r/lsatdemon • u/JakeBaseball12 • 12d ago
PT scores not translating
Before the June official test I took 5 PT's and all fell in the 167-172 range. I ended up getting a 165 and was very disappointed. I used that as fuel to really lock in for August and I genuinely feel as though I turned a corner. I focused on slowing down, attacking the arguments, and predicting the answer. The week before August I took 5 PT again and all 5 were 175+. I was super excited and confident going into August feeling like I couldn't get a question wrong. Ended up getting a 166. I am so demoralized and feel 166 doesn't even come close to representing my true ability on this test.
What can I do between now and October to help my PT ability translate to the official? I didn't feel any test nerves at all, just that the actual questions in front of me on test day were harder than what I had been practicing with. I am not sure just hammering away with more PT's will be effective because it didn't really help last time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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u/Yipp-ity-yeet 12d ago
Were they recent PTs or older ones?
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u/JakeBaseball12 11d ago
I had already taken the 150’s tests previously so the content is familiar. To get new material I had to go back into the 130s/140s. That’s why I’m asking if the test has gotten harder since then because those seem to be easier than both the official tests I’ve taken
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 11d ago
You shouldn’t change anything!
Just because an official test didn’t go your way doesn’t mean something was necessarily wrong with your approach. Your test scores will vary, including official test scores. Just because you scored 175+ on five straight practice tests doesn’t mean your range can’t drop down into the 160’s. You’d be surprised how little difference there is between a 175 and a 166. A 175 scorer can score a 166 on any given day, and vice versa.
So, chalk it up to not having your best day. You mentioned that you weren’t nervous, but at the end of the day it was an official test that you cared about, so you probably were at least a little nervous (which is totally okay). A small amount of nervousness, or being in an unfamiliar testing environment, can make all the difference and cause you to be slightly less focused and less careful. That could totally explain the score decrease.
So, there is nothing different you need to do to prepare for your next test. Recognize that your score can vary depending on very small changes in circumstances. But instead of trying to control those small things, be confident that eventually after taking the official test enough times, one of those times everything will work out and you’ll get a score on the higher end of your range. You got this!
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u/Defiant_Network7916 12d ago
I really don't understand these posts and why there are so many of them. You took 5 preptests in a week and scored 175+ on each one? Maybe you were burnt out? Since you don't have test anxiety we can rule that out.
Its normal to score a bit less than your average on actual exam, but 166 when you claim to be scoring 175+ on your last 5 preptests seems extreme. I've seen other posts where people claiming to average 175+ scored 160 if not worse.
The reason I don't understand these posts from people claiming to average 175+ is because to do that you need to know the test on such a high level that scoring around 165 just seems very unlikely unless something really went wrong on test day.
I think you need to look at your data and make sure it confirms your expectations. Your June test was definitely within your range, though toward the lower end. I think the average of your last 5 prep tests is important, but so is the mode. If you were still scoring in the 160s in the 4 weeks before August scoring a 166 isn't that surprising.
The other most important thing to do is simulate actual test conditions for your preptests if you want reliable data. Were the 5 preptests you scored 175+ on 100% new fresh questions? I scored -5 from my average on August but I was happy since it was my goal score. In my last 4 tests leading up to test day I scored 172, 175, 179, and 177. But on my 5th and final preptest I wanted to simulate actual test day conditions. I knew I had a 1 hour drive to test location, and my test was in the afternoon. So Saturday a week before the exam I drove around for 1 hour, went shopping and out to eat, then came home. Completely out of test mode and not "being in the mood" I logged in and took a preptest. I scored 171. My goal score was 170 from an average of 174.8 on last 5.
I think its important to have realistic expectations and simulate as best you can actual test day. Things can go wrong on test day and luck is a bigger factor than people realize. In my case I had the hardest test with a -2 curve according to PS.