When are you planning on writing the exam? 146 - 170 is a huge leap, and while I wouldn't say it's impossible it will require a herculean effort.

To answer your question, I had a similar trajectory, in that I would plateau somewhat frequently, a big hurdle was breaking the 160 mark, and now breaking the 170 mark consistently. My last BR score was a 180, with a 169 actual score.

Certainly, understanding the fundamentals is, well, fundamental. So to break apart a test and not finish is certainly acceptable in early stages of your study, as long as you're getting 100% of the questions you do get a chance to get to correct. Even on my last test, a 169, I did not finish LG (the first time in a long time). You don't need to finish the exam to get a 170. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, an expression I heard on the Thinking LSAT podcast which has been helpful to listen to during my commute.

But again, my biggest concern for you is the timeline you're working with. Can you achieve a 170? Absolutely. Could you do it by September? Unlikely, if that's your goal.

What about the July exam? Is that full up too?

My knowledge is fairly specific to Canadian law schools, though I believe it holds true to American schools as well. Each school will compute your GPA according to their own parameters to provide you with a cumulative GPA. Some schools drop a set number of your lowest grades, for example. This GPA, along with your LSAT score, is the most important metric used to evaluate prospective students. You can always speak with the admissions office of the school(s) you're planning to attend- personal experience tells me they're very helpful and happy to respond. Hope that helps!

@ said:

I've read that LSAT numbers are way up, like 38,000 test takers this summer vs 30,000 last year (or something like that). How do you think that impacts the curve? I think it lowers it, all else being equal. So a -10 curve might be -12 with 20% more testtakers. My logic is that as the pool of test takers expands, lower quality or lesser prepared people are drawn in, so the average raw score is pulled down. So maybe this June 2018 curve will be better than, say, June 2017, even at the same level of difficulty. Any thoughts?

I've heard the curve is set prior to the administration of the exam, so regardless of the quality or quantity of test takers for any given iteration of the exam, the curve should remain unchanged. From what I've heard, the experimental sections are used to determine the curve for future exams - can anyone confirm this?

Thanks for your comment! I have about 30 hours a week to dedicate to study

@ thanks for the reply! I made the analogy in the context of my own experiences with triathlons and a recent half marathon. Your insights confirm my intuition, thank you!