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Related Discussions
Take PTs before completing CC?
sbc.mom_3x
Alum Member
I am curious.. take any PTs before completing the CC? My goal is at least a 10pt increase, and I am sitting for the Feb. exam. (If I don't make it, I'll take June, but for now I set a goal of a 10 point increase and sit for Feb.). I have 10 pts, and have no trouble buying more, and am working my way through the CC now. I realize I would face disappointment if I don't see a difference in score yet, then sort of just wasted a test, or maybe I would see a slight increase? Have any of you taken PTs before completing the CC? I have the starter for now.. and printed the custom study schedule and so far am ahead of it, b/c studying is basically my full-time job right now, thank God for this opportunity. So, anyway... take a couple of tests here and there or wait until completely done with the starter CC? That will put me around mid to end of January and give me about 4 or 5 weeks to take all of my PTs before the Feb. test.. My fear is not getting enough timed-test practice in ...
Comments
I think foolproofing games during the cc would be of more benefit. LG improvement may achieve your 10 points alone if i am remembering the scores you shared the other day correctly. You will need to do this anyway following the curriculum so might as well get started now.
So far, things are clicking. I am at the intro to logic part now. Taking my time and absorbing everything into my brain. I have a tendency to think of other things while studying, so I'm questioning myself that I pay attention to this, I'm going back and watching videos again if I have to. But I fear that I'll have this overconfidence, telling myself that everything is clicking, and then take a test, and my score not even change. I think I might take a test in a week or two.
I'd highly recommend waiting until you complete the CC. I feel like you won't get much out of it being that there's still a lot you don't know. What I would recommend is maybe mixing in some timed sections in here and there. This will help get you used to working on a variety of questions and help keep you oriented with the challenges the test presents.
Also, only having a month or so to take PTs after the CC is probably not enough time. Even at a clip of 2 a week, you'll only be able to get through maybe 8 to 10. While there's no magic number of tests to take before you sit for the exam, I think somewhere in the ballpark of 15-20 is where you should aim, at minimum. Most people end up taking way more...
Further, your first PTs after the CC will likely illuminate several things you will need to work on. This will likely take up much of that 4-5 weeks you'll have to PT after the CC.
Is there anyway you can push your test back to June?
I was thinking of taking June if February isn't as great as I want. My goal is at least 9 points, 2 schools have told me that would get me a strong chance of getting in. Obviously, the higher the better and more opportunities, goes without saying. If I wait til June, then I'm pushing it. I can only be without a fulltime job for so long as a single mom. I gotta get into school soon. My undergrad students loans are going to start needing paid soon. I graduated in August. 10 pts is my goal. 15 would be great. You have great advice Alex. Seriously makes me think though. Come February I'll see where I'm at. Is it possible to complete the CC sooner than 2 mos? I'm currently at 13.5% of it. I know not to rush it though. I am taking my time to abosrb the info. I like the idea of timed sections here and there. Would you suggest pulling those from PTs? That I do or do not plan on taking as full timed PTs?
Let us know how it goes! I am trying for the 2018 cycle, and gave myself only about 10 weeks to really prep for the December LSAT (mixed in with taking 6 classes), and it was enough to improve my timing and really get a feel for how long I can spend on each question, game or passage, but I wasn't able to improve my overall score by much. I'm looking forward to seeing how I scored, but I managed to finish every section with time to review, which was my goal. I think if you are devoting the next couple months to just your LSAT, and going through the CC, there is a great chance for you to improve! I agree with Alex, you will want to get some timed tests under your belt, but I also think that they are a huge time suck and it sounds like you are short on time. I would suggest doing regular timed sections (1 or 2 at a time), so you develop a feel for the time you can take for each type, DO score these and apply what you're learning in small bursts to assess your progress. Then maybe do a full timed PT once per week until January but use these solely for timing practice and building stamina for the real test, and don't worry so much about your score on these. Once you're through the curriculum or in January, whichever comes first, start taking a couple full PT's a week,and in between PT's, go through each section and review each question (this is something I did not have/take the time to do, I only reviewed what I got wrong). Worst case scenario is that you don't see enough improvement by february, but either way it sounds like you're aiming for the 2019 admissions cycle, so that gives you 4 different possible deadlines for score improvement. So if you're not where you want to be by february, there's always June, Sept or Dec!!
That is superb advice thank you. Definitely heeding that. I would prefer the 2018 cycle over 2019 but I will do what is best.
Yeah you've gotten some really excellent advice above. Not sure about the specific schools you are looking at, but most schools won't accept the February LSAT for fall 2018 admission, and I've not heard of any schools that will accept the June test for fall admission. You'd be a lot better off delaying a cycle and really taking time to put into this. I think by June you'll be a lot more prepared and you definitely don't have to put off working full time until then! A lot of us around here (myself included) work full time. Totally get that you mentioned you are a single mom and that has a big time commitment too, obviously. But it might be wiser to spread out studying in short amounts over a long period of time rather than trying to cram it all in. The LSAT is unfortunately not very friendly to cramming. I really think you can achieve your goals, but it might be pretty tough to pull off by February.
All that said, @"Alex Divine" has great tips, definitely second that. Wait on PTs but you could start with some timed sections.
No big top schools, just Ohio, Michigan, Indiana & Kentucky schools. 8 told me they would hold for February score. I didn't ask them but 2 said they would hold for June if requested. Which seems bizarre and super last minute, moving would be difficult. Luckily I am not working now, so I can treat this as my full time job, and have my kids in school. But, living off a savings, I can only do this for so long, so I'd love a 10 pt increase at February, and then start in the fall of 2018. However, if I don't improve, then I have to be realistic and will not give up but will keeo studying through to June, and then get a job for means of survival. Then hope to get in the 2019 cycle. That'll give me June, Sept and Dec, as mentioned above. Yes, GREAT advice given. And I will be realistic. For now I will take it one step at a time, and work towards improving by February. I will withdraw and not even sit for it if my PTs are not improved significantly.