How I got a perfect score on the LSAT. Forum

[justwhisper]

I plan to take the test and then cancel if I feel it didn't go well. Not buying the postponing method as I think just taking the real thing will be good practice in itself.

Waste of time. Why would you plan to take the LSAT more than once?

[mickeymouse4509]

I plan to take the test and then cancel if I feel it didn't go well. Not buying the postponing method as I think just taking the real thing will be good practice in itself.

Waste of time. Why would you plan to take the LSAT more than once?

Not everyone can score high easily. A lot of people like me are on the fence whether to take or postpone. It is easy for all the high scorers to say "oh just postpone if you aren't ready" but for us, who have good tests and bad tests, it is a hard choice.

[justwhisper]

I plan to take the test and then cancel if I feel it didn't go well. Not buying the postponing method as I think just taking the real thing will be good practice in itself.

Waste of time. Why would you plan to take the LSAT more than once?

Not everyone can score high easily. A lot of people like me are on the fence whether to take or postpone. It is easy for all the high scorers to say "oh just postpone if you aren't ready" but for us, who have good tests and bad tests, it is a hard choice.

I see your point but I think you can get a good feel for how you will do by taking a bunch of preptests up until the day of the exam.

[mickeymouse4509]

I plan to take the test and then cancel if I feel it didn't go well. Not buying the postponing method as I think just taking the real thing will be good practice in itself.

Waste of time. Why would you plan to take the LSAT more than once?

Not everyone can score high easily. A lot of people like me are on the fence whether to take or postpone. It is easy for all the high scorers to say "oh just postpone if you aren't ready" but for us, who have good tests and bad tests, it is a hard choice.

I see your point but I think you can get a good feel for how you will do by taking a bunch of preptests up until the day of the exam.

Thanks for missing my point

[sayan]

I plan to take the test and then cancel if I feel it didn't go well. Not buying the postponing method as I think just taking the real thing will be good practice in itself.

Waste of time. Why would you plan to take the LSAT more than once?

Not everyone can score high easily. A lot of people like me are on the fence whether to take or postpone. It is easy for all the high scorers to say "oh just postpone if you aren't ready" but for us, who have good tests and bad tests, it is a hard choice.

I see your point but I think you can get a good feel for how you will do by taking a bunch of preptests up until the day of the exam.

Unfortunately, from what I've read, past PTs are limited in usefulness. People averaging 175+ over 10+ timed PTs can see a score of sub 170 on the real thing.

[ruleser]

Unfortunately, from what I've read, past PTs are limited in usefulness. People averaging 175+ over 10+ timed PTs can see a score of sub 170 on the real thing.

People getting upper 160's can get mid-170's on the real thing, as some June takers did

[hv1]

Unfortunately, from what I've read, past PTs are limited in usefulness. People averaging 175+ over 10+ timed PTs can see a score of sub 170 on the real thing.

People getting upper 160's can get mid-170's on the real thing, as some June takers did

The opposite can also occur.......... scoring 160s and making a blazing comeback in the 170s

[justwhisper]

Unfortunately, from what I've read, past PTs are limited in usefulness. People averaging 175+ over 10+ timed PTs can see a score of sub 170 on the real thing.

People getting upper 160's can get mid-170's on the real thing, as some June takers did

The opposite can also occur.......... scoring 160s and making a blazing comeback in the 170s

Yeah I mean you never know exactly how you will do on test day as many things can go wrong, but you should still be able to get a good enough idea to decide whether to cancel or not.

[mickeymouse4509]

Unfortunately, from what I've read, past PTs are limited in usefulness. People averaging 175+ over 10+ timed PTs can see a score of sub 170 on the real thing.

People getting upper 160's can get mid-170's on the real thing, as some June takers did

The opposite can also occur.......... scoring 160s and making a blazing comeback in the 170s

Yeah I mean you never know exactly how you will do on test day as many things can go wrong, but you should still be able to get a good enough idea to decide whether to cancel or not.

Fair enough.

[ruleser]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

[mickeymouse4509]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

Are you suggesting that people are exaggerating their scores?

[SaraCoVA]

2) Pick up a good book on INFORMAL logic. I hear people saying that formal logic important, believe me, for this test INFORMAL logic is actually what you want to study. I think people are confusing the two. I am particularly fond of "Informal Logic: A handbook for critical argument" by Douglas N. Walton.

Do you have any other suggestions for informal logic?

[ruleser]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

Are you suggesting that people are exaggerating their scores?

No, just a stupid joke.

In other news, I am closing in (hopefully) on that elusive 180 - started at 162. Now PTing 175 rather regularly. Without roommates walking in, etc., I think 180 may be near...

[-KommonOddity_]

Thought I would give my bit of advice. I took a more holistic than most people I think.

Here are my top three bits of advice.

