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I started studying in earnest in January. My diagnostic was 154. I took a Kaplan class and have read all of the bibles. I'm still having a problem with time and make stupid mistakes, usually ending up with around a 162. I have the time to study for the June exam - any stories or hope?

Diagnostic 155, studied for 4 months, hovered at 163...167 on test day. I have another friend who jumped 4 pts on test day too.

TyrodTaylor wrote:Diagnostic 155, studied for 4 months, hovered at 163...167 on test day. I have another friend who jumped 4 pts on test day too.

Are you me?

And yes, it's surprising how you can outperform your PT average on test day.

Same story as OP, 169 on test day. Keep doing those practice tests.

cinephile wrote:And yes, it's surprising how you can outperform your PT average on test day.

Keep in mind that you could just as easily under-perform on test day due to anxiety, poor testing conditions, etc. (Although this is pure speculation, I suspect that this occurs more frequently than the reverse.)

This is not to discourage you--quite the opposite, actually. This is just to say, keep at it and don't assume that you will outperform your PT average on test day. Make sure that you really understand the material and that you have developed the necessary skills before you take the test. If you think you've hit a wall, then try experimenting with new techniques in your practice exams. Worst case: you waste a PT. Best case: you find a different strategy that really works for you. Don't get locked into old patterns if they aren't working for you. Play around a bit.

Best of luck!

Straw_Mandible wrote:

cinephile wrote:And yes, it's surprising how you can outperform your PT average on test day.

Keep in mind that you could just as easily under-perform on test day due to anxiety, poor testing conditions, etc. (Although this is pure speculation, I suspect that this occurs more frequently than the reverse.)

This is not to discourage you--quite the opposite, actually. This is just to say, keep at it and don't assume that you will outperform your PT average on test day. Make sure that you really understand the material and that you have developed the necessary skills before you take the test. If you think you've hit a wall, then try experimenting with new techniques in your practice exams. Worst case: you waste a PT. Best case: you find a different strategy that really works for you. Don't get locked into old patterns if they aren't working for you. Play around a bit.

Best of luck!

+1

I hear about people underperforming on test day more often than outperforming. I think it helps a LOT to be aware of all the BS you'll have to deal with on test day:

You will probably sit in a lobby or lunchroom waiting for over an hour. It will probably take another hour to get everyone seated (at uncomfortable desks). It will take another thirty minutes to find chairs for all the people they don't have room for, because for some reason they didn't make sure enough seats were available. It will take another thirty minutes to pass out tests. You will then have to fill out a bunch of forms, which will take another twenty minutes for everyone to finish. One of the elderly proctors will get confused at some point. Etc. etc. etc.

Granted, some people have great experiences, but assume that it's going to be more like the above description.

My PT average ended up around 168 or 169 with a high score of 170, and on test day I banged out a 172. The adrenaline of test day helps me, I find, but I don't think this is typical.

...and now for the other side... PTed around 174-178. 167 on test day with a -8 curve (I also took it right after the financial crisis started and there was a spike in test takers)

thunderflesh wrote:

Straw_Mandible wrote:

cinephile wrote:And yes, it's surprising how you can outperform your PT average on test day.

Keep in mind that you could just as easily under-perform on test day due to anxiety, poor testing conditions, etc. (Although this is pure speculation, I suspect that this occurs more frequently than the reverse.)

This is not to discourage you--quite the opposite, actually. This is just to say, keep at it and don't assume that you will outperform your PT average on test day. Make sure that you really understand the material and that you have developed the necessary skills before you take the test. If you think you've hit a wall, then try experimenting with new techniques in your practice exams. Worst case: you waste a PT. Best case: you find a different strategy that really works for you. Don't get locked into old patterns if they aren't working for you. Play around a bit.

Best of luck!

+1

I hear about people underperforming on test day more often than outperforming. I think it helps a LOT to be aware of all the BS you'll have to deal with on test day:

You will probably sit in a lobby or lunchroom waiting for over an hour. It will probably take another hour to get everyone seated (at uncomfortable desks). It will take another thirty minutes to find chairs for all the people they don't have room for, because for some reason they didn't make sure enough seats were available. It will take another thirty minutes to pass out tests. You will then have to fill out a bunch of forms, which will take another twenty minutes for everyone to finish. One of the elderly proctors will get confused at some point. Etc. etc. etc.
Granted, some people have great experiences, but assume that it's going to be more like the above description.

My PT average ended up around 168 or 169 with a high score of 170, and on test day I banged out a 172. The adrenaline of test day helps me, I find, but I don't think this is typical.

This. I waited foreverrr. By the time my proctor started the test, I was ready to pee my pants. It took almost 2 1/2 hours for everyone to register, find a seat and pass out the test/read instructions. I finished my second section 5 minutes early so I could go to the restroom. I ended up dropping from a PT average of 173 to 168 on test day. Test conditions played a huge role in my score - pray that you don't get proctors that move at a glacial pace.

