Great Advice on How to Get 160+ on the LSAT...(zabagabe)

1) What score did you get?
166 in June 07
177 in Oct. 08

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Games were never a problem for me (which is ironic, since 2 of the 4 I missed in Oct were on games...), so I had the Powerscore LR Bible and the 2009 Princeton Review and Barron's LSAT books. I only bothered with preptests from the mid-30s to today after making the mistake of studying the mid-20s for the first one (when I got 166).

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None. I took a very brief one done by my undergrad, but it was nothing like a full Kaplan (and nothing like the price!). I didn't find it very helpful, to be honest, compared to my self-study. And I did it before the 166, not the 177. Find someone else in your scoring range and practice with them instead, so you can focus just on those questions with which you're struggling.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I decided after the 166 (for which I studied only the 2 weeks before the test), I wanted to spend a good 1.5 months. I also had to take the GRE this summer, so I did that first, and then started doing practice tests in late August and about every 3rd day until the actual test, mixed with some specific question tackling.

5) How many preptests did you do?
About 15 in total, although I cannibalized more RC passages from prior tests since that was my weakest area in the modern LSAT format.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
For June 2007, I didn't study enough, especially under strict timed conditions. I was surprised how much more nervous I was during the actual test (I had a freak-out in one section, thus the 166), although I had also worked a 70+ hour week the week (and weekend) before the test, so I think that contributed as well...I just didn't feel sharp and focused. I resolved to own it the second time...

I think there were three keys to me getting the 177 on the retake, apart from the usual advice:

1. I practiced with 32 minutes per section instead of 35 for EVERY SINGLE PREPTEST I took. This was the key to my 177. I felt incredibly relaxed in the actual test because I was practicing with a significant handicap. As a result, I was never pressed for time, never anxious about finishing a section, and I breezed through almost everything. I recommend this more than any other piece of advice. I am convinced this is what led to an 11 point jump.

2. In Preptests, I marked a dot on my answer sheets for any questions I was less than 90% sure about. After each test, I went through all my wrong and questionable answers and systematically figured out what why I got them wrong or wasn't sure. I also made a spreadsheet for each type of question to determine which ones I was struggling with. I went through the Powerscore LR Bible and broke down those question types. I am lucky to have an extremely smart boyfriend who also was willing to go through each test with me, which was helpful. Find a friend who likes logic problems (even if they aren't taking the LSAT) and just ask to go through your wrong or questionable answers. Having someone to flesh them out with made a huge, huge difference.

3. Look forward to the LSAT and enter zen mode on test day. Go in excited to ace it! For me, the key was the 32 minutes practice technique, because I knew I was happy with my preptest scores with 32 mins, so why not with 35? Indeed, 177 was the best I've ever gotten on any test. Do yoga, go for a run, whatever it is that gets your game face on. You won't ace the test if you don't believe in yourself. This was a big mental difference between the first time when I feared the test and collapsed under the pressure.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
Having had the 166 experience and the 177 experience, I will say this: don't take the test until you feel really ready. I didn't before the 166 test but took it anyway just to be done with it, and it was stupid. I'm just thankful my retake is sufficiently higher enough to negate it.