How long should I study for the LSAT? I think I have an answer

TheoryandPractice

I know that the fellow 7sagers already know what the answer is, but I just wanted to say it one more time, prob just to tell myself (and get some resonance from others too!) that I made a right decision and nothing's wrong with it.

The answer: however long it takes to master the skills necessary and feel confident walking into the exam room that I have and will realize my potential.

I am saying this because i have a lot of LSAT beast friends around. I have a college friend who studied for a month and scored a 179. Another college friend who studied 4 hours a day for 3 months and got 175+. (He, by the way, told me: "If you study for 4 hours a day for 3 months, you will get the score you want." ) I also have another friend in my church Bible studies group who studied for a month, killed it, and got into Yale. So my Bible studies folks think that the ideal time to study for the LSAT is a month, and they are puzzled when I say I need more time than that. LOL... Yes I admit, they hurt my pride a bit.

But that's great, because I learned that being humble is the best way to conquer the LSAT. (and in general to conquer life). It's ok, because they have their own pace to things in life, and I have my own pace. I know what I am capable and not capable of, and I will not define my pace based on other people's pace.

I do need more time. I wanted to take it in June (and might try to if I progress quicker than what I currently anticipate), but 3 months of full time studying isn't going to be enough for me. I need to work on LG a lot more, to the point that I will feel confident and relaxed even when I see an unusual game thrown at me. I want to realize my potential on all sections.

That's the answer for me.

The end.

Mellow_Z

First off, humility is something that will carry you very far in life. Don't write that off, many people lack that skill.

Secondly, you are exactly correct in stating that not everyone can learn this test in the same amount of time. That's why there is SO many different websites, courses, books, whatever.. if it was a "one size fits all" there wouldn't be so much contrasting content out there to learn from. You just have to figure out what works for you.

I originally wanted to sit for the LSAT last fall. I had too many things get in the way and ended up taking 4 months completely off my studies because I was so down about not being ready in time. Chin up, shit happens. I've been committed again since around new years this time around, and I plan on sitting in September if possible, but don't have any plans hinging around doing so. If I'm not ready, I've already made peace in my mind that I'm comfortable waiting until the next test to sit.

In the end, law schools don't compare how long you studied in comparison to anyone else. They just care about the end score. So do whatever you have to do to get there. You've been a great part of this community the last few months and I'm glad we've had the opportunity to call you one of our own.

tringo335

I sat on an 'Ask Anything' call with Sage Daniel (who is great btw) and he spent 20 minutes going over a weakening question with me that I just wasn't getting. It essentially came down to how I wasn't discovering what could weaken the relationship between the premise and conclusion and he said something that will probably stick with me forever: "Don't be discouraged if you're not getting this concept, I studied for a year and half before I finally understood it."

A YEAR AND A HALF.

Now, the 'Sage' title in front of Daniel's name means that he has scored a 170+ on the LSAT, clearly an expert of the test, and even he took over a year to master the questions. This made me realize I can't get stuck on how long it's taking ME to master these concepts. One of my favorite quotes is: "It's not that you don't know how to do it; it's that you don't know how to do it YET." The LSAT is truly a learnable test. Thanks for the reminder that however it long it takes to learn, eventually we will get there.

PS, Maybe find a new bible study group? :-P

JustDoIt

All I wanna know is what do I gotta do to have the same luck and turn around as those you know...

JK. But I agree not to rush the process. Similar to some, this process has taken me way longer than I would like to admit and may even be pushing back to September too. At the same time, it has taught me to never give up on something you truly want and feel you are capable of. I don't want to look back on this test with any "what if"'s.

Similar to what is mentioned above, I recently learned how deep this test is. It is not enough to know what to do. You have to know EXACTLY why you are doing something. Knowing that a sufficient assumption, for example, makes the argument valid is not enough, we have to know why it makes the argument valid and why it closes the gap.

Anyways this is my two cents. Regardless how long it takes, never give up if you truly want a better score

Cant Get Right

Glad you know the answer to your question, especially given the sampling you've been exposed to! That's crazy! For folks like that, their scores reflect a level of intellect that top schools, obviously, will be happy to take. My score--and most of our scores--will reflect something very different. I'm pretty smart, but I'm not that kind of smart, lol. What my score says about me is that no matter what obstacle you put down in front of me, I'm going to overcome it. I'm going to do whatever it takes and I will not be denied. Law schools want that too. Personally, I value it more than effortless brilliance. So hang in there, work hard, and beat this thing!

