Confession: I'm starting with a 150 cold diagnostic Forum

[modernista]

Is getting a 168+ possible? LR: 16/25 & 12/25, LG: 14/23, and RC: 17/27. The LR is kicking my ass. If at all possible, I feel the RC section makes one feel like they need to learn how to read again.

[Nova]

Very possible. My worst pt was 149 and I got up to the high 160s.

Its not gonna be easy but if you have the discipline, study smart, and put in the time, you can do it.

Check out the guides in the stickies if you haven't.

[modernista]

Very possible. My worst pt was 149 and I got up to the high 160s.

Its not gonna be easy but if you have the discipline, study smart, and put in the time, you can do it.

Check out the guides in the stickies if you haven't.

The diagnostic I just graded gave me a 145. I feel like I'm about to throw up. How does one study smart to bring it up to the high 160s?

[Nova]

Don't burn through material.

Read the bibles. Read the Manhattan bundle.

Drill question types untimed

Spend a lot of time reviewing

[modernista]

Does drilling really help? I haven't really seen LSAT questions at all before these diagnostics.

[Hotguy]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=216881

Check out this topic above. Should help a bit.
Good chance of improving at least ten pts.

[modernista]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=216881

Check out this topic above. Should help a bit.
Good chance of improving at least ten pts.

Thanks! I haven't even looked at a bible, MLSAT, or Cambridge LSAT book yet. It might be good to do so..

[Nova]

Does drilling really help? I haven't really seen LSAT questions at all before these diagnostics.

Yes. It helps u see patterns. The lsat recycles the same logic over and over

[modernista]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

[Hotguy]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

2 hours drilling divided by LG LR and RC.
2 hours break
2 hours lsat trainer or mlsat or ps or whatever prep I was reading
2 hours lg
2 hours break
2 hours lr
2 hours break
2 hours rc

[FluffMonster]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

2 hours drilling divided by LG LR and RC.
2 hours break
2 hours lsat trainer or mlsat or ps or whatever prep I was reading
2 hours lg
2 hours break
2 hours lr
2 hours break
2 hours rc

You had a 16 hr a day study schedule?

[thewaves]

I had a 147/148 the first time I ever looked at an LSAT and ended up with a 170+. You can do it!

[Clearly]

Confession is a bit much, your starting higher than half of takers will ever score...

[tofuspeedstar]

there's multiple threads on this.


tl;dr: It is possible, depends on how much work you put in.

[Nova]

Confession is a bit much, your starting higher than half of takers will ever score...

Good point.

Nothing to be ashamed of

[Hotguy]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

2 hours drilling divided by LG LR and RC.
2 hours break
2 hours lsat trainer or mlsat or ps or whatever prep I was reading
2 hours lg
2 hours break
2 hours lr
2 hours break
2 hours rc

You had a 16 hr a day study schedule?

I had a ten in the beginning over the summer, yes.

[modernista]

Confession is a bit much, your starting higher than half of takers will ever score...

Seriously, the 150 and 145 cold diagnostics are higher than half of takers will ever score? That makes me feel a little better but I guess I'd still have to put effort into reaching the 97th percentile.

[modernista]

I had a 147/148 the first time I ever looked at an LSAT and ended up with a 170+. You can do it!

I averaged it out. The 147/148 is my probable starting point. How many hours did you study a day?

[modernista]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

2 hours drilling divided by LG LR and RC.
2 hours break
2 hours lsat trainer or mlsat or ps or whatever prep I was reading
2 hours lg
2 hours break
2 hours lr
2 hours break
2 hours rc

You had a 16 hr a day study schedule?

I had a ten in the beginning over the summer, yes.

I work a full-time job. Hopefully, squeezing in 3 hours a day for 6 days/week should be enough.

[thewaves]

I had a 147/148 the first time I ever looked at an LSAT and ended up with a 170+. You can do it!

I averaged it out. The 147/148 is my probable starting point. How many hours did you study a day?

4 months, anywhere from 3-7 tests a week. I'd say I spent 2-3 hours a day, averaged out.

[modernista]

I think now might be the first time I crack open any of my Powerscore books.

I'm not sure if anyone else does this but highlighting in three different colors and underlining like mad generally don't help in any of the sections. What do you do to keep organized?

[Hotguy]

Honestly, when you all first started, what did your day-to-day study schedule look like?

2 hours drilling divided by LG LR and RC.
2 hours break
2 hours lsat trainer or mlsat or ps or whatever prep I was reading
2 hours lg
2 hours break
2 hours lr
2 hours break
2 hours rc

You had a 16 hr a day study schedule?
I had a ten in the beginning over the summer, yes.

I work a full-time job. Hopefully, squeezing in 3 hours a day for 6 days/week should be enough.

I think it's enough. You asked what my schedule was in the beginning, you didn't ask if it was effective.

[yomisterd]

I started with a 153 ten days before the LSAT (I was an idiot, studying abroad, traveling to take the LSAT, etc.). I wound up getting a 167 after zombifying myself to LSAT Prep Tests for those 10 days.

YOU CAN DO IT.

[bcjets212]

I posted a reply in a similar thread, but it applies the same, so the below is just a copy and paste:


I must agree with all those who said its possible. I got a 153 on my diag, but ended up with a 180 on my official. Since then, I've been teaching the test and have seen many of my students go up significantly, even after previous studying.


The best free advice I always give--and emphasize with all of my students--is to go over every question you take (whether you are right or wrong), unless you are 100% confident with the answer. To do this, if you finish a question and feel 100% confident (or damn close), circle that question. Yes, early on, this will not be many questions, but it will grow over time. When you finish the questions you are working on and grade them, you should go over every question you did not mark confident, as well as questions you marked confident but did not get right. Additionally, if you are not at least 90% accurate on your "confident" questions, you must go over those too.

The biggest key to this is that when you go over a question you should come up with an explanation as to why the right answer is right and why the wrong answers are wrong. While you should look at the right answer, you should NOT read an "explanation" book. Instead, trying to mentally "write" the explanation in your head. The only time you should consult outside resources is if you spend time on a question and cannot understand why the right answer is right and why the wrong answers are wrong (which will and is expected to happen, of course).

There are multiple goals to this process:
1. First, the process of finding the logical explanation to a question is the most important part to studying and improving on the LSAT. It is entirely more important to go over questions than to just take them (even if you are limited in time, I would "prefer" taking half the practice questions, but going over them in depth, as opposed to taking more questions, but not really going over them).
2. Second, by filtering out the confident questions, you will be saving time and efficiency in your studies. Now, you dont need to over focus on easy questions, but you will also make sure that you reinforce questions that you may have gotten right despite not really being confident when you selected it.
3. Third, you will start to develop a personal attention to your own level of confidence, which will help you in your timing and accuracy on your test, as you will now be less inclined to over-think questions you are extremely confident in.



Honestly, this process is something I do with all of my tests (even when I was studying for the Bar) and have told many other friends and other students I didnt teach, who have said it has helped them significantly. When you are diligent with this process, you WILL see improvement.

[10052014]

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