Retaking Practice Tests Forum

[Philawsophy]

I'm having a hard time finding a discussion of this topic on the forum--it's a hard question to search for considering the word "retake" pops up frequently in a different context.

I'm looking for anecdotal evidence about retaking old practice tests. I have been going through practice tests that I took over two months ago. I'm seeing significant score improvement from the first time I took them and scores several points above my average. Just curious if anyone could speak to how much of this is due to already being somewhat familiar with the questions vs. actual improvement.

Any thoughts?

[Pneumonia]

Depends a lot on how much you reviewed your old PT's. If you just graded them and moved on then you're familiarity will have a positive affect, but not a huge one. If you thoroughly reviewed every wrong answer, which you should, then that is going to have a significant impact.

[knicker]

I don't think there'd be a lot of merit in retaking entire PTs. To me, the purpose of PTs is to build up endurance and get an accurate diagnostic. Retaking wouldn't serve either of those goals.

However, I think everybody should definitely be reviewing and re-doing certain portions of old tests. I struggle with logic games, so I retake logic games sections several times. I also pull out particularly challenging LR questions and go over them in groups. It might make sense to do the same thing with particularly tough RC passages, though it might not work as well if you remember the passage clearly.

[monsterman]

I actually think it's really beneficial, depending of course how much you reviewed (scooped) and the last time you took/reviewed that test. I took almost all the practice tests before my June LSAT and royally messed up the test, so I retook in October. I studied by using the same LSAT practice tests I had used before. There were definitely shades of familiarity, and I was scoring 2-3 points higher on them than I previously had. But my October test didn't reflect any subpar studying, as I scored ten points higher than June. You should be fine. Just make sure you drill games and know the concepts of LR. Good luck!

[Yanky91]

I'm having a hard time finding a discussion of this topic on the forum--it's a hard question to search for considering the word "retake" pops up frequently in a different context.

I'm looking for anecdotal evidence about retaking old practice tests. I have been going through practice tests that I took over two months ago. I'm seeing significant score improvement from the first time I took them and scores several points above my average. Just curious if anyone could speak to how much of this is due to already being somewhat familiar with the questions vs. actual improvement.

Any thoughts?

Retaking old practice tests is great practice. I did it, and it helped my score a lot and boosted my confidence. If you can remember any of the questions, or any details, then just know that the score you get is not what you would get on a real, fresh, practice test. Just view the redos as a way to spot weaknesses. If you can't remember anything about the test because it has been so long, i.e., 4+ months, then there should not be a big score discrepancy.

[Philawsophy]

depending of course how much you reviewed (scooped)

Yeah, I think this is key. I have a freakishly good memory too, which makes this even a little trickier.

Retaking old practice tests is great practice. I did it, and it helped my score a lot and boosted my confidence. If you can remember any of the questions, or any details, then just know that the score you get is not what you would get on a real, fresh, practice test. Just view the redos as a way to spot weaknesses. If you can't remember anything about the test because it has been so long, i.e., 4+ months, then there should not be a big score discrepancy.

Glad to hear that it worked well for you and led to a score improvement. I think confidence is a big part of it too. While an old practice test certainly doesn't replicate the experience of a new, real test, it can definitely improve a grasp on the concepts and thus confidence.

[Nonconsecutive]

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