Sam, 163 and working toward 173: a live LSAT coaching session
This is what LSAT Unplugged coaching looks like. Sam came in at 163, aiming for 173 or 174 on the November (retake) LSAT. Steve Schwartz coached him live for about 13 minutes on timing and review process, and the whole session and transcript are below.
The numbers here are where Sam started and the goal we set together in this session. Individual results vary.
- Student: Sam
- Score when recorded: 163
- Goal: 173 or 174
- Target test: November (retake)
- Situation: already took the LSAT once in September after two months of prep, scored well below practice test performance, retaking in November
- Focus: timing and review process
- Worked on: parallel reasoning
What we fixed in this session
The idea is you're just getting your brain fired up a little, so the first questions you're doing aren't the ones that count.
Steve Schwartz
This is one session, in the middle of the work. I've been coaching the LSAT since 2005, and every session runs the same way: find the real problem, fix the process, reset the plan.
I told the student a 5 to 8 point test day drop from practice score is common and can come from proctor issues, tech issues, nerves, or anxiety, not just content gaps.
Said the 10 question warm-up drill before the exam was too long, almost half a section, and recommended cutting it to 2 or 3 questions using ones already seen before.
The plan: I identified that practicing in a quiet library with natural light did not match the windowless Prometric testing room, and recommended replicating that darker, closed-off room for future practice tests.
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In Sam's words
I exited the test feeling like that felt very normal, like every other practice test. I don't have something to point to, like bad sleep or some other factor.
Sam
I specifically have a hard time with parallel reasoning, and when I see one I just skip it completely because I know it's not worth the time.
Sam
I have extended time, but I'm doing that.
Sam
Questions people ask about LSAT Unplugged coaching
What happens in an LSAT Unplugged coaching session?
The coach finds the specific habit that's costing points, fixes the process, and sets the plan for the weeks ahead. In Sam's case: the student a 5 to 8 point test day drop from practice score is common and can come from proctor issues.
Who runs the sessions?
Steve Schwartz recorded this one. Every LSAT Unplugged coach scored 170 or higher on an official LSAT, and students are matched to a coach on learning style and weak areas.
Where can I see finished results?
On the student reviews page at unpluggedprep.com/reviews, with video interviews and official scores.
Learn the fixes yourself: making practice tests count, test anxiety.
Student reviews and finished results.
Full session transcript
Recorded January 2026.
Sam: I got a 163, lower than I thought and lower than my goal score. I wanted to hit about 173, 174. I was taking practice tests and surpassing 170. I don't know if it was just an off day, but that's about where I'm at.
Steve: Thanks for sharing. So you had a significant test day score drop from practice to actual, and that's actually quite common. We see students drop maybe 5 to 8 points on average. Could be a bad proctor, tech issues, nerves, anxiety. Part of it is raising your baseline going in, but one of those factors could have played a role too. Looking back, did anything seem off during the test itself?
Sam: Not particularly. I noticed I was getting pretty fatigued about halfway through, which isn't uncommon for me, but my guess is I was especially zoned out for whatever reason.
Steve: Gotcha, so unusually fatigued, endurance a bit lower than typical. How many practice tests did you take going into the exam?
Sam: Full practice tests, I want to say 8, and a section or two pretty much every day.
Steve: Okay, 8 exams total, over what period of time?
Sam: About two months. I started studying in June and took it in September.
Steve: So roughly one exam a week. That's a pretty reasonable cadence, I usually recommend at least 10, so 8's not too far off. Do you have a plan for the retake?
Sam: I'm retaking it in November.
Steve: Okay, so we have another month and a half. Are you going to maintain that once a week cadence?
Sam: Yeah, that's my goal. It'll be a little different with school starting, I had a lot of the summer off, but my goal is still one every Saturday.
Steve: Good move. On days you're not taking full tests, could you also do two sections back to back sometimes?
Sam: Yeah, I could probably do that. Today's my first day of class, so I don't know what the term will look like, but that should be doable.
Steve: Good, I'm looking for ways to get you more endurance at bats, two sections back to back is half an exam and that'll give you something. Do you have any pre-test ritual or warm-up that might help with anxiety?
Sam: I usually get up at least a couple hours before the exam, so I have time to fully wake up and switch into testing mode. Then I'll do a drill set of 10 questions to switch my brain into LSAT mode. I don't do much beyond that because I don't want to risk over exhausting myself before it starts.
Steve: I think even 10 questions is a lot for a warm-up, I'd usually say maybe just 2 or 3, 10 is almost half a section.
Sam: Yeah, I guess that's true.
