Improving a 99th Percentile score Forum

[QuincyWagstaff]

I'm looking for insight from anyone who has retaken a 170s LSAT and improved 5 or more points. What did your study schedule look like for the retake? What, if any, prep strategies did you use? I'm looking at February; I've skimmed the LRB, gone through the LGB before my last exam. Also I have quite a few recent untouched prep tests. I'm strong in LR, decent on LG, and inconsistent on RC.

[willwash]

I'm looking for insight from anyone who has retaken a 170s LSAT and improved 5 or more points. What did your study schedule look like for the retake? What, if any, prep strategies did you use? I'm looking at February; I've skimmed the LRB, gone through the LGB before my last exam. Also I have quite a few recent untouched prep tests. I'm strong in LR, decent on LG, and inconsistent on RC.

You looking to do HYS or have a very low UGPA? Otherwise, why would you retake with a 170+?

[hotchkiss1]

Look at his avatar, he probabally lives just to get 180 on test, so he will be more confident near other people. Or that he/she reads two much harry potter, and think getting 180 will produce a potion six inch bellow belly.

[QuincyWagstaff]

You looking to do HYS or have a very low UGPA? Otherwise, why would you retake with a 170+?

I've been guaranteed a substantial merit scholarship at the school I'm attending if I can improve my score above 175.


Anyways, I know if anyone has accomplished this, TLS is the place to find them! Anyone have any advice to perfect RC?

[dietcoke0]

You looking to do HYS or have a very low UGPA? Otherwise, why would you retake with a 170+?

I've been guaranteed a substantial merit scholarship at the school I'm attending if I can improve my score above 175./quote]


Um, False on so many levels?

[QuincyWagstaff]

You looking to do HYS or have a very low UGPA? Otherwise, why would you retake with a 170+?

I've been guaranteed a substantial merit scholarship at the school I'm attending if I can improve my score above 175./quote]


Um, False on so many levels?

Excuse me?

Could you refrain from posting ITT unless you have something to contribute.

[American_in_China]

172 to 179 here.

1. I got a job teaching for Kaplan. While the average quality of their instructors may not be high, becoming a teacher forces you to think comprehensively on everything, and you have access to literally 5000+ pages of lsat material.

2. I stopped doing PTs. I did 25 in 1 and a half months leading to my first test, but only 10 in 3 months leading to my second test. Focus on question type review.

3. To expand, I used the Kaplan books to work on essentially all of each question type ever used, by difficulty. Every other day, I'd do 100 LR questions of a new type. 100 assumption, 100 strengthen, 100 weaken, etc. I did games by type, each day doing 8 games of ranging difficulty by type. For RC I changed methods to outlining while reading, practiced that on 1 and 2 stars for a month, and then just did 3 and 4 stars for the rest of my review.

4. Take PTs 2 in a row. I was fatigued during the first test. I came out of the second test feeling like I had just had coffee because I did 3 double tests (8 sections each time). The real test was like taking a mild jog after that.

My #1 advice is not to be afraid of changing your methods. I changed my approach on half of LG, completely on RC, and substantially on LR (switching to reading question stem first, switched notation of formal logic). And definitely do the double tests. Nothing beats feeling fresh going into the 5th section while everyone is having trouble staying awake.

[QuincyWagstaff]

172 to 179 here.

1. I got a job teaching for Kaplan. While the average quality of their instructors may not be high, becoming a teacher forces you to think comprehensively on everything, and you have access to literally 5000+ pages of lsat material.

2. I stopped doing PTs. I did 25 in 1 and a half months leading to my first test, but only 10 in 3 months leading to my second test. Focus on question type review.

3. To expand, I used the Kaplan books to work on essentially all of each question type ever used, by difficulty. Every other day, I'd do 100 LR questions of a new type. 100 assumption, 100 strengthen, 100 weaken, etc. I did games by type, each day doing 8 games of ranging difficulty by type. For RC I changed methods to outlining while reading, practiced that on 1 and 2 stars for a month, and then just did 3 and 4 stars for the rest of my review.

4. Take PTs 2 in a row. I was fatigued during the first test. I came out of the second test feeling like I had just had coffee because I did 3 double tests (8 sections each time). The real test was like taking a mild jog after that.

