Breaking out of this mid-to-low 160s plateau

joshuajjaureguijoshuajjauregui Core Member
in General 9 karma

Hi everyone! I am writing this so that I feel productive instead of dejected after my last PT. Here are my last couple of scores: 165, 165, 161, 161, 170, 164, 163. It's strange, I know. I thought I was seeing breakthrough with my 170 but it seems to have just been an outlier. I guess I am pretty much stuck in the mid-to-low 160s, and I need to break out of it.
I'm not entirely sure what to do; I've pivoted my strategy three times in the past three months of study, and I still haven't established my desired consistent range of scores. I've tried BR, a wrong-answer journal, drilling, reviewing videos, and revisiting my foundations, but I just feel sad about not reaching my goal.
I need some advice. Some stuff that has worked for you. Literally anything. And yes, I know that it is just a number. But I'm looking for advice I can apply. Thank you in advance, appreciate it.

Comments

  • sanie.sahandsanie.sahand Core Member
    15 karma

    In the same boat. It's really just a matter of not missing key details. Considering you're pretty consistently in the mid 160s, it's only a matter of like 5-6 questions to get you to the 170 range. There can be almost no silly mistakes. The way I see it, you have 8-10 questions you are ALLOWED to get wrong. Let that calm you down. People chasing 170 will overstress about not missing a single question and in turn overthink, and spend too much time on questions. You have some leeway.

  • natemanwell1natemanwell1 Core Member
    330 karma

    I think the key statement is "I have changed my strategy 3 times over the past 3 months." if you only try something for a month, very low probability of working, so each time you switch it is just another thing that won't work.

  • briangonzalez2013briangonzalez2013 Core Member
    2 karma

    In a similar boat here, though I've been seeing some improvement. I think the first thing you gotta do is identify where your weakness is. Is it LR? Is it RC? Is it timing? For LR, I've found that what was getting me most were weaken and strengthen questions, and focusing on the relationship between premises and conclusions really helped me improve. RC can be a bit trickier to improve in, but you can improve. Low-res summaries and identifying argument structures really helped me, and skills like that are built in BR with no timer running. Timing is probably where you'll see the slowest improvement, but it comes with consistency and repetition. All improvement starts with identifying your weakness, so you

  • SufferingfromSufficientConditionSufferingfromSufficientCondition Core Member
    363 karma

    Variance is perfectly normal, but I understand that a dip in scores can feel like backwards progress. @sanie.sahand mentioned how you're still allowed to miss points in the 170s (great point!), and I would add that the psychology of feeling like you need to replicate your top PT score every PT could contribute to "perfection" pressure that's negatively impacting your performance.

    Another thing to look at is the type of questions within these PTs - some PTs are easier to an individual and some are harder. Maybe the 164 had a bunch of question types that you're weaker at compared to the 170.

    Last thing is looking at what you did the day of your higher PTs. Better sleep the night before? Healthier breakfast? Time of day? etc.

    Again, emphasizing that variance is normal, but you can also take a look at internal and external factors. Good luck!

  • natjoywnatjoyw Core Member
    6 karma

    Two things have worked well for me - 1, recognizing that the test is a pattern recognition test; if you can learn to readily identify the question types and variations, and know how the test wants you to read the questions and answer choices, I can almost guarantee you'll be able to pick the right answer. 2, take long breaks. Frustration can cause you to over-study which can in turn cause you to over-think, which only makes your scores worse, which makes you more frustrated, etc... Take long breaks, like a few days or even weeks, and I think you'll see how powerful fresh eyes and trusting your preparation is. Good luck!

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