Is 4 Months enough to get a 12 point jump?

lexi.livanos

I am really worried that I am not where I want to be and that I am forcing a time frame. I really want to apply for the 2021 cycle, but I just don't know if I can make the october date. I have a full time job and it is hard for me to even get 3 hours a day in. My current score is mid 140s and to get where I want I would need a 160. I haven't made it through the full cc and I am really having a hard time perfecting the fundamentals. Any study tips or life advice is GREATLY welcomed

DidAFull180

4 months is definitely enough time to get a 12 point jump if you are efficient with your time. In two months, my score has increased 10 points from diagnostic to 5 recent average and 14 points from diagnostic to best. As long as you devote significant time and are mentally present, you can see big gains. Good luck!

Defender

Hey! My advice would be to not focus so much on the scores through your practice. Invest your four months in the reading and logic of this test, and don't be concerned about your scores.

lexi.livanos

@DidAFull180 said:
4 months is definitely enough time to get a 12 point jump if you are efficient with your time. In two months, my score has increased 10 points from diagnostic to 5 recent average and 14 points from diagnostic to best. As long as you devote significant time and are mentally present, you can see big gains. Good luck!

Thank you! I'll hopefully be finished the CC in a few weeks and then start PTing up until the october test.

lexi.livanos

@Defender said:
Hey! My advice would be to not focus so much on the scores through your practice. Invest your four months in the reading and logic of this test, and don't be concerned about your scores.

Awesome thank you!

EagerestBeaver

I second @Defender above. It is counter intuitive to answer your question about score increase by saying don't worry about your score increase, but it is true. Focus on skills and understanding of the test. If you can manage this, the score will take care of itself.

ALLCAA123

Definitely possible. I went from a 148 diagnostic to PT-ing in the low 160s. Got a 165 on test day. I did 2 more months of work and got a 167 on the next exam.

If I could do it all over again, I'd go with what Defender said- focus more on reading complex material and studying logical concepts. Don't get caught up in scores and points. It's not just a game- it's a legitimate aptitude test to see if you can handle the reading in law school. If you focus on improving your reading and reasoning skills, the score will take care of itself.

lexi.livanos

@allcaa123 Thank you very much! I'm trying my best to get the hours in, working full time has really hurt my progress but I'm pushing through!

This_is_Hard

Hey Lexi, I had started with a score of 139 (possibly a point or two lower) two years ago. I did half of the CC and read most of the LSAT Trainer over the last two years, my score went up to about 147 and hovered around here with no real improvements. I probably studied 4 months over the course of the two years.

I didn't get any serious improvements until I started reading RC passages everyday. I found this was my main weak point, comprehension and reading speed of LR stimulus and RC passages. After reading a passage once a day for the past 3 to 4 weeks, and just doing a PT yesterday, my score jumped up to 154!

Also, I got an audio book called "Building a Better Vocabulary" that taught me how to properly expand my vocabulary because I noticed that I did not have a good grasp of what words actually meant. For example, in one of the lessons the author tells you to look at the root/history of a word (typically the Latin origins, now I have fun with this by searching up words on google and seeing how popular they currently are and seeing their historical development). Take the word "Factotum", which breaks into two Latin meanings of "Fac" meaning do or make and "Totum" meaning all or the whole thing. Together "Factotum" now means someone who can do it all, a jack of all trades. Utilizing this method, you can break down other words that have the same Latin origins. For example, "Fac" is also in "Factory", a place where things are made.

I think when people say the LSAT really is a test of how good of a reader you are, they are 1000% correct. So, I would suggest you read everyday, dense material, preferably RC passages and try to answer the questions. You will find with practice, that your reading and comprehension will develop and this will improve your LR section as well. Also, watch the first couple lessons in the RC part of the CC and really try to implement the memory method, it works!

lexi.livanos

@"Richard N" Thank you so much! I will definitely read more RC passages to get used to the dense language!