for those interested in meditation.

I'm not sure I'll be ready for the June test. I've been practicing for three weeks, mainly LR and have seen roughly +5 improvement there. Haven't given as much time to LG or RC because I'm stronger in those. But there is still room for improvement everywhere. I'm shooting for a 180, want 170+, and 160+ wouldn't be the end of the world. Anyway pleas argue:

If I am not confident that I can achieve a score I want in July is there any reason I should postpone knowing I can take the LSAT as many times as I want?

Thanks guys

I currently have a job that I come home from exhausted and brain fried six days a week. I'm so tired when I get home that it feels nearly impossible to do anything productive. For those of you working, how have you found a balance between your job and studying nights and weekends?

Hey all! Congrats to everyone improving your scores!

I was wondering if you guys had some advice on dealing with crippling anxiety and stress that prevent me from reaching my potential?

In timed, stimulated exams I scored my recent high 166..but blind review...170.

In fact, with blind review I am not taking much time over 35 minutes. Sometimes, I finish under time.

When I take the test with stimulated conditions, it's as if I am frozen & forgot everything I've ever learned.

I get so worked up and nervous that I fall well below my average in regular practice drills.

Anyone have any advice?

I came across this story today in my news feed. What an amazing way to turn around your life. If this woman can do it, any of us can. Truly inspiring!

http://abc13.com/education/mom-of-5-graduating-from-tsu-law-school-goes-viral-in-photo-with-kids/3326740/

What is y'alls favorite/most effective prep book. I have an older Kaplan Premier/Unlocked, but I'm burning through the content pretty quickly. Is there a different brand you like better? I want to focus on actual questions and full length tests, rather than learning guides (since 7sage does that well).

I'd like to spend less than $40, if possible.

This is something I've been thinking about recently. Has the 'meta' changed for those who hope to go to a T6 law school?

This past cycle, we've seen a huge increase in the number of 175+ scoring applicants. I believe in past years there were only approximately ~400 175+ scoring applicants. This past cycle, there were almost 700 according to Spivey's 2017-2018 cycle data. (http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/new-2017-2018-cycle-data-as-of-3-27-18/)

And, just anecdotally, I've seen a lot of discussion on various forums from scorers in the 170-174 range who are planning on retaking just to break through the 175 barrier. And it makes a lot of sense -- I think if I had a 174 I would think about retaking as well. Getting past 175 will put you in the 75th percentile for all of the T6, and that's life changing.

Furthermore, I think almost anyone scoring in the 170-174 range is capable of scoring a 175+. At that point, taking the exam is more like rolling the dice to see whether or not the examination plays to or against your strengths. For example, if you're weak at RC, you can just sit for exams until you run into an exam with a particularly easy RC section. Now that there's unlimited retakes, there's no downside to doing this. The only limiting factors are time and money (which for a college entrance exam, really shouldn't be limiting factors imo).

Considering the huge benefits that a score increase from say a 172 to a 177 provide, is it not a no-brainer to take this approach to the exam? A Ruby at Chicago or an admittance to Yale are really life changing events, and they're both significantly more likely to happen if you're boasting a 175+ score.

Just to clarify, I'm not advocating this type of approach. To me, this just seems to be the obvious consequence of the new rules surrounding unlimited retakes and all of the new testing administrations. It does seem to give a distinct advantage to those individuals who can afford to delay a couple cycles, and keep sitting for the exam until it eventually plays to their strengths.

Is this the new 'meta' for T6? What do ya'll think, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I visited a school today where my app is still pending. Met a director of adminssions. Would it be a bad idea to email her a thank you? Met her through the “info lecture” and asked some questions with her directly after.

I am on track to take the June LSAT, but with less than two months to go, I am starting to feel the anxiety creep in. Where my anxiety stems from is how inconsistent I feel like I can be with my prep tests. Although my raw scores and my overall scores are rather consistent (ranging from 161-169 with an average of 165), I vary quite widely within sections. I have had times where I score perfectly on Reading Comp, and I have had times where I have only had 67% on Reading Comp; sometimes I miss only 1 or 2 out of both sections combined with LR, but other times I miss 7 or 8 combined. So far, the times where I have been less successful in Reading Comp have corresponded with stronger LR and vice versa, but I am starting to worry about potentially having an particularly bad day when I have a bad RC and perform poorly on LR. Any ideas on how to get more consistent? Thanks!

