Should I Withdraw?

SLREVIEWLSAT

Only three days away!!! I feel I'm not fully prepared.

A little about my current situation: I am a junior from a top 15 college. This is my first time of taking LSAT. I have been studied LSAT for the past three months: finished all core courses; finished a least 50 timed sections of LR, 20 sections of LG, and 20 sections of RC. However, I just did one 5-section prep test and scored 165 due to schoolwork and my part-time internship.

In general, I got 3-5 wrong on RC, 3-6 wrong per section on LR, and 2-3 wrong on LG. I am aiming for 175 eventually.

Should I postpone the exam to June? I am tempted to do, especially with the added July test. Or should I take it and possibly cancel it after taking it.

10000019

Given your class standing, I would delay to the summer. I don't know how you generally do, but if you regularly score 165 it's unlikely that you're going to get a 175. That being said, you could wait until the night before to make a decision.

Alex

Yes, I think you should wait. Why? Well, you yourself say you don't feel fully prepared. I think taking the test with that feeling is a bad idea. I just don't think you're going to get much out of taking the test. To make matters worse, February is an undisclosed test so you won't have any specific data points to help you study going forward.

I think you're in a great spot for taking the June test! Especially if you've only done 20 tests worth of material, all while being a student. I think you're going to eventually get that 175 you're aiming for

Cant Get Right

Yeah, definitely hold off. If you're not ready, you're not ready.

LindsMitch

Seems like just added stress on you to try and take it this weekend if you are already not planning to apply until next cycle anyway. I don't see the point. The June and July tests seem like more attractive options.

calcal101

I was in a similar position before the September test. Didn't feel ready at all but pushed through and had a terrible experience--nerves totally got the best of me and I ended up canceling. In the end, it worked out fine (scored well in December and, in order to maximize my chances at T6 schools, I'm retaking on Saturday). But the problem with taking and canceling is that you can only really do that once. So let's say you cancel February and then retake in June…but having a bubbling disaster or end up with a bad cold? Then you're in a tough spot.

Withdraw, take your time studying, and sign up for June. You've got it…just not this time

SLREVIEWLSAT

@"Alex Divine" said:
Yes, I think you should wait. Why? Well, you yourself say you don't feel fully prepared. I think taking the test with that feeling is a bad idea. I just don't think you're going to get much out of taking the test. To make matters worse, February is an undisclosed test so you won't have any specific data points to help you study going forward.

I think you're in a great spot for taking the June test! Especially if you've only done 20 tests worth of material, all while being a student. I think you're going to eventually get that 175 you're aiming for

Hey! thanks for your reply. I have decided to postpone the test to June.

Do you have any suggestions for preparing for the June test? I plan to study 3-4 hours a day from now to the end of the April. From the end of April (the school ends), I plan to take one prep test every morning and blind review it every afternoon till the June test.

Thanks y'all!

SLREVIEWLSAT

@calcal101 said:
I was in a similar position before the September test. Didn't feel ready at all but pushed through and had a terrible experience--nerves totally got the best of me and I ended up canceling. In the end, it worked out fine (scored well in December and, in order to maximize my chances at T6 schools, I'm retaking on Saturday). But the problem with taking and canceling is that you can only really do that once. So let's say you cancel February and then retake in June…but having a bubbling disaster or end up with a bad cold? Then you're in a tough spot.

Withdraw, take your time studying, and sign up for June. You've got it…just not this time

Thanks for your response!!!
I have decided to postpone the test to June. Could you please share some of your experiences for studying and how do you eventually conquer LR part?

Alex

@SLREVIEWLSAT said:

@"Alex Divine" said:
Yes, I think you should wait. Why? Well, you yourself say you don't feel fully prepared. I think taking the test with that feeling is a bad idea. I just don't think you're going to get much out of taking the test. To make matters worse, February is an undisclosed test so you won't have any specific data points to help you study going forward.

I think you're in a great spot for taking the June test! Especially if you've only done 20 tests worth of material, all while being a student. I think you're going to eventually get that 175 you're aiming for

Hey! thanks for your reply. I have decided to postpone the test to June.

Do you have any suggestions for preparing for the June test? I plan to study 3-4 hours a day from now to the end of the April. From the end of April (the school ends), I plan to take one prep test every morning and blind review it every afternoon till the June test.

Thanks y'all!

I would make sure you solidify your fundamentals (LG game types/diagramming strategies, LR "lawgic" + LR q type strategies, RC develop and practice a strategy that works for you), then I would start doing timed sections and hammering out your technique. The nice thing about timed sections is you can immediately review and reassess before taking another one.

If you're scoring a 165 already you probably have a lot of the basics down.

