Reasonable Expectations for LSAT Increase + Study Tips Forum

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neeks17

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Reasonable Expectations for LSAT Increase + Study Tips

Post by neeks17 » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:12 pm

Hi all,

New here, this is my first post, hello!

I wanted to get some opinions on what a reasonable score increase would be for 3 months of studying given my diagnostic, which I just took today. While I understand everyone is different, I'd just like to get a few opinions and maybe some anecdotes to give me a sense of what to expect.

I've done very limited prep for the lsat, so it is not a "cold diagnostic", but I've probably read about 1/4 of the logic games bible, that's it.

I took lsat preptest 15, went -3 on both LRs and -4 on RC. I only managed to get 12 right in the LG section, so -12 (I know very discouraging)

So, with no prep on LR or RC, and very limited prep on LG, I managed a 161.

From your experience, what is a reasonable result to aim for? Will my studying be made easier because of the heavy concentration of wrong answers in LG, or will my life be harder? What should I focus on, hammering down RC and LR even further or just LG?

I have 3 months coming up where my work life will be very light, making it possible for me to study probably around 3 hours a day on weekdays and more on weekends. Any advice for how to use that time would be appreciated.

Thanks!

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Pipp

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Re: Reasonable Expectations for LSAT Increase + Study Tips

Post by Pipp » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:21 pm

neeks17 wrote:Hi all,

New here, this is my first post, hello!

I wanted to get some opinions on what a reasonable score increase would be for 3 months of studying given my diagnostic, which I just took today. While I understand everyone is different, I'd just like to get a few opinions and maybe some anecdotes to give me a sense of what to expect.

I've done very limited prep for the lsat, so it is not a "cold diagnostic", but I've probably read about 1/4 of the logic games bible, that's it.

I took lsat preptest 15, went -3 on both LRs and -4 on RC. I only managed to get 12 right in the LG section, so -12 (I know very discouraging)

So, with no prep on LR or RC, and very limited prep on LG, I managed a 161.

From your experience, what is a reasonable result to aim for? Will my studying be made easier because of the heavy concentration of wrong answers in LG, or will my life be harder? What should I focus on, hammering down RC and LR even further or just LG?

I have 3 months coming up where my work life will be very light, making it possible for me to study probably around 3 hours a day on weekdays and more on weekends. Any advice for how to use that time would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Diagnostics to PT to test day performance will always vary from test taker to test taker. I raised my 144 to a 164 in 3 months and I was PTing in the low 170s—and other test takers will vary. With that being said, shoot for a 180 always! Also, LG is the quickest to learn so I say focus on that first and then work your way through the other sections. Perfect score on LG would put you at a -10 which is 170+ category for the majority of tests so I would definitely recommend to focus on LG!

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Barack O'Drama

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Re: Reasonable Expectations for LSAT Increase + Study Tips

Post by Barack O'Drama » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:32 pm

Great diagnostic!

I'd say you can easily hit 165+ with conscientious studying. A 170+ is also very possible since you're missing a disproportionate amount on games.

Check out 7Sage and consider signing up for a starter course ($179) It helped me raise my score quite a bit, especially with games. Also, they have every game explanation for free: https://7sage.com/logic-game-explanations/
Last edited by Barack O'Drama on Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:26 pm, edited 3 times in total.

bluetape17

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Re: Reasonable Expectations for LSAT Increase + Study Tips

Post by bluetape17 » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:14 pm

Everyone is different. My diagnostic was a 160 and a scored a 167 on the actual exam, which I consistently scored on my PTs before the actual test date. I've seen others here say they did worse on their actual test vs. PTs, and occasionally, people who did far better.

You need to establish what forms of studying work for you. Some people get a lot out of the study books, but most are better off focusing mainly on the practice tests. Depending on you, some combination of both may be ideal. You'll also need to see if you do consistently poorly or consistently well on certain sections of the exam. Obviously, don't completely stop practicing any section just because you do well on it, but shifting your focus will be beneficial.

Having said that, it's probably a good thing that you did the worst on the logic games. Pretty much no one does well on those at first; they take practice, as well as ironing out your methodology on the questions and your approach to the section as a whole. You will hear many people say that anyone can go -0 on LG with enough practice. I did -2 on my actual test after a -12 on my diagnostic. Efficient diagrams and a lot of practice are critical for this section.

Remember to take full practice tests using the same time constraints as the real thing.

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