7 With Top LSAT Scores Share LSAT Tips

In this LSAT Blog post, I've put together 7 tips from blog readers with top LSAT scores and significant score improvements.

Enjoy, and if you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

7 with top LSAT scores share LSAT tips:

1. "I remembered watching...Reggie Miller at the free throw line, and was amazed that someone could be so intently focused with 35,000 screaming fans and millions more watching around the country. In taking the test, I tried to achieve a similar state of zen." - Brad, improved from 167 to 179 (LSAT Diaries)

2. "When I got my 161 I was shocked and couldn't come up with a non-wasp explanation. I was ashamed, disheartened, and defensive. I felt like I had let myself- and my friends and family- down. I had failed. Then it hit me: I was basing my opinion of myself on my test score. I was becoming my LSAT score. One of the simplest of life's lessons had eluded me and I was equating my self-worth with some stupid test." - Caleb, improved from 161 to 171 on LSAT retake (LSAT Diaries)


3. "Steve recommended taking practice tests in a simulated setting, with a proctor and other test takers. This truly helped. I felt nervous at the beginning of my first simulated test but quickly got into a rhythm...After a couple simulated tests, I felt much more confident about taking the real thing and started to relate to Steve’s blog entry 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the LSAT'." - JT, improved from 158 to 172 (LSAT Diaries)

4. "Do not dwell on the fact that you might have had to fill in a couple of “guess” answers at the end of the previous section. Clear your mind and focus on the new task at hand—otherwise, your lack of focus will later lead you to having to fill in guess bubbles at the end of the new section as well." - J, improved from 157 to 166 on LSAT retake (LSAT Diaries)

5. "[R]epetition was key. Going over the same game types, becoming more and more comfortable with the process of diagramming, and finally getting a handle on the rules about contrapositives and negation that were so slippery to begin with, all came to me as I fought with the games over a period of weeks." - Rebecca, 174 (LSAT Diaries)


6. "The LSAT (for me, at least) was 80% about efficiency and timing, and 20% about content and knowledge. Once you’ve mastered the basic concepts, take as many practice tests as you can under real test-day conditions. I taped my scored answer sheets to a wall in my bedroom where I could see my progress over the weeks. Doing this allowed me to see patterns in my test-taking, such as where I was too rushed and got sloppy. It also motivated me to beat my last score." - Danielle, 166 (LSAT Diaries)


7. "I revised my strategy for reviewing, circling the questions I really didn’t understand and coming back to them after a nap or a nice run. Mental breaks from problems allowed me to approach the question again from another perspective; whereas without it, I was still stuck in a particular train of thought." - Andy, improved from 154 to 169 on LSAT retake (LSAT Diaries)

Photo by bdorfman