MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!! Forum

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Legallyellen

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MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Legallyellen » Fri Mar 30, 2018 11:03 pm

So, I took a really cold diagnostic test (timed) last week and got a disappointing score of 144. (This is from the Sample 2007 June LSAT online) so for the first section (LG), I got 12 out of 23 correct, the second and third (LR?) I got 9/25 and 10/25 correct sadly, and for the RC (the last one) I got 17 correct out of 27. I am planning to study intensely for four months(May-August) and take a course in the middle of the summer to help supplement that. Will I be okay? I want to at LEAST be 165+ and my goal is 170 :'(

sparkytrainer

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by sparkytrainer » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:45 am

I had a diagnostic in the low 140s and got a real score of high 170s on my third try. It took me a full year. You need to realize that studying for the lsat can be a long process. It might take you a full year or more to master it. So don't pressure yourself that next cycle MUST be the cycle. Just study hard and keep working at it.

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by zil020511 » Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:56 pm

sparkytrainer wrote:I had a diagnostic in the low 140s and got a real score of high 170s on my third try. It took me a full year. You need to realize that studying for the lsat can be a long process. It might take you a full year or more to master it. So don't pressure yourself that next cycle MUST be the cycle. Just study hard and keep working at it.
Hey how did you increase your score like this? I started in I40s and now I am in high 150s. Did you use a course? Any advice? When did you start to see increases after pting?

sparkytrainer

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by sparkytrainer » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:10 pm

zil020511 wrote:
sparkytrainer wrote:I had a diagnostic in the low 140s and got a real score of high 170s on my third try. It took me a full year. You need to realize that studying for the lsat can be a long process. It might take you a full year or more to master it. So don't pressure yourself that next cycle MUST be the cycle. Just study hard and keep working at it.
Hey how did you increase your score like this? I started in I40s and now I am in high 150s. Did you use a course? Any advice? When did you start to see increases after pting?
I took each lsat 1-70 multiple times under as real as possible testing conditions. I took over 200 lsats over a period of a year.

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perfunctory

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by perfunctory » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:35 pm

If you're at the 140s, you need to learn the fundamental rules. If you have good self-discipline, you can do it on your own through study aids. If not, a course will give you structure and "force" you to learn. There are different study methods for score ranges: if you are at the 165+ level you need to be much more sharp than when you are in the 150s. That means analyzing the difficult questions you got wrong as well as analyzing your own thought processes.

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BeeTeeZ

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by BeeTeeZ » Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:22 pm

In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.

Legallyellen

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Legallyellen » Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:31 pm

BeeTeeZ wrote:In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.


Could you tell me what your study plans are? I know I'm going to sacrifice my summer to devote my time and energy to the LSATS but I would love some tips on how to EFFECTIVELY and EFFICIENTLY use my time and knowledge to fully maximize my score!

Baylor28

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Baylor28 » Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:37 am

BeeTeeZ wrote:In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.

How..?!?!?!?! I want to take June and I am ready to do literally whatever you did because I don't work and have no obligations, and if I see an increase but think I can get better, I'll even skip out on June and take July.

I'm constantly getting a 151 and my uGPA is a 3.4. I need a 165+ score to really get into any of the Top 25 schools, which is where I'd like to go.

I get about 18/23 LG, 28/50 LR, 10/27 RC (I get one passage almost fully correct then get through the second and third very poorly and guess on the last one).
I'm a slow reader so it really doesn't help with RC and screws me when I try to read quicker on LR.
I want to get a 160 and I feel it's a stretch because of my numbers on LR and RC.
I think It's best if i master LG (get -1/-0), and get about 40/50 right on LR, getting me about 60 total credited responses, roughly getting me a 153.
And If I get those 10 consistently like i have been for RC, that'll get me 70 credited, putting me roughly at a 158.
I'm confident I can get good at the games to do that, but what the hell do i do about LR and RC? I had a tutor for a little bit and the tutor said, "You get it. You're explaining it to me exactly right. I just don't know why you can't do that on paper."
Is it test anxiety?

I've taken BluePrint in person classes, Powerscore Online (during Hurricane Harvey so there was no point).
What do I do?

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BeeTeeZ

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by BeeTeeZ » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:34 am

Baylor28 wrote:
BeeTeeZ wrote:In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.

How..?!?!?!?! I want to take June and I am ready to do literally whatever you did because I don't work and have no obligations, and if I see an increase but think I can get better, I'll even skip out on June and take July.

