Great Advice on How to get 160+ on the LSAT... Forum

[hannnahbb]

can some high scorers bring this thread back to life please?

[Tiago Splitter]

1) What score did you get?

166,178

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

Kaplan 180 LSAT the first time

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

Testmasters full length the second time

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I was several years out of undergrad when I decided to take the LSAT. First time I just looked at that Kaplan 180 LSAT book and did the problems out of it over about a two month stretch. Second time around I took the TM class which was four hours after work Monday and Wednesday, and I put in additional time after work on Tuesday and Thursday plus weekend work. I fucked around the first month and got the same score on my second TM diag as I had on the first, but I really kicked it into gear and spent more time during/after work drilling questions while PTing on the weekends over the final month.

5) How many preptests did you do?

About 15.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I was improving right up to the time I took the LSAT for the second time, and I ended up scoring higher on the real thing than I ever had on a PT. I feel like if I had a few more weeks to keep taking PTs I could have gotten a few 180s. Also, if you sign up for a class plan to put in as much time outside of class as you do in it, starting from day one.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

You absolutely need to be able to ace logic games. There's no excuse for taking the test when you're consistently missing questions in that section. Also, on test day be confident (you should have been kicking ass on PTs leading up to the test) and you should draw additional confidence from the hilarious comments you'll hear from the other people in the testing center.

[LexLeon]

[I will come back and provide better answers later on. This thread helped me a lot; read it all!]

1) What score did you get?

~170

(I scored 154 on an initial test, Test 36, for which I only studied about two hours from a book that did not use official questions. 177 was the highest I ever scored on a timed practice test, Test 64, which I had not seen ex ante.)

2) What books did you use?

LSAC SuperPrep;

Kaplan and Powerscore course books, i.e., books that are available through purchase of a prep. course and cannot be purchased in a store (I bought them on eBay);

Powerscore LR and LG "bibles" (the content of which is actually dispersed throughout the course books);

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

I took a Kaplan course, which I would not have taken if substantial financial aid were not offered; I think it is called "Advantage" and it met in two three-hour sessions weekly for more than a month.

I'm sure that it helped; but I can safely say that the majority of my gains came from my own studying, with the above materials, prior to taking the course.

Determining whether one should take a course is tricky. I believe that, if paying for it would not decrease quality of life or inhibit the fulfillment of preexisting obligations, a course would be worth it if it led to even a one point improvement, which otherwise would not have obtained. I think a course should be a last resort, after one has studied for the better part of a year and is certain he would like to take the LSAT, yet has not yet seen the desired gains.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I studied for at least a year, at times more intensely, at other times not at all.

Begin as early as you're reasonably certain that you want to take the test. Three months or less is not enough for the vast majority of people to maximize score.

5) How many preptests did you do?

I took about fifteen tests, five sections each; and sometimes I added a writing sample or an additional multiple choice section. Each of the tests were strictly timed and at least half of them were proctored.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I would maintain greater trust in G-d. I would feel confident that, given my certitude about law school's matching my soul and having done my due diligence, I'd receive the necessary score.

I took the test twice, and did relatively (but not objectively) poorly on my first test. (I did roughly twice as poorly as I had done on any practice test in recent memory.)

I'm going to Harvard next year. Keep faith. G-d provides.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

PreProBono (or 7Sage) was one of the most beneficial entities I encountered in preparation. And, please, take advantage of the free proctored practice tests offered as promotional events by prep. companies.

[shoe_gasm]

bumping.

[ElectricSheep]

Anyone that scored 160+ in the feb 2013 want to share their thoughts here?

[Toby Ziegler]

tag

[LSAT Blog]

If you took the June LSAT, I hope you rocked it, and that you share your story in this thread.

However, if you aren't happy with your score, please share your story here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=207853

[Daily_Double]

1) What score did you get?

172.

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I went through all of the Bibles, then skimmed them again. I also made a study guide/summary of the LRB. I then went through Manhattan's books, then skimmed them again. Eventually I used the BP LG. After Manhattan I used Cambridge LG and LR for PTs 1- 38 and drilled by type. I then moved into timed 5 section PTs using #39 - 68 and Superprep.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

On and off, sometimes more on than others for about seven months. During this time I took 18 hours, or more, worked part time, and went out often.

