Tactic Trainer....totally stuck

I really am frustrated with the tactic trainer's way of judging how it awards or takes away points.  While I understand that time is of the essence, it is really a strange situation to be in. Naturally, like anyone else you'd like to see your rating come up.  The puzzles I love and feel like I have learned so much from them but I am hitting a brick wall that I cannot at this time overcome.  My highest rating has been in the 1580's but I seem eternally stuck between 1550's and 1570's.  The puzzles in that area require a lot of more thought and analysis which takes a little time.  If i take my time and go into the 1 or 1 1/2 minutes i am usually docked a few points just for getting it right.  So, naturally I feel rushed every time I get in there and my concentration is more on the timing aspect.  So, if my rating is staying where it's at because I can't answer harder puzzles in under one minute but I can do it if provided one more minute... well, i am starting to think as a basic member that chess.com is placing more importance on the timing so I will join up (which i have in the past) and be able to do the puzzles unrated or just keep doing them over and over until i finally get my rating up.  Not everything can be fair...but on a pure whether I can solve it or not, I am, but in a longer time control.  I've heard a lot of people support the rigid time control of the rated tactic trainer and I am saying I think it's just a ploy to make people join up.  Oh well....

Dont look at the points. Do you think they will ever go up when you think you are stuck? No. Just try to improve and remember the motifs you see. The truth is when you get better at tactics you will automatically be able to solve the porblems quicker. Result: Rating goes up. 

Get past the points.  As long as you obsess over "points" it will make it that much more difficult to improve.  I have had tactics where i lost points becuae i took so long to solve it, but i did solve it.  What you learn is much more valuable than the points.

I agree with everyone here totally.  It's just frustrating.

I know that feeling, but I ensure you its worth putting your effort in improving, it will pay off, believe me. :)

Think you'll be pleased with the changes over at V3 ("Try the new Chess.com" at the bottom of the page).  The #1 complaint, losing points for a correct answer, has been taken care of.  You may not gain any points if you take too long, but you will never again lose points for a correct answer.

The second big improvement is you can review any of the tactics you've failed.  You can choose to review by tactical motif as well.  This is all found in the custom (unrated) menu.  Just click the little + symbol.  Pretty sure once you try it, you'll want to up your membership for more access.  Good luck!

Well that's nice to know!! Thanks!

So I switched to the "new chess.com" V3 and i am much happier with the fact that when I take a few minutes to solve the puzzles, which I got all 5 right today....my rating didn't drop when I took 4 minutes to see the answer. only a +1 on those but hey, i got the puzzle right and wasn't punished for it!

I assume the "new" chess.com is only the website and not for the phone app

I am not sure if the phone and site are one and the same. They look a lot alike though.

Gladly reporting that a month ago when I was stuck in the 1550 range and getting nowhere, is no longer an issue.  Thanks to the V3 of chess.com I have just reached 1700 on the tactical trainer! A lot of them were just accumulations of 1 point gains.  There are some problems that have taken me more time to solve but at least I am not getting docked points for answering a puzzle correctly! At worst you only get 1 point.  That's better than minus9 for a correct answer.

Isnt life great when you dont suffer any consequences, and can spend your time bragging about your "success"

When you know your rating cant go down, where else do you expect it to go?

I agree. Life is good!