Definitely do not take a test everyday. Taking a PT everyday is like getting your blood drawn everyday while hoping to get better from an illness.

Testing yourself everyday is useless unless you have proper time to take that information (i.e., weaknesses) and spend time learning how to get better. Otherwise, you're just going to keep turning up very similar scores.

I'd keep my PTs to 1 or 2 a week. I think that much material is more than enough to keep you busy.

Tom_Tango

If you're not ready yes.

SLREVIEWLSAT

@"Alex Divine" said:

@SLREVIEWLSAT said:

@"Alex Divine" said:
Yes, I think you should wait. Why? Well, you yourself say you don't feel fully prepared. I think taking the test with that feeling is a bad idea. I just don't think you're going to get much out of taking the test. To make matters worse, February is an undisclosed test so you won't have any specific data points to help you study going forward.

I think you're in a great spot for taking the June test! Especially if you've only done 20 tests worth of material, all while being a student. I think you're going to eventually get that 175 you're aiming for

Hey! thanks for your reply. I have decided to postpone the test to June.

Do you have any suggestions for preparing for the June test? I plan to study 3-4 hours a day from now to the end of the April. From the end of April (the school ends), I plan to take one prep test every morning and blind review it every afternoon till the June test.

Thanks y'all!

I would make sure you solidify your fundamentals (LG game types/diagramming strategies, LR "lawgic" + LR q type strategies, RC develop and practice a strategy that works for you), then I would start doing timed sections and hammering out your technique. The nice thing about timed sections is you can immediately review and reassess before taking another one.

If you're scoring a 165 already you probably have a lot of the basics down.

Definitely do not take a test everyday. Taking a PT everyday is like getting your blood drawn everyday while hoping to get better from an illness.

Testing yourself everyday is useless unless you have proper time to take that information (i.e., weaknesses) and spend time learning how to get better. Otherwise, you're just going to keep turning up very similar scores.

I'd keep my PTs to 1 or 2 a week. I think that much material is more than enough to keep you busy.

Hey Alex, thanks for your suggestions. Do you have any suggestions for studying materials besides re-watching 7sage videos and Prep Test?

studyingandrestudying

@SLREVIEWLSAT, I also want to put in a vote for the ThinkingLSAT podcast. They're newly on youtube as well. Also, as you know, keep your grades as high as you can. You'll be glad later.

SLREVIEWLSAT

@lsatplaylist said:
@SLREVIEWLSAT, I also want to put in a vote for the ThinkingLSAT podcast. They're newly on youtube as well. Also, as you know, keep your grades as high as you can. You'll be glad later.

@lsatplaylist Thanks for your suggestions! Do you have other recommendations for studying materials besides re-watching 7sage core curriculum and practicing Prep Tests?

studyingandrestudying

@SLREVIEWLSAT, 7Sage is the best there is, but you could also look at LSATHacks if you felt you could benefit from a written commentary. He also provides free webinars if you sign up for his email list.

SLREVIEWLSAT

@lsatplaylist Thanks! Would you recommend me to read Manhattan or LSAT Trainer?

danjamesdanjames

OP- you've already paid for Saturday so why not just take it and then cancel your score? This could help you get used to taking the test in the real environment.

Its also fine to withdraw. You can take it any of the other four times and have a score ready for 2019 1L.

studyingandrestudying

@SLREVIEWLSAT, Both books do have some nuggets in them and some people love the LSAT Trainer. Maybe see if the sample chapters on his site jive with you, then decide if you want to buy it. Manhattan's books are alright, but I think they're basically like the Bibles, just put a bit differently.

cornfield.x

@danjamesdanjames said:
OP- you've already paid for Saturday so why not just take it and then cancel your score? This could help you get used to taking the test in the real environment.

Its also fine to withdraw. You can take it any of the other four times and have a score ready for 2019 1L.

@danjamesdanjames I am pretty much in the same situation. I've 90% decided to withdraw, but your post makes me indecisive again. Especially, these two days, after I relaxed a bit and actually scored better than before. I reviewed the questions I got wrong before and got 95% of them correct, and drilled 1/2 section LR and 2 games a day, they all went smoothly.

However, I heard people say LSAT is the kinda of test you need to be fully prepared and then take it. I don't want the real test to be a disaster...

Leah M B

I think that's a very wise decision to postpone until June. I also want to note that you absolutely need to make sure you don't sacrifice a single point off your GPA while studying for the LSAT. You can go to law school any time, you could wait until a year or 2 after you graduate to take the LSAT. But once your grades are in and your GPA is settled, there's no changing it. You need to maximize that while you can.

