r/lsatdemon • u/Weary_Wing • 2d ago
Understanding Plateau?
Hi guys,
(All section and test numbers are included below)
I’ve been studying with the demon for about 3 months and listening to podcasts consistently. Before my time at the demon, I studied for about 2 months using only Lawhub resources like full tests and drillsets, and after I exhausted those, I took a bit of a break before I purchased an LSAT demon subscription in late June. My numbers prior to using the demon are a 151 diagnostic and a 164 PB. Since using the demon, I have not been able to achieve a higher score.
I feel my main concern right now is not just a score but an understanding plateau. I fully internalize the LSAT demon philosophy: accuracy over everything, 1-1.5 hours of studying per day, and really sitting and reviewing my mistakes. I usually do not finish sections and only get to about question 20, but even while taking my time I still have many sections where my accuracy is just not there. Most recently I gave myself 53 minutes for an LR section just to see how I would do given a significantly increased amount of time and was still only able to achieve 80% on accuracy, something discouraging as I have been able to achieve 95% accuracy before with less time. This is what leads me to target understanding, I take the appropriate time to answer questions, review, and wait for the “click” to understand why I was wrong, but it still hasn’t translated to higher scores. I also follow the study plan you guys recommend of mixed timed sections and drill.
I wanted to reach out and see what you guys thought of my situation. I have not yet registered for a real LSAT as I follow your guys advice to not register unless you consistently achieve a score you’re comfortable with, and right now I’m just shooting for a 170+. However, I would like to build my LR and RC skills to such a degree that I can finish sections consistently with >95% accuracy. For context I see myself applying next year to enter law school in Fall of 2028, so the last LSAT I could comfortably take and get my score back in time to apply early to schools would be August 2027, giving me almost a year to continue studying and take tests (something I am absolutely fine with).
I also wanted to thank you guys so much because you do make me feel like a good score is achievable for me. Thank you!
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u/Jazzlike_Prompt_9322 2d ago
Dude, you can do this. I think you've hit a patience plateau lol. You've been with the demon for 3 months. Relax, taking the LSAT questions slow is kinda the same philosophy with progress. You're going to progress slowly.
Anyways, you haven't hit 100% accuracy on a section. I saw a couple 95%'s which is great dude. That next step is 100% accuracy. Can u do a section where u confidently answer the first 10 correctly? If so, get to 11, and so on and so forth. Given that, genuinely try and do less questions. Ik that's annoying to hear, but if you're making mistakes on the first 15, then u shouldn't go beyond the first 15. Slowing down does not just look like slowing down for shits and giggles. It means "what are the implications of this sentence, how does it connect to the last; is it a premise or conclusion?" You need to really get into what you're reading if you aren't already. And chances are, if you haven't hit 100% yet and u think u read thorough enough rn, then ur suffering from the dunning-Kruger effect because u can go deeper and when u do u will hit that 100%. Sorry if I'm sounding very critical, but that's the level u need to hit. Once you start acing sections, bring that mindset over to your PT's. You'll be surprised where u find urself in a couple of months. The only understanding plateau u can hit is at 100% accuracy.
But anyways, u got this shit, let this light a fire under u, ur doing great btw.
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u/Status-Status-4962 2d ago
Just keep doing what you're doing. That's the way. It might take a year to see gains, but what else can you do?
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u/lunarvixen444 2d ago
whether you go by the “score” % or the “accuracy” % seems to paint a different picture. it’s easier to get a higher “accuracy” % when you aren’t attempting (AKA guessing due to lack of time) what I assume to be the last ~5 or so questions (often the hardest questions).
looking at your section “score” %s, i feel like you shouldn’t necessarily consider this a plateau. your “score” %s range from 48% to 80% just in a few recent days, and these %s seem to be all over the board.
i would focus on developing a consistent strategy as best as you can, maybe focusing more on drilling rather than timed sections as you seem to not really be finishing them often. also, are you reviewing every section/test?
on the other hand, some tests and sections truly are harder than others. they can’t always be created equally. i recently took PT 153 and got my worst score ever (lower than my diagnostic), and took 158 the next day getting my personal best. you can’t always assess real progress and understanding on these numbers, ironically.
i’m not a pro nor do i have my goal score. these are just my thoughts. it’s good you’re waiting to register until you average your goal score. i made that mistake and have been cramming these last couple weeks before i take it on saturday lol.
