February 2013 LSAT Study Group Forum

[gobosox]

I've got 9 PTs I want to do between now and Feb 07 (PT 60-68). Do you guys think this is too much?

edit: fuck it, gonna do em. I want a 175+.

Just be careful for burnout. If you start dropping or feeling tired I would consider stopping for a few days.

Call me crazy, but I'm doing 6-7 hours a day and am not worried about burnout. I just feel like as long as you're getting enough sleep (4+ hours) and emphasizing good patterns, studying can't hurt.

Though, I probably won't do any LSAT studying the night before. Probably just watch a ton of the office and pass out. I thought about going to a formal ball the night before but my friend told me I was an idiot for thinking that... I guess that's what friends are for...

[natashka85]

This freaking Lsat started screwing me again,i feel burnt,dont know,cant study,whatever i read i get wrong,so close to the test,i cant read anything.ugh

[dusters]

I don't think I could function on 4 hours of sleep let alone take an LSAT test. If it works for you though, stick with it.

[dusters]

This freaking Lsat started screwing me again,i feel burnt,dont know,cant study,whatever i read i get wrong,so close to the test,i cant read anything.ugh

Relax. Take a day off and do something fun. Get your mind off of it for a bit. If you are burning out, just doing more will probably only make things worse.

[ws81086n]

.[/quote]

This freaking Lsat started screwing me again,i feel burnt,dont know,cant study,whatever i read i get wrong,so close to the test,i cant read anything.ugh

Relax. Take a day off and do something fun. Get your mind off of it for a bit. If you are burning out, just doing more will probably only make things worse.

Seconded. The LSAT is a very difficult test to do very well on, so preparing can be stressful.

[natashka85]

.

This freaking Lsat started screwing me again,i feel burnt,dont know,cant study,whatever i read i get wrong,so close to the test,i cant read anything.ugh

Relax. Take a day off and do something fun. Get your mind off of it for a bit. If you are burning out, just doing more will probably only make things worse.

Seconded. The LSAT is a very difficult test to do very well on, so preparing can be stressful.[/quote]


thank u guys,u encourage me a lot,i wont give up.

[gobosox]

.

This freaking Lsat started screwing me again,i feel burnt,dont know,cant study,whatever i read i get wrong,so close to the test,i cant read anything.ugh

Relax. Take a day off and do something fun. Get your mind off of it for a bit. If you are burning out, just doing more will probably only make things worse.

Seconded. The LSAT is a very difficult test to do very well on, so preparing can be stressful.

thank u guys,u encourage me a lot,i wont give up.[/quote]

Ok let me qualify my last comment about burnout: A week or two ago I was sick and couldn't get myself to study one day, so I just said screw it and watched the office for like 4 hours. It was a great waste of time which I felt guilty for, but I felt re-energized and have felt that way for the last couple weeks.

With a week and a half left until the test, any pressures you put on yourself are of your own doing and your own perception. Ignore them, play your game, and listen to yourself.

[Jcastro1]

I think exercise has helped me A LOT. Get some air, stretch, do some cardio/weights. Nothing too strenuous but enough to keep the oxygen flowing. After all, studying for the LSAT requires hours of mental concentration, barely any movement, and sitting on your ass for multiple hours at a time.

[dusters]

Yep. Almost all of my worst scored have come when I have done too much studying for a day or two, and most of my best ones have come when I did little or no studying the day before.

[bbsg]

Back when I was studying I would often have my best scores after taking extended breaks. As in I'd consistently score around 171 or 172, then take a break for 5 days and score 177 to 180 on my next PT.

I wrote in October and due to a random weird issue ended up scoring lower than I'd ever scored on a PT since I started seriously studying. I scored a 165. The problem was mostly nerves, and the weird issue that popped up served to really magnify the errors that nerves wrought.

Since I'd been PTing consistently in the mid-to-high 170's I figured there wasn't much for me to learn. I just immediately, on November 1 when I got my score back, booked a December test date. In keeping with my "extended breaks are good" theory I didn't study at all from November 1 to November 25. Then I wrote one PT on November 26 and scored a 171. Then I didn't study/write anything else until the real test on December 1 (aside from doing 3-4 games two nights before just to make sure I still "had it").

Result? 175. Moral: Chill out, don't burn out. If you've got it, you've got it. Just stay calm, don't panic, and enjoy the 170+'s. I'm certain if I would have written a PT every day throughout November that I would have burned out and scored in the 160's again.

[perplexedconfused]

Is anyone pretty inconsistent in their scores? On Saturday, I took PT 62 and got my highest score of 166. Today (while at work), I took PT 67 and did not even hit a 160!! I got -11 on LR (normally I get around -5) -4 on LG (normally -1). I am trying to just write this one off as a bad test but I do sometimes have get a low outlier score every now and then. Anyone else have this experience of inconsistencies? Freaking out that there is less than 2 weeks left

[Theopliske8711]

I think people who have been scoring consistently high and the past but have started declining should perhaps back off the grading over the next few days. Do questions, individually, and time yourself on sections but avoid the grading part of it. It may be harming you by stressing you out.

