Diagnose my Diagnostic please? Forum

[Luco7]

Hello,

I am currently taking the Testmasters LSAT prep course. Yesterday, I took my first Diagnostic and got a 149. LSAT 59 raw score (don't know what that is). It was my first time ever seeing an LSAT exam and it was a timed test. I am not sure what the score means. 149 was the 40th percentile for the 2008 LSAT prep test which I took

A bit more info:
-I answered 19 of 27 questions on the Reading Comprehension section. Got 2 wrong. Did not answer 8 due to time.

-The experimental Logical Reasoning section: I answered 24 of 25 questions. Got 7 wrong. Did not answer 1 due to time.

-The second Logical Reasoning section is where I started to feel burnt out as it was maybe 7 PM by that time and I had been in class all day from 9:35 am- 4:00 pm with 15 minute breaks in between each class. On that section I answered 20 of 26. Got 6 wrong. Did not answer 6 because of time.

-Logic Games Section. I answered 17 of 23. Got 6 wrong. Did not answer 6 because of time.

-And the last Logical Reasoning. I answered 21 out of 25. Got 4 wrong. Did not answer 4 due to time.

Are any real Logical Reasoning Sections easier than some (not including the experimental, as I understand it is sometimes harder)? Because the 3rd section did seem a bit easier. Started to get used to Logical Reasoning? Or was I just rejuvenated by the 15 min break? I'm not sure lol.

So, what do you think of this first diagnostic? I am a bit disappointed as I thought I would at least be in the 150s for my first time. My goal for my real score is to break 170. Plausible?

[suspicious android]

You're in very good shape if you've never looked at an LSAT before If you had guessed on all the questions you didn't answer you would have probably scored in the low 150's, which is about median on the real LSAT. Your accuracy, fatigue, etc., are all very normal an not anything to worry or even really think about much right now.

An improvement into the low 160's would be fairly normal for someone in your situation, based on the students I've had. High 160's or 170's is definitely possible, but you'll have to put in a lot of work. However, you're probably starting out at a higher place than 60-70% of the class (based on my experience teaching classes, not necessarily yours, if your class is next to Harvard campus, for example).

[Darko86]

I started the TestMasters course yesterday as well. I scored a 157 on the diagnostic, and I have high hopes for the class after meeting my teacher and looking over the books a little bit. I have also purchased the PowerScore LGB though, because I want to put in extra work on my own. I think that if you do all of the classwork and put in some time outside of class as well that you'll be fine and should be able to greatly improve your score from the initial diagnostic.

[Kurst]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3#p3938803

[Jackson Pollock]

I had a 14 point bump from diag to real thing.

21 might be a lot, but work your ass off and you never know.

[jrose5]

149 was my exact diagnostic score. I was also really fatigued when I took it (it was around finals period for me), and I barely made an attempt at the logic games section....

On the real LSAT I made a 170. This was with a lot of work though. For 3-4 months, I barely went a day without studying. On my full length practice exams, I scored a range of 167-175, with an average of 170.

Best of luck. And really, studying yourself is way more important than any prep course.

[Jackson Pollock]

149 was my exact diagnostic score. I was also really fatigued when I took it (it was around finals period for me), and I barely made an attempt at the logic games section....

On the real LSAT I made a 170. This was with a lot of work though. For 3-4 months, I barely went a day without studying. On my full length practice exams, I scored a range of 167-175, with an average of 170.

Best of luck. And really, studying yourself is way more important than any prep course.

Damn, dude. Congrats.

[incompetentia]

Especially if you've never seen the test before, this is not a bad starting point. I went +12 from my cold diag, and I don't think that more of an improvement is preposterous.

It looks like your timing in RC is going to be a major factor, as it is with most people who take the test. Luckily, the section that you missed the largest percentage in (LG) is also the most learnable, so if you start drilling, you should be easily able to hop up into the 160s.


By the way, the scaled scores (120-180) correspond to percentiles for that test, so that's all we'd need to know to judge where you're going generally.

[jrose5]

Especially if you've never seen the test before, this is not a bad starting point. I went +12 from my cold diag, and I don't think that more of an improvement is preposterous.

It looks like your timing in RC is going to be a major factor, as it is with most people who take the test. Luckily, the section that you missed the largest percentage in (LG) is also the most learnable, so if you start drilling, you should be easily able to hop up into the 160s.


