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How close was your actual score to your PT scores?

I want to know your:
Base PT (couple first tests before studying), average PT (maybe the last ~10 tests), and your actual score(s).

Thanks.

Umm why, might I ask? If you are curious about a big jump or scoring close to your PTs the answers are yes and yes. Plus without other info (length of study for one) those numbers are not as meaningful

July 158-161
Aug 161-164
Sept 164-172
Oct exam 167
Retake Dec

Initial PT was a 148.

PT average (3 months) 168 - 172

Actual Score: 163 - Uncharacteristically low RC. Had a panic attack on section 1 because I had prepped so hard for so long. Retook in December because of that.

Honestly feel like I got a 165-167 this time around. I know I was calmer during section 1 (arguments) and the games were lengthy, not necessarily difficult.

Diag (March) -153
April-June Range- 157-160
June-July Range-160-163
August-Oct- Range-163-170

October Test-163

October-Dec Range-166-170 (I took tests with shitty curves, my raw scores were consistently 87-92)

December Retake- ???

I panicked in October and this time around I prepped basically to try and get more consistent so If I hit the bottom of my range I could at least get about a 167, which could get me into schools like BC, BU, GW, Fordham. Obviously I want T14, but I at LEAST want T30 (even though it's not a meaningful distinction)

This varies a lot among test takers.

I don't have personal experience because I never took a practice test before I sat for the real thing, but I have worked with hundreds of LSAT students over the years and those who are going to improve on the real thing tend to improve by 2-3 points; there is a significant subgroup who just gets hyper-focused on test day and brings their best game and improves by a few points. Those who score lower on the real thing than in practice tend to see a larger drop--that's usually attributed to stress and losing sight of the methodology under pressure. But it's tough to predict in advance which type a test taker is going to be; it isn't always consistent with their expectations or their own perceptions of how they perform under pressure.

A few factors that seem to make a difference:

-Extremely well prepared students for whom the process is pretty much automatic by test day seem most likely to pick up a few points.
-Students who are very worried about attaining a specific score (and especially those who attempt to measure their success as they go during the test) tend to psych themselves out and see a surprising drop.

"How close was your actual score to your PT scores??"

Not even close.

I think there was a great thread about this somewhere...

But my actual LSAT score was 1 pt below my PT avg, so pretty darn close.

Base PT: 163
Practicing average: 175-179
Actual #1 (Oct): drank too much caffeine, panicked, got a 170.
Actual #2 (Dec): ...fingers crossed...!

at the top of my scoring range.

For October:
Diag - 168
PT Range - 170-177
PT Average -172.7 I think
Actual: 168

For December:
PT Range - 171-179
PT Average - 175.Xish
Actual:???????????

Hoping for 175+

My first timed PT was a 164, and I seemed to average around 165ish. My last timed PT was a 168. My actual score in October was 160. Not a happy camper. Hence the retake.

2Serious4Numbers wrote:Umm why, might I ask? If you are curious about a big jump or scoring close to your PTs the answers are yes and yes. Plus without other info (length of study for one) those numbers are not as meaningful

The reason I ask is I know a couple friends who scored high on PTs but scored lower on the actual, much like the people posting here. (ie: PT-ing around 175-180, but 167 actual).
I know everyone is different but I just wanted a rough feeling of how great the effects of other factors like test anxiety are for the real test.

Anyway thanks guys. The other link is great too

pt average was aroung 165/166. I got a 164. Retaking because I felt I left a lot on the table and ended up spending the 12+ hours prior to the test driving across america to get my ID. fml.

TLSanders wrote:This varies a lot among test takers.

I don't have personal experience because I never took a practice test before I sat for the real thing, but I have worked with hundreds of LSAT students over the years and those who are going to improve on the real thing tend to improve by 2-3 points; there is a significant subgroup who just gets hyper-focused on test day and brings their best game and improves by a few points. Those who score lower on the real thing than in practice tend to see a larger drop--that's usually attributed to stress and losing sight of the methodology under pressure. But it's tough to predict in advance which type a test taker is going to be; it isn't always consistent with their expectations or their own perceptions of how they perform under pressure.

