My scores have gone down and down, cancel or test? (June) Forum

AlabamaIceman · Post by **AlabamaIceman** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:39 pm

3.98 GPA, I'll be going into my senior year in the fall.

I don't know what happened. I started prep originally in January, but that consisted of solely reading the McGraw-Hill and Princeton Review general strategy books.

First cold LSAT I ever took (it was fully administered in a group setting as a practice test) I shat out a steaming 156. I blamed it on feeling poorly and inadequate prep, and told myself that the best was yet to come. After finals were over, I finally registered for the June test date and began prep with the LSAC previous tests. At the approximate rate of one test per day, my score started out at mid 160's, jumped to a high of 170/171 (don't remember exactly), and then took a steady slow decline, until today's test, the first out of the book consisting of the most recent 10 (test number 52? I dunno) and I got, of all things, another 156.

Dismal scores across the bored in AR, -6ish off the others, which has not yet happened until his point.

I'm a smart person. I read and understood the Bibles for each subject, did the practice shit, and felt good about reviewing my answers.

I had felt originally while browsing these forums whilst stroking my intellectual dick that a 175 or so was not out of the question for me, after all, my only consistent problems were in AR games, and that could be fixed, right?

WTF went wrong? How much of this can I blame on stress and inconsistent self-study? (I signed up for a TestMasters course that didn't make for lack of regional participants, they refunded my money)

Should I cancel or just hope for a Christmas miracle in June come next Monday? I really dislike the idea of the October date, I'll be traveling the second half of the summer for an internship (not law-related) and once classes start in August, I would potentially be juggling the stresses of normal university life with a new looming LSAT date.

iphone7 · Post by **iphone7** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:52 pm

How long have you been taking a test per day? I started doing that and after about two weeks my scores started to drop. I took two days off and then I got back to where I should be. If you haven't, I'd recommend taking a break to fight the burnout and then take a test on Friday and see what you think then.

AntipodeanPhil · Post by **AntipodeanPhil** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:00 pm

I agree with iphone - 1 full, timed test a day is too much. I had almost exactly the same experience he did: a couple of weeks ago, I was doing 1 timed test a day + extra sections and extra reading, and my scores starting dropping. I took a day off, and cut back to one timed test every other day. My scores went back up.

I would suggest taking a day or two off - trying not to even think about the LSAT. Then do a timed test on Thursday or Friday. Hopefully your score will improve.

Also, have you been taking time to review each question, and to write a note about what the problem was with each of your wrong answers?

fatdouche · Post by **fatdouche** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:05 pm

Do not take a test every day. Thats a bad idea.

AlabamaIceman · Post by **AlabamaIceman** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:10 pm

AntipodeanPhil wrote:I agree with iphone - 1 full, timed test a day is too much. I had almost exactly the same experience he did: a couple of weeks ago, I was doing 1 timed test a day + extra sections and extra reading, and my scores starting dropping. I took a day off, and cut back to one timed test every other day. My scores went back up.

I would suggest taking a day or two off - trying not to even think about the LSAT. Then do a timed test on Thursday or Friday. Hopefully your score will improve.

Also, have you been taking time to review each question, and to write a note about what the problem was with each of your wrong answers?

I'm quoting you but responding to you and the second poster: maybe I am burnt out. The problem is that I'm this late in the game and haven't even yet made a score that lives up to what I considered to be my "goal" at the start.

And I do review my answers in a cursory way and search the internet afterwards for any forum topic with other fellow complainers in regards to any particularly vexing AR problems, but perhaps writing myself notes is a better idea.

DonnaDraper · Post by **DonnaDraper** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:26 pm

Yea, as others have said, stop taking one test a day. Not only will it lead it burn out, but you will run out of material faster and you absolutely don't want that.

So, if the practice tests you took before are older, say like early 90's, they are kind of unreliable. Once you hit the PTs in the 50 range, they start to get much harder especially with Games and Reading (since the LSAT makers had to combat things like proliferation of test prep and whatnot). The more recent the test, the closer it will be to your actual LSAT.

While you may want to focus on LG, don't just focus on that. It may be your biggest problem, but it is not your only problem. With that 156, I am sure you got some LR and Reading wrong. Don't neglect those. (edited: oh yea, I just read that you got -6 wrong. wow that must have been an unforgiving curve)

On the bright side, if LG is your weak spot, it is the easiest to improve!

I say take a few days off and then see where you stand. Take another recent PT and then make the final decision of to take or not to take, but be honest with yourself. If you will not be happy with a score in the mid 160's, I say postpone.

Also, if you do decide to postpone, buy the Manhattan books. Powerscore is a great foundation but Manhattan is more geared toward people wanting to score in the 170s.

Good luck!

incompetentia · Post by **incompetentia** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:36 pm

I can guarantee this is burnout. Take 2 days where you don't even think about the LSAT and let things gel again.

Luckily, there is hope for you. I scored 9 points BELOW my cold diag 6 days before the test. Took two days off, took two really relaxed rush tests before test day, and ended up 21 points higher than that stinkbomb I tested the week before (+12 from my diag).

AlabamaIceman · Post by **AlabamaIceman** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:42 pm

incompetentia wrote:I can guarantee this is burnout. Take 2 days where you don't even think about the LSAT and let things gel again.

Luckily, there is hope for you. I scored 9 points BELOW my cold diag 6 days before the test. Took two days off, took two really relaxed rush tests before test day, and ended up 21 points higher than that stinkbomb I tested the week before (+12 from my diag).

Good to hear.

Thanks to those of you who posted. I'm convinced that the majority of my odds are going to hinge on what type of games get thrown in there... somehow I always mangle linear/grouping combo games like game #2 on test 52, and sometimes other types fool me with the way they're presented, and I want to off myself when I review them and realize how simple they were.

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