170+ scorers: Peaking on Test Day?

[jjlaw]

I'm sure that this has probably been asked, but I couldn't find any posts for some reason. And I imagine that someone on here has experience with this, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have been noticing an upward trend in my last three PT scores, from 166 to 170 to 171. I feel that the difference between a 170 and 175 is really a matter of keeping focused and not making careless mistakes, and not really related to strategy or understanding concepts at this point.

So the question is for people who scored 170+ on test day: If it's possible to "peak" on test day, does anyone have any tips? Like did you do anything in particular to calm your nerves and make sure that you didn't make careless mistakes while taking the actual test?

My goal for the next week and a half is to take three more 5-section PTs and try to maintain 170+ scores. My ideal score is 172, but obviously anything higher would make me jump for joy.

Thanks!

[lostjake]

While most people here would say that you shouldn't do much studying the day before, I found that i calmed my nerves by doing 2 LR and a LG section. Also you shouldn't try to 'peek' out. You should always be trying to learn from your mistakes and improve your score, as 'peeking out' is just another way of saying that you were still learning, took the test and then stopped learning, eh? Saying peeked out is like you've hit a ceiling. You should try to start waking up at the same time everyday, and doing your practice tests at the same time you'll be taking the real one. That will help your pooping schedule. Seriously dude.

Also there is a lot of luck involved in the LSAT. After you get the basics down its just a matter of reading carefully yet quickly.

[Hey-O]

I'm sure that this has probably been asked, but I couldn't find any posts for some reason. And I imagine that someone on here has experience with this, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have been noticing an upward trend in my last three PT scores, from 166 to 170 to 171. I feel that the difference between a 170 and 175 is really a matter of keeping focused and not making careless mistakes, and not really related to strategy or understanding concepts at this point.

So the question is for people who scored 170+ on test day: If it's possible to "peak" on test day, does anyone have any tips? Like did you do anything in particular to calm your nerves and make sure that you didn't make careless mistakes while taking the actual test?

My goal for the next week and a half is to take three more 5-section PTs and try to maintain 170+ scores. My ideal score is 172, but obviously anything higher would make me jump for joy.

Thanks!

I'm also interested in any answers to this.

[lostjake]

And the word should be peak, hahahaha, good thing there wasn't a vocab section.

[rayiner]

You should not be peaking on test day. You should have plateaued by test day and be scoring consistently in your practice range. That's what'll give you the most confidence during the actual thing and will allow you to execute.

Eg: I was practicing consistently in a 3 point range before the exam and got right in the middle on the real thing.

[jjlaw]

While most people here would say that you shouldn't do much studying the day before, I found that i calmed my nerves by doing 2 LR and a LG section. Also you shouldn't try to 'peek' out. You should always be trying to learn from your mistakes and improve your score, as 'peeking out' is just another way of saying that you were still learning, took the test and then stopped learning, eh? Saying peeked out is like you've hit a ceiling. You should try to start waking up at the same time everyday, and doing your practice tests at the same time you'll be taking the real one. That will help your pooping schedule. Seriously dude.

Also there is a lot of luck involved in the LSAT. After you get the basics down its just a matter of reading carefully yet quickly.

I have been taking the test in the afternoon and following a certain set of procedures before starting each test. I'm trying to simulate everything I would do the day of the test, including giving myself a pep talk before each test. I also find that if I do a few untimed questions before the test, it helps me warm up. I find that when I make mistakes, it's not because I don't understand how to answer the question, but that I made a careless mistake and overlooked something (e.g. reading too quickly). I just don't want to make this kind of mistake on test day, but I suspect that test day jitters will inevitably cloud my judgment to some extent. I am just hoping for some helpful tips of keeping those jitters at bay.

You should not be peaking on test day. You should have plateaued by test day and be scoring consistently in your practice range. That's what'll give you the most confidence during the actual thing and will allow you to execute.

Eg: I was practicing consistently in a 3 point range before the exam and got right in the middle on the real thing.

Obviously, I'd like to hit 172 more than once before June 7th, but I have heard of people "peaking" on test day. It is nevertheless anecdotal evidence, so not the greatest kind of "evidence", but I was just wondering if people had experienced this and what sort of tips they could give.

[scribelaw]

You should not be peaking on test day. You should have plateaued by test day and be scoring consistently in your practice range. That's what'll give you the most confidence during the actual thing and will allow you to execute.

Eg: I was practicing consistently in a 3 point range before the exam and got right in the middle on the real thing.

/thread.