Postponing June to September. Advice?

gettysburg

Hello all.

Sorry if my writing is erratic, I'm a little stressed.

I am currently studying for the LSAT. I began my preparation in January and have been studying roughly 15-20 hours a week. My diagnostic score was a 153. I read through and took extensive notes on the PowerScore Bible trilogy (filled up a three subject notebook cover to cover with hand-written notes.) When the first of April rolled around, I took my first PT and received a 160. My individual sections were strong during the first half of the test and then dropped significantly after the third section break which seems to indicate an issue of endurance. My goal score is 170+.

I "wasted" April in the sense that I didn't study for a couple of weeks -- due to a family emergency I was traveling extensively and just generally pretty stressed. I deeply regret it because I feel like I'm now a month behind where I wanted to be. I haven't taken another PT and I don't feel like I've made any marked improvements since March. Back in March, I registered for the June test thinking that I'd be well prepared by then -- but now, it feels like its coming up way too quickly. I'm really kicking myself because of it and it fills me with a surprising amount of dread...

I signed up for the 7sage course recently because I didn't think the Bibles alone were adequate. I've found the course to be super helpful so far - I wish I had signed up back in January! But now, it seems as though I won't be done with the core curriculum until well into May and that won't leave me enough time to do the number of PTs I was hoping to tackle before the test.

It seems to me that the obvious solution would be to postpone until September but I am beginning a very stressful full-time job in late June and I don't know if I'll be able to juggle LSAT prep as effectively as I am now (I have a very flexible, low-stress part-time job at the moment.) The June administration was also ideal because I was hoping to assemble my application materials in the summer and send them off to law schools as soon as the app window opens in mid-September.

I was also thinking of just canceling the date and signing up for whatever administration I feel ready for (July, September, etc.) -- I'd lose 80 dollars this way but it'd be worth if for the peace of mind.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Leah M B

Generally, I think the best advice is to take the LSAT when you’re ready. I did a similar thing last year, wanted to be ready in June (started in late Feb/early March lol) but realized as June crept up that I was nowhere near scoring what I wanted. I paid the change fee to move to Sept. Then as August came to a close, I realized that I was close but still not scoring where I wanted (was originally wanting at least 165 and was PTing around 160-162 then). I ended up withdrawing right before the test and registered yet again for December. By then, I was PTing in my goal range (around 167-168) and came out of the test with a 168. Because of this, my applications ended up being way later than I’d hoped and I think it hurt me significantly. But an early app with low 160s would have done much worse than a January app with a 168. I have no regrets at all and am very happy I postponed until the timing was right.

(I ended up making the call to push back a year and reapply, and in the meantime am going to try retaking to break 170. Still no regrets though, I’m pleased with not having a lower score on record.)

gettysburg

@"Leah M B" Thank you for sharing your experience, I greatly appreciate it. I am worried about getting into a weird rut where I just continuously postpone the test (and drain my bank account in the process lol). I may just cancel the June test and then register for the next test whenever I feel comfortable.

I am not opposed to delaying my cycle by a year. I am not in a rush to apply to law school since I just graduated from college a few months ago and I am interested in possibly getting some work experience as a paralegal.

Leah M B

@gettysburg Totally get it, that is my only regret - I paid ultimately $560 to take the test once (paid a $100 change fee for one and also changed test center location once for $100 ugh). Hahah... it's a money suck, that is for sure. I support the idea to just wait and register when you're ready.

mjs44

I'm in the same place! I'll finish the course mid-May. So far things have been going well, but I'm concerned June is too soon. I'm putting in long hours at the moment, so I may see how I'm doing Mid-May (deadline for changing test dates)