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Tag. Interested in people's responses.

-Do you think taking PT sections individually (2 at one time, 2 at another) greatly effects your score? Any anecdote?

In my opinion, yes. The two are not equivalent because your brain is refreshed in between.

-Do you find that taking 4 section vs 5 section prep tests effects your score? Again, anecdote?

In my opinion, no. The extra section doesn't affect my performance or endurance.

-Is there a time of day where you perform the best?

Depends on the person.

- How long before the Oct LSAT should I STOP PT'ing?

I plan on taking my last PT on Wednesday, reviewing Thursday, and taking the day off Friday. In all cases, I think it's a good idea not to prep at all the day before.

-At what point do the PT's most closely reflect what Oct '12 will look like? (PT 40, 50, etc ?)

Somewhere in the 40s I think they start feeling "recent." The only other change after that is in the 50s when they added comparative RC passages.

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Take them together. Simulate a testing experience as much as possible.

Four sections versus five... I normally take 4 out of expediency. Five is preferred with a break after section three.

Time of day... doesn't matter. Take it as close to the actual test time as possible so your brain is used to working at that time.

I'd take the day before off or just light review. Beyond that... run through the finish line.

General rule is the later the better, but from 52 on you're gravy.

LSAT teacher here, but I took about 40 PTs preparing for the LSAT before I got involved in teaching.

-Do you think taking PT sections individually (2 at one time, 2 at another) greatly effects your score? Any anecdote?

It does affect it, but the greatly or not depends on you and how you deal with the slog. If your goal is to track your PT average, take it under standard conditions. If you're willing to sacrifice some accuracy and the PT is to tweak technique or review your testing methods, you can afford yourself leniency.

-Do you find that taking 4 section vs 5 section prep tests effects your score? Again, anecdote?

As said by others, I prefer 4 for expediency. For my students, I review their last PT or two and if I see *any* slide in performance from first to last section, I recommend 5. Only do 4 if test fatigue isn't a concern.

-Is there a time of day where you perform the best?

I'm a night owl, so... yeah. That being said, I don't care about when I do best, since I don't get to choose my testing time. Do 'em at 9am if you can, or thereabouts.

- How long before the Oct LSAT should I STOP PT'ing?

If your study period was sufficiently long, you should approach test day looking only for minor tweaks and adjustments to your test-taking. I cut my students off the tuesday or wednesday before the test from doing PTs, and only small drillwork after that. Feel free to keep your head sharp with a timed section a day or something, though.

-At what point do the PT's most closely reflect what Oct '12 will look like? (PT 40, 50, etc ?)

When they have 2 pages per game But really, the later the better. Once you're into comparative reading sections in your RC, you're golden.

Mimic the test conditions as closely as possible! Don't do it in sections, and do a 5 section prep test. In my personal experience, I get a 3-5 boost if I take a break or if I only do 4 sections. Similarly, start PTing in the morning (if that's still when the Oct test takes places?). Once I got comfortable with the mechanics of the test, I literally starting PTing mimicking the exact test conditions -- public library reading room, with wheezing, coughing, and traffic outside. Initially, I noticed that ~5 point drop, but after I got used to it, my scores came back up to the "refreshed, with breaks, and absolute silence" range.

Last two questions I'm not an expert in. I saved the three most recent PTs for the last two weeks, and had a nice 4 day gap between last PT review and test day, but I have no support for how that affected me.

Good luck!

I'm in roughly the same boat as you as far as PT average and feeling comfortable. I took the test in June and am retaking the October. Here are my thoughts:

-Do you think taking PT sections individually (2 at one time, 2 at another) greatly effects your score? Any anecdote?

I do not think it greatly affects my score. If anything, it might decrease it a bit because I tend to get on a roll when I take full practice tests and can apply my strategies more naturally than if I am doing 1 or 2 sections in isolation.

-Do you find that taking 4 section vs 5 section prep tests effects your score? Again, anecdote?

I do not think 4 section vs 5 section affects my scores. I experimented with 5 section tests and found that the difference in stamina required was negligible. When I got into the actual test, I had so much adrenaline that after I finished, my mind felt as fresh as doing about 2 sections of a preptest.

-Is there a time of day where you perform the best?

Morning. I like it to be the only thing I've thought about that day.

- How long before the Oct LSAT should I STOP PT'ing?

I don't know for you. My preference was to take a PT the day before the test in June and I don't regret it. I don't find the PTs particularly mentally taxing, and I felt like it was good to reassure myself that I was still solid on everything.

-At what point do the PT's most closely reflect what Oct '12 will look like? (PT 40, 50, etc ?)

Not sure. I've noticed that the earlier ones feel strange after taking the later ones, but I haven't noticed when the switch took place or if it was a gradual shift.