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I've been studying more or less for about a month and a half now, and am about to schedule to take the LSAT in December. I'm enrolled in the Powerscore Online class, which I am rather confident in, but when I am practicing out the the instructional books or on the practice tests I'm not doing so hot. I took my first practice test about two weeks ago and scored a very mediocre 153, which I didn't expect. I read casually through the Princeton Review book and put a decent amount of attention to the course, but with my lack of self confidence I feel like I am losing my mind. The course is almost over, I have another class left, and I feel like I need a resurrection from this experience. I plan on ordering the Powerscore Bible Trio and really buckling down. I feel like I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge of basic strategy, I often blank when trying to set up a LG structure or underline the proper points in RC. I achieved a decent score in LR (~72%), but my LG and RC were terrible in my mind (LG 51% RC 56%). I've never been a great test taker, but this is daunting to say the least. I feel like I need to hit the reset button and work through the books to get the correct baseline down. Has anyone hit this brick wall or am I just being ridiculous? I have about 2 months left and hope I can really increase my score to the upper 160 echelon.

relax. dont worry about your final score just yet. Go through the bibles chapter by chapter, and drill the concepts until you feel confident. Then start doing timed sections. After you do a couple of timed sections in lr, lg, and rc, start doing full length prep tests. Its very easy to become overwhelmed, especially in the beginning. As long as you focus on the task at hand ( and the part of the section you are working on) you will get better, trust me.

RC is its own nasty beast. there are a lot of ways to tackle the passages. you will get better through repetition and drilling. keep your chin up... you'll be fine

So you're saying I shouldn't have done the entire thing timed at first try? After the LG section I was really iffy leading into RC.

I don't underline a lot in RC and I normally score 0-2.

If I miss any in RC it's because I was choosing between 2 answer choices and went with the the trap despite telling myself it was a trap.

Sort of like touching a hot stove when you're a kid.. You just can't not do it.



Here's the key to the LSAT. Put in the time.

Don't kid or cheat yourself. Plug in 2-3 hours a day of test sections and problems. If you get a question wrong, don't just look at it and say, 'oh yea I knew that'. Dissect the questions. Figure out why every answer choice is wrong using the stimulus,or reading passage. Force yourself to be methodical. The LSAT asks the same questions over and over again. By this I mean that the same logical errors repeat 1000's of times.

If you start reading the LR stimulus and it starts off saying,

Most people are X. Most people are Y.

You think in your head the question is going to test your ability to distinguish that at least one person is X&Y.

The logical mistake the untrained test taker will make is that most people are X&Y.


Read the bibles, and make sure you're dedicated to spending time understanding the test and your wrong answers. Even if you've finished the course, if you're not scoring well on the sections take them untimed and learn to answer questions correctly.

Slowing down and getting 100% right but only finishing 75% of a section is a hell of a lot better than going full speed and missing 50%

My problem is definitely that I didn't take enough time to learn the "language" per say and tried to "talk the talk." I definitely need to be more methodical. I can't even really remember exactly how to label a few of the logic games in their proper genre.

you can take it timed the first time... if you do,its perfectly normal to go down in scorem, since you will be doing strategies and remembering how to tackle each question type on the sections ( the first time you do this... it takes a while) That s why i said not to take a prep test until you are 100% comfortable with each question type, so you dont lose confidence in your ability levels. dont worry about labeling the games, just know what the games are, how to recognize them, and most importantly what to look for to complete the game, question type accurately.

also, remember this: 90% of all test takers do NOT score a 165 or higher. ( comparing your score to people on this site can be detrimental to your confidence)

northwood wrote:
also, remember this: 90% of all test takers do NOT score a 165 or higher. ( comparing your score to people on this site can be detrimental to your confidence)

Yeah I know, but I've always been pretty capable with anything I put my mind to. And I always correlate IQ with the LSAT for some reason and that's another reason why I'm a bit peeved. I guess it is all about hard work.

Instead of worrying about being nervous on the test day, just accept that you will be a little nervous, and you will be all right. Nerve will affect your performance a little bit, but that is a part of the game. People who perform well in various competitions do well not because they are absolutely calm; they perform well despite feeling some nerves. Here is a comment from a golfer during the post-tournament interview after she won the tournament: "Oh I was petrified! All night I’ve been really nervous, the whole time I’ve been here. I don’t know, I just wanted to go out and play good golf and luckily I did that – its all good."

Sorry. I posted my comment on a wrong thread.

RefleX wrote:

northwood wrote:
also, remember this: 90% of all test takers do NOT score a 165 or higher. ( comparing your score to people on this site can be detrimental to your confidence)

Yeah I know, but I've always been pretty capable with anything I put my mind to. And I always correlate IQ with the LSAT for some reason and that's another reason why I'm a bit peeved. I guess it is all about hard work.

There is a correlation between LSAT and IQ. It may not be perfect or extremely strong but it's there.

there is a coorelation to it, but theres not much you can do to change your iq( at least not raise it up a few points... there are plenty kinds of ways to lower it), so at this point thinking about it wont make things easier.

understand that your nerves may play some role during the test. COnfidence is key on this thing. Prep effectively and efficiently, know that you put your best effort forwards, and let it go the way its going to go. ACcept that as long as you put the best effort in that you can, no matter what you should still be proud of your score.

