Page 1 of 1

Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:06 am
by Dr. Strangelove
My PT average was 173 and I only got a 165.
I realized what I was doing wrong as soon as I walked out of the LSAT.
I'm more than willing to give people on this forum advice.

1.) Try to give yourself less than 35 minutes to complete each section, (~30). I found that when I was working on the LR sections that I didn't have time to check over my answers. This really hurt me since I usually find careless errors after a second glance.
2.) Take the test at least once under proctored conditions. I made sure I was taking it timed and all that jazz but never did I have someone else keep time for me.

This is my only advice. I think not following these tips caused my score to be worse than it could have been.

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:19 am
by lmi
good advice. i would also like to emphasize the importance of having it "mock" proctored. especially the 5 minute warning-it's very distracting. also, try to prepare yourself psychologically (as best you can) to let sections/questions go. it is much easier during practice when you are essentially trying to do your best on each section, but harder during the actual exam when you realize EVERY point ACTUALLY counts. uncertainty becomes a big burden then.

Good luck to all those studying. I scored about 1-3 points lower than my average, but am not going to put myself through all that again!

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:23 am
by CanadianWolf
An advantage to taking a formal LSAT prep course is that students take 3 to 6 proctored LSAT exams.

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:12 am
by bp colin
Having had a ton of students, I've found there are a number of common factors that increase the likelihood of a test-day drop from PT average.

-Only ever doing 4 section tests
-Not being strict with timing
-Not taking tests with someone else proctoring
-Not taking tests in a testing environment (or something close to it)
-Never taking tests at the same time as on test day
-Not doing a run-through of the test center (knowing where you're going to be, even if it's just the building, can really help calm nerves)
-Not bubbling in an answer sheet during PTs

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:29 am
by LSAT Blog
Some solid advice in this thread.

Just wanted to add that many prep companies offer free proctored exams for marketing purposes. You can attend several of these close to Test Day and simply bring your own exam.

(You may want to list your phone number as being something like 867-5309 to avoid repeat phone calls from the prep company afterward.)

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:56 am
by alicrimson
I really like, and plan on implementing for October, the 30 minute idea. I plan on doing my timed section practice with 34 minutes and scaling back until I reach 30. This should allow for any test freakouts or whatever may put a huge not content related dent in my timing. Thanks, drstrangelove!

Re: Advice For Those Prepping the LSAT

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:04 pm
by 3|ink
alicrimson wrote:I really like, and plan on implementing for October, the 30 minute idea. I plan on doing my timed section practice with 34 minutes and scaling back until I reach 30. This should allow for any test freakouts or whatever may put a huge not content related dent in my timing. Thanks, drstrangelove!
I second that. This is something I've never tried. It could be quite useful.