Ella: Logic Games Anxiety
The Challenge
Pre-Apollo Score: 145
Ella came to Apollo as a total LSAT beginner who was anxious about the LSAT because of her poor experiences with standardized tests in the past. The Logic Games section was especially confusing to her - it felt like learning a new language. She was unable to finish any of the sections on time, but Logic Games was especially slow. On a good day, she was lucky to get through two out of four games in the allotted 35 minutes.
She suspected that a previously diagnosed learning difference was partially to blame for these issues. She knew that LSAT accommodations were available, but had no idea how to approach the intimidating and confusing process of applying for them.
She was not planning on applying to law school for a long time, so she had no time pressure. She had a fantastic GPA and great extracurriculars but was worried that her inability to conquer the LSAT would prevent her from attending the law school of her dreams.
The Solution
Official LSAT Score: 170
To tackle Logic Games, Ella’s coach had her start by taking each game completely untimed, drawing out every inference and possibility in excruciating detail. This allowed Ella to build her confidence while gaining a deep understanding of the simple, repetitive patterns that underlie every Logic Game. Whenever her anxiety about Logic Games kicked in, her coach was there to reassure her that she was on the right track and keep her focused on her work.
Ella’s coach also had her work on “overtraining”, which meant taking far more Logic Games in a row than she would ever have to on a real test. This built her endurance and in turn, her confidence. By the time she started drilling whole prep tests, Ella’s Logic Games anxiety was gone.
Finally, Ella’s coach helped her talk to her therapist about applying for accommodations, and walked her through the process of sending her application to the LSAC. Her accommodations for double time on the LSAT were approved, which allowed her to start finishing on time.
Through a combination of accommodations and the personalized drilling plan that helped her make the most of them, Ella’s score climbed by 25 points over the course of her Apollo package.
David: Reading Between the Lines
The Challenge
Pre-Apollo Score: 148
David came to Apollo after several months of studying on his own. He had made some progress from his initial diagnostic score, but felt that he had hit a plateau with his studies. The Logical Reasoning section was especially frustrating for him. On paper, he understood LR. Because he was so worried about finishing on time, he had memorized every LR question type, and was finishing each LR section with 5+ minutes to spare. Yet, Logical Reasoning was consistently his worst section. When he went to grade his tests, his score was always 10+ points below what he thought it would be, largely due to LR.
While David’s Reading Comprehension scores were higher than his LR scores, he consistently had the opposite problem: he could never finish an RC section on time. He was doing fine on the passages he could get to, but he was only getting to 2 or 3 out of 4 passages. He knew his potential was so much higher than the scores he was getting, but he was at a total loss on how to get there.
The Solution
Official LSAT Score: 165
David’s coach noticed that he had neglected a subtle, yet vital LSAT skill in his studies: reading. Because he was so worried about finishing on time, he was rushing through the LR passages without fully understanding what he had just read. He had a solid grasp of core LR skills like argument analysis, but none of that mattered if he wasn’t understanding the passages to begin with.
First, David’s coach made him slow down - a lot. For the first several weeks of working with Apollo, David took all of his tests completely untimed. Next, his coach had him go back to basics: instead of practicing LR by memorizing question types and answering questions, he would simply read the passages, then rewrite them in his own words without looking at them. He was not too excited about any of this, but his coach urged him to trust her that it would all pay off later.
After a month of just working on reading, David’s coach slowly reintroduced time pressure on his practice tests. This time, however, his score didn’t suffer when he sped up. He was once again finishing with minutes to spare, but doing so with near-perfect accuracy. His Reading Comprehension score shot up, too, as he started finishing RC sections on time for the first time ever.
In the end, David’s score jumped by 17 points over the course of his Apollo package, and he ended up getting a $120,000 scholarship to the law school of his dreams.