A student, 159 and working toward 165: a live LSAT coaching session
This is what LSAT Unplugged coaching looks like. A student came in at 159, aiming for 165. Steve Schwartz coached him live for about 8 minutes on Logical Reasoning, and the whole session and transcript are below.
The numbers here are where A student started and the goal we set together in this session. Individual results vary.
- Student: A student
- Score when recorded: 159
- Goal: 165
- Target test: October, with a backup November test also scheduled
- Situation: Studying close to full time (about 30 hours a week); previously took a demanding medical board exam over a decade ago
- Focus: Logical Reasoning
- Worked on: Necessary Assumption, Flaw
What we fixed in this session
The goal isn't to challenge yourself, it's just to get your brain fired up.
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.
The student's accuracy swung widely section to section, sometimes hitting 80 percent and sometimes far below; I traced it to starting cold, and had them add a short warm-up (three easy LR questions or one passage) before the graded practice test.
The student was only taking one rest day a week and hitting burnout around day 5 or 6; I had them move to two rest days a week instead of one.
The student's two weak spots, necessary assumption and flaw, are also two of the three most common LR question types; I told them to drill those specifically with course videos and their coach rather than spread effort evenly.
Where the session landed: Student agrees to add warm-up questions before practice tests, drill necessary assumption and flaw with their coach, and take two rest days a week instead of one.
If your prep looks like A student's did, that's fixable in one session.
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In the student's words
It's almost inexplicable why my first section wasn't the best one.
A student
Changing the process of how you're thinking is a different animal than what I've experienced in the past.
A student
It kind of takes the pressure off.
A student
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 A student's case: The student's accuracy swung widely section to section.
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: necessary assumption questions, flaw questions, passage structure.
Student reviews and finished results.
Full session transcript
Recorded December 2025.
Student: My highest so far has been a 159. I'd like to get that up. I'm taking it in October, but I've just signed up for the November test too.
Steve: So you're at 159, both October and November on the agenda. What's your ultimate goal for test day?
Student: At least a 165.
Steve: About six points.
Student: Yeah.
Steve: How many hours a week are you able to study?
Student: Right now I could probably put in a good 30.
Steve: 30 a week, close to full-time.
Student: Yeah.
Steve: Any particular challenges or struggles right now?
Student: I run into a bit of burnout. I'll perform much higher one day, usually around day five or six I hit a peak, then it tails off. If I don't take a day off, my next day back is a real struggle.
Steve: Yes, you need some days off.
Student: I do.
Steve: If you're studying 30 hours a week, you can afford a day off here or there. How many practice tests are you taking per week?
Student: One so far, one a week.
Steve: Good, one a week, reviewing it in depth. You're in the boot camp, so you're meeting with your coach too, right? Any particular weak areas, specific types or topics?
Student: My two biggest problems are still necessary assumption, and convincing myself to choose the wrong answer. Flaw questions are a forte of mine. My performance from one section to another still has a fair amount of variance, I could get 80% on a timed LR section, do a reading comp section, go back to another LR section, and not get anywhere close to 80. I'd like more consistency from one LR section to another.
Steve: It sounds like fatigue or burnout maybe. Do you think that's possible?
Student: The last real test I took, the worst was the first LR section, then I did better than ever on RC. Doing individual timed LR sections I was getting about 80%. It's almost inexplicable why my first section wasn't the best one. Maybe I didn't get warmed up. On the day I took that test I thought maybe I'd do some easy questions of a particular type first to warm up, and that might have thrown my thinking off when I hit the real first question, it wasn't consistent with what I'd just been doing. I'll change that and try to be more consistent on that first section.
Steve: It sounds like a warm-up situation, where you do a couple questions before you start your practice test, so the first ones you're doing aren't the ones that count. Not a ton, maybe three logical reasoning questions, or read one passage and do just the main idea question.
Student: Almost like a mystery, don't gear toward a particular type, just go into a practice test, not the real one, start with the first three, then head in.
Steve: Right. The goal isn't to challenge yourself, it's just to get your brain fired up. Three easy LR questions could be all you need. I also see an opportunity, since necessary assumption and flaw give you trouble and they're more common types, work those a bit on the side. Review some course videos, drill some questions, go over those with your coach.
Student: That sounds good.
Steve: You're signed up for both October and November, right?
Student: Yeah, I just signed up for November today.
Steve: Good, that should give you peace of mind knowing it's not all riding on October. November gives you an extra month for more exposure and practice. Have you taken the LSAT officially before?
Student: I have not.
Steve: So it's probably not a bad idea to plan on taking November anyway, so you have another at bat.
Student: It kind of takes the pressure off.
Steve: Exactly.
Student: I haven't taken a test like this. The last test I took anywhere close was a medical board test, over a decade ago. It's a challenging test, there's a fair amount riding on it, I've been there before, but it's been a while.
Steve: In terms of a plan for you: integrate warm-ups into every practice test from now till November, three questions, LR, or one reading passage plus the main point question. Drill necessary assumption and flaw by type, review lesson videos, discuss with your coach, and review. How many days off are you currently taking per week?
Student: One.
Steve: Okay.
Student: One.
Steve: Maybe up it to two.
Student: I'd assume so. There's a fatigue that builds over a week. It's interesting, the LSAT, because in the past I've studied for hours a day for days on end and didn't really hit that fatigue. From my MCAT experience, it's a lot more about practicing a process versus regurgitating things I've already put in my brain. Putting stuff in my brain I'm fairly good at, but changing the process of how you're thinking is a different animal.
Steve: It definitely changes how you think, analyze, critique, and engage in skeptical approaches to things. A different animal, unlike the MCAT, no memorization. Just process, step by step. So I'd look at whether you can distill a step-by-step process for necessary assumption, similarly for flaw questions, and step by step for exam day, with some kind of pre-test ritual that includes a couple warm-up questions.
Student: Yeah, we'll do that.
Steve: Anything else?
Student: Oh no, no, it was a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Steve: Keep me posted how things go.
Student: We'll do.
More coaching sessions: Zabdi, 141 to 155, Abigail, 147 to 160, Leah, 153 to 170, Dominic, Alina, 157 to 170. Student results and reviews.
I've written free explanations for every question in LSAT PrepTest 159, 158, 157, 156, 155 and 154, with the right answer and why each wrong answer fails. All LSAT explanations are here.
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