Also, if you feel that you left some points on the table, keep the score, and try again in december, february, or june. use the time to refine your skills and gain confidence

Going through some of the questions today, I feel like looking back I understand it a hell of a lot more once I know the answer (after I marked it off as wrong). The 153 was only my first practice test, so although it stung a bit, I definitely have time to improve. I think it's clear that I'm not focusing enough or not pre-phrasing as I should.

thats a good start. keep up the good work

If i were you I would get a logic textbook and learn some formal logic. I signed up for that online class and eventually said screw it. I got the Powerscore books, they were way more helpful to me than the course and went over the same things. Actually, what really motivated me was bombing this practice LSAT - I got a 163 - and then bust my ass all summer with that supplemental and the bibles and the lg workbook. I've been pretty consistent since scoring between 170-174 so don't worry, the LSAT is certainly something you can learn up to a point.

*Also, I've taken about 20 practice exams and read through a few thousand pages of prep and eventually you won't have to think about pre-phrasing, you just kinda know what kind of answers they want.

153 isn't a bad score at all, especially considering it was your first practice test... I agree with the above poster. First and foremost, don't troll these forums too often because it will greatly discourage you. People here complain about getting 178 instead of 180, 165 instead of 170 etc. Not to belittle these people or anything, but their attitudes towards their already upper-tier scores can be discouraging for someone like you who is not doing as well. Your 153 is above the median for the test and you haven't done very much studying at all. I disagree with most people who say this test is about getting it or not getting it. Practice makes perfect and it couldn't be all the more true here. The learning curve is very steep, don't get me wrong, don't expect one day for everything to click and you start getting 180s but constantly training yourself to think in a certain "lsat" type way will develop itself in your natural every day life.

For example, I was talking with my cousin the other day and he was saying "F***proposition xxx. it is a complete scam for the government to take more of our money. Politician Y has never been for the people."

I'm using symbols obviously because I don't remember the exact commercial, proposition, or politician but the point is, I thought to myself, "well cuz, your argument is terrible because you are attacking the source of the proposition instead of actually saying what is wrong with the proposition itself." a silly nuance that after studying lsat for months occurs to me.

Not everybody can get a 160+ or a 170+ or a 180. If they did, then the scaling for the test would be changed lol. I know this isn't too encouraging, but if it makes you feel any better, there are thousand and thousands of people who are scoring much lower than you and whos target score is a 150 or 155. It is good that you have a bar set, but don't think any worse of yourself if you aren't able to accomplish it. Time and practice my friend. I am also taking it in december so maybe we could each share with each other throughout the next few months our studying habits, progression, and where we end up.

AreJay711 wrote:If i were you I would get a logic textbook and learn some formal logic. I signed up for that online class and eventually said screw it. I got the Powerscore books, they were way more helpful to me than the course and went over the same things. Actually, what really motivated me was bombing this practice LSAT - I got a 163 - and then bust my ass all summer with that supplemental and the bibles and the lg workbook. I've been pretty consistent since scoring between 170-174 so don't worry, the LSAT is certainly something you can learn up to a point.

*Also, I've taken about 20 practice exams and read through a few thousand pages of prep and eventually you won't have to think about pre-phrasing, you just kinda know what kind of answers they want.

This is where I'm at basically. The online class is okay, but I feel like it just isn't doing it for me. I didn't want to rule out the option that the class wasn't the best avenue, but I also didn't want to blame it on the class.

lakers3peat wrote:153 isn't a bad score at all, especially considering it was your first practice test... I agree with the above poster. First and foremost, don't troll these forums too often because it will greatly discourage you. People here complain about getting 178 instead of 180, 165 instead of 170 etc. Not to belittle these people or anything, but their attitudes towards their already upper-tier scores can be discouraging for someone like you who is not doing as well. Your 153 is above the median for the test and you haven't done very much studying at all. I disagree with most people who say this test is about getting it or not getting it. Practice makes perfect and it couldn't be all the more true here. The learning curve is very steep, don't get me wrong, don't expect one day for everything to click and you start getting 180s but constantly training yourself to think in a certain "lsat" type way will develop itself in your natural every day life.

For example, I was talking with my cousin the other day and he was saying "F***proposition xxx. it is a complete scam for the government to take more of our money. Politician Y has never been for the people."

I'm using symbols obviously because I don't remember the exact commercial, proposition, or politician but the point is, I thought to myself, "well cuz, your argument is terrible because you are attacking the source of the proposition instead of actually saying what is wrong with the proposition itself." a silly nuance that after studying lsat for months occurs to me.

Not everybody can get a 160+ or a 170+ or a 180. If they did, then the scaling for the test would be changed lol. I know this isn't too encouraging, but if it makes you feel any better, there are thousand and thousands of people who are scoring much lower than you and whos target score is a 150 or 155. It is good that you have a bar set, but don't think any worse of yourself if you aren't able to accomplish it. Time and practice my friend. I am also taking it in december so maybe we could each share with each other throughout the next few months our studying habits, progression, and where we end up.

I'm starting to do the same thing with bringing it into every day life. I'd definitely like to share tips and tricks with you. Have you signed up for the December test? I registered with LSAC but didn't confirm the date.