[dusters]

Is anyone pretty inconsistent in their scores? On Saturday, I took PT 62 and got my highest score of 166. Today (while at work), I took PT 67 and did not even hit a 160!! I got -11 on LR (normally I get around -5) -4 on LG (normally -1). I am trying to just write this one off as a bad test but I do sometimes have get a low outlier score every now and then. Anyone else have this experience of inconsistencies? Freaking out that there is less than 2 weeks left

I've had a few inconsistent scores. A little over two weeks ago I got a 160, but yesterday I got a 172. For the most part though my scored stay in the 166-170 range. If you have one bad score try to figure out what was different. Did you zone out during a section, or were you extra tired/stressed out/hungry that day. Those things can make a big difference.

[ws81086n]

Just drilled all the Principle Application questions from PT 1-38. Very good question type for honing attention to detail.

[JustinDC]

I do not post this to brag, I really appreciate you guys!

I started at 158 on Nov. 24, that same night I found TLS in search of what the chances were for 158 diagnostic to score a 180. With two weeks to go, I was spending more time panicking than I was studying, hovering around 170. Hopped on here and got the motivation to go back and test today, getting my first 180!

PT 16 (September 1995)
LG - 0
LR1- 1
LR2 - 1
RC - 1

98/101

Generous curve BUT it is possible!

Thanks TLS. I probably won't check back in until after test, so I want to thank you as well as wish you all the best of luck. It was nice grinding with all of you. Let's get it!

[ws81086n]

Super Prep C:

LG: -5 (tough games, in particular the last one-ran out of time and had to guess on last 4)
LR: -2
LR: -1
RC: -0

Raw: 93/101=175! Friendly curve, but I think in light of the difficulty of the test it made sense for it to be generous.

[overperformer]

i do think the "burn out theory" is practical, but not universal.

we all know ourselves best. when i study study study, i see increases then things start to decline. the key is, proper timing, and peaking at the right moment (the day of the test)

you can take 45641561651 practice tests and read 156414185 books, but at the end of the day, it comes down to being clutch, its all in the moment. any good or bad score in the past is irrelevant.

like a sporting event. u can watch film and practice and game plan, but you never really know what your opponent is planning. you never know what type of games or reading passages the LSAT has planned for us

[Jcastro1]

I didn't study yesterday because I had an essay to write. I didn't even feel worried/guilty. Hopefully this is because of confidence and not complacency/arrogance. Next PT will tell.

Who's ready to peak on Feb 9?

[Legallybronzed180]

Ready to rock this test! About week and half left till game day ! I just took my last clean test pt 68 I took dec but non disclosed so this was a new test for me. I scored mid 170's now aiming for 178to 180.

[Instinctive]

I didn't study yesterday because I had an essay to write. I didn't even feel worried/guilty. Hopefully this is because of confidence and not complacency/arrogance. Next PT will tell.

Who's ready to peak on Feb 9?

I'm feeling the same.

PT 59 this morning: 178! (Bit of a nice curve though...)

LG: -0
LR: -1
LR: -2
RC: -2

It was nice to see, actually that 2 of my mistakes were just stupid. Didn't catch a word here or there that changed the meaning of an answer - it's that type of thing that is EASILY corrected. All about concentrating...I can't wait to get to test day at this point. I always seem to do better on the real day, because the pressure is on. All my scores jumped up on test day for PSAT, SAT, ACT...hoping for the same here after all the work I've put into it.

[dusters]

Took PT 66 today, scored a 165. Made lots of stupid mistakes. Oh well, I know I will do better on the next one.

[Jcastro1]

I'm doing a full dress rehearsal on Saturday If anyone else is up to do this or discuss the PT later would love to!

PT68 will get crushed.

[dusters]

I'm doing a full dress rehearsal on Saturday If anyone else is up to do this or discuss the PT later would love to!

PT68 will get crushed.

I'm doing the same thing except retaking my pt 67 on Saturday

[gobosox]

I'm doing a full dress rehearsal on Saturday If anyone else is up to do this or discuss the PT later would love to!

PT68 will get crushed.

I'm doing the same thing except retaking my pt 67 on Saturday

I plan on doing that either Friday or Saturday as well. I am even going to the library right next to my testing center.

Took PT 58 yesterday. Really wasn't in it as I had been studying all morning and was also trying to get concert tickets so I left my phone and computer on so I could check stuff. (I know, probably a stupid idea, especially when I started e-mailing in the middle of the exam, but getting these concert tickets are THAT important to me.

168--
-3 overall LR (all in the first section, I actually thought the 2nd section of that LR was the easiest I'd ever done)
-3 LG (across 3 games-- I didn't fail to get games, just failed to notice really easy inferences)
-7 RC. (got I think 1 right in the last passage)

Really going to chalk this up to just not paying attention and focusing. That being said, I need to do better on my next exam...

[Jcastro1]

PT61

RC -1 (PLEASE, let me do this next Sat)
LR -2
LR2 -2
LG -1

95/101

175

My mind wasn't "in this" at all and I realized about midway through that I hadn't eaten in 5 hours. Also, LR seemed kind of weird, going to brush up on Assumption Family Questions for next time.