October 2013 (re)take Thread Forum

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Checking in. Was a lurker in the June thread. Scored a 171, but was scoring 177-180 consistently on timed practice tests. I think my problem was that I peaked early. Started studying six months before the test, started getting my high scores on PTs and got cocky. Pretty lax study regimen by the time test day rolled around. Felt foggy on the RC and LR sections. Anyway, gonna take a more proactive approach for my Oct. retake, so I hope you don't mind a long-time lurker developing a more active presence.

Absolutely not. Glad to have another retaker join us.

[golfboy]

Also a lurker in June thread. This was my first take, 167. I took a month long Kaplan course prior to the test (I know the sentiment re: Kaplan here and sadly did not discover TLS sooner to realize my mistake) Excited to see what I can do with months rather than weeks of prep. I've read a couple of the guides (like Noodly's retake), but I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions for LR. Trying to decide what plan of attack to take. I was -6 & -5 on this test (which was my average). Look forward to the journey with everyone else here.

[WhiteHouse]

Also a lurker in June thread. This was my first take, 167. I took a month long Kaplan course prior to the test (I know the sentiment re: Kaplan here and sadly did not discover TLS sooner to realize my mistake) Excited to see what I can do with months rather than weeks of prep. I've read a couple of the guides (like Noodly's retake), but I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions for LR. Trying to decide what plan of attack to take. I was -6 & -5 on this test (which was my average). Look forward to the journey with everyone else here.

Literally exact same story for me. June lurker, Kaplan student (ugh...) and looking to work hard for months instead of that last week that I discovered TLS.

[PotenC]

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[Theopliske8711]

Im not sure if Im going to do much more purchasing at this point. Ill look back at my Manhattan LG book and I may purchase the cambridge mass LG and LR for heavy drilling. I'll wait a couple of weeks to start again. No need to rush, I have the mechanics of the test, just need a better testing condition. I think I went too quickly through everything.

[CiFULA]

Also checking in! I see fellow lurkers are coming out of the woodwork. I received a 169 this past June. It's nice to see some of the pros returning although I guess it would have been better if you guys didn't have to rejoin. Aiming for a 174+ but not sure how much of a difference 3 months will make. Maybe actively posting will make me more involved in the process. I ended up wasting almost all my PTs in an effort to cram them in before the exam. I realize that was pretty dumb but what's done is done. Hopefully the answers won't readily jump out at me from memory.

My biggest issue appears to be LR:
At times, I have perfect sections and at other times as much as -6.
Generally, I get about -6 to -7 for both sections. I don't think I have issues with specific types either (aside from parallel reasoning ) but more like specific questions. ugh.

FWIW, I just bought the LSAT Trainer which is scheduled to arrive next week. Guess I'll just be redoing PSBs and Manhattan before it gets here.

[Slytherpuff]

Checking in as well (after mostly lurking for the past few months). This will be my third time taking the test and I've learned the hard way that I need to make way more work/extracurricular sacrifices for studying. Last chance for T14!

[jingosaur]

I've been posting this all over TLS and haven't gotten a response so I'm just going to spam it here:

For people going to their third attempt, is there any unbiased evidence publicly available that shows that a third attempt is or isn't harmful to law school admissions chances? I've heard a lot of anecdotal evidence of the value of a third attempt (TLS) and of how a third attempt can really hurt your chances because it shows desperation and any improvement short of 4+ points won't do anything (some law school admins).

[MrBlueSky!]

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[bombaysippin]

Joining along for the long (re)run of October 2013.

Took June 2013 and was astonished by how real of a factor test day anxiety is - I lost 9 points from my PT average, its terrifying. LR was my vice for June 2013 and had an LR experiment too. LR has always been hit or miss..usually average -5 to -7 per section (its bad, i know)...but even got worse with the anxiety and a poor sleep. I am almost the opposite of most ppl here...my LG has been -0 since I picked up LSAT material 2 years ago. But have been consistently -10-12 on RC during all PTs and even June 2013. You can likely gather by now that I am a 160s kid and shooting for a 165+!

So my question is, what can be done here to raise the scaled score by 10pts. I feel RC is learn-able, but can 3 months of intense RC (LR) prep increase my speed/accuracy?

Most importantly, what can I offer in return in terms of LG prep? Feel free to PM me about LG questions because I think that once you "turn the corner" on a couple ways of thinking in terms of games each one becomes fun and it all fits..leaving you to finish with time to spare.

I'm kind of with you. Though I thought for the majority of people LG was great with the exception of a few people that are having a bit of trouble with it. I envy those that are consistent -0 or like only -2 on LR sections. I'm hoping that 3 months will bring me down near that level with LR. RC is just a toss up lol. I can do well or I can do really shitty.

[aboutmydaylight]

Joining you guys. 168 June 2013 first time take. -0LG -3RC -11LR. Need to get more consistent with LR. I've had -0s but I've also had -6s on PTs which means I'm guessing too much; the variance is too high. Unfortunately, June was one of those bad LR days.

[isuperserial]

Hey there ladies and gentlemen, checking in.

Got a 163 for June, shooting for a 170+ for October. 163 is precisely what my diagnostic was all those months ago, which is pretty disheartening. However, I don't think that studying was for nothing. I was able to get my PT average up to 170-173 pretty comfortably before the test. I simply failed to achieve due to a combination of nerves and unfortunate testing conditions. Therefore, my objective is twofold and follows thusly.