That said, I've heard some people say that the LSAT Trainer is complementary to 7sage. I wouldn't recommend any other study materials. Also agreed with @"Alex Divine" that you should only be taking 1-2 full PTs per week. Between PTs, the best thing to do is drills and timed sections. Have you watched the webinar on post-cc strategies? This is a really really good place to start: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

Basically, the way you improve is by answering questions and thoroughly reviewing them. PTs are just a way to gauge your progress. (And doing a thorough BR of the PTs also is how you improve.) So that should be your focus. Drilling by question type and closely reviewing them so you really understand the thought process, why the wrong answers are wrong and the right one is right. Foolproofing the LGs is also one of the best things you can do with your time. Repetition and review.

You're on the right track, this just all takes a lot of patience.

cornfield.x

@"Leah M B" said:
I think that's a very wise decision to postpone until June. I also want to note that you absolutely need to make sure you don't sacrifice a single point off your GPA while studying for the LSAT. You can go to law school any time, you could wait until a year or 2 after you graduate to take the LSAT. But once your grades are in and your GPA is settled, there's no changing it. You need to maximize that while you can.

That said, I've heard some people say that the LSAT Trainer is complementary to 7sage. I wouldn't recommend any other study materials. Also agreed with @"Alex Divine" that you should only be taking 1-2 full PTs per week. Between PTs, the best thing to do is drills and timed sections. Have you watched the webinar on post-cc strategies? This is a really really good place to start: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

Basically, the way you improve is by answering questions and thoroughly reviewing them. PTs are just a way to gauge your progress. (And doing a thorough BR of the PTs also is how you improve.) So that should be your focus. Drilling by question type and closely reviewing them so you really understand the thought process, why the wrong answers are wrong and the right one is right. Foolproofing the LGs is also one of the best things you can do with your time. Repetition and review.

You're on the right track, this just all takes a lot of patience.

@"Leah M B" thanks for your suggestions! Basically, I should do PT one/two per week and thoroughly review them till the June test, so I can do around 30-40 timed tests before the June exam. Drill and re-watch some core curriculum if needed. Am I understanding you correctly? Thanks again!!

Leah M B

@"jie.ren" said:

@"Leah M B" said:
I think that's a very wise decision to postpone until June. I also want to note that you absolutely need to make sure you don't sacrifice a single point off your GPA while studying for the LSAT. You can go to law school any time, you could wait until a year or 2 after you graduate to take the LSAT. But once your grades are in and your GPA is settled, there's no changing it. You need to maximize that while you can.

That said, I've heard some people say that the LSAT Trainer is complementary to 7sage. I wouldn't recommend any other study materials. Also agreed with @"Alex Divine" that you should only be taking 1-2 full PTs per week. Between PTs, the best thing to do is drills and timed sections. Have you watched the webinar on post-cc strategies? This is a really really good place to start: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

Basically, the way you improve is by answering questions and thoroughly reviewing them. PTs are just a way to gauge your progress. (And doing a thorough BR of the PTs also is how you improve.) So that should be your focus. Drilling by question type and closely reviewing them so you really understand the thought process, why the wrong answers are wrong and the right one is right. Foolproofing the LGs is also one of the best things you can do with your time. Repetition and review.

You're on the right track, this just all takes a lot of patience.

@"Leah M B" thanks for your suggestions! Basically, I should do PT one/two per week and thoroughly review them till the June test, so I can do around 30-40 timed tests before the June exam. Drill and re-watch some core curriculum if needed. Am I understanding you correctly? Thanks again!!

Yes - here, I'll give you my example of what a typical study week looked like for me (also note I was working full time):

Monday: 1 timed LR section during lunch, evening - BR it, drill a few additional LR of 1 type
Tuesday: evening - LG foolproofing
Wednesday: 1 timed RC during lunch, evening - BR it, 1 or 2 timed LGs (not sections, games)
Thursday: off, no studying
Friday: evening drilling LR questions by type with BR
Saturday: full timed PT
Sunday: BR the PT

Repeat!

cornfield.x

@"Leah M B" said:

@"jie.ren" said:

@"Leah M B" said:
I think that's a very wise decision to postpone until June. I also want to note that you absolutely need to make sure you don't sacrifice a single point off your GPA while studying for the LSAT. You can go to law school any time, you could wait until a year or 2 after you graduate to take the LSAT. But once your grades are in and your GPA is settled, there's no changing it. You need to maximize that while you can.

That said, I've heard some people say that the LSAT Trainer is complementary to 7sage. I wouldn't recommend any other study materials. Also agreed with @"Alex Divine" that you should only be taking 1-2 full PTs per week. Between PTs, the best thing to do is drills and timed sections. Have you watched the webinar on post-cc strategies? This is a really really good place to start: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

Basically, the way you improve is by answering questions and thoroughly reviewing them. PTs are just a way to gauge your progress. (And doing a thorough BR of the PTs also is how you improve.) So that should be your focus. Drilling by question type and closely reviewing them so you really understand the thought process, why the wrong answers are wrong and the right one is right. Foolproofing the LGs is also one of the best things you can do with your time. Repetition and review.