Hello all! I've had this problem for a while now. But I've been having trouble closing the gap between timed score and BR score. The gap is dramatic like from 150s-160s timed to high 170s untimed. It varies. I know it's not a fluke because I have been getting high 170s during BR for the last like 5 or so practice tests.

During a timed preptest, I find myself being increasingly anxious. It kills my mood for the rest of the section and so on -- which obviously tanks my timed score. I just began meditating several days ago to try to combat my anxiety and focus. It helps to a degree but that drastically. Although I am skipping, I do have a tendency to spend time on time sink questions and have a tendency to second guess my instinct.

I really need help on trying to close this gap and working on my confidence before the July test. I know there's no magical formula to being able to close this gap, any advice would really be appreciated!

Hi all,

I got accepted to the University of British Columbia up in Canada. Pretty funny story, I actually 'argued' my way in. I was originally rejected and waaaayyyy down on the wait list. However, I sent them a lengthy e-mail arguing that their evaluation of my GPA was somewhat unfair (I did well on the LSAT though, their median is 164-166 or something and I was 171). After a lengthy back and forth and getting some information from old professors, they actually re-evaluated it and it worked out quite well. The major problem was that my school doesn't give out A+'s and so my GPA was like a full 3-4% lower than what it was supposed to be. Anyways, sometimes it's actually worth speaking out... the director also said the really enjoyed my Personal Statement and said that it's a lie that the admissions offices don't read them because she specifically remembered mine, which was really nice to hear. I was also offered a spot at Western, and they evaluated my cGPA as 3.03 hahahahahah and then probably they looked more closely at my last two years and maybe gave me like a 3.3 or 3.4. University of Toronto rejected me though outright, not even the courtesy of a waitlist lol. I get a chuckle about lawyering my way into lawschool.

Anyways. UBC actually has a pretty cool J.D./MBA program. Have any of you guys done these or looked at them? The issue is that my work experience is that of a long haul truck driver, a highway construction crew foreman and as a storefront counter worker, and despite the fact that economics and statistics are my favorite subjects and that I would be using my law degree mostly to try and get a leg up in the business world, I'm not sure if the MBA program is a good idea. Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Is it different doing a J.D./MBA as opposed to a pure MBA? I know you're supposed to have some industry work experience. Plus it's dammmmnnn expensive. But I did a cold take on a GRE and I managed to score above their 'recommended competitive requirements' for that exam (half of it is like the LSAT, but the math part I was AWEFUL at hahahaha).

Thanks folks. I hope you all have your fingers crossed if you're on the wait lists, or that you're celebrating an acceptance!

Hi everyone! I am looking for some honest advice. So to start off, I have taken the LSAT four times; my most recent score was a 147 (Feb. 2018). I have severe test anxiety and had a panic attack during one of my tests - I just cannot conquer this stupid test :( My uGPA isn't bad, but it's not great either: a 3.02. I have been out of school for a little over two years now, and have since worked as a legal advocate for a domestic abuse shelter; a courtroom clerk; and I am currently the manager of a low-income family mediation program. I have four letters of recommendation, and I know they are all very strong. And then there's my personal statement, which I had two advisors review and had an expert edit; I was told it was very strong. Aside from my LSAT (and uGPA), I am not too worried about the rest of my application.

With all that aside, I am very unsure where to go from here. I applied to eight schools for the 2018 cycle, but I have received two rejections so far (not surprising), and am not confident about the rest. I will take the LSAT again, but I think I need to take some time (a year or two) for myself, and then retake. Even if I retake, I am not expecting to score that much higher. I have taken it four times already, and at this point I don't think I will score much higher than low/mid-150's. So, I am wondering what would be the best option to boost my application? I have been playing with the idea of going back to school - either another Bachelor's to increase my uGPA or a Master's... but I have read/heard conflicting things about this. Would it be better to go back to school to show schools that I am a serious student, continue to work, or I have the option to also get my mediation certificate? Other ideas or any advice? I would greatly appreciate any input! Thank you!

Hey guys,

How should I send a LOCI? Body of an email, or attached to an email?

Just a quick question:

Assuming all other factors remain constant, what is better for admissions, applying in November with a 3.66 GPA or waiting until January to apply with a 3.7? (GPA will improve over the semester)

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and answer my post.

I have scored a 138 on my diagnostic, took the December 2017 lsat and got 147.

I was averaging 146 with a high of 152.

