Practice Tests Are Data Points

One bad practice test doesn’t mean you’re getting worse.

One great practice test doesn’t mean you’ve mastered the LSAT.

PT scores are data points. They tell you something about your current ability, but no individual score tells the whole story. If you want to improve, stop obsessing over every fluctuation and start paying attention to what actually makes you better: understanding the specific questions you got wrong.

One Score Doesn’t Define You

Your LSAT ability is a range.

You might score in the low 170s for several tests, drop into the high 160s, and then bounce right back. That’s normal. A lower score doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly lost your LSAT skills.

The same goes for an unusually high score. Don’t let one great result convince you that every future test should match it.

Look at your score range across five or more tests instead of treating your latest score as a verdict on your progress.

The Demon’s analytics tools make that easy.

Don’t Ignore a Pattern

There’s a difference between one disappointing test and consistently disappointing results.

If you’ve taken only a couple of PTs, you can’t draw any big conclusions from that small sample. But if you’ve taken test after test and keep seeing the same problems, another PT isn’t the solution.

At that point, you have plenty of data. You need to figure out what it means. 

The PT Slot Machine is Seductive

Slot machine mentality means taking PT after PT hoping you get a better score. It’s attractive because you may hit the “jackpot” once in a while, but you’re not learning from your mistakes.

Lots of students do this. It feels like you’re studying hard because you’re taking lots of tests. But it’s wildly inefficient, and it burns through valuable questions without learning from them. 

If you’re missing three or more questions per section, you have a lot of work to do before your next test. Thoroughly review your mistakes. Figure out what you misunderstood. Why was the wrong answer tempting, and why didn’t you choose the correct answer?

Another PT gives you another score. Review gives you a chance to improve.

The Score Isn’t the Diagnosis

Your score isn’t as helpful as why you missed a question.

Maybe you misread a sentence. Maybe you misunderstood the argument. Maybe you failed to eliminate a tempting wrong answer. Those are specific problems you can actually fix.

Instead of trying to diagnose your LSAT performance from a score, investigate your mistakes one question at a time.

Throw the Next Pitch

Crushing the LSAT is like throwing a no-hitter in baseball.

A pitcher entering the final inning shouldn’t think about how well the first eight innings went. They need to think about the next pitch they’re going to throw.

Treat the LSAT the same way.

Don’t calculate how many questions you think you’ve missed. Don’t wonder whether you’re on pace for a 175. Don’t start celebrating because the section feels easy. Don’t think about question types or difficulty levels.

None of that helps you. The key is solving the question in front of you.

Let the Score Take Care of Itself

Practice test scores help you track your progress and decide when you’re ready for the official test. And the Demon’s analytics tools with free LSAT Demon membership, make that easy to do. 

But you can’t directly control your scores. They will vary, sometimes by as much as 10 points. What you can control is your process: slow down, understand what you read, and thoroughly review your mistakes so you actually learn from them.

Focus on the process, and the scores will take care of themselves.