exhausted for studying

sjiang666

Hi everyone,

I am going to take LSAT on June 25th (I am in Asia). But right now I am exhausted for studying. So I am looking for advises here.

I have total 40 days (full time study) for June LSAT. I finished all my final exams and fly back to home on May 15th. This is short and stressed. Before this around, I also studied in the winter break (full time) for a month (I thought I could take Feb test, naively), mainly spent on timed PTs (what a bad idea). I barely touched LSAT during the spring semester. I haven't taken real test yet, and I plan to apply this fall.

I drilled on LR and RC and I feel improvement on LR, a little on RC. I would like to drill more and I have barely drilled game yet, but I know I have to driving into PTs now. It is already too late.

I still want to take this June test, at least get some feeling of the real test. If the Sept test is my first test, I am afraid that would be too much pressure on that one. I am thinking if I should stop drilling and start to take PTs. I feel I am not ready, but I know it is already late to start. I am also worried that I could used too many fresh PTs but I am very likely taking Sept. test.

BTW English is not my first language. This adds difficulty, but I think my language is roughly OK for LSAT.

What do you think? Should I driving into the PTs right now? What should I do for June, and what should I prepare for Spet? What is the reasonable total study period range for a 170+ student?

akistotle

Hi @sjiang666 ! I'm planning on taking September LSAT in Asia too

I know you can take the test unlimitedly now, but I don't think there is any reason for taking the test when you know you are not ready.

What do you think? Should I driving into the PTs right now? What should I do for June, and what should I prepare for Spet?

I think people can give you advice if you could provide more information. Have you finished the Core Curriculum?

What is your average PT score (as of now)? What are the scores for individual sections (for example LR: -3 RC: -5 LG: -2 LR: -3)?

If you are not scoring -0 on LG, I think you should drill LG using LG bundle (PT1-35) and fool proof every game.

Ultimate+ comes with LG Bundle: https://7sage.com/lesson/logic-games-bundle-preptests-1-35/

What is the reasonable total study period range for a 170+ student?

There are people who spend years studying and score 170+, but at the same time, there are people who are naturally good at this test and score 170+ by studying 2 weeks or so.

Good luck

sjiang666

@akistotle
Thanks for reply! I haven't finished Core Curriculum...since I have limited time, I pick up courses I think that is more important and difficult to me.

I haven't do PTs this round, last winter my PTs points was around 157-160. My current LR section is around -4, and for LG I am -2 to -0 if I can finish, but the problem is I sometimes stuck on a hard one and run out of time. As to RC, I am -9 to -2, the score for this section various a lot. I also find that humanities passage are especially hard for me. I am very unfamiliar with those topics.

I am thinking about just go take June, get a feeling of real test and cancel the grade. How bad the cancel history will be for my application?

Thanks!

S

Alex

Don't take it now; you aren't ready. Unlimited takes are just another way to see who was smart(er) and studied and did it the right the first time around. Sure, sometimes people freak out or mess up, but don't deliberately take before you're ready.

Study and put the proper work in. It will pay off. I promise you that!

Cant Get Right

I agree that taking in June is not a good idea. You're not ready, and your timeline has forced you to cut too many corners already. Slow down and do it right. I promise you it will be much faster in the end.

sjiang666

Thanks for replying! I realize that I need to knock down the basic first, I will slow down and finish the core curriculum.
@"Cant Get Right" @"Alex Divine" I still wonder how much it will affects me if I have a cancel record on LSAT. If the influence is little, so why not just go and try. Otherwise Sept. test will be my first test and I will need that score. I heard that Dec score is a little bit late for T14.

Thanks!

NotMyName

I agree that taking in June is not a good idea. You're not ready, and your timeline has forced you to cut too many corners already. Slow down and do it right. I promise you it will be much faster in the end.

All really good advice above. This test is learnable. You can improve (significantly) by following a well established approach within this community. So why take the test before you've learned what you can? Perhaps your time restrictions are self-imposed? Consider the benefits, and costs, of postponing the test. I'm willing to bet that the benefits outweigh the costs.

I still wonder how much it will affects me if I have a cancel record on LSAT. If the influence is little, so why not just go and try.

@"Cant Get Right" @"Alex Divine" interested to hear ya'lls answer to this considering the 3-take rule is going away. @sjiang666 I would ask you to consider the following on this topic:

1) This is a standardized test with extremely well-established correlation to your understanding of the material -- if anything, we are more likely to do worse than our ability than overachieve. Don't expect to walk in on test day and achieve your dream score. If you haven't shown a clear capability to score in your desired range, it is highly HIGHLY unlikely that you will do so on test day.

2) The LSAT costs money. You pay for the opportunity to earn a score. Why pay for a useless score? Take that money and put it into 7Sage. I don't know the specifics of your situation, but if your upper PT average was 160, that is almost certainly not high enough for T14 anyway (you mention T14 so perhaps that is your goal?).

3) You are burning a recent PT by taking the actual LSAT. You've already burned through PTs in your prep and it doesn't sound like the most was made of them. Consider this another wasted PT. It may be released before you take the LSAT again and in that case, you are missing out on the most recent PT. Recent PTs are extremely valuable because they most accurately reflect the current state of the test and what you will likely encounter on test day.

4) Time. All of the above takes time. Time which could be spent mastering fundamentals and developing a strong approach to RC (note-taking, memory method, or some hybrid) that will smooth out your scores in that section. RC is challenging to improve, but it may be your final major hurdle to 165+ based on the scores your shared.

5) Money -- again. Consider the opportunity cost of needlessly scoring well-below your potential: less prestigious school, less/no scholarship, and less future income.

It sounds like you are at a 160 PT average without having fully committed yourself to prep. That's a remarkable opportunity. I really hope you take advantage of your starting point by taking a step back. As CantGetRight said, it will pay off! Best of luck in whatever you choose!

sjiang666

@jkatz1488 Thanks for replying! Now I really understand why taking this one might be a bad idea. I think I might cancel the June one, anyway I will need to take the Sept. one. One of my concern is that I know I am not ready, and I might use too many PTs this time.

5) Money -- again. Consider the opportunity cost of needlessly scoring well-below your potential: less prestigious school, less/no scholarship, and less future income.

I used take GMAT and business school will only consider the highest score, and I tried 3 time to get a 700+. So I am thinking I still need real experience before I get my target score. But it seems like law school are still considering the lower scores or cancelation? If that is the case I am definitely not taking June.

Alex

Re: Cancels. They just don't look good. Even with unlimited takes, I don't think much is going to change. The same people will keep going until to reach their target scores. The others will give up and make excuses why they can't re-take, postpone, or have to take this cycle. etc. Same people. Same Test. Unlimited takes. And at this point I've just about heard it all, haha.

It was hard enough to talk someone into taking the test twice if they thought they could do better, I highly doubt we're going to see a bunch of 4th and 5th time takers all the sudden.