Why Your Score Is Not Improving after Using a Course or Book

You purchased a popular LSAT book or course with glowing five-star reviews, motivated as ever. But after going through the entire course and reading multiple LSAT books cover to cover, you are shocked to see that your practice test performance didn't budge. You begin to wonder if reaching your dream LSAT score is even achievable. Does this sound like you? You are not alone. Hundreds of students reach out to me with this very problem. Nine times out of ten, the biggest issue is they don't have structure. Many of these courses offer helpful explanations of concepts but don't provide much direction in terms of how to make the best use of the resources available. In this post, we will discuss mistakes that are holding back your progress.

1. Not Learning Actively

One of the biggest mistakes people make is they will just watch videos or read through the chapter of a book. This entirely overlooks the fact that the LSAT is a skill-based exam and that it is the application that causes improvement, not the knowledge from the videos themselves.

Instead, watch a video while taking notes and stay active throughout the learning process. Memorize any key terms and processes provided by the video. Then, review your notes thoroughly.

Going through ten videos or ten chapters in a day can feel productive, but it likely did very little for your overall improvement. You probably would only have retained a small percentage of that information and were not able to practice applying those concepts. Focus on just going through 1-2 videos or chapters at the most, but make sure that you understand what is being discussed.

Also, try to connect what you have learned. Do you remember a question that stumped you that discussed a concept in the video? If so, reattempt it using the knowledge you acquired.

2. Not Reviewing Drills

Any course that is worth your while will not just throw information at you and hope something sticks. It will also provide you with questions to test your understanding. This is where people frequently make a fatal mistake. They try out the questions, see if they got it right, and move on. But this is where you will learn the application part of the process mentioned earlier.

Instead, read the explanations thoroughly, even if you got the question correct. See if there was a better or faster way you could have arrived at the answer. These micro-skills will add up to significant progress.

3. Not Incorporating Sections and Practice Tests

It is beneficial to occasionally see a mixed set of questions. This trains you to be more flexible and adaptive to a wide range of question types, which you will need to do on the day of the test. It will also help you evaluate how well you are able to apply what you have learned. If you are still having difficulty with concepts you already learned, it may be worth going back and reviewing the video and drills for that concept, especially if the questions you missed were of lower difficulty.

Doing occasional sections is beneficial even if you haven't learned all the concepts and strategies from the course yet. Attempting unusual questions will force you to think deeper, see the relationships between question types, and see the relevance of other concepts that are discussed in the course later on. I recommend aiming for two sections or one practice test per week.

4. Using multiple courses at the same time

Using multiple courses simultaneously can feel productive. But this is again overlooking the fact that the LSAT is skill based. Think of any skill you've learned. Did you need five different teachers or coaches for a given subject? Typically, taking more courses is not only unnecessary, it can even be harmful. Many curricula regurgitate the same information so you aren't learning anything new. On top of that, some curricula can have conflicting strategies, causing confusion. Stick with one curricula and focus on mastering it. Don't expect immediate progress. Mastering a strategy takes time.