HELP! Can't get past 162! Forum

[aliceydu]

PLEASE HELP ME! I'm so disheartened right now. I just can't seem to score over 162. I've gone through the Powerscore books and tons of preptests... but my score just won't budge. I get about -5 in each section, and I review the wrong ones afterwards.

Should I be doing something different here? Review more? I feel like burning through preptests isn't helping much (at all). I'm taking the October LSAT, so I don't have too much time left. My goal is to get a score over 165... is that still possible? I know it depends on the person, but how many points can one usually gain in a month?

I would appreciate any tips/suggestions.

Thanks.

[RaleighStClair]

Depends what your main weakness is. Also, you're probably missing more than 5 per section if you're consistently <162. There's definitely time, you just need to address the problem area(s).

[aliceydu]

Depends what your main weakness is. Also, you're probably missing more than 5 per section if you're consistently <162. There's definitely time, you just need to address the problem area(s).

I miss problems all over the place, so it's hard to pinpoint which types of questions are my weaknesses. Should I be spending more time reviewing both incorrect AND correct answers?

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

Are these timed LSATs?

A 162 untimed means you have work to do. If the 162 is timed, I say just keep working problem sets and continue to take timed tests.

I have the power score books, too, and they are great! I just took my first LSAT, which was untimed, and scored a 161. Not great but not horrid. Like the above poster said, just keep hacking away at practice and correctly id your weak spots. Also, I'm in a different situation, wanting to score only a 161-163.

Just be sure to do some timed LSATs so you have a good idea of your "real" knowledge base.

Good luck.

Oh, and if you're missing an average of 5 per section you more than likely have a score of around 166. So, double check that!

[aliceydu]

Are these timed LSATs?

A 162 untimed means you have work to do. If the 162 is timed, I say just keep working problem sets and continue to take timed tests.

I have the power score books, too, and they are great! I just took my first LSAT, which was untimed, and scored a 161. Not great but not horrid. Like the above poster said, just keep hacking away at practice and correctly id your weak spots. Also, I'm in a different situation, wanting to score only a 161-163.

Just be sure to do some timed LSATs so you have a good idea of your "real" knowledge base.

Good luck.

Oh, and if you're missing an average of 5 per section you more than likely have a score of around 166. So, double check that!

That would be nice if it were true, haha, but -5/section is usually a raw score of about 80. That's 161-162.

Yes, those are timed scores. I can usually finish with about 3-5 minutes to spare, so timing isn't a big problem.

[RaleighStClair]

I have to come forth and say that I may not be the best person to talk to about this, as I'm only PTing in the mid 160's, and retaking in October after a June cancel.

That being said, I think that yes, you definitely need to review all of your answers whether you got them right or wrong. This is the case for all levels of LSAT takers, whether you're shooting for a 180 or a 155. Also, the way you review these answers is important. Don't skim through each question because you remember it, really try to think logically about each answer choice - as you would on a normal exam.
And if your wrong answers really are distributed evenly across the board, it's hard to give you a detailed critique. I'm gonna go with the advice that I've heard time and time again from high-level testers, which is to maybe not focus so much on taking PT after PT, but drill sections. I've found this to be particularly helpful with logic games - before I take a PT I'll make 2-3 copies of each game just so that I can do them over again a couple times in the days following the test. LG being the "easiest" section to improve upon, I'm sure you could benefit from a study plan that includes this. As for LR (typically the 2nd "easiest" section to improve), obviously it's harder to make copies of 8 page sections. But if you have older PT's that you want to use for this, or additional books with questions, then I would suggest doing those. Hope that helps, and good luck in October, we're gonna do awesome!

(WRT the above post, a raw score of 80 really does vary test to test. Could be anywhere from 161-167.)

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

Are these timed LSATs?

A 162 untimed means you have work to do. If the 162 is timed, I say just keep working problem sets and continue to take timed tests.

I have the power score books, too, and they are great! I just took my first LSAT, which was untimed, and scored a 161. Not great but not horrid. Like the above poster said, just keep hacking away at practice and correctly id your weak spots. Also, I'm in a different situation, wanting to score only a 161-163.

Just be sure to do some timed LSATs so you have a good idea of your "real" knowledge base.

Good luck.

Oh, and if you're missing an average of 5 per section you more than likely have a score of around 166. So, double check that!

That would be nice if it were true, haha, but -5/section is usually a raw score of about 80. That's 161-162.

