Re: Does studying even help!?!?

[nathanielmark]

i have mixed results also.  i think overall i have improved by a few points.  but i have enough practice with games now that if i am capable of making the major inference on most games i can knock them out quickly.  this usually means i can dispense with 2 games (usually) relatively easily and struggle thru a 3rd.  this is better then struggling thru all of them the way i used to.

i can also ace older games sections, which was not the case before.  so obviously i am learning, but LSAC is very adept at making games that have new twists and can still throw me off.  i would also say i have improved timing and gotten more aware of my own potential mistakes. 

but yeah, the results can sometimes seem subtle.  my first practice test was a 168 (after i did LG Bible though), my last one was a 169, but i think you have to look at the improvement in your score range, rather then one particular test.

[shadowcreeper]

I agree that studying helps, even if it does not appear to be working. The more you study the more familiar you are with the content, and that can only help.

I know looking at a range of scores can be discouraging… trust me … I know this all too well… but it gives me hope to know that I can score in that range and it makes me a little more confident than I would have been without taking so many practice tests. Sometimes I feel like I put all of this effort in and it rides on one day, but at least I know that I studied and gave it my all, as opposed to going in without any studying and trying to pull it off. (I know this does not work, I tried it… took the test on a whim… did ok, but not high enough to put me where I want to be).

So yes, I think studying helps, even if there is no definitive progress in that your score jumps the same amount every time you take it. God only knows I would love to see just a little bit of consistency in my scores.

~K

[nathanielmark]

the lack of consistency is what irritates me the most.  its also a major flaw in the design of the test (IMO).  people should be scoring in a tight range most of the time.

I agree that studying helps, even if it does not appear to be working. The more you study the more familiar you are with the content, and that can only help.

I know looking at a range of scores can be discouraging… trust me … I know this all too well… but it gives me hope to know that I can score in that range and it makes me a little more confident than I would have been without taking so many practice tests. Sometimes I feel like I put all of this effort in and it rides on one day, but at least I know that I studied and gave it my all, as opposed to going in without any studying and trying to pull it off. (I know this does not work, I tried it… took the test on a whim… did ok, but not high enough to put me where I want to be).

So yes, I think studying helps, even if there is no definitive progress in that your score jumps the same amount every time you take it. God only knows I would love to see just a little bit of consistency in my scores.

~K

[pross1492]

i think studying has just increased my range.  after all this, the only benefit is that i CAN score 10 points higher than when i started.  unfortunatley, i dont think that means i will.  i think i could just as easily have a bad day and score horribly.  in just the past four days, on practice tests, i have hit my highest score and my second lowest score (a range of ten points).  so...i'm a little baffled.  i guess the payoff from prepping is the potenial to do well. 

[Bruner]

I am convinced that studying only gives a person the chance to succeed.  The test is developed to keep people out of laws school, therfore it is very easy for an average intellectual to slip up on the test.  If you are like me it is going to be hit or miss.  I am anywhere from 169 to 154.  I have just accepted the fact that a test like this, for me, can't be completely mastered.  I could be attending a school in any tier.  But this is why tier 4 schools exist.  The test does not accurately reflect how a person will do in law school.  Just except the fact that if you get the lower end score in your range, it does not accurately reflect your abilities as a lawyer.  Accepting this before the test will allow you to "drop the mental anguish", and most likely you will perform to your maximum ability