I plan on studying for the lsat for 1.8 years to 2 years

Victoria03.vw-1-1-1-1-1-1

I am a freshmen in college who is on summer break. I plan on using 7 sage, the lsat trainer for RC, power core lsat logic games, and loophole for LR. I took the practice lsat through blueprint in April and scored a 130 lsat score. My goal is 171. What is some advice to make my goal be a reality. In addition I will be working full time towards the end of the summer.

skeech237

I don't know if spreading out your studies throughout a 2 year period would be the best way to go about it. Speaking from personal experience, I was able to improve the most through a very intensive 4 month period (studying 8-12 hrs a day). In that time I jumped from a 157 to a 176, as opposed to the 6 months prior (which was more spread out and I only improved a handful of points). I took time off of work and treated studying as my job during that 4 month stretch. I would suggest, focus on your GPA and do as many classes as you can, so that you have a small class load your junior/senior year and you can dedicate almost all of your time to the LSAT. You can study a bit until then, of course, just don't prioritize it over your GPA.
RC is the toughest to improve on. 7Sage really helped me out there, specifically the short passage summaries so I would suggest going through the 7sage RC curriculum before reading LSAT trainer. Not only because it helped me improve the most, but also because it's a way shorter curriculum compared to LSAT trainer.
Also, don't worry about scoring a 130 your first time. the LSAT is a very foreign exam with very foreign subject matter. But like any other subject, it's learnable and anyone can do it given enough dedication. It is a difficult exam but not so difficult that you would need to spend 2 years on it.

JusticeLaw

Dear Victoria:

I.... don't know about the 8-12 hours of studying per day. Personally, I've heard that people get burned out studying that long. I would at least recommend 4 to 5 hours daily. However, it is an extremely hard test and one should study as much as possible.

7Sage is great and highly ranked as one of the best for LSAT prep. This Discussion Forum is a wonderful support network.

If this is something that you really want, don't give up. The LSAT is a process. You have to take it one step at a time and master the skills. Once you achieve that goal, then it is like a walk in the park.

Happy Studying..................... !!!!!!!

Scott Milam

Victoria,

Here's what I would recommend as you consider preparing for law school and the LSAT:

1) Focus on your GPA - While LSAT ultimately counts for more, you have a lot of time and chances to improve your LSAT score. Your GPA is locked in the moment you graduate. Make that your first priority! A difference of 0.25 GPA is huge in law school admissions!
2) Study Logic - Take an introductory logic course! Virtually every school has them and many degree plans allow you to get credit for it. A formal introduction to the subject in a classroom environment is excellent preparation for the LSAT.
3) Read, Read, Read - The single best skill you can have coming into the LSAT is a high reading level. Being able to chew through a lot of text quickly and accurately will do wonders for every section of the test. Unfortunately, most LSAT students don't have the time to significantly improve their reading level in the time frame they have to study, since it can take months. You, however, have some time! So read hard material from many different fields. Dedicate at least an hour a day to it.
4) Work through the Core Curriculum - begin watching the Core Curriculum. Take it slow - you have the time! Make sure you really take in the lessons thoroughly and do the practice sets that go along with them.

Once you get a little closer to your test date (< 1 year) take another diagnostic and reevaluate your plan from there.

Hope that helps!

Older_LS_Applicant85

Law school isn't going anywhere: do well in college, get a high GPA, find what you want to pursue as a career, have a great college experience. After you graduate, get some experience in the legal field and then start studying for the LSAT. Whether it takes you a year or three years after college, you'll be better equipped with a high GPA, experience, and hopefully a high LSAT score.

silla.v.quinones

I wouldn't say the advice given here is incorrect, it's just not giving the proper background information and context to be useful. It's correct, but it would be a lot more useful with context. I seriously reccomend reading more about law school and the process, because it will make understanding the advice given here a lot easier to understand.

For example: I read The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert by Ann Levin and Law School Confidential by Robert Miller. It's help me understand that there's a sepreate GPA from the one you earn in school. Even though retaking a class makes you college GPA higher and often replaces itself on your transcript, the original class still counts on your Law school GPA. So when people on here say "Focus on your gpa", the advice missing is that every class counts. You need to make sure your passing well, or that if you aren't that your focusing on resolving it and figuring out how to do better. You do get to write a GPA/grades Addendum when applying to college, so if you improve, you can write about how and what changes were needed to become your better school self.

Also, going to law school is a comeplete lifestyle change. Once there, you can't work more than 20 hours a week, you have certain expectations to fulfill to increase your chances of a better job by the time you graduate. Sometimes, taking a year or two off after you get your degree helps get you into Law school, because you can reflect better and who you are outside of school, in the work place. Also gives you the oppurtunity to volunteer and show commitment to your community. And your WHOLE college transcript will count instead of just your freshman through junior year if you wait for at least a year after college to apply.

There's so much I did not know I needed to know until I read more and learned about the process itself. This is why I think a lot of the advice here is correct but missing context. If I didn't learn about the process prior to reading these comment I would simply write them off as "general". Context completely changes the usefulness of what's been shared here.

That said, if you want to start LSAT prep now, do it. But I would do self-trainers and leave sites like 7sage for when you are closer to actually taking the tests. Learn the LSAT in a relaxed manner, let it become second nature if that's what you want to do. Plus learning slow and long term means when you do get to those 4-8 hour study days, you'll be approaching it with experience and experience is king.