Yes, those are timed scores. I can usually finish with about 3-5 minutes to spare, so timing isn't a big problem.

Hmmm.... well, you look to be in good shape. I'd just listen to St. Clair and keep chipping away. Hell, you have 6 weeks! Don't hit the panic button. You'll get a 165 on test day if you keep studying and use that extra time (3-5 min) to review the choices that were notated during the exam. You do go back and look at the tougher questions, no?

[aliceydu]

I have to come forth and say that I may not be the best person to talk to about this, as I'm only PTing in the mid 160's, and retaking in October after a June cancel.

That being said, I think that yes, you definitely need to review all of your answers whether you got them right or wrong. This is the case for all levels of LSAT takers, whether you're shooting for a 180 or a 155. Also, the way you review these answers is important. Don't skim through each question because you remember it, really try to think logically about each answer choice - as you would on a normal exam.
And if your wrong answers really are distributed evenly across the board, it's hard to give you a detailed critique. I'm gonna go with the advice that I've heard time and time again from high-level testers, which is to maybe not focus so much on taking PT after PT, but drill sections. I've found this to be particularly helpful with logic games - before I take a PT I'll make 2-3 copies of each game just so that I can do them over again a couple times in the days following the test. LG being the "easiest" section to improve upon, I'm sure you could benefit from a study plan that includes this. As for LR (typically the 2nd "easiest" section to improve), obviously it's harder to make copies of 8 page sections. But if you have older PT's that you want to use for this, or additional books with questions, then I would suggest doing those. Hope that helps, and good luck in October, we're gonna do awesome!

(WRT the above post, a raw score of 80 really does vary test to test. Could be anywhere from 161-167.)

Thanks! I'll try that. Really hope it works!

[aliceydu]

Are these timed LSATs?

A 162 untimed means you have work to do. If the 162 is timed, I say just keep working problem sets and continue to take timed tests.

I have the power score books, too, and they are great! I just took my first LSAT, which was untimed, and scored a 161. Not great but not horrid. Like the above poster said, just keep hacking away at practice and correctly id your weak spots. Also, I'm in a different situation, wanting to score only a 161-163.

Just be sure to do some timed LSATs so you have a good idea of your "real" knowledge base.

Good luck.

Oh, and if you're missing an average of 5 per section you more than likely have a score of around 166. So, double check that!

That would be nice if it were true, haha, but -5/section is usually a raw score of about 80. That's 161-162.

Yes, those are timed scores. I can usually finish with about 3-5 minutes to spare, so timing isn't a big problem.

Hmmm.... well, you look to be in good shape. I'd just listen to St. Clair and keep chipping away. Hell, you have 6 weeks! Don't hit the panic button. You'll get a 165 on test day if you keep studying and use that extra time (3-5 min) to review the choices that were notated during the exam. You do go back and look at the tougher questions, no?

Yeah, I do. I should probably do that more carefully now. I was really feeling down because I really didn't know what to do. :\

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

You'll do well! Keep a good frame of mind and your natural intelligence and positive attitude will carry you!

Good luck. You seem to be on track....

[suzige]

UGH! So in the same boat as OP. I've been at this plateau for a while and it's annoying. I'm retaking in Oct. from a disappointing 157. Timing is def. my problem in both reading comp and games. LR has def. improved for me with much work, thank goodness.

This may sound a bit odd, but as my logical reasoning and reading comp sections have gotten better, my logic games section seems to be suffering more and more. Before, the games were my best section, and now things have flip flopped. I've been doing games and reviewing them outside of timed tests, but once I sit down and do a full timed LSAT, I always run out of time before I can finish the final game. That was never an issue for me before. Any thoughts?

Any tips on how to improve on game speed?

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

I'm probably giving way too much advice for someone who has yet to take the exam, however...

Really, the only thing that I ever see repeated on this forum is STUDY MORE. More study equals more time practicing. Basically, the people who score really high are those who know the LSAT nuances from heart.

[Tiago Splitter]

I'm probably giving way too much advice for someone who has yet to take the exam, however...

Really, the only thing that I ever see repeated on this forum is STUDY MORE. More study equals more time practicing. Basically, the people who score really high are those who know the LSAT nuances from heart.

This sums it up. You may have to go back through the Bibles or take a prep class, because understanding how to attack the questions is critical. Otherwise, you are just making the mistakes over and over again and wasting a limited number of practice tests.

Re: games. If you are only missing five per section you probably understand how to solve them but need to get faster. Practice makes perfect here.