I'm constantly getting a 151 and my uGPA is a 3.4. I need a 165+ score to really get into any of the Top 25 schools, which is where I'd like to go.

I get about 18/23 LG, 28/50 LR, 10/27 RC (I get one passage almost fully correct then get through the second and third very poorly and guess on the last one).
I'm a slow reader so it really doesn't help with RC and screws me when I try to read quicker on LR.
I want to get a 160 and I feel it's a stretch because of my numbers on LR and RC.
I think It's best if i master LG (get -1/-0), and get about 40/50 right on LR, getting me about 60 total credited responses, roughly getting me a 153.
And If I get those 10 consistently like i have been for RC, that'll get me 70 credited, putting me roughly at a 158.
I'm confident I can get good at the games to do that, but what the hell do i do about LR and RC? I had a tutor for a little bit and the tutor said, "You get it. You're explaining it to me exactly right. I just don't know why you can't do that on paper."
Is it test anxiety?

I've taken BluePrint in person classes, Powerscore Online (during Hurricane Harvey so there was no point).
What do I do?
What I did, and what I suggest you do, if you haven't already, is to focus on accuracy over speed for now. Take a practice test completely untimed, not moving on to the next answer until you are confident that the answer you chose is correct, and that each of the other answers are incorrect. For me, at least initially, it took me hours to complete a single section (~25 questions). That is ok. After you finish, review the correct answers, and take as long as needed to see exactly why the answer you chose was incorrect, and why the correct answer was correct.

The big thing I would stress is not to worry about how many practice tests you are going through, but to really try to master each question one at a time. For me, eventually I got to the point (and you can too) where I could consistently score a 178+ untimed. That is when I started to work on my speed. Think about it, if you are not able to score near perfect score untimed, it means you still need work on your reasoning skills. Forcing yourself to work quicker won't help you improve those reasoning skills at all, and may actually hinder your progress.

Once you have mastered the lsat with unlimited time, you would be amazed how quickly you can improve your speed. Seriously, if it takes you 4 hours to answer a single reading comprehension passage (~7 questions), that is fine. Spend as much time as you need to feel confident in your answer, and be able to articulate why you chose each answer, and why you didn't choose each answer that you didn't. Then if you get an answer wrong you have something to build upon. If you answered a question incorrectly under timed conditions, you may not know why you chose the answer you did, and therefore have no idea how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Another thing, once you get to the point of taking timed practice exams: always grade them "blindly". This means going over the exam without the answer sheet, and taking the exam again under untimed conditions, basically double-checking your work. Don't erase your original answer, and mark any new answer you think makes more sense upon a second look. After working your way through the entire exam again, then grade it with the answer sheet. That will help you make the most of your time, helping you see where you are making mistakes due to time crunch (assuming you find mistakes during your "blind grading").

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BeeTeeZ

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by BeeTeeZ » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:16 am

Baylor28 wrote:
BeeTeeZ wrote:In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.

How..?!?!?!?! I want to take June and I am ready to do literally whatever you did because I don't work and have no obligations, and if I see an increase but think I can get better, I'll even skip out on June and take July.

I'm constantly getting a 151 and my uGPA is a 3.4. I need a 165+ score to really get into any of the Top 25 schools, which is where I'd like to go.

I get about 18/23 LG, 28/50 LR, 10/27 RC (I get one passage almost fully correct then get through the second and third very poorly and guess on the last one).
I'm a slow reader so it really doesn't help with RC and screws me when I try to read quicker on LR.
I want to get a 160 and I feel it's a stretch because of my numbers on LR and RC.
I think It's best if i master LG (get -1/-0), and get about 40/50 right on LR, getting me about 60 total credited responses, roughly getting me a 153.
And If I get those 10 consistently like i have been for RC, that'll get me 70 credited, putting me roughly at a 158.
I'm confident I can get good at the games to do that, but what the hell do i do about LR and RC? I had a tutor for a little bit and the tutor said, "You get it. You're explaining it to me exactly right. I just don't know why you can't do that on paper."
Is it test anxiety?

I've taken BluePrint in person classes, Powerscore Online (during Hurricane Harvey so there was no point).
What do I do?
I have submitted two substantial, in-depth posts fully addressing your concerns, and for some reason the admins never published them. Not sure why. Now that every post requires admin "approval," who knows how many posts go unpublished. I would keep trying to post, but the fact that it happened twice leads me to believe they are not publishing it on purpose.