By the way, the scaled scores (120-180) correspond to percentiles for that test, so that's all we'd need to know to judge where you're going generally.

+1

By far the easiest section to improve on is LGs... you just need to learn the shortcuts and strategies. You should get the Powerscore Logic Games Bible.

Reading Comp will be the hardest to improve on, just cause most people can't learn how to read effectively in a few months' time. That's a skill you acquire over years.

LR is definitely improveable, too.

[Luco7]

You're in very good shape if you've never looked at an LSAT before If you had guessed on all the questions you didn't answer you would have probably scored in the low 150's, which is about median on the real LSAT. Your accuracy, fatigue, etc., are all very normal an not anything to worry or even really think about much right now.

An improvement into the low 160's would be fairly normal for someone in your situation, based on the students I've had. High 160's or 170's is definitely possible, but you'll have to put in a lot of work. However, you're probably starting out at a higher place than 60-70% of the class (based on my experience teaching classes, not necessarily yours, if your class is next to Harvard campus, for example).

The class I am taking is geared for the June 6th LSAT. However, I feel that I should postpone until the October LSAT so I could spend a few more months working on practice exams at least 3 times a week and really working through the Logic bibles. Do you think this is overkill in addition to the class and will burn me out (i.e. work smart not hard) or is that a good example of the "hard work" you speak of?

[Luco7]

149 was my exact diagnostic score. I was also really fatigued when I took it (it was around finals period for me), and I barely made an attempt at the logic games section....

On the real LSAT I made a 170. This was with a lot of work though. For 3-4 months, I barely went a day without studying. On my full length practice exams, I scored a range of 167-175, with an average of 170.

Best of luck. And really, studying yourself is way more important than any prep course.

Congrats and thanks for the wishes. What consisted of a day of studying for you during those 3-4 months?

[incompetentia]

Doing all PTs once is already slightly overkill, in my opinion. You'll be set for June if you work intelligently.


Brute force work here doesn't necessarily help. A month before the test, I was still doing 2 exams a week.

[glewz]

Especially if you've never seen the test before, this is not a bad starting point. I went +12 from my cold diag, and I don't think that more of an improvement is preposterous.

It looks like your timing in RC is going to be a major factor, as it is with most people who take the test. Luckily, the section that you missed the largest percentage in (LG) is also the most learnable, so if you start drilling, you should be easily able to hop up into the 160s.


By the way, the scaled scores (120-180) correspond to percentiles for that test, so that's all we'd need to know to judge where you're going generally.

+1

By far the easiest section to improve on is LGs... you just need to learn the shortcuts and strategies. You should get the Powerscore Logic Games Bible.

Getting the Powerscore LG Bible in addition to the course is not a good idea.

You have enough on your hands as is, and you don't need additional diagramming techniques to confuse you.

[Luco7]

I am taking Testmasters. I don't think the class really offers all the PTs. I could be wrong...

[yngblkgifted]

Jumped up 15 points here with an "inferior" test prep company and that was with a pretty crappy performance on test day. It takes work, but I strongly believe that anyone who starts off where you are can get at least high 160's/ low 170's on the real thing if they put in the hours. Good Luck!

[glewz]

I am taking Testmasters. I don't think the class really offers all the PTs. I could be wrong...

Pretty sure they do bro...as in 99% sure - they're not all gonna be in full test form, a bunch of them are integrated into the course. I took TM some time back, but I can't imagine huge changes since then.

[Pleasye]

I am taking Testmasters. I don't think the class really offers all the PTs. I could be wrong...

They give you every LSAT question. All of the questions you are doing in class and as homework are questions that have been on a real LSAT at some point in time. They save some full tests so that you can use them as PT's.

Are any real Logical Reasoning Sections easier than some (not including the experimental, as I understand it is sometimes harder)? Because the 3rd section did seem a bit easier. Started to get used to Logical Reasoning? Or was I just rejuvenated by the 15 min break? I'm not sure lol.

Just to clear something up: the "experimental" section that you took in this diagnostic with Testmasters is just a section that came out of another PT (meaning it's a scored section of a different test that was actually given). LSAC does not release their experimental sections when they release the tests. An experimental section can seem easier, harder or the same as the other sections, it really depends on what you end up with as your experimental. Don't worry about this because when you take the test you will not know which section is experimental.