I don't think you'll lose your stamina because the course will keep stimulating and challenging your testing skills.
Hope this helps and good luck!
I think you can go for June. It looks like you have a chance. Why not?
You can feel relax for this one: if it doesn't work, you still have a shot in Sept. and another 2.5 month to study. With that time you will nail it.
But what if you get 164 this time? Lets party!