PT Usage Q Forum

[chrijani]

I apologize in advance if a question similar to this has been posted before.

I am looking for advice in regards to how to properly use the prep tests I have available. The issue is that I am already registered to write on June 9th, however, as of right now it looks like I may be having to rewrite in September. Obviously I would prefer not to rewrite in September, but this is my first time taking the test so I just need to have a backup plan incase June doesn't go as planned. So, my question is how should I use my prep test if I do need to rewrite in September. I have every test available to me (purchased all the books), but a lot of the drills I did came from PT 1-38, and I have used the tests 52-61, as well as 62, 63, 64. This leaves me with 65-71 before the June test, but if I use them all for the June test I will not have any "new" test to use for the September test. So, should I set aside a few, maybe 2-4 PT's, just incase I do need to rewrite? Or should I go ahead and use them before the June test? If I do use them for the June test, then what should I use/do to prepare for the September test?

Thank you in advance for the assistance, and I look forward to hearing all your responses.

[papercut]

I apologize in advance if a question similar to this has been posted before.

I am looking for advice in regards to how to properly use the prep tests I have available. The issue is that I am already registered to write on June 9th, however, as of right now it looks like I may be having to rewrite in September. Obviously I would prefer not to rewrite in September, but this is my first time taking the test so I just need to have a backup plan incase June doesn't go as planned. So, my question is how should I use my prep test if I do need to rewrite in September. I have every test available to me (purchased all the books), but a lot of the drills I did came from PT 1-38, and I have used the tests 52-61, as well as 62, 63, 64. This leaves me with 65-71 before the June test, but if I use them all for the June test I will not have any "new" test to use for the September test. So, should I set aside a few, maybe 2-4 PT's, just incase I do need to rewrite? Or should I go ahead and use them before the June test? If I do use them for the June test, then what should I use/do to prepare for the September test?

Thank you in advance for the assistance, and I look forward to hearing all your responses.

You have to tell us where you're scoring at the moment.

If you're within 3-5 points of your ideal score, I can't see why not.

If you're quite far from your ideal score, then just take the Sept. test.

[chrijani]

Currently, my avg score is 156 with my highest being 160 and lowest being 150ish. Since, my target score is around 160-165, I am somewhat near where I want to be. I am taking the test in June regardless, the September option is just incase I need to rewrite. Since I am not consistently above my target, there may be an issue during the test that stops me from getting the score I need. But the issue is what if I do need to retake it in September, I will be out of "fresh" PT's since I used all of them for June. So should I hold back on a 2-4 PT's, just to be safe in the event that I need to rewrite in September?

Also is it even possible to go from a 156-160+ in 2 weeks? if so, how would you suggest going about that? I currently take around 2-3 PT's a week, with extensive review either the day of or the day after. Other days I try to do drills or refer back to old lessons (from trainer or7sage) but honestly I haven't really seen to much improvement. I have slowly moved from 150-156ish range but I still have a major issue with timing (anxiety and stress) and RC demolishes my score.

[90convoy]

My first PT was ~150 and my most recent PT was 171. It seemed like I was in the low 160s forever until one day I just hit high 160s and stayed there. I think this happened because assumption questions finally clicked and LG got easier. So, in my opinion, you can get to your goal in 2 weeks but you need to find out what your weaknesses are. Thats what I did. You need to attack these weaknesses extremely hard while also taking PTs.

edit: some quick things you can do to increase score out of the high 150s...

1. Practice doing the first 15 LR questions in 15 minutes or less. This will allow you to spend time on the harder questions at the end. Sometimes I even do the first 15 in ~10minutes which is extremely helpful. Finishing LR in 22min is a great confidence boost!

2. Don't worry about RC right now. It would be a waste to spend these precious 2 weeks on reading comprehension.

3. Do all of the LGs from the most recent PTs. Get to the point where you can do all of them perfectly with time to spare.


Doing all of the above should increase your score and it is pretty much all you can do with 2 weeks left.

