Self-study
Hey everyone,
I’m officially diving into my LSAT prep couple days ago, but I’m feeling the pressure because I’m gonna take the August test. That gives me exactly 4 months to get from zero to hero.
To be completely honest, I’m aiming for a 170+. I know that’s a massive goal for someone who literally just opened their books, and I’m oscillating between being super motivated and wondering if I’m being delusional.
Is a 170+ even possible in a 4-month window starting from scratch? I’d love to hear from anyone who has pulled off a big jump in a short timeframe. What did your study schedule look like, and how did you keep from burning out? I really need some real-talk ideas and some serious motivation to get me through this first week.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
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12 comments
Depends, need some info on where you are starting. If you are getting estimated and PT scores of like 130, it will be much harder than if your natural score is 150+. Its not necessarily time that matters. Some people take a year and can't break 150, some people are getting that out of the gate.
i started from scratch and got a 165, now i'm starting semi-from scratch again (forgot basically everything but decided i want to reapply next year with a stronger score) and i feel very much like it's something within my reach! it def depends on your diagnostic though
@sophielevitt How long did you study to get 165?
What is your diagnostic score? And how much of your time can you devote to studying?
@Relay To be honest, I haven't taken it yet. I know that's weird but I'm really scared of getting a really bad score and lose all my motivation. :(((
But I am studying 5-6 hours everyday.
@Elena2002$ 5-6 hours is a lot, I'm sure you can improve your score a lot regardless of what you get as a diagnostic. How are you studying? For me the best way to study is to take a practice test and do an extended blind review. After you take the test you will know your weak spots and can study in those areas in particular.
You won't know where you're starting until you take the test. Have you done any LR practice questions?
@Relay I’m following the 7Sage study plan. I chose June as my tentative test date, and the program divided the lessons and practice weeks for me accordingly. Since this is my first time, I really need to go through the lessons before starting the practice tests. However, I think taking a diagnostic test might be a good idea so I can focus on my weaknesses. I’ll likely have trouble with all sections; I don't think I'll be completely fine with any specific one yet. How should I use my score to improve? Also, regarding Blind Review, do I have unlimited time, or is that part timed as well?
@Elena2002$ you have unlimited time in Blind Review.
That isn't necessarily true, but could be true for some people. I haven't done any lessons (and I'm not planning to). It seems like it would be hard to tell without a diagnostic score.
Why / how do you think this without having done any practice tests or sections? Also there's only two types of sections. Do you have past ACT Reading or ACT English scores making you think this?
By drilling (or studying and then drilling) the specific question type you're having problems with. For example, I have trouble with parallel reasoning problems. They take me way too long.
@Relay The reason I said I need the lessons is that, as far as I know, many of the questions involve 'tricks.' By learning these, it will be easier for me to answer the questions correctly. Since I am not a native English speaker, the reading passages might be more difficult for me than for native speakers. I was also wondering if there is a vocabulary resource for the LSAT, as I encounter many words I don't know, which makes the passages even harder to understand.
@Elena2002$ ah okay. I was unable to tell you are not a native English speaker, so I doubt you'll have a huge problem with LR in this regard unless you have been using a translator for this conversation, but I can see how this would make RC difficult. I can't imagine doing an RC section in one of my L2s nearly as effectively as in English.
I just found this, which has a breakdown, but I'm not sure about general vocabulary.
https://www.trainertestprep.com/docs/31-lsat-vocabulary-sample-chapter.pdf
Possibly it would help to just read sort of widely in English—particularly difficult texts like scientific papers, and maybe some literary stuff. Why June? If you took it a bit later you could improve your English reading level first, potentially.
It's true that questions have "traps" (answers meant to seem appealing that are actually false), but this is normal for any test. It's not specific to the LSAT, and seeing through the traps (seeing that they are just wrong answers) is not magic—it's pure logic. No outside knowledge is required.
@Relay Aww, thanks a lot! No, I'm not using a translator; my English isn't bad, it's just not at a 100% native level.
I really appreciate the info you sent!
I'm not actually taking the test in June; I’m planning on the August test date. I just set it to June in the system so I can finish everything sooner. That way, I'll have more time to adjust if my practice test scores aren't where I want them to be after I finish the lessons. My actual test will be in August.
@Elena2002$ in that case, I wish you the best of luck. If you want to work on LR first you can always take practice sections for LR.