1) Read all different kinds of information. I would read The Economist, The Smithsonian, and Scientific American, daily. I think this is what helped the most, and reading should be a top priority. You can re-wire the neurons in your brain to better handle written words if you read all the time. Most people's brains are probably set in "T.V. Mode" and unfortunately there is no video section on the LSAT. Turn off the television, start reading dense material, this will help you across the board not just on the reading comprehension section.

2) Pick up a good book on INFORMAL logic. I hear people saying that formal logic important, believe me, for this test INFORMAL logic is actually what you want to study. I think people are confusing the two. I am particularly fond of "Informal Logic: A handbook for critical argument" by Douglas N. Walton.

3) When you are studying, figure out why each answer choice was wrong, as well as why the correct one was in fact correct. This is kind of common sense but the tediousness of doing this causes it to be often ignored.

Cheers

I've read it twice and find it to be the closest thing to understanding logic.

[lawlover829]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

Are you suggesting that people are exaggerating their scores?

No, just a stupid joke.

In other news, I am closing in (hopefully) on that elusive 180 - started at 162. Now PTing 175 rather regularly. Without roommates walking in, etc., I think 180 may be near...

Congrats

[IHaveDietMoxie]

2) Pick up a good book on INFORMAL logic. I hear people saying that formal logic important, believe me, for this test INFORMAL logic is actually what you want to study. I think people are confusing the two. I am particularly fond of "Informal Logic: A handbook for critical argument" by Douglas N. Walton.

Do you have any other suggestions for informal logic?

Introduction to Logic by Copi and Cohen is a more comprehensive volume and has very useful exercises.

[mickeymouse4509]

officially postponed today. blah.

[allison34363]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

Are you suggesting that people are exaggerating their scores?

No, just a stupid joke.

In other news, I am closing in (hopefully) on that elusive 180 - started at 162. Now PTing 175 rather regularly. Without roommates walking in, etc., I think 180 may be near...

how did you prep? or do you feel you are just becoming more used to the test?

[mickeymouse4509]

I am starting to predict answers more and more, but I still don't feel confident. That's why I postponed until December.

[allison34363]

So I scored a 175 the other day. My highest score yet.

[tomwatts]

AFAIK, except as far as bragging rights are concerned, there is little practical difference between, say, low 170's and high 170's (as far as admissions go). Does anyone know otherwise?

Also, the original point about figuring out why the answers are what they are is crucial and often overlooked. The LSAT is a standardized test. It is designed the same way every time. It asks similar questions every time. If you get a question wrong once for some reason, oops. If you get ten more questions wrong for the same reason, you're a damn fool! Fix it the first time, so it doesn't keep messing you up.

Put another way: If you take the test the same way each time, you should get pretty near the same score. The LSAT will not change for you. You have to be the one in this relationship to change.

[AngryAvocado]

AFAIK, except as far as bragging rights are concerned, there is little practical difference between, say, low 170's and high 170's (as far as admissions go). Does anyone know otherwise?

Also, the original point about figuring out why the answers are what they are is crucial and often overlooked. The LSAT is a standardized test. It is designed the same way every time. It asks similar questions every time. If you get a question wrong once for some reason, oops. If you get ten more questions wrong for the same reason, you're a damn fool! Fix it the first time, so it doesn't keep messing you up.

Put another way: If you take the test the same way each time, you should get pretty near the same score. The LSAT will not change for you. You have to be the one in this relationship to change.

I agree with you to an extent. I think that if you've been preparing thoroughly, you shouldn't have large fluctuations. It always amazes me when people claim to be averaging in the mid-170s, for example, then talk about "bombing" one and scoring in the low 160s. I think if you're preparing well, a 2-4 pt. fluctuation is fine but anything beyond that should be cause for concern. That said, I also think that it's impossible to simulate the nervousness and anxiety of test day, and that alone can account for more than a few missed questions.

As for the point about low 170s being essentially the same as high 170s from an admissions standpoint, I think that the general consensus is that there is a significant difference with each point increase up until about 175-176. At that point, you're above almost every schools 75 percentile anyhow (save for Yale and maybe Harvard), so any point beyond that is pretty much for bragging purposes only--although I'm inclined to believe a 180 is worth a least a little boost.

[Kulax22]

I'd be interested in hearing from 180s about stress and health tips. Even if you are consistently acing the PTs, you must be stressed the real thing won't show your "true" performance.

How to stay sane but really focused and energized? How to keep positive and confident without letting your guard slip?

[mickeymouse4509]

I've gotten in a good routine where I wake up early, eat and hit the coffee two hours before my test, and then take the test. I am trying to do this everyday so when test day comes around it is just like another practice test.

[ruleser]

Does 120 count as a 'perfect score' as well? If so we can add some additional advice to this thread...

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