Not sure if I'm ready for the February 2015 LSAT

[mharr]

Hi all,

I really need some advice. I originally wanted to take the 2014 February LSAT but decided not to because I was not ready. I decided to take the February 2015 LSAT but I am second guessing that too. This is really frustrating because I'll have to wait until the 2016 application cycle if I take the exam later next year-and I'm tired of putting law school off.

My target score is a 165+. I started taking timed exams in late October but gave myself 55 minutes per section. My goal was to decrease my time by five minutes every two weeks until I reached 35 minutes per section.

I was going over the 55 minute limit in all of the sections except games. My first three pt scores were horrible (low 150s. An average of a 165 after blind review). So I decided to forget about timing and take pts so that I could learn the test better. My pt scores improved dramatically-165s and a 163 (with high 160s after blind review).

I definitely need to work on my weaknesses which are strengthen, weaken, some flaw and some principle questions. I also need to start taking timed pts.

I have a strict study schedule prepared which leads up to the 2015 February exam. I'm just not sure if I should plan to take the exam in February or not. I just finished pt #58 and will take all the pts up to #72. But I am concerned that I might exhaust all of the pts if I focus on taking the February exam and end up not being ready.

Does anyone have some advice? Thank you for taking the time to read this. I apologize for any grammatical, structural errors, etc. I am using my smart phone to type this topic.

[tommywallach]

First thing's first. That plan was a terrible one. You should NEVER give yourself more time to do questions than you actually have. This is a common mistake with people who study. They think that they can "learn" to do questions (in however long it takes them) and then "learn" to speed up. But that's not how it goes. Your practicing always needs to involve doing EVERY SINGLE question in a reasonable amount of time. Anything else is irrelevant.

So stop that first of all. From now on, everything is done timed. That includes every single question you do outside of actual practice tests.

Beyond that, there's no hard and fast rule for how long it takes to see a certain amount of improvement. It depends on numerous factors, from how long you have to study every day, to whether you're willing to make significant changes to your methodology, to how long it takes those changes to happen.

Two other quick things:

1) Practice tests are great for practice, but all learning happens in review. Make sure you're taking at least twice as long reviewing as you are taking. (You're probably already doing this, given that you're here on the forums!).

2) Don't worry too much about weaknesses within logical reasoning. Difficult questions can be asked as ANY question type, so it's okay to just work on everything.

Good luck!

-t

[mharr]

Thank you very much for the quick response, TommyW. I really appreciate it!

I am going to take your advice but I am concerned about following it (to be honest). I choke during timed sections...so should I just get used to seeing scores in the low 150s for awhile?

It usually takes close to 20 hours for me to review an exam and I find the reviews very helpful.

Do you have any more advice to give? I will do the sections under timed conditions and will continue to do blind review.

[wilburngbrandon]

You can take advice from some Sat prep center. They suggest you much better. https://plus.google.com/115930597376423933738

[tommywallach]

I'm leaving that last post up there as an example of where NOT to study. Sigh. "They suggest you much better"? That's not even grammatically correct...

Anyway, yes, don't worry too much about your score at this juncture. You need to get used to doing the work you need to do in the time allotted, even if it means you get questions wrong. It's great that you're reviewing so deeply. Improvement will come, and speed will come as you get used to the idea of how long you actually have to do questions.

Good luck!

-t