[malleus discentium]

Currently, my avg score is 156 with my highest being 160 and lowest being 150ish. Since, my target score is around 160-165, I am somewhat near where I want to be. I am taking the test in June regardless, the September option is just incase I need to rewrite. Since I am not consistently above my target, there may be an issue during the test that stops me from getting the score I need. But the issue is what if I do need to retake it in September, I will be out of "fresh" PT's since I used all of them for June. So should I hold back on a 2-4 PT's, just to be safe in the event that I need to rewrite in September?

Also is it even possible to go from a 156-160+ in 2 weeks? if so, how would you suggest going about that? I currently take around 2-3 PT's a week, with extensive review either the day of or the day after. Other days I try to do drills or refer back to old lessons (from trainer or7sage) but honestly I haven't really seen to much improvement. I have slowly moved from 150-156ish range but I still have a major issue with timing (anxiety and stress) and RC demolishes my score.

Don't take June, it will be a waste of time and an eventual PT. Additionally, if you're scoring 156, you have not drilled enough to justify taking as many PTs as you are. You're just wasting them. Go back to drilling, stop taking full PTs until like August.

3. Do all of the LGs from the most recent PTs. Get to the point where you can do all of them perfectly with time to spare.

Don't do this. That makes the most recent PTs useless.

[papercut]

I completely agree with malleus discentium.

[90convoy]

Currently, my avg score is 156 with my highest being 160 and lowest being 150ish. Since, my target score is around 160-165, I am somewhat near where I want to be. I am taking the test in June regardless, the September option is just incase I need to rewrite. Since I am not consistently above my target, there may be an issue during the test that stops me from getting the score I need. But the issue is what if I do need to retake it in September, I will be out of "fresh" PT's since I used all of them for June. So should I hold back on a 2-4 PT's, just to be safe in the event that I need to rewrite in September?

Also is it even possible to go from a 156-160+ in 2 weeks? if so, how would you suggest going about that? I currently take around 2-3 PT's a week, with extensive review either the day of or the day after. Other days I try to do drills or refer back to old lessons (from trainer or7sage) but honestly I haven't really seen to much improvement. I have slowly moved from 150-156ish range but I still have a major issue with timing (anxiety and stress) and RC demolishes my score.

Don't take June, it will be a waste of time and an eventual PT. Additionally, if you're scoring 156, you have not drilled enough to justify taking as many PTs as you are. You're just wasting them. Go back to drilling, stop taking full PTs until like August.

3. Do all of the LGs from the most recent PTs. Get to the point where you can do all of them perfectly with time to spare.

Don't do this. That makes the most recent PTs useless.

Why does it matter if the most recent PTs are useless? We are talking about 2 weeks here and LG needs to be attacked because that's the quickest way to improve. Also, I didn't necessarily mean that the LGs have to be done before the PT. You could do them after you already took the respective PT. Obviously he/she should wait until September tho

[chrijani]

First, I would like to thank all of you for the replies. I really appreciate the help you are giving me.

To be honest, I was unaware of how long you should be drilling. Most of the people I spoke to or read about online said that PT'ing was the most important way to improve your score. So after I began to familiarize myself with each question type and get past the basic level, I went right into PT'ing. This was clearly a bad idea? I know there is no definitive answer, but roughly how long (hours, days, questions, etc) should one drill before beginning to tackle a PT? Also, just so were on the same page, by drilling, you mean doing the same type of question in lots of like 10, 15, etc, both timed and untimed, right? If not, then what does drilling entail for you.

I am going to stop PT'ing for a little and continue to work on reviewing all the questions I have done so far and see if I can make some improvements. However, as far as putting the test off, I cannot do that because I already put the test off last October till now. Long story short, I thought I could do it with school and stuff, but did not want my grades to suffer so I decided to wait. I think it will be good for me to write it in June to get a "feel" for the real testing conditions, as I am generally a very anxious person which ultimately adds another challenging feature to this test. So I believe that by writing the test in June I can decrease that added stress level by knowing what it is like in the test centre, what its like when your writing the real deal, not some electronic proctor or one of those oxford seminar tests because at the end of the day you know its not "real".