Steve: The idea is you're just getting your brain fired up a little, so the first questions you're doing aren't the ones that count, ideally ones you've seen before where you already know the answer, just going through the motions, like lifting a barbell with no weights to work on your form. Also, do you do any breathing exercises, mindfulness, or visualization? Does any of that speak to you?
Sam: Yes and no. I think I already naturally have some of that integrated into my day, I've grown up being aware of my breathing and noticing when I'm so focused I stop breathing. So yes and no.
Steve: So you do it in general but haven't done it specifically for the LSAT. You might consider incorporating some of that more consciously with the LSAT specifically, doing it prior to a practice test or timed sitting, maybe a different version of it than at other times of day. It doesn't matter what exactly, just make it personal to you. But if you do something LSAT test specific only prior to timed sittings, then do it on the actual test too, that could ground you, so test day feels connected to all those prior sittings. My goal is to lower your stress arousal, your sympathetic nervous system, so test day feels more comfortable and smooth.
Sam: For sure. I guess what threw me for a loop is that I exited the test feeling like that felt very normal, like every other practice test. I don't have something to point to, like bad sleep or some other factor.
Steve: I hear you. My other thought is around the fatigue element: more two section sittings in addition to the weekly practice tests, reduce the warm-up from 10 questions to only 2 or 3, and work on mindfulness or stress reduction prior to your tests. Those are the things that come to mind since nothing jumps out specifically. Did you take it in person or remotely?
Sam: In person, and I think for the most part it needs to stay that way. I went through quite the process trying to find a place to take the argumentative section that fulfilled all the LSAC requirements for the space.
Steve: That's another disconnect, we're switching from taking practice tests in a comfortable environment to an in-person Prometric testing center, and it's not easy for you to find a quiet environment that meets the rules.
Sam: Yeah, I'd been taking all the practice tests at my university library, which is quiet and felt very similar to the Prometric center. It's just that any quiet space to take it officially either has glass walls or isn't completely closed off.
Steve: It's a struggle. Your test day experience could be somewhat different in the Prometric center versus these other environments. Do they feel similar or dissimilar?
Sam: Pretty similar. The only thing is the testing center was in a windowless room, and everything I've been doing usually has a lot of natural light. I don't know if that would make much of a difference, but it was darker than I'm normally working in.
Steve: Are you going to take it at the same center again in November?
Sam: It'll depend on availability. I'm currently halfway between a center to the north and one to the south. I went to the north one the first time, we'll see which one I can get into in November.
Steve: If you can book the same one again, at least you know what to expect, known unknowns versus unknown unknowns. We want to be as familiar as we can. So maybe, as unappealing as it is, take a dark windowless room for your next practice test too, ideally at the same center. My other thought: can we raise your baseline in some way. It's normal to drop some, maybe not as much as you did, but in terms of the content itself, are there any opportunities?
Sam: With more consistent practice, the more you flex that muscle, the easier it comes. I specifically have a hard time with parallel reasoning, or matching reasoning, and when I see one I just skip it completely because I know it's not worth the time. Obviously it's ideal not to skip any questions, but I don't know if there's enough room for improvement, or if I worked on it specifically whether I'd get quick enough to make it worth doing.
Steve: Parallels aren't going to be a huge lift because there aren't that many of them, but here are two quick thoughts. What I look to match on parallel questions is the degree of certainty in the conclusion, and the category of things they're discussing. Degree of certainty is like this always happens, this never happens, this sometimes happens, or this happens the majority of the time, so how certain are they in the conclusion of both the stimulus and the answer choices. That's the easiest thing to look for, you can often eliminate one or two choices out of five with that as a first pass. Then look for the category of things they're discussing, like all people in the world versus all people who take the LSAT versus all people who take the LSAT and score 170 or above versus all people who take the LSAT, score 170, and go to Harvard, getting more and more narrow. You want to match the qualifications in how they narrow the scope. That's harder to look for, but it'll also get you to eliminate another couple choices. I don't think parallels are the biggest lift for you, I think the bigger lift is focusing more on test day conditions and environment. That's what I'd start with. Last thing: are you replicating the sitting of the exam besides the room, the four sections, 35 minutes each, only one break in the middle, not checking anything else? That's the other thing in terms of seeing drops.
Sam: I have extended time, but I'm doing that.
Steve: You're matching your constraints, good. I think everything else checks out. I'd look at what we said: pre-test ritual, reduced warm-up, matching the testing room more closely, and adding in some more endurance work. Those are the biggest things I'd recommend for you.
Sam: Okay, awesome, perfect, thank you.
Steve: Awesome, Sam. It was a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining. Keep me posted how it all goes.
Sam: We'll do, thank you.
More coaching sessions: Zabdi, 141 to 155, Abigail, 147 to 160, Leah, 153 to 170, Dominic, Alina, 157 to 170. Student results and reviews.
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