5) How many preptests did you do?

Depends, I did most of Cambridge, I didn't do all of the RCs through 38, I did do all of the games twice from 1 - 38. When I moved into PTs, I did everything from 39 - 68. When I finished doing PTs, I redid the most recent PTs in various conditions and orders, such as six, seven, or eight section PTs.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I don't think I would have done it any differently.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Don't beat yourself with added pressure. You can only control so much and when something outside of your control interferes with your plan don't try to overcompensate for it. I was scoring between 175 and 180 from the fifties upward. I went into the actual test thinking I was going to get a 180, I was almost cocky. My first section was an RC experimental. It was not easy to say the least. I went into the following sections with the mentality that I HAD to miss 0 questions, and it was unnerving. A better plan might have been to tell myself just to do my best and be happy with that instead of pushing for perfection.

[Sourrudedude]

.

[xylocarp]

The LSAT is a 100-question multiple choice test made up of mostly fun little puzzles with some silly reading passages thrown in. Just have fun with it.

Love this.
Thanks for the advice and congrats on the 180!

[TheMostDangerousLG]

The LSAT is a 100-question multiple choice test made up of mostly fun little puzzles with some silly reading passages thrown in. Just have fun with it.

Love this.
Thanks for the advice and congrats on the 180!

[Pneumonia]

1) What score did you get?
178, PT 69, June 2013.

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I used the PS LGB and LRB and the Manhattan RC guide. I also used the "Ace the LSAT Logic Games" book as a warm up for PT's, which is something that TLS 1776 recommends and that I fully recommend. The games in it are very difficult and fairly dissimilar to actual LSAT LG's, but they will get your mind going without having to waste actual games on warm up.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None prep courses.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

Started thinking about the LSAT in June 2012, which is around when I joined TLS, but didn't start studying for real until January '13. I am a full time student and work 25ish hours a week. I mostly studied at work when possible or during the evenings.

5) How many preptests did you do?

29 full length PT's. I did all of the LG's, some of the Cambridge LR, but I didn't drill RC. I scored a 179 on my 7th-ever PT, and the PT's from that point forward were mostly about eliminating mistakes.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I went -0 RC, -0 LG, and -1/-2 LR. Obviously I'd have liked to pick up an extra Q in LR for the 180, but it's hard to complain about going -0 RC. I feel like I only made 1 actual 'mistake' in LR: the other two questions I missed were both easy- #5 and #9. I was just rushing and missed some negations. This sort of mistake could have been prevented by more thorough LR drilling.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
LG from the 60's is markedly different from 40-50's LG. PT's 50-59 I went -0 LG on every PT, but going into 69 I was averaging -2.5 on LG from the 60's, so I'd recommend at least checking out some of the 60's PT's before getting to close to your admin date.

I'd considered writing a guide, but honestly there are so many macro-level guides on this site that if you follow all of them there's nothing that another guide is going to do for you. Focus on spending time with the tests/questions and don't get tempted into wasting time looking for a "killer method." Instead, take the advice here and incorporate it into your prep while developing your own methods. This thread and this site are a great resource.

[splat232]

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[theothercat]

From February 2013, first attempt.

1) What score did you get?

169

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I used Powerscore LRB and LGB.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I studied for about 3 months, while I was taking 15 credit hours in school and working 20 hours per week.

5) How many preptests did you do?

I took 17 full-length prep tests. I used probably 10 others for drilling purposes.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

When I retake (next October, woohoo!), I will not slack on RC prep like I did the first time. I was like "Oh, I love reading. I comprehend blocks of text all the time. I'll get a perfect score on Reading Comprehension, no problem." Wrong. Terrible mindset. I was pretty consistent -2,-3 on RC up until about 2 weeks before the test, so I was complacent. But then I started randomly missing like 9 or 10 on RC sections. And despite not seeing my score sheet for February reasons, I am 99.9% sure that is what happened on test day. Goddamn jazz and bebop and all that. I knew it as soon as the section was over.