As far as games go, that seems to be one of my only good sections. Typically I go around -2 to around -5 on games, but on PT 66 I went -10, which was disappointing to be honest. LR I typically go -7 to around -12, with Flaw, weakening, strengthening and SA as my 3 weakest areas. And RC is just a straight up crapshoot for me. I usually go -10 to around -14 on RC, and regardless of whether I am given more time I still get many of the questions incorrect.

If there is any other assistance or guidance any of you can provide me, I am open to suggestions and would like to again, thank you for your time and responses. I truly appreciate it.

[papercut]

Everyone's goal should be -0/-1 on LG because the section is the easiest to prep for. If you're look at giving up 4-5 points on LG, you're giving up way too much.

Studying for the LSAT can sometimes take a very long time.

A score in the 150s ins't acceptable (even if you're a URM).

September is your test.

[malleus discentium]

There are almost no valid reasons for why you cannot delay the LSAT if you are not ready. Points on the LSAT can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Law school isn't going anywhere and there is no justification for going to law school with less than your absolute best LSAT score. And a 156 is not it. I understand the appeal of wanting to get the feel of a real test. But it's not worth it in your position because the nerves are going to be there just as strongly in October and you'll have spoiled the PT that test will become.

As for how and how long you should study, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =6&t=41657 is the standard TLS study plan. It's what I used and it's what I recommend. You'll have to modify it a bit because you only have a few PTs left, but its general structure is the way to go.

Make a plan to study between now and the October test, and you'll have plenty of time to get to a point where you can kill the LSAT. TLS has amazing LSAT resources and there is no reason you can't score a 170.

[chrijani]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for the insight, I really do appreciate your help. Clearly the consensus is that I am not prepared for the June LSAT, so I have decided to post pone. Although I am very reluctant since I already postponed once, I feel like overall it will be best. I have seen pithypikes before, and truthfully I never followed it. I glanced at it and thought about following it but never ended up doing so. What I found is that I try to "blow" through material and PT's as a gauge for how my progression is rather than focusing on the most important part, review. I lacked very hard in reviewing my answers, and if usually did a crappy job when I did take the time to review. If there are any other suggestions/comments you can provide to assist me it would be greatly appreciated. As of right now I guess I will be taking a step back and over the next day or so preparing to get this done properly!

Again, thank you ! all of you who have helped me, it really helped me out, even though its not the ideal situation for me. Sometimes I guess the truth hurts!

edit:

also for drills do you time yourself?

[Power_of_Facing]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for the insight, I really do appreciate your help. Clearly the consensus is that I am not prepared for the June LSAT, so I have decided to post pone. Although I am very reluctant since I already postponed once, I feel like overall it will be best. I have seen pithypikes before, and truthfully I never followed it. I glanced at it and thought about following it but never ended up doing so. What I found is that I try to "blow" through material and PT's as a gauge for how my progression is rather than focusing on the most important part, review. I lacked very hard in reviewing my answers, and if usually did a crappy job when I did take the time to review. If there are any other suggestions/comments you can provide to assist me it would be greatly appreciated. As of right now I guess I will be taking a step back and over the next day or so preparing to get this done properly!

Again, thank you ! all of you who have helped me, it really helped me out, even though its not the ideal situation for me. Sometimes I guess the truth hurts!

You're making a smart move. If I were you, I'd drill by section during the week (untimed with review), and then take one (timed with review) practice test each weekend until mid-July or so (make sure to save the most recent and thus valuable tests for late-stage prep). When August comes around, I'd start ramping up the PTs to two- and then three-a-week.

Start tapering about a-week-and-a-half away from the real deal, because overstudy burnout at that point can be destructive.