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Hi all,

Would appreciate any input on how to improve (reasonably) within the next 6 days.

LR: On the last 10 or so practice tests before PT 75, my LR mistakes usually amounted to at most 3 in total, bar 2 occasions where I got -4 and -5. This includes PT's 73, 74, and 77 (each of which with <3 mistakes). But the last 3 PTs (75, 76, and 78) destroyed my confidence. Some of them were very careless mistakes, yet, as much as I tried to be careful, I average 5 mistakes for these three tests. I really hope to minimize mistakes in LR to at most -1 per section.

RC: After hitting -6 on PT 73, I managed to bring down my RC mistakes to -3 or less. Last few tests: 73 (-6), 74 (-4), 77 (-1), 65 (-3), 68 (-1), 69 (-1), 75 (-3), 76 (-3), and 78 (-3). Any advice on how to bring this down to -2 or less?

Overall: I started doing full practice tests using PT 50's on a pretty high note (mid to high 170's). Encountered a roadblock after my score dropped, reviewed, and managed to score 174 or above pretty consistently after. But now I feel so defeated after getting 172 on my last 3 practice tests (75, 76, 78).

172 is definitely not a bad score, but I know full well that I am capable of obtaining a higher score. Moreover, given my status (I started using English daily since college), I feel like I have to prove my language proficiency even more to the adcoms, so that they won't wonder if I'm capable of handling law school's workload.

Thanks in advance for the help! And sorry for the rambling post

Sounds like a classic case of burnout. You'll be fine. I would recommend making any drastic changes this late, especially since you're scoring mid/low 170s. Just stick with what you've done, and keep it slow and smooth over the next week.

Also, do not worry about your English proficiency. Your LSAT score will speak volumes to that. Couple that with a well-written essay, and you'll be just fine. But seriously, don't worry about that now.

Pozzo wrote:Sounds like a classic case of burnout. You'll be fine. I would recommend making any drastic changes this late, especially since you're scoring mid/low 170s. Just stick with what you've done, and keep it slow and smooth over the next week.

Also, do not worry about your English proficiency. Your LSAT score will speak volumes to that. Couple that with a well-written essay, and you'll be just fine. But seriously, don't worry about that now.

Thanks dude/dudette! Just worried about the sudden drop to 172 and wondering how to go back to my previous score(s).

Take a day off and relax and don't do anything LSAT-related. Sometimes clearing your head is the best thing you can do. It's what made me get over a rough period.

If I remember correctly you scored back to back 180's on 2 of your PT's fairly recently. You are clearly very, very smart and capable. I think this is a confidence problem. You had a test where you didn't do so hot on the LR, so next test you're a little more careful, a little more hesitant, and so you take longer, and again don't do so hot. It's a cycle.

RC in my opinion is all about being comfortable taking your time. Once you panic your done.

MediocreAtBest wrote:Take a day off and relax and don't do anything LSAT-related. Sometimes clearing your head is the best thing you can do. It's what made me get over a rough period.

I fear that my LSAT skills will become numb if I don't do something every day... But yeah, taking time off from PTs is the best idea now.

Platopus wrote:If I remember correctly you scored back to back 180's on 2 of your PT's fairly recently. You are clearly very, very smart and capable. I think this is a confidence problem. You had a test where you didn't do so hot on the LR, so next test you're a little more careful, a little more hesitant, and so you take longer, and again don't do so hot. It's a cycle.

RC in my opinion is all about being comfortable taking your time. Once you panic your done.

Yes I did (though I'm increasingly convinced that those two are largely thanks to luck). But really appreciate the advice and the confidence boost, especially coming from you.

I guess now is a good time to do the final review on the hard LR questions and stop taking PTs for a bit.

lynn.wibi wrote:

MediocreAtBest wrote:Take a day off and relax and don't do anything LSAT-related. Sometimes clearing your head is the best thing you can do. It's what made me get over a rough period.

I fear that my LSAT skills will become numb if I don't do something every day... But yeah, taking time off from PTs is the best idea now.

Hey you got two 180s, you're not gonna get numb after a day of rest. Sometimes the brain needs a break too!

lynn.wibi wrote:

MediocreAtBest wrote:Take a day off and relax and don't do anything LSAT-related. Sometimes clearing your head is the best thing you can do. It's what made me get over a rough period.

I fear that my LSAT skills will become numb if I don't do something every day... But yeah, taking time off from PTs is the best idea now.

Platopus wrote:If I remember correctly you scored back to back 180's on 2 of your PT's fairly recently. You are clearly very, very smart and capable. I think this is a confidence problem. You had a test where you didn't do so hot on the LR, so next test you're a little more careful, a little more hesitant, and so you take longer, and again don't do so hot. It's a cycle.

RC in my opinion is all about being comfortable taking your time. Once you panic your done.

Yes I did (though I'm increasingly convinced that those two are largely thanks to luck). But really appreciate the advice and the confidence boost, especially coming from you.

I guess now is a good time to do the final review on the hard LR questions and stop taking PTs for a bit.

If it was luck, were talking about the difference between a 178 and a 180. You don't get a 99.99 percentile score because of luck. You know what you're doing. Just focus on getting yourself in the right state of mind. Don't worry about learning anything conceptual at this point, worry about putting your self in an optimal state of mind to focus intensely on the LSAT on June 12th.

Here's some Bill Murray with a helpful reminder:

Platopus wrote:
RC in my opinion is all about being comfortable taking your time. Once you panic your done.

Yep. This 100x
Chill out and read for structure. Then attack the questions and refer back to passage as needed

Thanks for the kind replies! Going to find my Zen for next week's test!