Hello everyone Forum

[Deuce85]

What is going on?

[Scotusnerd]

Ok, first of all, I'll post what you want, but I don't reccomend you taking the Feb one if you're going to retake a third time. Study your arse off and take the June one instead. Feb is basically too late for this cycle, and clearly you're not gonna want to apply this year with whatever scores your have.

June 2011: First time: 157. I was using a bad study guide
October 2011: Second time: 151. I was hugely disappointed in this, and it drove me to study my ass off for this final time.

I'll let you know what the third one is when I get it. I was PTing at around 166-170 though. It's all about the work you do, not the time in between.

[crumpetsandtea]

FWIW, just posting our scores and when we took the tests will not be helpful for you: it's what we did between each test date that matters. IMO, you should include this info in your OP:

- What are your existing 2 scores?
- How did you study for those scores?
- What is your typical PT score breakdown?
- What do you think are your weaknesses?
- What is your GPA, and what schools are you shooting for? (less important, but still good to know)

With that said, here's an explanation of my experiences:

I started with a 168 diagnostic in mid-summer of 2009. I took the TM course for Sep 2009, but I blew it off by quite a bit (didn't do all the HW, didn't show up to a lot of the classes in the 2nd half of the course, missed a bunch of PTs). I did probably 4-5 tests on my own and my range was between 162-173. I had no clue WTF I was doing, so I thought that would be enough.

I took the test for the 1st time in Sep 2009 and scored a 168.

At the time I was disappointed but was too lazy to think about retaking, so I planned to graduate, work for a year, then apply with my 168. Then in 2010, I discovered TLS. I soon realized that a retake was the best option for me, so in Jan 2011, I began to study for the June LSAT. I studied for ~ 6 months, took 30 PTs, went through the Powerscore Bibles (LR/LG) and Manhattan LSAT Guide. My typical breakdown (this was v. consistent among my PTs) was LR -1/-2 ; LG -0 ; RC -4 for an average scaled score of 173-174. I was SURE I was ready.

I took the test for the 2nd time in June 2011 and scored a 169, 4 points below my PT average. After reviewing the test, I determined that it wasn't a lack of understanding that screwed me over, but rather my nerves. My breakdown looked like LR -7/-1 ; LG -0 ; RC -4, with the -7 LR as my first section.

So I prepared for a retake in October. This time, I didn't bust through books or PTs. I did about 4 PTs that I hadn't gone through in my previous study binge, and I did about 2-3 hours of RC drilling. I averaged ~177 on these 4-5 PTs, with my first and only 180 the week before my test.

I took the LSAT for the 3rd time this October and scored a 176.

So that's a breakdown of Sep 2009 (almost 2 years) June 2011 (4 months) Oct 2011.

[Grlfr1end1nAComa]

October 2008: 156. I took a prep course but I didn't work as hard as I could have. (Diagnostic was a 147 )

June 2009: 161. I RETOOK the same prep course. Obviously it helped, but I was hoping for a larger increase.

December 2011: Self study. Bibles and PTs. I'll let you know when I get my score. Hoping for at least a 166.

Edit: Let me know if you want more details.

[gaud]

.

[charliep]

October 2010: 154 (didnt study cuz im an idiot)
December 2010: 156 (didnt study cuz im an idiot)
October 2011: 169 (finally studied (for approx. 2.5 months) and scored about 3 points below my practice test average)

[gaud]

This is something that others may disagree with but I can say from personal experience that you should expect practice test score inflations considering it's likely you'll remember some of the questions/answers.

that being said, it is still valuable to review those questions as well because you'll more than likely encounter similar questions in the future (perk of standardized test)

[upside11]

Dec 10-155
Jun 11-154
Oct 11-169
Best of luck to you!

[danitt]

Dec 10-155
Jun 11-154
Oct 11-169
Best of luck to you!

What happened between December and June and what did you do differently from June to the October test?

[ColtsFan88]

October 2010- 152, didn't study at all. Literally took the test having never looked at one.
December 2010- 166, all gains I made came through LG using the LG Bible
October 2011- 177, PitheyPike'd that Shit. Studied intensely for about 4 months prior to the test.

[IAFG]

June 2009 - 165 - I knew I had under-prepared.
October 2009 - 167 - I took Princeton Review in the meantime AND spent another month taking 3 practice tests a week but dinosaurs game threw me off. I was so sure I had under-performed that I just had to take it again.
December 2009 - 173 - I re-took 5 years of practice tests to prepare and reviewed very, very carefully.

[mattviphky]

October 2010- 155. bought a kaplan book and looked over it for about two weeks before the test. It sort of taught me how to do simple, linear games...but that's about it. Not a good idea.

June 2011-158. I found TLS and got real serious. I had already been accepted to a school, but I wanted to know that I did my best on the lsat. Late February I bought a bunch of pt's, powerscore bibles, superprep, etc. I studied brutally for about 3 months. I was pt'ing in the 160-164 range. Unfortunately i only put in an experimental in like the last 3 pt's I took. But nerves got the best of me on test day. I was so pissed off when I realized I that I had studied my ass off for some small, bullshit gain. I probably wasn't ready, and was pretty nervous, but a 158 pissed me off.

October 2011-164. I took the month of June off. I had went -8 on the june lsat, so i was determined to fix that easy problem. I made photocopies of every game. I drilled 3 new/3 old games a day. I was much more chill about studying though. I realized it was nerves that bit me in the ass in june, so i just calmed down. I took some pt's in august and studied some lr and rc. But I was dedicated in Sept. I took a pt every 3rd day, and reviewed in between. Nearly every pt in september was a 170+. Sat down in October and I got a 164. I missed -9/-3 on LR. I knew that one LR section had screwed me, but whatever.

[JustE]

Oct. 2010: 153 (took a course a year and a half earlier, but took this test without prep before).
Dec. 2010: 162 (30 days of prep)
Oct. 2011: 166 (90 days of prep)

Give yourself 6 months. Hit 170+. Profit.

ETA: You may have to apply next cycle. I can't stress this more, but it's certainly worth the wait. Even if you have to wait 'till June it's still worth the wait and the extra year. Apply early with a higher score. You will not regret it.

E

[upside11]

@ danitt, surprisingly nothing. What I mean is that there were other factors that affected my scores for those first two sittings. The first time it was freeeezing where/when I took the test. I mean my fingers were going numb, teeth chattering, etc. Second time, I was not well rested. I was actually afraid I was going to fall asleep during the exam. I was way behind on my asleep. Third time I decided to call ahead to actually talk to someone about the room temperature situation. Apparently something was broken w/their a/c system . It's very possible I could have scored a 169, or at least something similar, the very first sitting, given proper rest and a comfortable room temperature. In general, however, my biggest weakness was logic games. Although I did improve from my diagnostic with regard to logic games, I never mastered them, hence my 169. I self studied and regret that my weakness kept me from the 170s. I couldn't afford a class or tutor or anything. With my 169 in Oct, I missed more on logic games (-8) than the rest of the test combined (-7: -2 RC, -2 LR, -3 LR). That said, you can certainly make drastic gains from diagnostics to real sittings, as others have noted. Intense review and plenty of practice tests are extremely beneficial and will, when done properly, most likely increase your score when retaking. HTH. Good luck!