My #1 advice is not to be afraid of changing your methods. I changed my approach on half of LG, completely on RC, and substantially on LR (switching to reading question stem first, switched notation of formal logic). And definitely do the double tests. Nothing beats feeling fresh going into the 5th section while everyone is having trouble staying awake.

[seanPtheB]

I'm looking for insight from anyone who has retaken a 170s LSAT and improved 5 or more points. What did your study schedule look like for the retake? What, if any, prep strategies did you use? I'm looking at February; I've skimmed the LRB, gone through the LGB before my last exam. Also I have quite a few recent untouched prep tests. I'm strong in LR, decent on LG, and inconsistent on RC.

What does decent on games mean? How many do you miss on avg? That needs to be down to a very consistent -0.

[QuincyWagstaff]

[/quote]

What does decent on games mean? How many do you miss on avg? That needs to be down to a very consistent -0.[/quote]

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

[20130312]

What does decent on games mean? How many do you miss on avg? That needs to be down to a very consistent -0.

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

I was proud of my -1 LG on the October '11 LSAT, but got smacked down by RC with a -9

[emkay625]

This thread is interesting. As someone who regularly scores 170 - 180 with no real consistency, I'm fascinated by this. No matter what I did/strategies I used, it just seemed like I would score anywhere from 170 to 180 randomly. (Hence a PT average of 175).

[QuincyWagstaff]

This thread is interesting. As someone who regularly scores 170 - 180 with no real consistency, I'm fascinated by this. No matter what I did/strategies I used, it just seemed like I would score anywhere from 170 to 180 randomly. (Hence a PT average of 175).

Did you apply any specific strategies that you would recommend?
Did you manage to hit this average on the real thing?
In your opinion, once someone is in the 170s, what would be the best use of their time to further improve?

[seanPtheB]

What does decent on games mean? How many do you miss on avg? That needs to be down to a very consistent -0.[/quote]

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.[/quote]

Hmmm I would think you should spend some more times drilling games then. Aiming for 175+ I would think you want to be fully confident you can rock any games section thrown at you. So I guess make sure you're strategies for each type of game are sound and then just drill baby drill old sections.

[fathergoose]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

[blink]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

The ignorance in your post is mind-numbing.

I call GTFO.

[fathergoose]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

The ignorance in your post is mind-numbing.

I call GTFO.

Threads like this make me hate TLS. Not that this couldn't have been done in a reasonable way but this is just obnoxious humblebragging at its worst.

Anybody who starts a thread about how their 99th percentile score is inadequate and says things like:

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

Needs to gtfo of TLS

[blink]

172 to 179 here.

1. I got a job teaching for Kaplan. While the average quality of their instructors may not be high, becoming a teacher forces you to think comprehensively on everything, and you have access to literally 5000+ pages of lsat material.

2. I stopped doing PTs. I did 25 in 1 and a half months leading to my first test, but only 10 in 3 months leading to my second test. Focus on question type review.

3. To expand, I used the Kaplan books to work on essentially all of each question type ever used, by difficulty. Every other day, I'd do 100 LR questions of a new type. 100 assumption, 100 strengthen, 100 weaken, etc. I did games by type, each day doing 8 games of ranging difficulty by type. For RC I changed methods to outlining while reading, practiced that on 1 and 2 stars for a month, and then just did 3 and 4 stars for the rest of my review.

4. Take PTs 2 in a row. I was fatigued during the first test. I came out of the second test feeling like I had just had coffee because I did 3 double tests (8 sections each time). The real test was like taking a mild jog after that.

My #1 advice is not to be afraid of changing your methods. I changed my approach on half of LG, completely on RC, and substantially on LR (switching to reading question stem first, switched notation of formal logic). And definitely do the double tests. Nothing beats feeling fresh going into the 5th section while everyone is having trouble staying awake.

This is interesting. What method did you use before? I was fully immersed in powerscore and I've thought about trying to teach for Kaplan, but I was worried about tangling up my methodologies. Was this an issue for you?

Also, I'd be interested to hear what you thought of your teaching experience? was it full time in a year off scenario, or parttime ?

Btw, nice score increase, I hope to emulate that.

[blink]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

The ignorance in your post is mind-numbing.

I call GTFO.

Threads like this make me hate TLS. Not that this couldn't have been done in a reasonable way but this is just obnoxious humblebragging at its worst.

