No Test Improvement / How to Better Prep?

[ssmith87]

Hi guys,
I've been pretty religiously using the On Demand study materials for 4 months now. I've gone through every module, some twice, have done nearly every homework problem provided, and tested when/as recommended by course materials, plus 2 tests per week the last 2 weeks. (I plan to test M/Sat and potentially Wednesday as well going forward.)

I have seen no consistent improvement in my test scores from my pre-course exam through the tenth one I took today. I PTd initially at 158. Had one anomaly at 163 (which I credit to the fact that my computer died before my 4th section and I had some extra brain rest getting it restarted and back to that final section).

Other test scores have been: 3@157. 3@155. 1@160. 1@158.

My reasoning sections do seem to be improving, with a -4 on my last exam (unless it was just an easier-than-normal section), up from my previous typical of -7 to -11. My reading comp is typically abysmal at -9 or more. And logic games seem to be the make or break toss up, going anywhere from -4 to -11 depending on the test.

Any thoughts on what is going on or how to better practice for improvement? Is it potentially just timing issues and taking more PTs will work those knots out?

Any advice you could give would be really appreciated. I'm getting really anxious with the test being 4 weeks away and seeing no improvement. Let me know if you have any questions I can answer to better clarify my study habits and results!

Thanks for your time!

[Jeremy Press]

Hi ssmith,

Thanks for reaching out, and for your very good questions! What you're describing is not atypical, so don't feel like you're alone in this. I have a few encouragements, along with suggestions for potential changes to your study process (if these are not things you're currently doing).

1. Stay the course: the things you're doing are starting to work, because you've seen measurable improvement in one section of the test. Don't discount that! Significant improvements in one section may not be enough by themselves to change your overall scaled score as significantly as you'd like. But by solving problems in one scored section, you're freeing up study space to focus more heavily on the other two sections. With the ability to focus more heavily on reading comp and logic game improvements, you'll be able to make gains more quickly in those areas. Stay on track with the number of practice tests you're taking. It takes many (I'd go as far as to say most) of my students at least 20 practice tests or more before they (a) see significant scaled score improvement, and (b) solidify those improvements so that they deliver those higher scores on most tests. You've done 9 tests, so you're getting there. Keep at it, and don't give up.

2. Review, review, review: Effective review of practice tests is the most important thing you can be doing in the weeks leading up to test day, especially since it sounds like you've been fully exposed to the fundamental content you need to succeed. Check out these links for that purpose: https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/38/; https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/the-be ... ice-tests/. Make sure there are three steps to your review process, at minimum. First, identify what caused YOU to miss (or be uncertain about) the questions you missed (or were uncertain about). It's not enough just to know why a right answer is right and a wrong answer is wrong. You need to know why you're being attracted to certain types of wrong answers in certain questions. Focus on causes of mistakes/uncertainty. Second, think about what you can do differently to avoid those wrong answers and gravitate toward correct ones. Something about your thought process has to change, and you need to be intentional in review about identifying what that is. Third, find a few questions/games/passages similar to the ones you had trouble with to practice implementing those changed thought processes.

3. Resist the temptation to nonstop study: the above processes I'm describing are pretty mentally intense, and they're things you'll do in addition to the already-intense practice tests you're taking. You need little rest times during each day that you study. You need a rest day (or even two!) every week, where you can put the LSAT out of your mind for awhile and enjoy life.

Ultimately, your belief in yourself and your commitment to these processes (which already are working and will continue to work) will create the conditions for improvement. Stay positive, and let us know if there's anything else we can do to be helpful!

[ssmith87]

Awesome! Thank you for the encouragement and tips--I will definitely put them into action and see what happens!