Took my first diagnostic (untimed). Bad results. Forum

[LTBU]

Hey guys, 3rd year student here. Aiming to take the June LSAT and haven't done any studying yet.

As the title says, i took my first pt, just to see where i'm at before i tackle the powerscore bibles (and other materials) and begin to study. Without any practice, I scored the following on my un-timed pt:

Sec 1 (LR): 16/25
Sec 2 (LG/AR): 23/23 (took my time on these)
Sec 3 (LR): 15/25
Sec 4 (RC): 11/27

65/100 for a score of about 155. Very disappointed.

I had a very hard time with stamina, and pretty much had a mental breakdown (edit: had a complete mental breakdown) by the time I finished the logic games in section 2. Even with an hour break in between the first and last two sections, i couldn't focus by the time i got near the end. Just answered questions for the sake of finishing the god damn pt.

Obviously my score will only go up from here, but i know that RC generally isnt the easiest section to improve on. Additionally, the section thats easiest to improve, the logic games, is the one that I seem to have a grasp of -.- With that being said, I am a great reader and have a great understanding of the English language, so its shocking to me as to how I went -16 on the RC.

I'm hoping that better stamina will go a long way towards keeping me sane and promoting better performance towards the end of the test.

Any/all input is appreciated in this time of disappointment

[052220152]

my diagnostic was much lower than that, and im at a t14 now because of my lsat score. crack the books hard and do a ton of PTs. you can do it.

[jawsjawsjaws]

It's only your first PT.

[superpatton]

My diagnostic was a 152, now I am looking a 170+. Don't give up based on your first test, if you really focus on learning the logic on the LSAT there's no reason you can't do much better. June is still a few months away, and you will have October to retake if necessary. Start drilling, you can do it!

Also fwiw I think i went -15 on my first RC section, got a -0 on my last LSAT. Just because it is hard to improve doesn't mean its impossible.

[nlee10]

It sure beats my diagnostic score. But you can increase that to 170+ with practice!

[LTBU]

Faith in self slightly restored. Thank you for the responses, much appreciated.

[Life2good893]

153 timed diagnostic (I think)--> 170 LSAT (highest official)

151 is an average score, so if you are doing that on your first try you've got huge potential. Good luck! Do it timed to get a better picture.

[mvp99]

Chill out. Don't waste PTs or sections; do it timed after some studying.

[NL2424]

..

[Nulli Secundus]

I agree, be the best YOU that YOU can be.

Seriously though, that RC is unacceptable for a native speaker. Try to figure out patterns, like, do you lose focus after a while (are your answers for questions referencing later parts of the text more likely to be wrong?), do you miss certain types of questions more than others, stuff like that. And focus on those weaknesses.

[ltowns1]

Hey guys, 3rd year student here. Aiming to take the June LSAT and haven't done any studying yet.

As the title says, i took my first pt, just to see where i'm at before i tackle the powerscore bibles (and other materials) and begin to study. Without any practice, I scored the following on my un-timed pt:

Sec 1 (LR): 16/25
Sec 2 (LG/AR): 23/23 (took my time on these)
Sec 3 (LR): 15/25
Sec 4 (RC): 11/27

65/100 for a score of about 155. Very disappointed.

I had a very hard time with stamina, and pretty much had a mental breakdown (edit: had a complete mental breakdown) by the time I finished the logic games in section 2. Even with an hour break in between the first and last two sections, i couldn't focus by the time i got near the end. Just answered questions for the sake of finishing the god damn pt.

Obviously my score will only go up from here, but i know that RC generally isnt the easiest section to improve on. Additionally, the section thats easiest to improve, the logic games, is the one that I seem to have a grasp of -.- With that being said, I am a great reader and have a great understanding of the English language, so its shocking to me as to how I went -16 on the RC.

I'm hoping that better stamina will go a long way towards keeping me sane and promoting better performance towards the end of the test.

Any/all input is appreciated in this time of disappointment

I could not even finish my first preptest....now I'm scoring in the low 160's. Just take advantage of this forum and make sure you review your mistakes. You'll be just fine for june!

[LTBU]

Not going to reply to everyone individually, but I've taken everything into consideration. Thank you all for your input. I'll probably update this thread in a couple of months, when I take a 2nd timed PT after some book reading and drilling.

[colfaxlaw]

I took my first diagnostic today timed and made a 135 from the June 2007 test.
Going to try untimed tommorrow with another test and see if I score higher.

Dont feel bad we all have to start somewhere

[Clearly]

First diag 150 - final score 175+

The not timed part matters though, but this is just the start of your journey, buckle down and do it.

[rubberplant2020]

Untimed doesnt mean ish.
As in your score doesn't count.
As in all full tests should be timed.
As in you wasted a PT

[thisone2014]

.

[LSAT Hacks (Graeme)]

That's actually a pretty good initial score. You scored higher than the average of people who take the test, and you haven't studied. I'd expect you to hit at least 163-165 just from mediocre studying. More's possible.

Oops. As a comment below points out, the PT is untimed. Sorry OP, that's significantly worse. I recommend taking a timed PT to see where you truly stand.

[rubberplant2020]

That's actually a pretty good initial score. You scored higher than the average of people who take the test, and you haven't studied. I'd expect you to hit at least 163-165 just from mediocre studying. More's possible.

he didn't time himself

[mrmr]

I wouldn't sweat the timed vs untimed part of it yet. A lot of people start with timed tests (which is NOT smart) They THINK it will help them, but it HURTS them. Remember you must first be able to do a thing RIGHT (at any speed) before doing it faster can reach your goal of done right fast. Otherwise you just keep failing quickly.

A 155 is better than you think too. Remember you got a RAW score and the LSAT has a curve. On the real exam that score would be well into the 160's. Keep it up, you'll be fine.

[Clearly]

I wouldn't sweat the timed vs untimed part of it yet. A lot of people start with timed tests (which is NOT smart) They THINK it will help them, but it HURTS them. Remember you must first be able to do a thing RIGHT (at any speed) before doing it faster can reach your goal of done right fast. Otherwise you just keep failing quickly.

A 155 is better than you think too. Remember you got a RAW score and the LSAT has a curve. On the real exam that score would be well into the 160's. Keep it up, you'll be fine.

a 155 is not a raw score. Please hold off on giving advice until you know what you're talking about.