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getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:57 am
by lrslayer
i am stuck in a 173 holding pattern and would really like to take it to the next level
i am consistently scoring -0 in lg and -2 per lr and recently gotten rc down to -2
there is no consistency in my wrong answers either
i'm not entirely convinced that there is a right answer but....
to those of you that have gotten into the high end of the 170s:
what are some tips you can give? what was it that gave you that final bump?

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:37 pm
by Tiago Splitter
This will sound corny, but attitude makes a big difference. You obviously understand the LSAT well enough to get every question right. Trust your instincts, and give your all to studying for the next several days.

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:42 pm
by iowalum
lrslayer wrote:i am stuck in a 173 holding pattern and would really like to take it to the next level
i am consistently scoring -0 in lg and -2 per lr and recently gotten rc down to -2
there is no consistency in my wrong answers either
i'm not entirely convinced that there is a right answer but....
to those of you that have gotten into the high end of the 170s:
what are some tips you can give? what was it that gave you that final bump?
I'm having the same problem and it's really annoying. My problem is LR though, I go -0 on LG and -2/3 on RC, then variable on LR. I can't figure out how to get those last 3/4 points consistently.

Have you been mostly PTing or just drilling?

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:53 pm
by lrslayer
iowalum wrote:
lrslayer wrote:i am stuck in a 173 holding pattern and would really like to take it to the next level
i am consistently scoring -0 in lg and -2 per lr and recently gotten rc down to -2
there is no consistency in my wrong answers either
i'm not entirely convinced that there is a right answer but....
to those of you that have gotten into the high end of the 170s:
what are some tips you can give? what was it that gave you that final bump?
I'm having the same problem and it's really annoying. My problem is LR though, I go -0 on LG and -2/3 on RC, then variable on LR. I can't figure out how to get those last 3/4 points consistently.

Have you been mostly PTing or just drilling?
i did my drilling early on
these days i am pt'ing and reviewing

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:23 pm
by tng11
...

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:34 pm
by crumpetsandtea
Tagging. -0/-1/-1/-4 = I hate fucking RC.

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:38 pm
by tng11
...

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:43 pm
by crumpetsandtea
tng11 wrote:
crumpetsandtea wrote:Tagging. -0/-1/-1/-4 = I hate fucking RC.
What RC was it? My RC scores were all over the place once I hit PT55 and saw the bloody talkstory passage.
Lol every single RC. My PTs are pretty consistently -0/-1/-1/-4, with occasional -0s or -2s on LR and occasional -3s or -5s on RC. Unfortunately, I tend to shit myself when I take an actual test, and the tests I've actually sat for look like this:

LG-1/LR -1/-2/RC -8
LG -0/LR -7/-1/RC -4

The latter test (this June) was ridiculous and a little soul-crushing in that the -7 LR was my first section and I basically freaked out and forgot how to think. The rest of the sections 2-5 were standard PT scores (-0/-1/-4). On the other hand, if I'd had RC down and gotten a -1 or -2, I might not be retaking again.

Anyway sorry for derailing the thread. I like to bitch about my failures. ):

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:20 pm
by glucose101
Love your icon crumpetsandtea!

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:29 pm
by crumpetsandtea
glucose101 wrote:Love your icon crumpetsandtea!
:mrgreen: Thanks!!! Hopefully I'll be a super splitter for sure after this retake.

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:33 pm
by lrslayer
crumpetsandtea wrote:
glucose101 wrote:Love your icon crumpetsandtea!
:mrgreen: Thanks!!! Hopefully I'll be a super splitter for sure after this retake.
you will!

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:35 pm
by crumpetsandtea
lrslayer wrote:
crumpetsandtea wrote:
glucose101 wrote:Love your icon crumpetsandtea!
:mrgreen: Thanks!!! Hopefully I'll be a super splitter for sure after this retake.
you will!
And so will you <3 I look forward to e-high-fiving post-Oct score release <3

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 4:04 pm
by lrslayer
crumpetsandtea wrote:
lrslayer wrote:
crumpetsandtea wrote:
glucose101 wrote:Love your icon crumpetsandtea!
:mrgreen: Thanks!!! Hopefully I'll be a super splitter for sure after this retake.
you will!
And so will you <3 I look forward to e-high-fiving post-Oct score release <3
me too! june was so disappointing that we didn't get to do that. grrrrr

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:02 pm
by mtbssd
I was stuck in the 173-175 range for about a month. Here's what I did to break through:

1) Drills: before I broke out of the low-170s range I had just gone over the bibles and done practice tests. I was doing well on the LR and RC sections but I was really struggling with the games. I sat down, made a copy of every games section on tests 1-40, organized them by type (according to powerscore classifications) and did them all under timed conditions. Since then, I haven't missed more than 1 on the games...

2) Exercise: have you read the book Spark? Ya me neither but basically it talks about exercise can increase mental capacity and performance. For me, running makes all the difference. On days when I wouldn't run I would do poorly. When I go running, I always did much better. Anyway, now I run everyday before taking a test and it makes a big difference. I are more awake, more able to focus, and extract details much more efficiently.

3) Judicious use of Caffeine: If you are an everyday coffee or energy drink user you are basically wasting the potential of the drug. Daily use basically negates the positive effects of the drug. Due to the fact that I never drink coffee and rarely drink any caffeine at all, when I do use caffeine, I feel more energy and I am able to focus better. I have done 5 PTs using caffeine and every one was a 179 or 180.

There are bunches of other little tricks and stuff I use on the games section but considering that you are already in the 170 range, you probably have your method worked out, you just need an extra boost.

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:10 pm
by tng11
...

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:17 pm
by Tiago Splitter
mtbssd wrote:I was stuck in the 173-175 range for about a month. Here's what I did to break through:

1) Drills
2) Exercise
3) Judicious use of Caffeine

There are bunches of other little tricks and stuff I use on the games section but considering that you are already in the 170 range, you probably have your method worked out, you just need an extra boost.
These are all great ideas, but I did the exact opposite of each of the three and scored in the high 170s. More than one way to skin a cat I guess.

Of course, for a lot of people with this potential controlling test day anxiety can make the biggest difference.

Re: getting into the upper 170s

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:30 pm
by mtbssd
Tiago Splitter wrote:
mtbssd wrote:I was stuck in the 173-175 range for about a month. Here's what I did to break through:

1) Drills
2) Exercise
3) Judicious use of Caffeine

There are bunches of other little tricks and stuff I use on the games section but considering that you are already in the 170 range, you probably have your method worked out, you just need an extra boost.
These are all great ideas, but I did the exact opposite of each of the three and scored in the high 170s. More than one way to skin a cat I guess.

Of course, for a lot of people with this potential controlling test day anxiety can make the biggest difference.
Definitely, just saying what worked for me.