Oh, but to help the OP instead of just giving discouraging stories...

Have you identified which types of problems you are having the most trouble with? I reached a point where I generally understood the information and had improved from my first diagnostic but hadn't spent the time to figure out what problems were bringing down my score (either by answering them wrong or taking too long on them). Once I did that and really practiced those types of questions, my score shot up.

stowhat wrote:

thunderflesh wrote:

Straw_Mandible wrote:

cinephile wrote:And yes, it's surprising how you can outperform your PT average on test day.

Keep in mind that you could just as easily under-perform on test day due to anxiety, poor testing conditions, etc. (Although this is pure speculation, I suspect that this occurs more frequently than the reverse.)

This is not to discourage you--quite the opposite, actually. This is just to say, keep at it and don't assume that you will outperform your PT average on test day. Make sure that you really understand the material and that you have developed the necessary skills before you take the test. If you think you've hit a wall, then try experimenting with new techniques in your practice exams. Worst case: you waste a PT. Best case: you find a different strategy that really works for you. Don't get locked into old patterns if they aren't working for you. Play around a bit.

Best of luck!

+1

I hear about people underperforming on test day more often than outperforming. I think it helps a LOT to be aware of all the BS you'll have to deal with on test day:

You will probably sit in a lobby or lunchroom waiting for over an hour. It will probably take another hour to get everyone seated (at uncomfortable desks). It will take another thirty minutes to find chairs for all the people they don't have room for, because for some reason they didn't make sure enough seats were available. It will take another thirty minutes to pass out tests. You will then have to fill out a bunch of forms, which will take another twenty minutes for everyone to finish. One of the elderly proctors will get confused at some point. Etc. etc. etc.
Granted, some people have great experiences, but assume that it's going to be more like the above description.

My PT average ended up around 168 or 169 with a high score of 170, and on test day I banged out a 172. The adrenaline of test day helps me, I find, but I don't think this is typical.

This. I waited foreverrr. By the time my proctor started the test, I was ready to pee my pants. It took almost 2 1/2 hours for everyone to register, find a seat and pass out the test/read instructions. I finished my second section 5 minutes early so I could go to the restroom. I ended up dropping from a PT average of 173 to 168 on test day. Test conditions played a huge role in my score - pray that you don't get proctors that move at a glacial pace.

Hey sorry for my total lack of understanding of what test day will be like, but when you are waiting, is it after you've "checked in" and have only the stuff in your ziploc? What I mean is you can't be doing warm-up material or anything during the super long wait?

The waiting is after you've checked in. My proctors checked everyone in alphabetically, so basically they would call a group, then check them all in, then bring them to their room and let them begin. Since my name is near the end of the alphabet, I had to sit through all of the other check-ins and wait until everyone left the check-in room (where my test was held) before they could seat us and start the test.

It was awful and made me really anxious. The first group got out an hour an a half earlier than we did.

Eichörnchen wrote: Hey sorry for my total lack of understanding of what test day will be like, but when you are waiting, is it after you've "checked in" and have only the stuff in your ziploc? What I mean is you can't be doing warm-up material or anything during the super long wait?

When I took it, we were led immediately into the testing room after verifying your ID/ticket. And we weren't even allowed to bring our winter coats into the room, so there really isn't much to do in the meantime. But both times I took it there wasn't much of a wait and things went smoothly.

stowhat wrote:The waiting is after you've checked in. My proctors checked everyone in alphabetically, so basically they would call a group, then check them all in, then bring them to their room and let them begin. Since my name is near the end of the alphabet, I had to sit through all of the other check-ins and wait until everyone left the check-in room (where my test was held) before they could seat us and start the test.

It was awful and made me really anxious. The first group got out an hour an a half earlier than we did.

Yeesh that would make me sooo anxious! I perform a lot better after a warm-up, especially if RC or LG is first, so I think a few hours of sitting around being bored and terrified at the same time would really throw me.

I hope I have one of those experiences where you go right in.

Eichörnchen wrote:

stowhat wrote:The waiting is after you've checked in. My proctors checked everyone in alphabetically, so basically they would call a group, then check them all in, then bring them to their room and let them begin. Since my name is near the end of the alphabet, I had to sit through all of the other check-ins and wait until everyone left the check-in room (where my test was held) before they could seat us and start the test.

It was awful and made me really anxious. The first group got out an hour an a half earlier than we did.

Yeesh that would make me sooo anxious! I perform a lot better after a warm-up, especially if RC or LG is first, so I think a few hours of sitting around being bored and terrified at the same time would really throw me.

I hope I have one of those experiences where you go right in.

Yeah, I hope my experience is not the norm. My proctors didn't seem to understand the importance of the LSAT. They talked and ate through the entire thing. I considered complaining to LSAC.