Help! Odd Score Fluctuations

[apimlott]

I recognize that there are a number of posts regarding inconsistency in scores, but each person has their own unique problems, so this post has to do with my own.

I have been fairly encouraged with what I've learned in studying the LSAT, and in employing that knowledge, but I have been finding myself varying widely in my section-to-section score, but in a consistent manner. For example, I have very consistently been scoring 24/25 on LR, but also scoring 17/25 on LR. With RC I usually score either 26/28 or 19/28. There seems to be no correlation respecting fatigue, but perhaps some with a lack of "warm up"

Most of what I can identify in review is not that I haven't understood a concept, but that I get hung up on what feels to me to be an awkwardly (or deceptively) worded answer which pushes me away, and then turns out to be a right answer. So sometimes my brain is inclined to select the correct but strangely worded answer, and sometimes it isn't.

What can I do to help this problem?

(BTW, I have been studying for about 2 months, and I don't really have to take the test until August '23)

[Dave Killoran]

Hi A,

Thanks for the message. As you note, every story is unique, and that means that analyzing each situation is difficult without a lot of information. That kind of information is tough to convey in a short summary, and usually requires having test results, watching you do questions, etc. Here the info about section scoring is non-determinative unfortunately; we just can't see the why and how behind those performances.

The most useful direction I can see here comes from the comment you make about awkward or deceptive language. It's clear you sense the danger, but for some reason you want to move past that as opposed to doubling down and looking at it more closely. That's just a trained response issue, and you can correct it. Most people avoid confusing things, so when you sense that, you have to stop the natural inclination to move on (and move toward certainty) and instead stop and make a deeper analysis. Those answers won't always be right, but on the hardest questions the most confusing answer to read has a higher likelihood of being correct.

That's not much, but it's the most I can draw from the info here. I would think a tutor might be a really good route for you to go here--someone with good training who could watch you do some questions could make a world of difference. Thanks!