Anybody who starts a thread about how their 99th percentile score is inadequate and says things like:

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

Needs to gtfo of TLS

TLS stands for TOP Law Schools. HTH

Also, OP's problem isn't all that rare around here. I had the same scenario, and slipped up for a -2 on Oct. 2011 LG. The point of the site is to improve as much as possible, and for some, that means perfect section (or test) scores.

If you don't have anything useful to contribute, seriously, GTFO.

[QuincyWagstaff]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

Look, I'm sorry that you find the discussion offensive; I certainly didn't intend it to agitate anyone. What exactly are you calling b.s. on? I have very good reasons to raise my score, and if you really care, I could discuss them in a PM. Otherwise, kindly move along.

[seanPtheB]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

The ignorance in your post is mind-numbing.

I call GTFO.

Threads like this make me hate TLS. Not that this couldn't have been done in a reasonable way but this is just obnoxious humblebragging at its worst.

Anybody who starts a thread about how their 99th percentile score is inadequate and says things like:

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

Needs to gtfo of TLS

retake

[fathergoose]

retake

me?

Thank you no.

[American_in_China]

172 to 179 here.

1. I got a job teaching for Kaplan. While the average quality of their instructors may not be high, becoming a teacher forces you to think comprehensively on everything, and you have access to literally 5000+ pages of lsat material.

2. I stopped doing PTs. I did 25 in 1 and a half months leading to my first test, but only 10 in 3 months leading to my second test. Focus on question type review.

3. To expand, I used the Kaplan books to work on essentially all of each question type ever used, by difficulty. Every other day, I'd do 100 LR questions of a new type. 100 assumption, 100 strengthen, 100 weaken, etc. I did games by type, each day doing 8 games of ranging difficulty by type. For RC I changed methods to outlining while reading, practiced that on 1 and 2 stars for a month, and then just did 3 and 4 stars for the rest of my review.

4. Take PTs 2 in a row. I was fatigued during the first test. I came out of the second test feeling like I had just had coffee because I did 3 double tests (8 sections each time). The real test was like taking a mild jog after that.

My #1 advice is not to be afraid of changing your methods. I changed my approach on half of LG, completely on RC, and substantially on LR (switching to reading question stem first, switched notation of formal logic). And definitely do the double tests. Nothing beats feeling fresh going into the 5th section while everyone is having trouble staying awake.

This is interesting. What method did you use before? I was fully immersed in powerscore and I've thought about trying to teach for Kaplan, but I was worried about tangling up my methodologies. Was this an issue for you?

Also, I'd be interested to hear what you thought of your teaching experience? was it full time in a year off scenario, or parttime ?

Btw, nice score increase, I hope to emulate that.

My method before was completely ad-hoc. Essentially whatever I stated with, I did. Logic Games was the only structured one, and that was based on the Logic Games bible, although I abandoned a lot of the heavy sketching since I could fit most of the rules inside my head.

It's obviously difficult at first, but with three months to revise, it's necessary. Imagine you had learned how to rock climb (another thing I'm familiar with) but you had learned bad body positioning on heavy incline climbs. Sure, you might initially see a drop in performance as you switched to a new method, and your muscles need to adjust, and you have to learn the new body positions, but the new method is correct, and you have to adjust before you excel at it.

That's another reason I advocate dropping PTs while you're adjusting methods. All they'll do is psych you out, and they don't really lead to much improvement on their own.

[romothesavior]

The arrogance, conceit, and idiocy in this thread is mind boggling.

I call bullshit on so many levels.

No reason whatsoever to be an asshole ITT. OP is looking for legit advice for legit reasons.

[Mauve Dinosaur]

What does decent on games mean? How many do you miss on avg? That needs to be down to a very consistent -0.

I mean that, on a PT or drill, I can consistently get -0 and finish with extra time; however, in the high-stakes environment of the real thing (October 2011; a challenging games section for most), I'm not infallible, and I ended up with a -3.

I was proud of my -1 LG on the October '11 LSAT, but got smacked down by RC with a -9

If you don't mind my asking, how the hell did you figure out the bike game? That one just destroyed me, and I'm generally pretty good at games. Hell, I finished the other 3 (and got perfect on them) with 15 minutes to spare and even with 15 minutes I STILL lost 4 marks on that game.