A few factors that seem to make a difference:

-Extremely well prepared students for whom the process is pretty much automatic by test day seem most likely to pick up a few points.
-Students who are very worried about attaining a specific score (and especially those who attempt to measure their success as they go during the test) tend to psych themselves out and see a surprising drop.

I've observed similar things over the years I've been teaching and tutoring people for the LSAT.

I especially agree with the two itemized factors.

Another one that I think makes a difference and contributes to the 'psych yourself out and choke on test day' effect is obsessively comparing yourself and your improvement rate to others that are also preparing for the test. Instead of obsessing about how others are doing and trying to figure out the 'magic prep formula' that you think people claiming to be doing better than you have, you should just be comparing yourself to yourself in terms of your ongoing performance on practice questions and tests to figure out how to refine your skills as you go in order to be well prepared on test day.

I hate admitting this, but I completely skipped a section (not the experimental section either) my first time and got a 152 with very little practice.

My PT average over the final 11 PTs was 177; my score in October was 175. Interestingly, I ended up leaving a question blank by mistake and if I had answered it correctly, I would have scored exactly my PT average: 177.

However, I can't assume that I would have answered it correctly even if I had remembered to go back. I obviously skipped it because I couldn't figure it out in the first place.

JaLeCa wrote:I hate admitting this, but I completely skipped a section (not the experimental section either) my first time and got a 152 with very little practice.

How did this happen? Was this on a PT or the real thing? If the real thing, how could you skip a section?

Anyway, so as not to derail. Diagnostic -161, June -165, Oct-172. Was averaging about a 169 before June with a very small sample size, and ~173 before October with closer to a 176 on my last 10. Retaking in Feb.

Kabuo wrote:

JaLeCa wrote:I hate admitting this, but I completely skipped a section (not the experimental section either) my first time and got a 152 with very little practice.

How did this happen? Was this on a PT or the real thing? If the real thing, how could you skip a section?

Real test (February). I freaked out when I looked at the section (bad anxiety)and marked D for everything.

Kabuo wrote:

JaLeCa wrote:I hate admitting this, but I completely skipped a section (not the experimental section either) my first time and got a 152 with very little practice.

How did this happen? Was this on a PT or the real thing? If the real thing, how could you skip a section?

Anyway, so as not to derail. Diagnostic -161, June -165, Oct-172. Was averaging about a 169 before June with a very small sample size, and ~173 before October with closer to a 176 on my last 10. Retaking in Feb.

Why?

Shouldn't you have applications already submitted (and could have applied EA/ED with a 172) and be waiting for admission decisions?

Jeffort wrote:

Kabuo wrote:

JaLeCa wrote:I hate admitting this, but I completely skipped a section (not the experimental section either) my first time and got a 152 with very little practice.

How did this happen? Was this on a PT or the real thing? If the real thing, how could you skip a section?

Anyway, so as not to derail. Diagnostic -161, June -165, Oct-172. Was averaging about a 169 before June with a very small sample size, and ~173 before October with closer to a 176 on my last 10. Retaking in Feb.

Why?

must be a GPA insecurity

Sorry for those who have read about this in my other thread, but this is why, Jeffort: 3.2 LSAC GPA. Deferred to RD after EDing to Mich, outright dinged from UVA ED when I sent it in on 12/15. Waiting on Cornell, GULC, UCLA, Vandy, ND, and Bama. Accepted to WUSTL, but 176s get significantly more scholly $ than 172s there. Figure if I don't think I did well enough to warrant the retake, I can cancel and go to WUSTL. If I improve a little, like 175ish, it makes good LOCI material. If I improve a lot, 178+, I'll move to Virginia and work somewhere for a year and then apply again next cycle to UVA along with CCN.

JaLeCa wrote:
Real test (February). I freaked out when I looked at the section (bad anxiety)and marked D for everything.

That sucks. I had never experienced test anxiety before the LSAT. Total meltdown on that 165, and froze on the last 5 questions of Oct. That's another reason I'm retaking. I don't expect to have any anxiety this time around now that I've been accepted to at least 1 school and have done it twice.

EDIT for typo.