LSAT Diary: How Allison Overcame Stress and Anxiety to Score 170 on the October LSAT

This LSAT Diary is from Allison who improved from the mid-150s to a 170 on the October LSAT after working with me and taking my LSAT Premium course!


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Allison's LSAT Diary:

I had every workbook, every practice test, every possible resource, and yet I felt really stuck a few months into studying for the LSAT. I was nowhere near my goal in terms of scoring, and I felt like I was doing everything I could do without making any progress. I was studying hours every day over the summer, working on logic puzzles and logical reasoning questions until my frustration and exhaustion would become too much. It was a terrible routine, and I was feeling more and more defeated every time I studied.

Finally, after a few months of studying and not a lot of improvement, I found Steve's blog and began reading, and ultimately I realized that Steve's strategies and ways of talking about the LSAT on his blog resonated with me and helped things click into place, and I hadn't even accessed any of his study materials yet. I decided to buy some tutoring sessions, and to take his online video courses.

Within a few days of watching Steve's videos, I was getting better and faster at the LSAT. My thought process became more efficient and organized, and I no longer agonized over different answer choices. Then, in my tutoring sessions with Steve, I was able to discuss in detail with him questions that stumped me, and I began to identify patterns of mistakes I was making that I could now rectify with his help. With more confidence than I had felt in months, I threw myself back into studying for the test, and I was overjoyed to see my score slowly but surely climbing towards my goal.

It was really hard to balance being back at college, classes, writing a senior thesis, working on my applications, and continuing to study for the October LSAT, but I made it through. I took several practice tests every week, and tried to simulate test conditions as much as possible, like waking up in time to start the test at 8am, and taking only the breaks I would actually have on test day. 

I prioritized sleep and health, and I was so happy I did- my scores became more consistently high and I was reaching my goal score almost every time. I learned not to completely stress out when a section didn't feel good, and just recover and move on to the next one. On test day, I had none of the timing issues or uncertainties that had plagued me for months while studying, and I walked out of the test feeling like I had given it my absolute best.

The biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone prepping for the LSAT is to check your emotions. I placed a ton of pressure on myself early on, and felt extremely defeated early on in my study process, which only made things worse. Studying for the LSAT can be discouraging and anxiety-producing, but you have to keep some perspective, and trust that your work will begin to pay off. 

Self-care is also a huge part of studying and preparation- I noticed that when I was too stressed out and not sleeping enough, my scores would start sliding back down again. The week leading up to the test, I got as much sleep as I could and relaxed as much as possible, because I had learned that my brain performed best on the test when I was truly relaxed and really able to focus.

When I got my score, I felt extremely accomplished and relieved. I had reached my goal, and all of the hard work and effort I had given to this test were absolutely worth it. Working with Steve and using his materials was the step I needed to take to reach a new level of studying and efficiency on the LSAT, but there is no substitute for studying hard and putting in the time. 

I am so happy to be done with this test, but I also feel like I actually learned some useful knowledge and skills about logic and reasoning that continue to be helpful, and make me very excited about going to law school soon. To anyone prepping for the LSAT, trust that you can learn and improve, and that this is ultimately a test about how hard you are willing to work.

Photo by bobaubuchon