more mentality, less technicality = better score ? Forum

[jgotz1118009]

I've studied my ass off for the past 9 months guys ... I'm not going to go into the details of my efforts, as they are fairly routine for this forum, not to mention rather irrelevant for the issue at hand ... So here's my question to all of you: have any pdf you found that your test score, and overall capacity in general, is highly correlated with your frame of mind at any given point in time ? now, obviously nerves can pull youdown on test day ... this is something we are all aware of on this forum, for the most part. But is there something (s) you have personally found that enhances your mental capacity in some way prior to PTing that not only makes a profound positive difference when you do whatever act you do, but when you DO NOT do said act, you notice a major drop ? I'm thinking along the lines of meditation (if so, what on?), binaural music, maybe even having a beer (no one is judging) .... anything that helps you prior to test taking/prepping that would be viewed as unconventional in some way ... any advice is appreciated, and best of luck to all the June takers !

[jgotz1118009]

btw my reason for asking is that my score is all over the place, anywherer from a 165 to a 175, I'd say roughly a median of a 167 if i only take into account the last 15 tests I've scored on ... here's my average stats LR: -4 per section, usually getting one wrong and missing 3 due to time LG: -3, which are without exception always the metaphysical ones at the end of each game RC; -6, usually 1 or 2 wrong accuracy wise and i struggle to finish the third passage, spending an increasingly shorter period of time spent on the initial read ... and btw plz spare the thread from any 'cool and witty' yet otherwise irrelevant replies and any other out of the ballpark topics and/or concern... this is serious shit for most everyone whose about to take the June test, and while this forum is filled with everything there is to know about strategy, troubleshooting etc, a few good contributions could be the answer for a lot people as to how they can get those extra few points ... that being said, my issue is that i cannot figure out what the common denominator is behind such wide variation in my scores... and the tests I'm referring to were uniform in their eras and question patterning, no particular section ( all of them really) ... thanks

[however]

Mindset is definitely important. Once I watched an episode of Glee (please don't judge) before taking a PT, I received a score drastically lower than my usual average. My suggestion is to review previous mistakes before taking a PT. This way, you will be forced into the LSAT mode.

Regarding you somewhat volatile PT scores, I remember some one on the forum gave the advice that if you don't seem to be improving as you go through the PTs, you should really stop and review your techniques and strategies. Don't treat the PTs as test to be rushed through. Instead, see them as indications for areas of further improvement. Maybe there isn't a specific type of question that you are consistently getting wrong, but do the PTs indicate other weaknesses that need to be addressed? Do you feel that your errors are mainly due to insufficient time (in which case I would focus on time management) or low accuracy (in which case I would suggest do the sections untimed first, and try to get your accuracy up).

Here is my personal regiment, if you are interested. I started preparing for the LSAT about three weeks ago. For the first week, I read through the Bibles (Logic Games and Logical Reasoning). Then for the second week I started doing sections untimed, aiming for 100% accuracy. Right now I am mainly focusing on my time management skills, especially for the LG section (I always seem to run out of time). Next week I plan to do one PT per day (I have already done about 7 timed PTs), and for the last 10 days I will do the 5 most recent PTs (61-65).

Don't rush, don't burn yourself out, treat each PT like the real test, and fully review your mistakes afterwards. The -3 in LG should be the easiest to eliminate. Good Luck!

and btw plz spare the thread from any 'cool and witty' yet otherwise irrelevant replies and any other out of the ballpark topics and/or concern...

[BearState]

My suggestion is to review previous mistakes before taking a PT. This way, you will be forced into the LSAT mode.

This is good advice, especially before the real test. Like, redo a logic game section you did well on, breeze through some RC passages. It puts your brain into its LSAT mode and should boost your confidence.

[manofjustice]

You need to approach test day like it's a fight for your life--literally. Feel the adrenaline. Think about how a score at the bottom of your practice range will ruin your life. Think about how a score at the top of your range will save it. This will focus your mind, as long as you are strong enough not to loose it.

[TheZoid]

I took the June test, which is in the afternoon, and meditated for an hour before it. I definitely think it helped. I will add that during my prep, following a terrible practice section, I took a full timed test with a "fuck this test, I'm going to kick the ever living shit out of it" attitude and got my highest PT score. It was something that I couldn't manufacture on test day, though.

[LionelHutzJD]

You need to approach test day like it's a fight for your life--literally. Feel the adrenaline. Think about how a score at the bottom of your practice range will ruin your life. Think about how a score at the top of your range will save it. This will focus your mind, as long as you are strong enough not to loose it.

some jedi ish right here

[bdeebs]

When I do well, I also approach PT's like it's a fight for my life and ride the rush of adrenaline. However, I don't think about how a bad score would ruin me. I pretty much just decide that it's a fight for my life that I'm destined to win. If I have any fear or worry, my raw score drops by a point or two due to indecision or just wussy thoughts in general slowing me down. As for what I do beforehand to get me pumped up, I do logic games. I thoroughly enjoy doing them, and it gets me in a more focused mindset.

[jgotz1118009]

When I do well, I also approach PT's like it's a fight for my life and ride the rush of adrenaline. However, I don't think about how a bad score would ruin me. I pretty much just decide that it's a fight for my life that I'm destined to win. If I have any fear or worry, my raw score drops by a point or two due to indecision or just wussy thoughts in general slowing me down. As for what I do beforehand to get me pumped up, I do logic games. I thoroughly enjoy doing them, and it gets me in a more focused mindset.

... much thanks for this little gem here .

[Bgibbs]

You need to approach test day like it's a fight for your life--literally. Feel the adrenaline. Think about how a score at the bottom of your practice range will ruin your life. Think about how a score at the top of your range will save it. This will focus your mind, as long as you are strong enough not to loose it.

This might work for some people (or at least not hurt them)...but for others they are just going to terrify themselves and start over-thinking. The LSAT essentially dictates the next few years of your life so you should be feeling an adrenaline rush, but trying to jedi mind trick yourself by thinking of worst possible outcomes is only going to make things worse. My biggest piece of advice for test day is to relax. You're as prepared as you're going to be on that day, so worrying about that won't help. You need to focus while having self-confidence in yourself. This combination will help you manage the adrenaline and make it useful by putting you into the zone, ignoring all distractions and scoring as well as you can.

I also recommend doing some practice sections the morning of. I didn't my first time and I regretted it; it had been a few days since I had done logic games and of course it was my first section, making the start a little rougher than I was hoping for. And hey, if you don't score as well as you know you can, you can always retake. Don't rely on that as a crutch, but if you think you really struggled that can help you from getting too down on yourself.