Finally broke 170!!! Forum

[cogitoergosum]

Thanks to a daily dose of TLS "elitism," I was finally able to break the 170 mark today! 172 to be exact.

Without TLS, I was content with my 165 from Dec. 2010 LSAT, but after consistently reading TLS forums, I realized I wanted more. I learned from you guys what it takes to get there, and I'm going for it.

THANK YOU TLS for being unimpressed with mid 160's, for being realistic about post-law school opportunities from certain schools, and for not listening to the haters!!!

[fatduck]

my first instinct was to post "june scores are out?"

but then i said "no, that's mean"

wtf is wrong with me

[cogitoergosum]

Oh gosh, I didn't even think about the June test... bad timing, sorry.

And if you're implying that I'm a little too excited since it was just a PT, you're probably right. It's just that 170's kind of a benchmark for me, and one I didn't know if I would ever reach!

[stilles]

Congrats on breaking the 170! Just keep going at it and be strict with timing and making sure the material is new/non-familiar

[bruss]

Congrats man and keep up the good work.

[Rheastoria]

Congrats! That's fantastic!

[avamango]

And if you're implying that I'm a little too excited since it was just a PT, you're probably right. It's just that 170's kind of a benchmark for me, and one I didn't know if I would ever reach!

Are you kidding? If you can't get the score you want on PTs, how are you going to get it on the real thing? You rightfully should be very happy with your performance.

I remember when I first broke a 170 on a PT. Great feeling. Congrats man!

[Bildungsroman]

Still unimpressed.

You'll thank me later.

[Verity]

And if you're implying that I'm a little too excited since it was just a PT, you're probably right. It's just that 170's kind of a benchmark for me, and one I didn't know if I would ever reach!

Are you kidding? If you can't get the score you want on PTs, how are you going to get it on the real thing? You should rightfully be very happy with your performance.

I remember when I first broke a 170 on a PT. Great feeling. Congrats man!

+1. I literally (pathetically) looked into a mirror and said "you are worthwhile."

[mickeyD]

When this exact score ruins the rest of your day and makes you feel like shit, welcome to TLS.

[avamango]

When this exact score ruins the rest of your day and makes you feel like shit, welcome to TLS.

Unfortunately I'll have to +1 this as well. Eventually, a 170 will the be minimum you're satisfied with.

[Magnolia]

When this exact score ruins the rest of your day and makes you feel like shit, welcome to TLS.

Unfortunately I'll have to +1 this as well. Eventually, a 170 will the be minimum you're satisfied with make you cry into your pillow at night from embarrassment.

Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

e: Still, hitting your first 170 is an awesome accomplishment and you should be proud.

[avamango]

When this exact score ruins the rest of your day and makes you feel like shit, welcome to TLS.

Unfortunately I'll have to +1 this as well. Eventually, a 170 will the be minimum you're satisfied with make you cry into your pillow at night from embarrassment.

Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

My love for this forum is perpetually growing.

[KevinP]

Congratulations!

[thelawschoolproject]

Congratulations!

[Yeshia90]

My heart legit stopped when I saw this thread title.

[cogitoergosum]

Congratulations!

I'm completely jealous, mind telling me what you did?

I started prepping for a re-take in mid May, took 3 pt's and saw that LG's were killing me. Got the Powerscore LG Bible, as well as Manhattan RC (TLS consensus seems to be that these are the best for LG and RC). Kept PT'ing while going through those, and have been seeing steady overall improvement:

May 16: 165
May 25: 165
June 1: 165
June 4: 167
June 7: 164
June 10: 169
June 13: 165
June 16: 168
June 20: 169
June 21: 167
June 22: 168
June 22: 172 (yes, I took 2 pt's yesterday)

I always take pt's with the LSAT proctor app on my iphone, which I think allows me to simulate testing conditions better than otherwise.

I did a Testmasters class last year, which I think was helpful, but I think the best thing this time around has been taking lots of pt's, and reviewing what I missed afterward. Lots of people talk about that here. I think that, along with some help from Powerscore or Manhattan books on your trouble sections can really work...

[cogitoergosum]

When this exact score ruins the rest of your day and makes you feel like shit, welcome to TLS.

This is what I'm talking about... TLS is doing it again... Love it.

This is the crew I want to be hanging with when I'm prepping for the LSAT. Not the, "well, 158 is still good, at least that means you'll be able to get in somewhere, that's really awesome, I'm happy for you" crew. That doesn't help anyone.

[cogitoergosum]

And if you're implying that I'm a little too excited since it was just a PT, you're probably right. It's just that 170's kind of a benchmark for me, and one I didn't know if I would ever reach!

Are you kidding? If you can't get the score you want on PTs, how are you going to get it on the real thing? You should rightfully be very happy with your performance.

I remember when I first broke a 170 on a PT. Great feeling. Congrats man!

+1. I literally (pathetically) looked into a mirror and said "you are worthwhile."

HAHA, so amazing! I know, it's strange how much power this test comes to have over you. I'm pretty sure I actually had a higher opinion of my self as a person all night last night... Now I'm just thinking about the next test.

[seancris]

Grats on the progress, but a PT is a PT. I broke 170 three times in my prep for June and I'm expecting low 160s on this exam. Might just be beating myself up, but when I run numbers that I think are realistic that's what it looks like. For me, the difference between a 171 and a 163 was nothing throughout my prep and test day seems to bring you to the lower end of your spectrum. Keep that in mind.

Why are you doing so many PTs at this point? Seems like a great way to run out of material by mid-July.

[cogitoergosum]

Why are you doing so many PTs at this point? Seems like a great way to run out of material by mid-July.

10 pt's/month over 4 months = 40pt's between June 1 and Oct. 1, with 20 leftover for impulsive test taking etc. I probably do need to slow down a bit though..

I totally hear you about pt's only a pt.

Sorry about your low 160's.. hopefully you'll surprise yourself.

[avamango]

I totally hear you about pt's only a pt.

So? A 170 PT's significance as an accomplishment is irrelevant of the notion that a PT=PT.

Remain proud. Keep moving forward.

[Sounder89]

Congrats, keep up the good work but keep in mind one 170+ PT doesn't mean a whole lot, what's impressive is when you're breaking 170 every time. My first PT last was a 161 (early June) and I got a 169 yesterday, hoping to be solidly in the mid-170s by October. Breaking 170 is definitely an accomplishment by any means but on TLS you gotta be doing it consistently to impress anyone

[EarlCat]

Still unimpressed.

You'll thank me later.

hahahahaha

[fastforward]

For sooo many, the key to hitting your best PT score on game day is mental preparation. There's still plenty of time to do this. My clients (first time or retake) who pay attention to this part of their prep hit their target. Those who don't, don't. Our blog post (LinkRemoved) on whether to retake has links to the best mental prep resources out there -- they're free, but better than anything out there for sale that I've seen.

BTW -- 172 in late June??? Winning!!! Onward and upward!!