[Tiago Splitter]

I'm probably giving way too much advice for someone who has yet to take the exam, however...

Really, the only thing that I ever see repeated on this forum is STUDY MORE. More study equals more time practicing. Basically, the people who score really high are those who know the LSAT nuances from heart.

This sums it up. You may have to go back through the Bibles or take a prep class, because understanding how to attack the questions is critical. Otherwise, you are just making the mistakes over and over again and wasting a limited number of practice tests.

Re: games. If you are only missing five per section you probably understand how to solve them but need to get faster. Practice makes perfect here.

[aliceydu]

I'm probably giving way too much advice for someone who has yet to take the exam, however...

Really, the only thing that I ever see repeated on this forum is STUDY MORE. More study equals more time practicing. Basically, the people who score really high are those who know the LSAT nuances from heart.

Haha, no worries. I actually took the June exam. I thought I did so bad that I canceled it the next day because I didn't want to risk getting the score back.

[aliceydu]

UGH! So in the same boat as OP. I've been at this plateau for a while and it's annoying. I'm retaking in Oct. from a disappointing 157. Timing is def. my problem in both reading comp and games. LR has def. improved for me with much work, thank goodness.

This may sound a bit odd, but as my logical reasoning and reading comp sections have gotten better, my logic games section seems to be suffering more and more. Before, the games were my best section, and now things have flip flopped. I've been doing games and reviewing them outside of timed tests, but once I sit down and do a full timed LSAT, I always run out of time before I can finish the final game. That was never an issue for me before. Any thoughts?

Any tips on how to improve on game speed?

People always say to go back through the Bible after doing a few preptests and see which game types you're weak in. I found out that I was good at sequence/linear but bad at grouping, so I targeted grouping. I also don't read carefully enough and forget rules.

What did you do for LR?

[suzige]

UGH! So in the same boat as OP. I've been at this plateau for a while and it's annoying. I'm retaking in Oct. from a disappointing 157. Timing is def. my problem in both reading comp and games. LR has def. improved for me with much work, thank goodness.

This may sound a bit odd, but as my logical reasoning and reading comp sections have gotten better, my logic games section seems to be suffering more and more. Before, the games were my best section, and now things have flip flopped. I've been doing games and reviewing them outside of timed tests, but once I sit down and do a full timed LSAT, I always run out of time before I can finish the final game. That was never an issue for me before. Any thoughts?

Any tips on how to improve on game speed?

People always say to go back through the Bible after doing a few preptests and see which game types you're weak in. I found out that I was good at sequence/linear but bad at grouping, so I targeted grouping. I also don't read carefully enough and forget rules.

What did you do for LR?

Grouping games are my weak point, too. I went through the bible again, and it helped to refresh my memory, but I still need to practice more and get faster at it. With LR, I've focused more on quality over quantity. For example, instead of doing 50 strengthening questions a night, do 15 and really dissect each one. You'll start to see a pattern. Also, any time a question involves numbers or proportions, I draw a picture, bc I'm more of a visual person, and it helps A LOT.

[aliceydu]

UGH! So in the same boat as OP. I've been at this plateau for a while and it's annoying. I'm retaking in Oct. from a disappointing 157. Timing is def. my problem in both reading comp and games. LR has def. improved for me with much work, thank goodness.

This may sound a bit odd, but as my logical reasoning and reading comp sections have gotten better, my logic games section seems to be suffering more and more. Before, the games were my best section, and now things have flip flopped. I've been doing games and reviewing them outside of timed tests, but once I sit down and do a full timed LSAT, I always run out of time before I can finish the final game. That was never an issue for me before. Any thoughts?

Any tips on how to improve on game speed?

People always say to go back through the Bible after doing a few preptests and see which game types you're weak in. I found out that I was good at sequence/linear but bad at grouping, so I targeted grouping. I also don't read carefully enough and forget rules.

What did you do for LR?

Grouping games are my weak point, too. I went through the bible again, and it helped to refresh my memory, but I still need to practice more and get faster at it. With LR, I've focused more on quality over quantity. For example, instead of doing 50 strengthening questions a night, do 15 and really dissect each one. You'll start to see a pattern. Also, any time a question involves numbers or proportions, I draw a picture, bc I'm more of a visual person, and it helps A LOT.

Hmm, okay. I've been trying to do the same! Every time I get rid of one type of problem, another type pops up. Sigh.