Oh, and I am waiting to study for my retake until I graduate from undergrad and am just working 30 hours per week. I'll keep my nice GPA from slipping at all during my last year of school, and when it's time to study for the LSAT, I'll be far more focused than I was last time. Study fatigue definitely played a role in my inconsistency, and I don't want that to happen again.

(7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Don't take this shit in February. It haunts you.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

Long-time lurker, excited to finally post in this thread (which helped me massively when I first started studying). Hope someone finds this helpful-

1) What score did you get?

179

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I did a thorough review of the powerscore LG and LR bibles when I first began studying, and I revisited them each roughly twice over the next two months (I didn’t look at them at all during the remaining three months of my studying). I found them to be very helpful.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I studied roughly 15 hours per week for 5 months while working full time.

5) How many preptests did you do?

I took 21 full length, timed preptests (with a fifth section added) -- in as close to fully simulated conditions as possible. I completed an additional 21 as drills (most of the time just taking one section by itself, eg. in the evening after work). The experimental sections added up to another 5 sections, for a total of 47 preptests.

I think it’s important to note that I reviewed all of the preptests and individual sections thoroughly.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

Given my score, I can’t say I would change anything. But I was consistently scoring in the 176-180 range after 3 months, so there is a serious chance that I could have done just as well on a 3 month timetable rather than 5 months. I felt that burnout was a serious concern, and during the last two months on many days I felt as if I had already hit my peak and was now wasting time. In retrospect, however, those last two months allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of confidence in my ability to succeed on test day.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

I created and continuously updated spreadsheets with my preptest scores and the hours that I spent studying. This allowed me to stay organized, track my progress, and stay motivated. One of the things I did early on in my studying was to actually plan out exactly when I would take each preptest to ensure that I didn’t run out of material, and also to ensure that I was generally taking the most recent preptests during the last few weeks leading up to the test. I revised the schedule and adjusted it as my studying progressed, but it was nevertheless very helpful.

I also created an ‘avoidable mistakes’ document, in which I listed all of the sloppy errors that cost me points on preptests for reasons other than confusion on a substantive point. These errors included forgetting to bubble in answers at the end of a section or second-guessing myself at the last second. I continually reviewed this document to make sure that I wasn’t continuing to make the same sloppy mistakes over and over.

I found the ‘Simugator’ lsat proctor DVD to be very helpful -- I took every full length test either in a public library or in my apartment with the proctor DVD set to the ‘distractions’ setting. I think this definitely helped my focus on test day.

Have fun and good luck! There's no doubt that the lsat is a learnable test. If you're willing to put in the time, you should be able to see big gains in your score.

A few Questions: 1)For the tests that you used for your timed practice, what practice tests did you use for the experimental sections specifically? Very early editions or did you just randomly choose which ones you'd use for your experimental sections?

2) And I know you said you tried to time yourself under as realistic conditions as possible and that you included a 5th experimental section, but did you also attempt to time yourself for a writing section during each one of those tests as well? And if so, how did you go about doing that since it seems like you did a great deal of full-length timed tests?

3)Just because I'm trying to do as many full length tests as possible. I'm using the streaming version of the DVD, which includes the time for the writing section, but I'm feeling a bit of fatigue as you alluded to in your post. I've just been doing so many of pts that I'm wondering if I'm overdoing it. But then again, you can never have too much practice.

[Thethoughtcounts176]

A few Questions: 1)For the tests that you used for your timed practice, what practice tests did you use for the experimental sections specifically? Very early editions or did you just randomly choose which ones you'd use for your experimental sections?

2) And I know you said you tried to time yourself under as realistic conditions as possible and that you included a 5th experimental section, but did you also attempt to time yourself for a writing section during each one of those tests as well? And if so, how did you go about doing that since it seems like you did a great deal of full-length timed tests?

3)Just because I'm trying to do as many full length tests as possible. I'm using the streaming version of the DVD, which includes the time for the writing section, but I'm feeling a bit of fatigue as you alluded to in your post. I've just been doing so many of pts that I'm wondering if I'm overdoing it. But then again, you can never have too much practice.

No word on this?

