LSAT PT Score Plateau 162 +/- 1 Forum

[youknowsimone]

Hi there! I'm currently wrapping up a semester abroad and I was able to get some LSAT prep in while I was here.
Here's a brief timeline of what I have done so far:
July 2015: Took a cold diagnostic. Scored 158.
August 2015: Bought a cheap (and shitty) McGraw-Hill LG book, and, surprisingly enough, I don't do too bad on the LG section, ~4 wrong
September-November 2015: Read PowerScore's LR Bible, which is the section I struggle with the most at the moment, averaging 6 wrong per LR section
December 2015: started taking PTs, some timed some untimed, but not on a regular schedule. French uni has kept me freakishly busy (not the French workweek I was expecting). I've probably taken around 8 practice tests, I'm averaging around a 162

I am planning to take the June 2016 LSAT. I want to score around a 170. RC is not an issue for me, usually I only get 2 wrong on those. It's just these LR sections that are killing me.

I am looking for a good resource to give me that extra boost when it comes to LR. The best I have ever scored on a PT so far was a 164. I often find myself narrowing down the answer choices to two answers, one of which is correct, but then choosing the incorrect one. This is usually for like 3-4 questions per LR section, so 3-4 points that I could have easily gotten right.

I plan on studying regularly this upcoming semester since I will be back in the USA and back in a routine. That said, how likely do you think it is that I will be ready to score a 170 come the June LSAT? I will take any opinions and advice.

Just for funsies because people seem to leave their info:
Junior history/french double major at Creighton, honors program, 3.97 GPA
Top law schools: Columbia, Penn, Georgetown, Boston U, Wisconsin

I just keep telling myself that if Elle Woods can get a 179 on her LSAT, I better be able to at least crack a 170

[Mikey]

If LR is your biggest issue, maybe try drilling with Volume 1 & 2 of Cambridge's LR by type books. They are great for focusing on one type of question at a time. I say use V1 and V2 only and NOT V3 because the more recent tests should be used for timed PT. Good luck.

[Blueprint Mithun]

Hi there! I'm currently wrapping up a semester abroad and I was able to get some LSAT prep in while I was here.
Here's a brief timeline of what I have done so far:
July 2015: Took a cold diagnostic. Scored 158.
August 2015: Bought a cheap (and shitty) McGraw-Hill LG book, and, surprisingly enough, I don't do too bad on the LG section, ~4 wrong
September-November 2015: Read PowerScore's LR Bible, which is the section I struggle with the most at the moment, averaging 6 wrong per LR section
December 2015: started taking PTs, some timed some untimed, but not on a regular schedule. French uni has kept me freakishly busy (not the French workweek I was expecting). I've probably taken around 8 practice tests, I'm averaging around a 162

I am planning to take the June 2016 LSAT. I want to score around a 170. RC is not an issue for me, usually I only get 2 wrong on those. It's just these LR sections that are killing me.

I am looking for a good resource to give me that extra boost when it comes to LR. The best I have ever scored on a PT so far was a 164. I often find myself narrowing down the answer choices to two answers, one of which is correct, but then choosing the incorrect one. This is usually for like 3-4 questions per LR section, so 3-4 points that I could have easily gotten right.

I plan on studying regularly this upcoming semester since I will be back in the USA and back in a routine. That said, how likely do you think it is that I will be ready to score a 170 come the June LSAT? I will take any opinions and advice.

Just for funsies because people seem to leave their info:
Junior history/french double major at Creighton, honors program, 3.97 GPA
Top law schools: Columbia, Penn, Georgetown, Boston U, Wisconsin

I just keep telling myself that if Elle Woods can get a 179 on her LSAT, I better be able to at least crack a 170

Getting better at LR can take time, but there is a methodical approach to it. You need to figure out where your weaknesses lie, and improve on your foundation for them. Go over all your past LR sections and keep a tally of which question types you've been getting wrong. You'll probably find that certain q.types give you more trouble than others.

Go back to your study materials and review the approaches for those question types. Try and see if there are any steps that you've been skipping or rushing. Don't worry about timing, follow the method closely and carefully. The idea is to practice these approaches to the point where it becomes automatic, where you instinctively know how to proceed.

If you feel like the methods aren't working well for you, it might help to switch to new study materials. There are plenty of different LSAT study guides out there, as well as tons of useful info on this website. How are you doing on LG? Blueprint has an excellent guide to logic games that covers everything, yet is a lot more concise than some of the other books out there.

Continue to drill the question types you struggle with, and then you can start to mix it up by taking full LR sections. You should also be aware that LR questions get tougher the further you get in each section (i.e. questions 15-20 are much harder than 1-6). For this reason, once you start to work on your timing, you should try to complete the earlier questions faster than the later ones. Since the later questions are more difficult, you will need more time to complete them. Set benchmarks for yourself, like getting the first 10 questions done in 10-12 minutes.

Hope that helps!

[stig2014]

Buy the Cambridge LR packets with questions broken down by type and the Manhattan LR book (my preference). Read through the book (or whatever other LR book you decide) and drill the corresponding question type with the packets. June is still quite a ways away, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to score around 170 by then. Good luck!

[RamTitan]

Well, at least you have RC locked down pretty tight; that's the hardest section to improve in. For LR, just drill drill drill. I really like the PowerScore bible (after reading this I went from scoring a 154 to a 161, and then to a 169 two weeks after that score), but like other posters have said, it's all about identifying the ones you have issues with and then familiarizing yourself with those types of problems.

[carasrook]

If LR is your biggest issue, maybe try drilling with Volume 1 & 2 of Cambridge's LR by type books. They are great for focusing on one type of question at a time. I say use V1 and V2 only and NOT V3 because the more recent tests should be used for timed PT. Good luck.

I see a lot of people on TLS recommending Cambridge's drill books - are they official LSAT questions or made up questions?

[Mikey]

If LR is your biggest issue, maybe try drilling with Volume 1 & 2 of Cambridge's LR by type books. They are great for focusing on one type of question at a time. I say use V1 and V2 only and NOT V3 because the more recent tests should be used for timed PT. Good luck.

I see a lot of people on TLS recommending Cambridge's drill books - are they official LSAT questions or made up questions?

They're real LSAT questions taken from previously administered LSATs. For example, Volume 1 of Cambridge's LR by type book has all logical reasoning questions from preptests 1-20, but they're grouped by the type of questions they are.

[fliptrip]

You can definitely get to 170, but as mentioned before, Arguments (LR) are the spine of the test and if you don't have a strong systematic approach to them, you're going to remain in what I've seen to be a typical fog--"I get some right, and some wrong, but for many I don't really know why I'm right when I'm right or wrong when I'm wrong".

Obviously the Bible has a systematic breakdown, but there are several others out there. Make sure you expose yourself thoroughly to a strategy/approach first and then concentrate on drilling.