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by The_TLS_Shill » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:42 pm

sparkytrainer wrote:
zil020511 wrote:
sparkytrainer wrote:I had a diagnostic in the low 140s and got a real score of high 170s on my third try. It took me a full year. You need to realize that studying for the lsat can be a long process. It might take you a full year or more to master it. So don't pressure yourself that next cycle MUST be the cycle. Just study hard and keep working at it.
Hey how did you increase your score like this? I started in I40s and now I am in high 150s. Did you use a course? Any advice? When did you start to see increases after pting?
I took each lsat 1-70 multiple times under as real as possible testing conditions. I took over 200 lsats over a period of a year.

pretty much the same story with me. You gotta be obsessive. It got so bad that I felt like every conversation I had I would say something like: "There is actually an LSAT question about that."

Baylor28

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Baylor28 » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:02 pm

BeeTeeZ wrote:
Baylor28 wrote:
BeeTeeZ wrote:In 8 weeks I increased my score from 140s to 170s. 4 months is plenty of time if you use it wisely.

How..?!?!?!?! I want to take June and I am ready to do literally whatever you did because I don't work and have no obligations, and if I see an increase but think I can get better, I'll even skip out on June and take July.

I'm constantly getting a 151 and my uGPA is a 3.4. I need a 165+ score to really get into any of the Top 25 schools, which is where I'd like to go.

I get about 18/23 LG, 28/50 LR, 10/27 RC (I get one passage almost fully correct then get through the second and third very poorly and guess on the last one).
I'm a slow reader so it really doesn't help with RC and screws me when I try to read quicker on LR.
I want to get a 160 and I feel it's a stretch because of my numbers on LR and RC.
I think It's best if i master LG (get -1/-0), and get about 40/50 right on LR, getting me about 60 total credited responses, roughly getting me a 153.
And If I get those 10 consistently like i have been for RC, that'll get me 70 credited, putting me roughly at a 158.
I'm confident I can get good at the games to do that, but what the hell do i do about LR and RC? I had a tutor for a little bit and the tutor said, "You get it. You're explaining it to me exactly right. I just don't know why you can't do that on paper."
Is it test anxiety?

I've taken BluePrint in person classes, Powerscore Online (during Hurricane Harvey so there was no point).
What do I do?
I have submitted two substantial, in-depth posts fully addressing your concerns, and for some reason the admins never published them. Not sure why. Now that every post requires admin "approval," who knows how many posts go unpublished. I would keep trying to post, but the fact that it happened twice leads me to believe they are not publishing it on purpose.


Is there a way to private message?

Legallyellen

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Legallyellen » Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:48 am

Im still having a lot of trouble i took a second practice test and i only went up 3 points and im taking a powerscore course right now and i think im studying a lot per week but i dont know i dont think my 147 is ever going to be a 170... im just really upset and feeling super lost

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totesTheGoat

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by totesTheGoat » Tue Jun 19, 2018 5:06 pm

Where are you losing your points? There are tricks to each section, and you should focus on each one separately. You should also plan on doing the heck out of logic games until you understand the different types of logic games and how to attack them. Usually, people scoring low to start out are absolutely killed by the logic games, but if they can flip it into a strength, their score increases immensely.

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Re: MY PLAN - TAKING LSAT IN SEPTEMBER but MY COLD SCORE is 144?!!!

Post by Synapse2018 » Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:55 am

IMO, a 144 means no familiarity with the type of questions on the LSAT. You should be able to see a Huge jump by taking some online courses. For something free that has a good structure to it, I recommend the insight lsat course on YouTube. What I like about it is the hw questions are grouped by question type. What that let me do is spend more time focusing on and refining The type of questions that I had trouble with.

I plan to take the test in November however if my score is not high enough by then I will put it off till June. Like others have said if you have high goals, You need to allow yourself time to Master the language and skills required to score in the 170s. That only comes with hundreds of hours of prep.

I sort of feel like that’s the point of the LSAT. I don’t think anyone can score superbly high without preparation, but I also think it’s a test that anyone can master if they put enough time into it. So, maybe the test is not so much about the skills you need in law school but more so how committed and dedicated you are to achieving the score you want. I think in many ways that opens a lot of doors For students who would otherwise not get a chance to be admitted into a top program. The test can make up for your entire undergraduate record, but if you have a 3.5 or 3.6 and a 172 LSAT, you have a lot more opportunities Then you would with a 165. And I think that true up and down your GPA scale.

I just started studying and I have five months to go until my exam but I’m keeping the option Open to reschedule for next June to guarantee I can score as high as I want the first time around which I think is important

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