Conserving Practice Tests Forum

[GnarMarBinx]

Hey everyone,

I have every preptest up to 80 (soon to be 81). I have been studying full time all summer and am planning on September as a first write. However, I feel as if I may want to write the December as well. I just wrote PT 62, so I could do between 63 and 81 before the September test, or I could conserve some of these newer tests for between the September and December test.

Does anyone have any insight on whether or not to conserve tests if you are thinking you may want to write again? I could go "all in" on the September test and have no new tests to use for December, or I could do less practice tests leading up to September and have some for December. My plan was to do the even numbered tests (64, 66, 68 -- but still do 81) up until the September test and conserve the odd numbered ones, but now I am second guessing myself and thinking it might be better to just do them all before September.

So far, I have done some of the tests in the 40's as full tests and used the other tests in the 40's as well as lower numbered tests for drilling. I have done all the tests in the 50's as full PTs, and I am planning to use the other tests above 60 for full PTs. My average scores aren't where I want them to be yet, but I am hoping to make progress within the next almost two months. Also, the schools that I am applying to would be looking mainly at my top LSAT score.

If anyone has any suggestions regarding whether or not to conserve tests, any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks to everyone who responds in advance.

[Platopus]

.

[Slippin' Jimmy]

I had a similar decision to make when I was studying for June, and I decided to go all in and use all of the material I had. It ended up working out well and I didn't need to retake, but I can definitely see how prepping for a retake could be difficult without any fresh material. Maybe save a couple 70s tests for a retake?

[conker]

I think it might be smart to alternate tests. This way you can work on PTs from old to recent (say, odd numbers) as you approach your first real one. Then, if you need to retake, you can repeat the same process with new tests (even numbers). If you are studying properly, you should make enormous strides with 40 tests.

If you want to study heavier for the first real one, take PTs 1-20 or 1-30 before you start alternating (this is the approach I am taking). You can tailor this method to exactly what you want to accomplish. You just have to extrapolate up to the test date based on how many test you take per week. For example, if you take 4 per week, and the test date is 8 weeks away, and you have 50 PTs left (30–80), take 8 PTs (30–38) over the next two weeks, then start alternating the remaining 42 PTs (21 PTs, 38–80 evens) over the final 6 weeks. If you need to retest, you have another 6 weeks' worth of that second phase. In this case, you studied heavy for the first test (29 PTs) and made your study for the retake a little lighter (21 PTs). This can be adjusted however.

[carsondalywashere]

Fyi, redoing practice tests is a great learning tool, so don't feel the need to burn through all of them right now