12 Week Study Schedule Template Page 20
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21About Practice Tests
MAIN GOALS
to evaluate
develop a more accurate sense of the exam and of your own strengths and weaknesses
to prepare for test day
get ready to represent your skills at their best
Your LSAT preparation should also in-
challenge that you’re up against—as
of task to another, are not easy ones,
clude full practice exams. Let’s quickly
visceral as possible. The tests you take
and practice exams are the best way to
discuss the changing role that practice
in the middle of your preparation also
get better and better at bringing your
tests should play during the various
serve to help you assess where you are
various skills together.
stages of your preparation.
making more progress and where you
are making less.
Additionally, you’ll want to make sure
At the beginning of your studying,
to utilize these final practice exams
it’s best to take one or two practice ex-
Keep in mind that it’s very, very com-
to firm up your overall test strategies,
ams so that you can start developing a
mon for scores to fluctuate in these
especially your timing strategies. The
more accurate sense of what the test is
early stages—you should not take such
vast majority of test takers go into the
actually like, and so that you can start
fluctuations to mean dramatic shifts
exam with half-baked timing strate-
to develop a sense of which areas you
in your abilities (“Yes, I got much bet-
gies, and utilize their time inefficiently
need to work on most.
ter! Oh no, I got much worse!”); rath-
during the exam. If you can go in with
er, they are more indicative of the fact
practiced and habitual test strategies,
For most students, the initial score
that you are changing your processes
it will give you a significant advantage.
is not of very much importance—it’s
(as you should) and, because you are
about as predictive as your first at-
in the middle of a transformation, you
Especially as you get closer and closer
tempt at bowling or playing chess.
should expect inconsistent results. Of
to the exam, you want to take every
So don’t worry about it too much (I
far more concern would be a series of
practice test as realistically as possible.
know —easier said than done). Cor-
practice exams with very similar results
A common issue, and something to
rectly allocating study time is an im-
(which would be a fairly strong indica-
avoid, is developing one set of “prac-
portant part of studying well, and prac-
tion of you not changing).
tice habits” and one set of “real-time
tice exams are extremely clarifying in
habits;” that is, one way of solving
Toward the end of your prepara-
terms of helping you determine where
questions when you are relaxed, and
you need to invest your time and ener-
tion, practice tests (and the review of
a different way of solving them when
gy. So, make sure you use your practice
them—more about review on the next
you are under pressure. Do your best to
exams to figure out what you need to
page) should become your first priori-
mimic the pressure of the exam during
work on most.
ty. Up to this point, you’ve spent a lot
your practice exams as realistically as
of time building up individual skills, and
possible, and you can mitigate this is-
I also recommend taking one or two
now you’ll want to work on bringing
sue.
practice exams in the middle stages
them together. The challenge of know-
of your preparation, so that you can
ing when to utilize particular skills, and
keep the ultimate end task—the big
the challenge of jumping from one type
20
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