Minimal Progress

[hilarykustoff]

Hi,

So I'm freaking out a lot because I just took my second diagnostic exam and did not improve very much from my first exam - ended up with a 152 and started with a 150. I've been busting my butt since the class started 3 weeks ago and doing all the homework offered and more, so I really thought I would do much better. Is this normal? I heard most people improve drastically at the beginning. I really felt like I was grasping the homework and getting the hang of the LSAT, but I was sadly mistaken. Where do I go from here?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

You just keep working. I can understand why an improvement of only 2 points after 3 weeks of prep is disappointing, but you have to keep going. You also need to identify those parts of the test that did not go well, focus your efforts on one or two things to improve on, so that on your next test you don't simply fall back into test mode and ignore everything you've been studying.

A 152 LSAT score translates to roughly 60 questions answered correctly, or 40 questions answered incorrectly. If your misses are spread out across all 3 sections, start with Logic Games. Take the next 2 weeks and spend 3-4 days/week, 2-4 hours/day just working on LG (this is in addition to the work you're doing in class). LG is for most people the easiest section to improve on.

Identify 15 games or so, from each of the game types you've covered (you can locate them in preferably PrepTests 1-45 so as to keep the recent ones clean for practice exams), and repeat them all twice - not back to back, but over the course of two weeks. Look for patterns across games. If you can't find at least two aspects of any game that are similar to other games, you're not seeing the game in a general sense - which means that next time you encounter the same phenomenon, you won't recognize it either.

Start with that, and let me know how it goes!

[monicaiannacone]

The in post above you said "Identify 15 games or so, from each of the game types you've covered (you can locate them in preferably PrepTests 1-45 so as to keep the recent ones clean for practice exams)"

What's the best way to find and compile these 15 games from PrepTests 1-45? Aside from just randomly searching the PrepTests for game types, then sorting by game types?

Is there a good way to use Manhattan LSAT resources to find Logic Games by type for additional practice?

Thanks!!

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Actually, the identification process is part of the learning assignment. If someone hands you 15 games of the same type, you'll get a benefit, but if you have to identify 15 games, you'll become an expert.

The Logic Games Strategy Guide already has games from PT40-PT50 broken down by game type. That should be the place where you make your first adventure into learning the game types.

But I'd strongly encourage you to go through the process of identifying more of these games from earlier PrepTests located in your student center. If you get stuck and have difficulty with a specific game, I'm happy to help!

[kazuyamishima065]

I recently took PT 50 and I actually scored 2 points lower than my June 2007 LSAT PrepTest (diagnostic). In class and during homework I feel like I'm grasping the concepts but my score shows that I'm missing key concepts!!

[geminy575]

Its okay bro i also face the same problem. Last time my grade got lower because of job. Then i study hard for my exams. Now i passed my exam with good grades.

[mitrakhanom1]

I have a hard time concentrating. What advice do you have for staying focused when studying? I get discouraged when I keep getting answers wrong. What should I do to not procrastinate or give up?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Well Mitra, there's no simple solution. It's about drive. How bad do you want that top score? The more you want it, the more you'll push yourself naturally to keep fighting and to stay focussed.

Make sure to minimize any outside distractions. Turn your phone off - literally turn it off. Don't just put it somewhere out of sight. Work in a place no one is going to interrupt your studies or start up a conversation with you.

Finally, remember the LSAT is an aptitude test. It measures very specific things that are all very learnable. Sure some folks have a higher natural intuition than others and won't need to prepare as much since much of the test comes instinctively. For others, like myself, we have to put in long hours to master all of the rules of logic, pick up all the language cues the test-writer has inserted, learn all of the trap answer patterns utilized by the LSAT and where they apply. But don't despair, when I prepared for the LSAT, I began my journey with an initial practice test score of 143. After putting in 12 weeks of preparation at 40+ hours each week of studying, I pulled my score to a 171 first official LSAT score. It is possible, you just have to put in the work.

[charlotte]

hi,

When you studied for 40 hours a week did that include lunchbreaks an other breaks or was it pure studying during those hours?
Thanks.

[ohthatpatrick]

Hey, Charlotte.

That teacher doesn't work here any more, so he won't be able to answer that for you, but OF COURSE it included breaks.

Do you think he worked for 40 hours straight?

40 hours is an insanely intense amount of studying --- it would be unrealistic to do that much studying on top of a full time job, but I think the poster may have been staying at his parents house during that phase and so he had a lot of bandwidth in his schedule to fill with LSAT.

Ideally, we should take breaks after every 30-45 mins of studying. If we're doing a prep test, that's obviously not realistic, but otherwise try give your brain short windows of time to process/digest what you've done.

If you were going to do 5-6 hours of studying every day, it should be broken up into at least four separate sessions, if possible.