Add me as a study buddy (October 2015)

cliffiness

Hey everyone. Just looking for online study buddies so we can share our analytics or whatever.

Add me up if you're writing your exam in October and are planning to write tons of PTs before that

Study hard!

Pacifico

Have you checked out the list of BR groups?
http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2686/list-of-br-blind-review-groups

NYC12345

@cliffiness
I just added you, so you can see my patterns of improvement and plateaus at certain score ranges.

cliffiness

Thank you Yeah I have i don't know how much I can participate in those BR groups though (schedule-wise) and i'm hardly through the curriculum

nicole.hopkins

Ah yes—PT phase comes after completing at least one curriculum. If you've only done 7sage and you're only 25% of the way through, I'd hold off on PT's. But October is fast (!!!!) approaching ... I'd hold off on registering for the test if I were you. If you're just getting started like this now (it's nearly July) I would be very concerned that you're setting yourself up for a retake or at least no maximizing your potential in this short time.

Growth comes through learning the fundamentals and mastering them over time.

CrazyAmbitious

@nicole.hopkins wait.. so I am in a similar situation.. I am or was planning to test in October although I am still working my way through the curriculum ( relatively early on if I am being honest here) is it a bad idea to take the October exam? I was kind of planning to study up and do as much as I can until the exam comes up, take the exam and depending on my score, take it again in December. I just want to be able to apply as early as reasonably possible. A friend of mine currently in his 2nd yr in law school said alot of individuals with lower LSAT score and GPAs got in to schools over him because they applied early.. and he got a 156 on his LSAT.. I (ideally, although perhaps over-reaching) am aiming to get into the 160's, as close to 170 as possible..anything above 170 would be a delusional thought for me lol So in consideration of all of this, should I not take that October exam and rather just invest into the December one only? I want to be enrolled in the fall 2016 school yr and am concerned that by putting all my eggs in the December basket may prevent that from happening if my score is less than savory; so to speak (seeing as I would need to then take the feb exam). I do not wan to miss an opportunity by applying too late, especially if it may help me get into a great institution and, above all else, allow me to get a scholarship which I will desperately need...

cliffiness

@CrazyAmbitious don't worry we can do it haha let's hit the books

Pacifico

Prep hard for October, see how you feel, take it or don't, keep studying, take in December, apply, keep studying, take in February if something crazy happened in December. Even if you only take it in December, you should spend the next 5 months studying regardless.

nicole.hopkins

@CrazyAmbitious said:
I (ideally, although perhaps over-reaching) am aiming to get into the 160's, as close to 170 as possible..anything above 170 would be a delusional thought for me lol

Ok I'm gonna go out on a limb here ...

Here are the registration deadlines:

• Registration deadline and fee: 8/28/2015 midnight ET, $175.00
  
• Late registration deadline 9/9/2015 midnight ET, additional $90.00
  

You've got almost 2 months to go hard or go home before the registration deadline. You need to be PT'ing in your desired score range (+/- 3) before you register for the LSAT. Will those additional 12 days ($90 more but better than registering and getting the refund, which will only give you $50 back) make a difference between a 165 and a 170? In my experience (I plateaued at 163-165 and then again at 169), it will not. Both of my plateaus took several months to break. And those were several months of at least weekly PT'ing well after I'd finished my curriculum. Emphasis on at least weekly: the last plateau (which I seem to have broken, not particularly concerned about that) only came following a three-times-weekly PT schedule involving personal BR'ing in combination with group BR'ing.

Maybe you'll be PT'ing +/- 3 points of your goal score come August 28th (or Sept 9th if you are willing to risk the $90). Ok, great. So, maybe you should sign up at that point.

As @mike Kim has said, "You don't need to be perfect to get a perfect score." And you don't need to get a perfect score. But you do need to be prepared to get the score you want. In my experience (and as @"Jonathan Wang" wrote in his now famous article, "Why Knowledge is Not Enough"), it takes time. By the time I take it, I will have been studying for 15 months. About half of those months were filled with 30-40 hour LSAT weeks (while working full time and having some side gigs as well, and being involved at church, etc.).