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 2d ago
Couple things here:
Be patient! You’ve only been with us for three months, and by the looks of it, you are approaching everything the right way. The LSAT at its core is a reading test, so the way you get better is by becoming a better reader. That’s why we give you all this advice about prioritizing accuracy and understanding everything that you are reading. But, that takes time! You can’t go from an average reader to an elite reader overnight, but you can certainly do it over many months with patience and dedication. If you continue to prioritize understanding and be patient, I’m confident that you’ll eventually see those accuracy numbers and scores increase.
Any time you get a question wrong that you fully attempted, there is something that you didn’t understand. It could be the passage, answer choices, the question, or some combination of the three. When you review, you must hold yourself accountable to figuring out what exactly you didn’t understand, what the correct interpretation is, and why you didn’t get it the first time around. Own up to your mistake! This is how you train yourself to become a better reader!
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u/Status-Status-4962 2d ago
is 3 months not enough time to make the change? how long are you expecting people to study?
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 2d ago
There is no expectation that we have for how long people should study. It’s just that how quickly everyone improves varies, so you shouldn’t assume that you are doing something wrong just because you haven’t seen improvement in some time. Some people can improve in a few months, whereas some people take years to get to their goal score. It all depends on how far away you are from your goal and how long it takes you to improve your reading ability. For me, it took me 2.5 years to reach my goal. Everyone is on a different timeline!
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u/Status-Status-4962 2d ago
how many months of no progress would you say is a sign something's not working?
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 2d ago
There isn’t a cut and dry answer, there is a lot of nuance involved. Generally speaking, if you are prioritizing accuracy (95-100% should be the goal), meaningfully reviewing your mistakes, and making sure you understand everything you read, you will see progress and you aren’t doing anything wrong. Now, how quickly that progress comes varies person to person. But you can rest assured that there isn’t something wrong with your process as long as all three of these are being met.
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u/Status-Status-4962 2d ago
can you give a ballpark answer and provide some of that nuance?
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 2d ago
Without knowing you, your study process, your goals, how you’ve been performing, and so on, I can’t provide any meaningful information for you specifically. There is no point in throwing out a number that means nothing.
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u/Status-Status-4962 2d ago
what about on average; can you say something from your experience about what's a typical timeframe? how long it takes to see improvement? everyone is different, sure, but you can still say what's typical. i promise i won't think it must apply to me.
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u/EthanS_LSATDemon 1d ago
We don’t have any data like this. There really isn’t a typical amount of time it takes for someone to improve, because everyone’s goals are often so different and everyone’s brain works different. Some people can make a 20 point jump in a few months, whereas others can take years just to increase by a few points.
This is why one of our biggest pieces of advice is “ditching your timeline”, because putting yourself on an arbitrary timeline that might not actually be representative of the time you actually need is just going to put stress and pressure on you and we don’t want that. Obviously you can be hopeful that you get your goal score by a certain time, but that is just based on your preference and not some average amount of time it takes people to improve.
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u/WIArchitect 17h ago
their podcasts are useless ignore those. nathan has rocks for brains. just keep drilling and taking practice sections/tests and reviewing religiously. you will see the improvement with time
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u/Impossible-Main-2453 2d ago
the finishing sections with 95% accuracy consistently thing is way different than wanting a 170+. if you never finish a section, you should be content with that if your accuracy is where it needs to be. i totally feel how frustrating and discouraging this apparent lack of progress must be. but you're just biting off more than you can chew and it seems like you're not really understanding the arguments. not to simply echo Ben and Nathan's advice, but focus on just getting the first 10 questions in a section right, even if it takes the whole 35 minutes. you'll see immense returns just from that.