I am registered for the November exam and hoping to apply for the 2020 cycle. I have been studying on and off since mid-June, seriously studying since August. I took a diagnostics originally and score 136. The last PT I took a few weeks ago, I got a 150. Would like to be in the 160s but I'm now thinking that might not be possible given the short timeframe. Should I push my exam date to January or just wait a full cycle? Is taking the January exam too late to apply?
I understand your disappointment. I started studying last July with the intent of taking it in November. But I wasn't really studying like I should because I was also working full time. November came and went and I thought I would take the January 2020 exam. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was creating unnecessary pressure on myself and in return, I wasn't performing the way I should. I picked back up studying about in mid-April and am eyeing the August exam.
My advice is to just take in one week at a time. You may realize that you are further than you think and will be able to take the August exam. But if you're not, you should give yourself the time to really prepare and take it in October. Would you rather force it, sit for the August exam and get a score you're not happy with or would you rather give yourself that extra time and really do well in October (or after)?
I would recommend doing the full CC first and then start taking PTs. I purchased 7Sage last July with the intent of taking the exam in October 2019. I ended up only doing maybe 1/4 of the CC before starting to do PTs and I was so confused and defeated when my score did not improve from when I originally to the test at the beginning of my studying. For personal reasons, I decided not to apply last cycle.
This time around, I am doing the full CC and will beginning doing weekly PTS, starting on the 15th (that's when my study schedule says I'll be done). So far, this process has helped a lot and I'm understanding the material faster.
Thanks all for your advice. After speaking with several attorneys at my current firm, I've decided to push my exam back to January. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a great score and apply later than originally planned than to have an OK score (in my opinion) and apply a few months earlier.