You're on the right track, this just all takes a lot of patience.

@"Leah M B" thanks for your suggestions! Basically, I should do PT one/two per week and thoroughly review them till the June test, so I can do around 30-40 timed tests before the June exam. Drill and re-watch some core curriculum if needed. Am I understanding you correctly? Thanks again!!

Yes - here, I'll give you my example of what a typical study week looked like for me (also note I was working full time):

Monday: 1 timed LR section during lunch, evening - BR it, drill a few additional LR of 1 type
Tuesday: evening - LG foolproofing
Wednesday: 1 timed RC during lunch, evening - BR it, 1 or 2 timed LGs (not sections, games)
Thursday: off, no studying
Friday: evening drilling LR questions by type with BR
Saturday: full timed PT
Sunday: BR the PT

Repeat!

@"Leah M B" Thank you so much for sharing your study schedule with me! I was wondering for 1) LR questions by type, are you using Cambridge? or other sources? Where can I access them? 2) for LG questions, should I focus on foolproofing 1-35 prep tests or later ones?

Kyle....

What's the downside of postponing? You won't be able to apply until next cycle anyway, which means you could take any combination of the June / July / September (and potentially even December) tests.

If you think you're not 100% ready and have the opportunity to study more, than my personal vote would be to withdraw and put in the work.

Leah M B

@"cornfield.x" said:

@"Leah M B" said:

@"jie.ren" said:

@"Leah M B" said:
I think that's a very wise decision to postpone until June. I also want to note that you absolutely need to make sure you don't sacrifice a single point off your GPA while studying for the LSAT. You can go to law school any time, you could wait until a year or 2 after you graduate to take the LSAT. But once your grades are in and your GPA is settled, there's no changing it. You need to maximize that while you can.

That said, I've heard some people say that the LSAT Trainer is complementary to 7sage. I wouldn't recommend any other study materials. Also agreed with @"Alex Divine" that you should only be taking 1-2 full PTs per week. Between PTs, the best thing to do is drills and timed sections. Have you watched the webinar on post-cc strategies? This is a really really good place to start: https://7sage.com/webinar/post-core-curriculum-study-strategies/

Basically, the way you improve is by answering questions and thoroughly reviewing them. PTs are just a way to gauge your progress. (And doing a thorough BR of the PTs also is how you improve.) So that should be your focus. Drilling by question type and closely reviewing them so you really understand the thought process, why the wrong answers are wrong and the right one is right. Foolproofing the LGs is also one of the best things you can do with your time. Repetition and review.

You're on the right track, this just all takes a lot of patience.

@"Leah M B" thanks for your suggestions! Basically, I should do PT one/two per week and thoroughly review them till the June test, so I can do around 30-40 timed tests before the June exam. Drill and re-watch some core curriculum if needed. Am I understanding you correctly? Thanks again!!

Yes - here, I'll give you my example of what a typical study week looked like for me (also note I was working full time):

Monday: 1 timed LR section during lunch, evening - BR it, drill a few additional LR of 1 type
Tuesday: evening - LG foolproofing
Wednesday: 1 timed RC during lunch, evening - BR it, 1 or 2 timed LGs (not sections, games)
Thursday: off, no studying
Friday: evening drilling LR questions by type with BR
Saturday: full timed PT
Sunday: BR the PT

Repeat!

@"Leah M B" Thank you so much for sharing your study schedule with me! I was wondering for 1) LR questions by type, are you using Cambridge? or other sources? Where can I access them? 2) for LG questions, should I focus on foolproofing 1-35 prep tests or later ones?

Sorry, I just realized that it looks like you don't have a purchased 7sage course. I used 7sage for these. Depending on your package, 7sage has drill sets available that are printable, and a searchable question bank that you can sort questions by difficulty, question type, etc. It's really, really helpful for studying. I didn't begin studying until after the PDF ban, so missed out on all the Cambridge packets, sadly. 7sage has a lot of material that is printable, it's just not PDF and you can't download it (that's how it is still allowed by LSAC as opposed to PDFs).

I didn't have the Ultimate+ package during most of my studying, so I had limited resources at my disposal. I basically foolproofed using random games from various tests. If you have a lot of time (or do sign up for the Ultimate+ package, which rules), the PTs 1-35 are great for foolproofing. But you can really do it with any games, as long as you make sure to not use too many from valuable full PTs (like the more recent ones).

prei

No!