Alex

@"Cant Get Right" said:
Glad you know the answer to your question, especially given the sampling you've been exposed to! That's crazy! For folks like that, their scores reflect a level of intellect that top schools, obviously, will be happy to take. My score--and most of our scores--will reflect something very different. I'm pretty smart, but I'm not that kind of smart, lol. What my score says about me is that no matter what obstacle you put down in front of me, I'm going to overcome it. I'm going to do whatever it takes and I will not be denied. Law schools want that too. Personally, I value it more than effortless brilliance. So hang in there, work hard, and beat this thing!

Well said, @"Cant Get Right" !

@TheoryandPractice , Love your attitude and perspective. Keep that mindset and there will be little you can't achieve, including the LSAT.

TheoryandPractice

@Mellow_Z @tringo335 @JustDoIt @"Alex Divine" Thank you everyone! You really made a difference in my attitude. It is hard to stand up for my own value when everyone else around me don't understand where I am coming from. That's why being in a community like 7sage is so important, I think.

@"Cant Get Right" OMG this is absolutely right... Thank you for framing it this way: that the LSAT scores mean many qualities.. it can mean sheer brilliance but also perseverance. Both are equally valued. I will also choose the latter

rivierablue

Been studying since Fall 2018 for earliest entry 2021. I know that standardized tests are not my strong suit and I'm not stopping until I'm consistently getting all those 4 & 5 dot questions correct.

learn2skipQs

Hey all I'll say is go check the LSAC'S OWN STATS. Around 2% of test takers even get a 170 at any given time that they're administering the test. Also, 20% of test takers get a 160 or higher for any given test round that they're administering so... I'll just leave this here.

learn2skipQs

Also, some of these ivy league range scorers don't even work/ go to school while practicing so... great for them. Can't relate

Cant Get Right

For those of you that work, don't be discouraged. I was able to take time off work towards the end of my studies--and that time was gloriously productive--but before that, I gained approximately 15 points from my starting score while working at a restaurant 70 hours a week. It was exhausting; it sucked; it took incredible discipline and enormous sacrifice; but I was completely devoted to my goals, and I pushed my way forward.

Jobs and other responsibilities subtract from the time we have to devote to LSAT, but it doesn't have to subtract from how productively that time can be spent. The question, at its core, is where the time comes from. Without other responsibilities, full time LSAT students can log the time necessary while still having time for other needs and interests.

With a job, logging LSAT hours requires painful cuts into other parts of life. It requires significant and substantial sacrifice. Still then, the question is not fundamentally one of possibility but rather of priority.

What are your law school goals worth to you? Your down time? Your hobbies? Your friends? Your family? Theoretically, a job is no obstacle at all if your law school goals outweigh everything else entirely: Even with two full-time jobs and a full 8 hours of sleep every night, you'd still have 32 hours a week to study which is what I logged while studying full-time. That's deliberately absurd in its various extremes, but I hope it's still illustrative. With one full time job, the necessary cuts become less draconian, but devoted studies will still result in a rather spartan lifestyle and probably significantly less than a 32 hour study week. And that's okay. There is a number of hours required to reach a critical mass of study time to be effective, but whatever that is, it is definitely less than 32. Those other needs are important and necessary and simply cannot and should not be eliminated even for the most extreme and hardcore LSAT students. It's the balance you're willing to maintain that is determinative: There's no need to eliminate things entirely.

Working class people will always be at a disadvantage on things like the LSAT. It's a big inherent barrier to social and economic mobility. Ultimately, most people decide, whether consciously or not, that the future potential benefits are not worth the incredible and immediate concrete sacrifices. That conclusion is overwhelmingly reasonable and okay. The point of this thread, and many others like it, is not that everyone will score in the 170's and have all their dreams come true if they just want it hard enough. The point is that it is possible to conquer the LSAT with discipline, patience, humility, and industriousness. And yes, this presents additional barriers to those of us who must work. Better that than the insurmountable necessity of extraordinary and inherent intellectual brilliance.

I'm really glad this thread came back around so many years later. OP was stuck and discouraged and overwhelmed, but they were nevertheless determined to do what it took. For anyone interested in how it all played out, this particular Sager went on to score a 173: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/18699/173-my-lsat-journey-is-over-thank-you-jy-for-your-br-sessions

I think the passage of time has made this thread particularly powerful.