I just got owned by PT 43!! Forum

[Madman]

So my scores have been going up consistently and on my 2 most recent PT's I scored a 167 both times, then comes PT 43 and I drop down to a 161. RC owned me with a -11 and my LR got worse as well -4 on each. This is definitely a bit discouraging. I just don't know what to do about RC. I almost never finish it and have to guess on an entire passage. RC is preventing me from really making big scores.

Any helpful RC advice would be appreciated and did anyone else find PT 43 quite hard?

Thanks

[Massimiliano]

Wow, you're in basically the same predicament as me. I took PT 43 today and got rocked by RC. Ran out of time as I was reading passage 4 and missed several from the previous passages. My advice would be to set that RC aside for at least a week, but return to it before test day (I assume you're taking in Feb.) The key to improving on that section is to zero in on what you got wrong and avoid repeating those mistakes. At this point, though, I don't think getting hung up on it will be too beneficial.

Just clear your head and move on to the next PT. Whenever I get owned by a PT, I almost view it as beneficial. I'd rather see those problems three weeks before the test than on test day.

I really struggle with RC too... routinely getting 4-10 wrong on this section. I've yet to be provided with any advice that has been helpful. My thinking is just to keep at it, try different strategies, and see which ones stick. For some, that could mean more marking, for others, less. Personally, I think the questions can often be time consuming. I think I need to spend less time reading the passage (but enough time to get the main point) then use that extra time to refer back on the detail questions.

PM me if you want to compare notes on future PTs.

[jason8821]

is 43 the one with the difficult curve, I think a 78 was a 160?

[rocklos]

43 was a tough test. Lower score for me too even though my scores are still not where I want them to be I thought I was making improvements with LR up until this point.

But today I got owned by #48, it was one of those test that I thought I rocked it, but as it turned out that I got rocked.

How do you guys bounce back from a poor performance?

My initial reaction is to take another PT but I know thats not always the best

[spearnreel]

43 was a tough test. Lower score for me too even though my scores are still not where I want them to be I thought I was making improvements with LR up until this point.

But today I got owned by #48, it was one of those test that I thought I rocked it, but as it turned out that I got rocked.

How do you guys bounce back from a poor performance?

My initial reaction is to take another PT but I know thats not always the best

#49 LR sec.4 killed me yesterday.

[Massimiliano]

43 was a tough test. Lower score for me too even though my scores are still not where I want them to be I thought I was making improvements with LR up until this point.

But today I got owned by #48, it was one of those test that I thought I rocked it, but as it turned out that I got rocked.

How do you guys bounce back from a poor performance?

My initial reaction is to take another PT but I know thats not always the best

I think it depends which section you got rocked by. If it was LR, I'd thoroughly review it immediately after the test. If it's RC or LG, give it a couple days, then redo the section while timing yourself at 35 mins. (or 30 mins. if you're hard core.) I've just found that it's too easy to immediately redo RC and LG while it's fresh in your mind, mop the floor with it, then convince yourself you're over that hump. Just move on to new material then go back to it when it won't seem so easy.

I don't apply this same standard to LR because I usually get fewer wrong on this section and there's a very quick and clear reason why I got the question wrong. LG relies on a perfect setup, inferences, etc. then attacking the questions and RC requires a coherent read on the passage (more time consuming and more variables in play.) That's just me, though, and maybe my review approach is flawed.

[christinalsat]

PT 43 was the second test I took and was really happy with my score (went up from a 159 to a 166) and did better on the RC than I usually do (only two wrong). Then I took the October 2008 and dropped way down to a 154. Not sure what happened. I'm prepping for the Feb test and praying the 166 wasn't a fluke. I'm taking my fourth test today, so hopefully that gives me a better idea. Has anyone else had fluctuations like these?

So far my experience is that so much depends on your state of mind. I took PT 43 at home, at 1pm using my microwave timer. Took October 2008 with a Testmasters proctor at 10am. Was groggy and also got inexplicably nervous by the test day simulation experience. Couldn't concentrate at all.

[jason8821]

take my opinion with a grain of salt because the LSAT is driving me crazy enough to get therapy, but I definitely think the time of day can make a huge difference on how you perform. Some nights I work until 9, and come home to try and work on some problems, but I could definitely see myself getting destroyed by the test if I had to take it at night vs early afternoon, or morning.

[Madman]

take my opinion with a grain of salt because the LSAT is driving me crazy enough to get therapy, but I definitely think the time of day can make a huge difference on how you perform. Some nights I work until 9, and come home to try and work on some problems, but I could definitely see myself getting destroyed by the test if I had to take it at night vs early afternoon, or morning.

This may have played a bit of a role as I was feeling exceptionally tired after work yesterday before I began PT 43. I am just worried that I am going to get demolished by the change in test format around PT 43/44. Does anyone know when the test really begins to change to resemble the newer tests?

[rocklos]

43 was a tough test. Lower score for me too even though my scores are still not where I want them to be I thought I was making improvements with LR up until this point.

But today I got owned by #48, it was one of those test that I thought I rocked it, but as it turned out that I got rocked.

How do you guys bounce back from a poor performance?

My initial reaction is to take another PT but I know thats not always the best

I think it depends which section you got rocked by. If it was LR, I'd thoroughly review it immediately after the test. If it's RC or LG, give it a couple days, then redo the section while timing yourself at 35 mins. (or 30 mins. if you're hard core.) I've just found that it's too easy to immediately redo RC and LG while it's fresh in your mind, mop the floor with it, then convince yourself you're over that hump. Just move on to new material then go back to it when it won't seem so easy.

I don't apply this same standard to LR because I usually get fewer wrong on this section and there's a very quick and clear reason why I got the question wrong. LG relies on a perfect setup, inferences, etc. then attacking the questions and RC requires a coherent read on the passage (more time consuming and more variables in play.) That's just me, though, and maybe my review approach is flawed.

It was pretty much all the sections except for the first LR. My other sections scores went down between 4-6. Went over the last section today of the LR and made some stupid mistakes which I can pretty much chalk up to endurance. I took it after the experimental I spliced in.

When do you guys do the experimental?

I've been putting them in the middle after the second section.

[7ED]

PT 43 was definitely a bit on the heavy side. the passage on puerto ricans and lingo-switching was a real bitch.

Try PT 32, that one is also a bit harder than normal exams.