I work full time at a very busy litigation firm as a litigation paralegal. It was very hard to make time to study. I enrolled in a testmasters course but didn’t really learn much. I was always so drained after work to absorb anything he instructor said.

I’m planning on taking 4 months off of work to focus full time on the exam to retake (and use the 7sage LSAT program).

Is it possible to get to the 160-170 range?

I’ve mistakingly exhausted the last 20 practice tests.. didn’t realize that was a mistake until I came across 7sage. Considering this, will the 7sage course still be useful for me?

Thanks again.

Just got WL'd at BU 3.4 GPA 160 LSAT.

I am dying here

Has anyone used the powerscore lsat workbooks? I wanted to know if it would be a good idea to purchase them and use them solely for drilling or should I just upgrade my 7sage package? I currently have the Starter version and just finished doing the CC.

Thank you for the help.

I really would like to hear from someone who has a friend, attending law school W/Tiffany Trump?! It would help get my mind off this cycle, by hearing some gossip of what it is like...

Asst. District Attorney in Philly or Pittsburgh -- that's my goal.

Numbers: Avg 167 LSAT (fighting for 170+ this cycle); 3.55 UGPA

Non-traditional applicant with 4 years work experience. Debt-averse. Not about "prestige-for-prestige-sake" but understand the practical advantages offered alongside prestige in many cases. Not about Big Law.

My numbers likely don't get me into Penn. The job placement and bar passage numbers for remaining PA schools scare me. I'm looking for strong T1/T2 schools where I can get significant scholarship money and reasonably expect to have good job prospects outside of that region (since I'd like to work in PA).

So what do ya'll think? How should one in my situation go about pursuing an ADA position in these specific cities?

I hear that prestigious PI is quite competitive; does that mean I should be chasing T13? Those schools also have much better LRAP. But what about a strong school like BU for which I'd be at/above the medians? That is where my focus has been.

What differentiates law students when applying for 2L internships at a DA's office? Should I prioritize larger cities for a 2L DA internship or is a DA internship in Pittsburgh considered as strong as in Philly/Boston/etc? My guess is the former but also if I want to work in Philly/Pitt then I should probably pursue those.

Of course, the standard networking is also wise. I really like what the reforms the new Philly DA has implemented and I plan to reach out on those grounds.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I've spent almost all my time preparing for the lsat so am behind in my law school and career research.

EDIT: My GPA is below BU 50th but at least above the 25th.

EDIT: ADA is not a PI position. My bad.

Hi all,

Starting in less than a month, I will be transitioning from part-time study to full-time study. I'm looking for some recommendations about full-time study methods/scheduling. I'm also very worried about burn out. I plan to test in September so I will be studying full-time for about 3 months.

Some background info: I have finished the CC, and have made only a little progress fool-proofing LG's 1-35. Additionally, I only took 2 tests since completing CC, so there's a lot of material that I still have to get through. I'd say 25-30h/week is needed (minimum) for me to get through all of the content. I tend to struggle on LG and RC specifically. I want to score 170+ but i'd guess that I am still stuck in low 160's range.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

Nothing to see here, just wallowing in self-pity. I just got back from spring break in California: 3 days in Monterey, 1 day in Santa Barbara, and 4 days in San Diego. Shorts and fleece the whole time. Now that I'm back in St Louis, currently at a pleasant 45 degrees, its a bit tough getting back into the study groove. My wife and I keep surfing realtor.com and figuring out which bank we have to rob to buy a house there.

Added motivation to crush the retake!

So I call b.s. on this whole cycle. I'm about 15 minutes away from raging over these schools... deposits are due! I already have barely have enough money to buy my college cap & gown, let alone put more than 100 bucks down on numerous law schools that I have yet to hear from. I'm know I can't be the only one in this sinking titanic, of a cycle.

I feel like waiting on these schools decisions, is like attempting to play GTA, without breaking any laws.

Not sure if this topic has been broached here before, but I was curious to get some opinions. How do you guys feel about the general trend of law schools accepting GRE scores in place of LSAT scores for admissions? None of the law schools for which I am applying have made that switch, but I wanted to know everyone's thoughts on it since we are all entrenched in learning how to beat the LSAT. The articles I read make it seem like law schools are hurting for applications, but that doesn't seem to be the case for those of us applying, right?

Has anyone ever been on one and what should I expect? This is not to be confused with a Georgetown interview. I'm expecting a tour and maybe a class visit but honestly have no idea.