Basically I just want to know:

what tests did you use for experimental sections only (new, old, in the middle, a random mix, an even mix of all 3)?

did you include some sort of writing sample practice in some of your full-length test practice under simulated conditions?

Would including the writing section in each practice test you do as a full-length timed test be overdoing it? Would it be better to just practice it with the writing sample a few times and not as many times as possible?

Any useful input for answering these questions would be very much appreciated. Thanks again.

[jaslin25]

Comes with the Kaplan materials, I assumed similar prep guides would provide the same thing. Maybe I was just lucky to have picked Kaplan.

can u tell me more about kaplan books? im confused abt which books to refer

[splat232]

.

[blackbirdfly]

Please share your wisdom, October high scorers!

[bobtheblob916]

1) What score did you get?

175

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

Powerscore LGB - I would recommend this book. It's a great introduction to the section, and fairly comprehensive as well. A few of the diagramming notations are a bit strange, but you can always just draw things that make sense to you. I went through each section and outlined it as I did so - the notes can come in handy, and writing things down is a great way to learn.

Powerscore LRB - Honestly, I wish I had skipped this one. Many of the sections are just not comprehensive enough, and the strategies aren't deep enough. Their assumption section is seriously lacking, I mean they don't even acknowledge the difference between sufficient and necessary question stems(if you don't know the difference either, then you NEED to look it up). Very long and bloated.

Manhattan LR - BUY THIS BUY THIS BUY THIS. I pleateau'd with around a -4/-5 on each LR section in my PTs until I went through this guy. Very deep and full of great strategies. Brought me up to a -2/-1, something I wasn't sure was possible at the time.

Manhattan RC - I'm split on this one. It has some useful basic tips, but the main approach it advocates isn't all that effective, IMO. It recommends identifying the two sides of the argument in the passage, and focusing on their differences. But this is difficult in practice, since there are often more than two sides, or no sides at all. And this approach doesn't really help with many questions. I haven't read any other RC books, though. I developed my strategy from board topics, including Voyager's, and practicing a LOT.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

3 months, almost to the day. Averaged I'm guessing 4-5 hours each day, If I ever felt like I hadn't accomplished enough during my regular studying, I'd put in an extra couple hours. Some days I felt unable to concentrate on studying, so I gave it a day. That always helped.

I started a couple months after graduation, during the summer. I worked during this period, but only about 10 hours a week, so the LSAT was my main focus.

Spent the first month on books and some drilling. Moved to full PTs every few days and lots of drilling as soon as I could. Started timed PTs about halfway through (1 1/2 months in), and I started doing them every other day. In the between days I would drill.

5) How many preptests did you do?

I didn't count, but probably around 30 timed. Make SURE you add an extra fifth section from a different test to simulate the experimental. 5 sections is a much tougher slog than 4.

I bought nearly all the preptests and used sections from most of them. I did almost every RC, because that was my weakness near the end, and picked out hard questions from many LRs.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

Would skip Powerscore LRB and have gotten the LSAT Trainer. I had narrowed LR and LG down to -1/0 by the week before the test, but RC would still fluctuate between -1 and -4. I think my problem was that my strategy wasn't specific enough. I was reading for structure, but I could have been more methodical. Instead I relied on my intuition (in my cocky English major way).

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

1) The key is to think of the LSAT as a performance, not as a set of material to be conquered. Sure, you need to learn the strategies and practice until they're ingrained in your head, but the harsh truth is even 70 timed preptests will not guarantee a high score. Everyone gets nervous on test day, some people more than others, and nothing feels quite like the real LSAT.

I wasn't expecting to be anxious as I was when I opened the October test. The first 10 or so questions went noticeably slower than any PT. But as I kept going I realized that I had done this before, Many times, and I'd done it well too. So hell, I could do it now. And soon I stopped worrying about whether I could or not, and just focused on actually DOING. I got in the zone in that first section and stayed in it whole time, something I couldn't have pulled without all the prep that I did.

The LSAT is a marathon. Stuff goes wrong - one tricky question can hit you like an inflamed ankle and make you panic. You need to learn how to take it step by step and not worry about your score until the race is over.

