just a lil post asking for retake advice Forum

[texasforever54]

hi all! first time poster/long time lurker here wondering if any retakers have advice about how long to study/if there's any particularly compelling reason to wait a while before retaking.

i sat the september test with high hopes. i'm a senior this year at a top 5 school, but i'm gunning for top schools and with a 3.6 gpa i knew i needed to do very well on this test. i was PTing around 171/172, with a best of 174. i was hoping to be one of those lucky few who scored higher on the test than i had in my PTs, hoping that the pressure of the test would make me perform better. i ended up with a 169, and i want to retake because i know i can and NEED to do much, much better than that.

LG (-2 in this) is fine for me. there are definitely specific LR (-5, -4 in the sections) types that i have yet to figure out though, and i've never been able to feel totally confident in RC (-4).

i'm still figuring my plan out, but as of now i'm thinking of sitting the feb test with a 6-week or so study plan. i studied this time with the LSAT trainer and the bibles, so i might revisit the trainer and try out the manhattan strategy guides combined with the cambridge LR volumes.

i would love to hear if anyone has any thoughts on this or if there are any posters out there in the same boat!

[BP Robert]

I sympathize -- 169 (top 3% or so) is just so close and yet so far.

You need to pick up on LR. Can you elucidate what type of LR questions you missed? Is there a trend, like missing flaws, for ex?

The best trick in the bag is to take some ~untimed tests and then drill hard on what you're missing. Anything you don't get correct untimed you just don't understand adequately. Take them until you're scoring like consistent 180s, in your case, then focus on time.

If you've ever played guitar it's the same principle as learning a new song.

Best luck,

Blueprint LSAT Prep

[texasforever54]

Thanks for the reply! I realized I mistyped the number of LR I missed... it was -5 in the first section and -2 in the other. But there are definitely patterns to the questions I miss so that's definitely where I anticipate focusing most of my energy in the retake.

Unfortunately the question types I miss most are sort of the building blocks of logic, so I guess I will have a lot of drilling to do:
SA, NA, MSS, weaken, and flaw are the top 5 that I miss (though I typically don't miss strengthen as much) and those are the only types I missed on this test.

That's an interesting technique to just take some sections untimed. I'll definitely try that. Do you have any words of wisdom about how much time to dedicate to this retake? I obviously will do whatever is necessary, but I feel like since I have spent so much time on this test and since I do have a good idea of what specifically I need to be focusing on, does 6 weeks sound reasonable?

[Big Dog]

1 or 2 points can mean the difference between T14 or not, or even a T14 with $$.

Retake is a no-brainer. Work on your GPA. Study after graduation and retake next fall. With one year of work experience, Northwestern becomes available, and the like splitters.

Good luck.

[hillz]

I retook in September after a disappointing performance in June. I studied from the first week of August until the September test...I didn't have time before that due to my job or else I would have started sooner. Although I was worried it wasn't nearly enough time at first, it turned out to be plenty of time because I had already built a base from taking the test previously.

When I started my prep again, I used NoodleyOne's retaker guide that you can find in one of the stickied guides to the LSAT on TLS. I began by re-reading the Powerscore LG & LR Bibles and then I purchased the Cambridge LR & LG drilling packets. I alternated between drilling and taking PTs. I didn't take as many PTs as NoodleyOne recommends but I still felt prepared. PTs highlighted my weaknesses and drilling really helped me refine my technique.

Feel free to PM if you have more specific questions.

[musedreverie]

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[texasforever54]

I was in the same boat, at exactly the same score as you after my June exam this year, where I was PTing around your PT range. I retook this Sept (studied while working full time) and jumped +6 points.

My problem was with RC and LR. As for RC, I think it really depended on the topic for me, because if there's a subject that I do not understand/like, I completely blank out and cannot focus at all.

But for LR, you can definitely improve; identify the types of questions you get wrong, make notes on the error in your reasoning, and explain to yourself why you think the correct answer is correct (if that makes sense).

thank you so much for this! i think that is likely my problem with RC as well. I can't really pinpoint what the trouble is, because there isn't one type of question that i continually miss and i feel like the more i study the different question types and techniques, the more in my head i get and the worse i perform. also, what was your strategy for LR?

this is all very motivating, thank you guys!

[musedreverie]

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[yomisterd]

I retook in Dec after a 170 in Oct. Studied my ass off using the guides posted here. Improved by 3 and had a good cycle. Go for the retake and best of luck.

[texasforever54]

one more question! (probably shouldn't limit myself to that but oh well)

when y'all talk about the cambridge LR packets/bundles, are y'all referring to the "logical reasoning questions PT x -y grouped by type" or the actual specific "MSS questions packet," or both?

[hillz]

one more question! (probably shouldn't limit myself to that but oh well)

when y'all talk about the cambridge LR packets/bundles, are y'all referring to the "logical reasoning questions PT x -y grouped by type" or the actual specific "MSS questions packet," or both?

These: http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/lo ... g-by-type/

I think people were probably referring to both. I would drill a different packet over the course of a few weeknights, mixing it up with LG and RC prep too. I focused most on the questions that were most difficult for me (identified by PTing).