Stuck in 163-167 range... Tips to reach 170? Forum

[Deanerlaw33]

Hey guys, I'm new to this site. After approximately 2 months of studying I am constantly scoring in between 163-167. My goal is 170 and I'm writing in October. I find the majority of the questions I'm getting wrong are in the RC section (6-10 ish wrong usually). lG is good, usually -0 to -3 or 4 max. And LR is somewhere between -3 to -6.

Any tips for consistency and making some gains on RC?

Thanks.

[Dcc617]

You're probably going to get this advice in a few iterations, but make sure that you're reading challenging material outside of the lsat test. I noticed that I was a sharper reader when I did that.

Also, when I took the test, I made sure to constantly refer back to the passage as I was answering questions. The answers are explicitly in there, you just have to find it. I saw someone recommend underlining the part of the passage where they got their answers from. You shouldn't feel like you're having long chains of reasoning in this section.

For main point questions, the idea is that you should be able to put at the end of the passage 'therefore, the answer choice' and it makes sense. Doing that really helped me pick between the last couple choices.

[splitsohard]

struggling with much of the same. would love to see more replies!

[GospelLeague]

Me too! Also aim for 170+. Look for advice!

[Hornet2011]

RC is usually my best section, usually between 1-3 wrong. That being said don't get too frustrated once you do get better at RC as even I will have a rough RC day and get -6.

As the other posters every question must be supported by the info or on the more challenging ones be reasonably inferred (I will admit sometime I feel the inferences can be somewhat of a stretch, but are always correct).

For the main point questions try this in addition to the therefore trick. Most main point wrong answers that aren't obviously wrong are almost right except for one thing, usually an erroneous emphasis on a detail or a single paragraph that supports the main point, whereas the correct answer will address everything and not have any wring details. Sorry if that's not super clear as I can go into more detail on it I am just on a stationary bike right now..

Referring back to the passage is also key. Pay attention to key shifts such as other critics or perhaps an odd ananolgy. Not all of these will be tested but I found it useful to be on the lookout for these all the time so when you get a random question like "What situation is most similar to the analogy in lines 23-25 you know not only where to look but made sure you understood the analogy when you went through it. Quickly check back and make sure it fits and move on

[Op_Diom]

To get a 170 you need to miss less than ~12. So you should be able to bank on missing hardly any in LG, then maybe a couple in each LR, which leaves enough room for misses in those tricky RC passage. Go through the Manhattan RC guide, and really focus on nailing down LR, while bringing RC up to par. Attack the material for a while longer, then take some time to not think about the LSAT at all. It seems that brief periods of rest after long periods of ferocious studying allows for your brain to internalize the material, and the first PT back from a short recess usually ends up shattering personal records. All I can say is that when you start PTing in +170's you are extremely familiar with the test, you can anticipate a lot of wrong/right answers just by the rationale used in the arguments, etc. So, constantly stay immersed in the material and dissect everything about the test until the arguments start to feel like a second language.

[Op_Diom]

And specifically for RC:

When I began to see the passage as a coherent story or series of events, then I started to see big gains. Each paragraph describes a point or two, which directly relates to the central meaning of the passage. Each part plays a specific role, otherwise it wouldn't be in there. Hence, you need to find two or three 'germs' within each passage, and from these fundamental ideas, the rest of the important information will naturally flow together. Wrong answers end up being much easier to eliminate when you keep the general ideas and how they are all related (their 'coherency') in mind -- like a mental machine.

[rnoodles]

RC is usually my best section, usually between 1-3 wrong. That being said don't get too frustrated once you do get better at RC as even I will have a rough RC day and get -6.

As the other posters every question must be supported by the info or on the more challenging ones be reasonably inferred (I will admit sometime I feel the inferences can be somewhat of a stretch, but are always correct).

For the main point questions try this in addition to the therefore trick. Most main point wrong answers that aren't obviously wrong are almost right except for one thing, usually an erroneous emphasis on a detail or a single paragraph that supports the main point, whereas the correct answer will address everything and not have any wring details. Sorry if that's not super clear as I can go into more detail on it I am just on a stationary bike right now..

Referring back to the passage is also key. Pay attention to key shifts such as other critics or perhaps an odd ananolgy. Not all of these will be tested but I found it useful to be on the lookout for these all the time so when you get a random question like "What situation is most similar to the analogy in lines 23-25 you know not only where to look but made sure you understood the analogy when you went through it. Quickly check back and make sure it fits and move on

I think it's impressive you wrote this while on a stationary bike.

[AReasonableMan]

You can study your way to a perfect score in LR and LG. Just recognize which question types are holding you back, and master those until you hit ninety percent. On questions 16-25 in LR you really have to have real mastery of the question type to get most of them right without second guessing yourself. Always favor sticking to the raw words on the page and what the question's asking over feelings or common sense. A lot of these answers turn on recognizing one word doesn't equal another synonymous word.

I was never able to get better than -3 or -4 in the RC and normally was -8ish. When I taught it after 1L I got a -1 RC on a random section so I think reading dense materials can help you there but it's less time efficient.