2) For LR, I would recommend going through the last 10 questions in three sections in a row, once you feel fairly comfortable. These are always the hardest questions, and if you get used to them, you can handle anything on LR. Do those 30 questions in 40 minutes, take a break, and do another 30. Then review.

3) Learn how to meditate. This will help you with studying, on the LSAT, and more importantly, in life in general.

Lie down or sit cross-legged somewhere and close your eyes and breathe comfortably. Then inhale for 1 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, and breath out for 2. Do this a few times and then double those numbers. Breath in for 2, retain for 8, breath out for 4. Follow the 1-4-2 ration. Try to focus on counting and feeling the movement your lungs. Do this for a few minutes, or even longer if you feel like it. Open your eyes.

4) You can reach that target! I plateau'd three times, and each time I went and focused on what was giving me the most trouble. A new strategy or two was always the answer. It will feel like you've reach your limit, but don't trust that feeling - there is no limit.

[mbizzle89]

I've been studying for 4 months now and I've taken 14 practice tests (I've taken 8 the past 3 weeks) and during the past 7 practice tests I've gotten: 156 153 156 158 163 158 155, any idea what's happening? Seems when my focus is a bit off or I'm not pumped/excited to take the exam I do much worse. And the problems I have trouble with seem to be a mixed bag, when I do badly. In the off-days b.w exams I review the problems I missed or work through Manhattan LSAT LR problems or now I started reading the CR PowerScore bible.

Any advice with a month left until the December LSAT on how to get it into the 163-165 range?

Thanks.

[Hotguy]

I've been studying for 4 months now and I've taken 14 practice tests (I've taken 8 the past 3 weeks) and during the past 7 practice tests I've gotten: 156 153 156 158 163 158 155, any idea what's happening? Seems when my focus is a bit off or I'm not pumped/excited to take the exam I do much worse. And the problems I have trouble with seem to be a mixed bag, when I do badly. In the off-days b.w exams I review the problems I missed or work through Manhattan LSAT LR problems or now I started reading the CR PowerScore bible.

Any advice with a month left until the December LSAT on how to get it into the 163-165 range?

Thanks.

U should try making a new topic about this. This isn't what this topic is about. But it looks like u would benefit from drilling.

[fire_ice]

1) What score did you get?
175

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Powerscore, Manhattan, Blueprint LG, Cambridge, 7Sage for LG videos

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
N/A

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I started studying around April while I was still in school. Until July I was unemployed so I studied full time in June. Then I got a job, so I studied only in the evening and during the weekends till Oct.

5) How many preptests did you do?
30+

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I wish I focused on RC earlier, since it is very difficult to improve in a short amount of time.
I think I might have taken too many PTs. My scores did not increase after some point and even went down at one point.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

-I used Powerscore and Manhattan LSAT books to study the concepts. While reading these books, I also made an outline to highlight the essentials. I think this was very helpful when I reviewed later.

-Then I used Cambridge books (1-20) for drilling. I think it is good to drill with these earlier PT questions. If you drill with later PTs, when you take the PT you will kind of remember the questions, and subsequently your PT score will be upwardly biased.

-Instead of taking the tests chronologically, I mixed it up with 40s, 50s, and 60s. For example, my PT sequence was something like 53,63,43,50,60,40,58,68,48 instead of 41,42,43......51,52,53....62,62,63.. This way you don't get freaked out when you take the PT 70 and think that you've been used to the 60s style and find the PT70 style different.

[BPlaura]

I think I might have taken too many PTs. My scores did not increase after some point and even went down at one point.

Quick note to anyone who stumbles across this - fluctuations in PT scores are totally normal and shouldn't freak you out (and don't necessarily mean that you're taking too many PTs, unless you're burned out - see below for more on that). Just to give you an idea, I was PTing steadily at 178, but one of my last practice tests was a 172.

If a drop in score happens to you, try to figure out what caused your score to go down in this instance and then work on whatever that is. If you have several bad practice tests in a row, consider whether you're burned out - you might actually be better served by taking a day or two off from studying and then trying again.

[CocoSunshine]

Can some high scorers in the dec share their wisdom here?