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Did you track your progress across practice tests? Did you need 70 tests to reach 178 performance?

by gowld 1y ago

lyrrad 1y ago
I think 70 tests is overkill. As long as you are able to analyze and learn from your mistakes, you should be able to improve doing a fraction of the tests. My experience was from almost two decades ago and is atypical. I had decided to write it only just a month before the LSAT, and so I started prior tests only four weeks before the test date. In that time, I did 27 official practice tests. I also read a couple books and tried two unofficial tests. I tracked my results in a spreadsheet and had a marginal improvement from 173.4 to 176 for the first five and last five tests. But, essentially all improvement happened after just ten tests. In all practice tests, I did best in logic games, answering 98.1% correct, compared with 93.5% for logical reasoning and 91.4% for reading comprehension. I was somewhat lucky and got 97/99 on the actual test, enough for a 180 that time (2 incorrect in logical reasoning). I had only got that twice in the practice tests with an expectation between 174 and 180 with a median of 176. After each test I analyzed every incorrect answer as well as the ones I was less sure about. There were online forums where I could ask about, or see other people's analysis of the problem questions. I think a strategy aimed understanding wrong answers in your weakest area can be a more efficient use of preparation time.
- giantg2 1y ago
  "I think a strategy aimed understanding wrong answers in your weakest area can be a more efficient use of preparation time." This is how I study. I don't need to review my strong areas, I need to learn the weak ones. I can cruise through tech certs very quickly this way. People are always surprised when I can learn earn a cert after studying only 2-10 hours for it.
almostgotcaught 1y ago
Not with intent - I remember that I was excited the first time I got a 180 (maybe half-way through?) but I didn't stop at that point. Each test only took about two hours (I didn't practice the essay section because it was well-known it didn't matter) so it wasn't such a huge investment to do them all. Including the practice book it took me about 2 months of 1-2 practice tests a day.

Did you track your progress across practice tests? Did you need 70 tests to reach 178 performance?

by gowld 1y ago

Did you track your progress across practice tests? Did you need 70 tests to reach 178 performance?

I think 70 tests is overkill. As long as you are able to analyze and learn from your mistakes, you should be able to improve doing a fraction of the tests. My experience was from almost two decades ago and is atypical. I had decided to write it only just a month before the LSAT, and so I started prior tests only four weeks before the test date. In that time, I did 27 official practice tests. I also read a couple books and tried two unofficial tests. I tracked my results in a spreadsheet and had a marginal improvement from 173.4 to 176 for the first five and last five tests. But, essentially all improvement happened after just ten tests. In all practice tests, I did best in logic games, answering 98.1% correct, compared with 93.5% for logical reasoning and 91.4% for reading comprehension. I was somewhat lucky and got 97/99 on the actual test, enough for a 180 that time (2 incorrect in logical reasoning). I had only got that twice in the practice tests with an expectation between 174 and 180 with a median of 176. After each test I analyzed every incorrect answer as well as the ones I was less sure about. There were online forums where I could ask about, or see other people's analysis of the problem questions. I think a strategy aimed understanding wrong answers in your weakest area can be a more efficient use of preparation time.

giantg2 1y ago
"I think a strategy aimed understanding wrong answers in your weakest area can be a more efficient use of preparation time." This is how I study. I don't need to review my strong areas, I need to learn the weak ones. I can cruise through tech certs very quickly this way. People are always surprised when I can learn earn a cert after studying only 2-10 hours for it.

almostgotcaught 1y ago

Not with intent - I remember that I was excited the first time I got a 180 (maybe half-way through?) but I didn't stop at that point. Each test only took about two hours (I didn't practice the essay section because it was well-known it didn't matter) so it wasn't such a huge investment to do them all. Including the practice book it took me about 2 months of 1-2 practice tests a day.