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I got a 139. After months and months of trying to study and listening to podcasts of people getting astronomical scores, I got a 139. I think its clear that I will not be going to law school. I'm at my wit's end right now and have never felt so defeated in my life. I'm currently on vacation and will reassess whether to not I will continue with this far fetched idea or just f**ing quit now.
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If this is your dream, please do not do yourself a disservice and quit. Feel free to shoot me a pm if you’d like to chat.
Sorry to hear this, it can be tough for sure.
I'm so sorry to hear the test didn't go your way. It's vital to remember that this test score does not define you! Remember there you still have at least August and October! Try to think about the score from a different perspective. It's an indicator that maybe there is something you can tweak in the way you are studying. Perhaps working with a tutor will help you figure out what is going on? There are plenty of people on 7sage that I'm sure would be happy to help you out!
take some time off. It's okay to feel disappointed, but this does not have to be the end. You still have 2 more tries. See this as a time to go back to the basics and get the foundations. This can be just a bump in the road. Good luck!
I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I know that this may feel devastating now but this does not mean that you shouldn't pursue this career path. Definitely take some time to process what happened and to figure out a plan moving forward, but don't give up if this is truly your dream!
This is primarily a hindi poetry which always motivates me and I hope it would help you to pick up this fight once again and with full rigor this time. Here is the English conversion for the same poetry-
You cannot take your boat across the sea
If you are afraid of the waves,
The one who tries
Never fails.
The tiny ant carries a small grain in its mouth,
Climbs up on the wall, slips and falls a hundred times,
The determination in the mind fills your body with courage,
Then climbing up and falling down does not hurt,
Ultimately, its (the ant’s) efforts do not go waste,
The one who tries
Never fails.
The diver dives into the water of the sea,
He returns empty handed a number of times,
Not easy it is to find a pearl in the deep waters,
But this in turn doubles his enthusiasm,
His hands are not empty every time,
The one who tries
Never fails.
Failure is a challenge, accept it,
Recognise your shortcomings, rectify them.
Till you are successful, shun rest and sleep,
Never run away from the battlefield of hard work,
You cannot get praise without working for it,
The one who tries
Never fails.
@MissionLsat, I wish there was a poster with this poem. It's awesome.
@Jeeahnee, Give yourself credit for the courage to write a live test, and please don't give up. Please feel free to send me a message. And please put this in perspective even though it's hard to right now. There are going to be future opportunities to test again after you've worked through some things. Also, almost every admissions program only cares about the highest LSAT. Maybe make a call to a friend ASAP, or at least send a text or email to a friend who will write back soon. And don't hesitate to call a 24/7 crisis line at any point: 1-800-273-8255 or text 839863. Sometimes just having a person to listen makes the difference.
Please feel free to message me if you need some specific planning and studying advice!
First, make sure that you assess if law school is actually what you want to do and not something implicitly forced onto you because society deems lawyers as more valuable than other professions. If it is something that you truly enjoy and could see yourself doing regardless of factoring money into the equation (because lawyers, on average, don't actually make that much), then keep going. Whether you need to take 1,2, or 3 gap years to get the score you want, this is your life we are talking about. Let this score motivate you to keep studying, not stop you from continuing. This test is learnable -- just like all the other subjective, standardized tests out there.
If this is your dream, then this score is only the beginning. Keep on pushing, my friend. No one said this test was going to be easy.
You can listen to people's encouragements if this is your type of affirmation, or you can simply realize that everything in life you need to work for and nothing good EVER comes easy, give yourself some kick in the buttocks and plan how you will get from 139 to a score that will satisfy you, it does not have to be 170, it might as well be 151, but as long as you know what schools come with this score and how it will affect your life goal.
This is what I tell myself when I feel like quitting:
Nothing good in this life comes easy. You want it bad enough you will work for it or you will give yourself an easy way out which is you will quit. Are you a quitter? If you’re not, then you will work hard and try again. You have only failed if you have stopped trying.
If this is truly your dream, please do not give up. You can always improve if you’re determined enough.
If this is what you want to do, don't give up! You may not think so, but you can still attend law school with your LSAT score. There is no reason you wouldn't be a good lawyer either. This test does not determine your path, you do!
just wanted to say thank you for posting this poem, I felt like a failure yesterday after doing a PT and reading this helps a little
First, I'm sorry for the pain you're experiencing right now. I know for a fact that you want to be a lawyer because you wouldn't put yourself through this torture if you didn't want it. So now, we need to figure out what to do to improve. I suggest doing this:
Allow yourself to feel: This is a very painful feeling. Take time to scream, cuss, cry, talk to loved ones, and simply sit with this emotion. Going through this emotional response is the first step towards progress.
Assess: This is the part where things get really real. Look over PT's, drills, and notes. Ask yourself if you really understand each section of the exam. Did you get a question right before looking at the right answer? Did you know how to structure that game before looking at the set-up? Were you able to synthesize that passage effectively?
Go back to the fundamentals: Look over the fundamental components of each section of the exam. Then do it again. Then do it one more time. This will be the foundation of your growth towards a better score.
Drill: Start drilling with your newly established fundamentals. Start with drilling untimed then gradually start incorporating a timed component. Timing yourself will be the next major step towards enforcing your skillset within the expectations of the actual LSAT.
Drill full sections and eventually full PT's: This is where everything comes together. You will slowly see all your hard work pay off through increased PT scores. Don't focus on getting a 175 right away, just focus on getting one more question correct each time.
Blind review: Don't forget to blind review each PT! This is by far the most important step towards getting a higher score. I can't stress enough how important blind reviewing is.
I know this is a terribly painful time, but the good news is you're still alive, which means you have an opportunity to improve. Please, don't be too hard on yourself, you're fully capable of achieving the score you want. Now, take some time to gather yourself, and get back at it. We're all behind you!
I applaud your ability to bravely reach out to this community. That alone, shows you have the mettle to move on toward your goal. There is SO much good, friendly encouragement and solid study advice here. By opening yourself up to this, you are creating the conditions for a positive and realistic move forward, at your own pace, in your own way.
Do not give up. I was in the same boat you were but my first pass on the LSAT was worse. I finished in the bottom 20% percentile in 2019. The reason for this was I did not take the LSAT seriously and I did not study well despite me thinking otherwise. I listened to how other people studied/solved problems and just assumed I would get the content based on their reasoning. The hard truth for me was I simply assumed I was doing what was right for me. I was studying the wrong way and thinking about how to solves problems the wrong way. After I read my score and the resulting percentile, I felt a considerable amount of mental stress since it was probably the lowest test score I have received in my life. However, do not assume your score is any reflection of your ability to do better, or become a successful lawyer. I re-examined what I thought worked for me, changed my study habits and perception so I didn't fall into the same traps as I did before while re-doing the 7sage content. In Dec 2020 I took the LSAT again and scored a 168. I am heading to law school in Sept 2021. Your dreams are far too important to abandon. So get back at it, be honest with yourself and remember success is achieved by self-discipline and perseverance.
I'm sure it's terrible. but know that a lot of high scorers spent ridiculous amounts of time studying; like years. If you ever want to resume studying, feel free to message me and ask questions.