Scoring a 170+ on June 2017 LSAT

jennybbbbb

Hello fellow LSAT-takers,

The biggest thing I struggle with is knowing how much time to set per week to study for the LSAT. Like many other students, I tend to procrastinate way too much!! I am writing the June 2017 LSAT and hope to achieve a 170+. I am currently working part-time and I volunteer a lot. As of right now, I am beginning with the core curriculum and would like to know how much time you have dedicated per week in regards to studying. I know it varies from person to person but I really have to score this high on the June 2017 LSAT due to personal reasons. Let me know what you recommend or what study schedule has worked for you.

Thank you!

dennisgerrard

Follow the CC schedule and drill your weakness(for me, is LG-LR). Don't rush to PTs. Prepare for the joyfulness when you are skilled at certain type of question. Just do it!!

inactive

Bumping this to the top so you can get more advice!

brennan

Dedicate 100% of your free time. A few points higher on the LSAT can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in extra scholarships, and -- since it can change what school you get into -- millions of dollars in increased total career earnings

Darth Jurist

@brennan said:
Dedicate 100% of your free time.

While it is true that you need to devote a significant amount of time studying for the LSAT, be sure not to study more than 30 hours per week. Doing so will likely lead to burnout, and when you are experiencing burnout, any studying is basically time wasted. You have to give yourself time off to let all of the logic absorb into your synapses. The fact that you have a part-time job and like to spend time volunteering will be good for your prep because it will allow you to break away from the LSAT periodically. Though, it may limit you to 20 hours per week, or maybe even less depending on your schedule. Be sure to listen to you body to avoid burnout, and don't rush yourself. If you find that come June you are not scoring where you need to be, postpone.

Studying for this test takes as long as it takes. It's longer for some, and shorter for others. It all depends on how methodically you can construct a good study schedule for yourself. For me, some weeks I could only put in around 12 hours of LSAT prep due to my having a full load of classes. That's OK, because it was quality prep time. Had I tried to force myself to go longer than that, I would have hit burnout fast. 12 hours of quality prep in a week is always better than 40 hours of burnout prep in a week.

Goodluck!

Cant Get Right

Welcome to 7Sage! You've come to the right place!

@jenny.bains said:
I tend to procrastinate way too much!! I am writing the June 2017 LSAT and hope to achieve a 170+.

So first things first, lol. At maximum, only one of these two things is going to happen. It took me over a year to work my way to a 170+ level, and I pretty much stayed on top of it the whole way. Time is already against you, and you don't get to waste it if you're going to be serious about breaking 170. So get at it and stay at it!

Not having the luxury of time, you're also going to run into a lot of temptations for bad study habits, and you can't afford any mistakes. The temptations will fall mostly into the form of sacrificing quality for quantity. Cover more curriculum, take more PTs, etc. You must resist that urge. Go through the curriculum slowly and take the time to absorb the material. Take the time between PTs to learn from the weaknesses they expose. If you're really sharp and you study right from the beginning, it's possible.

To address your question, work as many hours as you can maintain high level focus and study strategies. If you are mentally exhausted or just lose interest, that's when you need to call it a day/week. When you're recharged, back to it.

Good luck!

jennybbbbb

Thank you for your advice guys! I think I am going to start making a weekly schedule to time out when I will be studying! I think by doing this, I will be able to study for as many hours as I can while having those breaks in between to work and volunteer! In terms of getting a 170+, did you guys slowly improve by doing a lot of PTs and then doing blind review? I just want to know incase I plateau at some point. Not knowing what I can do at that point scares me a little bit!

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Stevie C

It's definitely possible. Do core curriculum, take PTs (the max that I can properly review is 2 per week, but some people can do 3/4). Save the 70s for last. There is also a lot of good advice throughout the forums.