1. Increase average PT score from 170-173 to 175-177. This will have an impact on my test in two ways. First, it will give me the necessary breathing room I require to be confident I will achieve my goals. Second, that confidence will allow me to perform my best without worrying about my score while taking the test. I was making some real breakthroughs in LR leading up to the test, so I believe that this is very possible.

2. Focus on eliminating errors in LG, and mastering RC. I admit that I failed to study for RC as much as I should have, on account of that I generally wasn't too bad at them and really hated studying them. Obviously this was a massive mistake, and I payed for it dearly. My suboptimal experience with RC resulted in my confidence being shaken easily with unfamiliar passage types and structures. I should become as familiar with RC as I am with LR and LG.

I plan on ordering a set of practice tests, and drilling with the extensive Testmasters questions that I already have. Unfortunately, most of the PTs will contain questions I already have seen, but hopefully most of them will be so old that I feel fresh with them nonetheless. I look forward to studying with you all!

[barrelofmonkeys]

Hi retakers!
169 in June, haven't decided on a retake for sure yet, but I know what the advice from you all is

If I do go through with it, I'm looking forward to making some TLS friends this time around.

[RhymesLikeDimes]

Checking in. Was a lurker in the June thread. Scored a 171, but was scoring 177-180 consistently on timed practice tests. I think my problem was that I peaked early. Started studying six months before the test, started getting my high scores on PTs and got cocky. Pretty lax study regimen by the time test day rolled around. Felt foggy on the RC and LR sections. Anyway, gonna take a more proactive approach for my Oct. retake, so I hope you don't mind a long-time lurker developing a more active presence.

lol, this is almost exactly my story.

[wtrc]

Checking in, reluctantly.

[Tot12Tator]

149 in June...ouch. Signing up for the October test now.

[Ambitious1]

Looking to get started tomorrow. I'll probably begin with a few days of LG drilling and then take a PT to see where I am. Hopefully by then, the LSAT Trainer arrives in the mail and I can begin using that to supplement Manhattan guides and then Cambridge drill packets. I'll drill at least 1 RC passage every day and at least 1 LG game to keep those skills fresh and relevant. I'll also begin Manhattan Interact online program and fully utilize it this time around. It is a great program, particularly for LR.

My big picture goal is to move to PTs by the beginning of August. I want 2 solid months of being able to stabilize my score and increase PT endurance.

I'm also likely going to begin working full time job soon, and begin writing my PS/getting LoRs. These next few months will be absolutely brutal.

[Iroh]

169, median PT of 173. You know how people say to be consistently -0 on LG before you take the LSAT? THIS IS THE TRUTH. I did worse than average on all sections except for RC, but I went -5 on LG, all on the third game (blind guessing will do that to you). I'm thinking nerves played a big part, because I did the game yesterday in about 6 minutes with every question right. I'm just kicking myself because that was probably the absolute easiest LG section I could have hoped for, and if I had recognized it at the time I would be sitting pretty with a 174 right now.

Now that my self-pity is out of the way, is anyone here looking for a study partner? Gunning for 180 at this point and would love to have a dedicated partner, even an online one. I live just south of the Bay Area if anyone is interested in meeting up.

[kendradh]

Checking in, reluctantly.

Me too. After spending all last night crying and drinking, I have resigned myself to going through this shit again. Boo.

[MrBlueSky!]

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[ScottRiqui]

Checking in. Scored 167 in June, but lost more than half of my total points in LG (8 of 15), which was typical for me up to that point. Changed my games strategy and been hitting it hard since a week after test day, and seeing great improvements already.

Aiming for ~175 in October. I already have the numbers for one of the schools I'm interested in, but trying to bump up the LSAT to improve my chances at my other choice.

[bombaysippin]

It sounds like a good portion of people in here, including myself, fell victim by at least 5 points to the (almost expected) anxiety of the official test. Can a past or a present re-taker find ways to affirm it does not happen again? Are there things that can be done along with prep, or a new mental approach to the entire concept of the LSAT that can help ensure that come game time it is nothing but 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose'(!)?...Thanks

Nice Friday Night Lights reference right there haha

[RuleSubstitution]

Anyone who consistently gets ~ -0 on games: any words of wisdom? How did you drill/practice to get there? I typically miss 4 or 5 on ptests. Ass was handed to me in June when I got sick during the section. I missed 10 from rushing after returning to the test room. I was going to run through each game at least twice and keep track of the games on which I was too slow. Ideally, I am aiming to finish early on test day so that I can manage test day anxiety with the knowledge that I have enough time if something goes wrong.

Edit: Checking in for October retake.

[RuleSubstitution]

Checking in. Scored 167 in June, but lost more than half of my total points in LG (8 of 15), which was typical for me up to that point. Changed my games strategy and been hitting it hard since a week after test day, and seeing great improvements already.

Aiming for ~175 in October. I already have the numbers for one of the schools I'm interested in, but trying to bump up the LSAT to improve my chances at my other choice.

How have you stepped it up? That's a good score btw. Some impressive test takers here.

[snagglepuss]

I'm going to jump in here. I took back in October '12, but I didn't study.