Advice needed

eastring

Hi all, I just got back my Oct score yesterday, which turned out to be very disappointing157, 6 points below my average score, 163. I've never gotten below 162 on my PTs for the past two months, so this was devastating and unexpected. I don't know what happened, but I guess I was especially nervous during the first section, RC, on which I got almost half of the Qs wrong, twice as many as what I typically get. On LRs, I typically range between -7~-10 and I got -15 on the real one. Usually, when I do well on the RCs, I do poorly on the LRs and vice versa so it balances out. This time, it appears that I under-performed on almost all the sections. I'm considering to retake in Dec but with barely a month left to prep with full-time schooling, I'm afraid I will make the same mistake and get a similar result. Re-taking in February would be better because I graduate this December and I'll have two months to prep for the LSAT full-time at home. However, this would mean that I'll have to possibly wait a year and apply next cycle since my dream school fills almost all of its class before the February LSAT results are released. If I decide to apply next cycle, which I prefer not to, I'd like to save up my LSAT attempts and take the February and June exams.

My target score is 166, but anything more than 160 would guarantee my acceptance to all the schools except my top-choice school. I've never thought I'd get anything below 160 and looking at my score on the real one, I'm uncertain whether to see it as a true reflection of myself or just an outlier. Since I felt that I put in a decent amount of time and efforts into studying for this exam, I've never thought I'd be worried about not getting into any of the schools on my list. I spent the entire evening yesterday thinking about whether I have the capability to do well on a standardized exam or go to law school. My fellow classmate who spent much less time than me studying for the LSAT pulled off a 170 even though he said that he "bombed" it. It's quite discouraging to see that this entire process is slow and that I haven't seen much progress even in my PT score. It's really difficult to keep out the negative thoughts.

Sorry, if this post makes anyone feel uncomfortable. Any advice on how to tackle the issue and when to re-take would be appreciated.

PS - I took the 7sage ultimate course and studied with the Trainer book...

markariangeorge

Are you a full-time undergrad student ATM? Do you have a lot of PT's you haven't taken yet?

eastring

@markariangeorge Yes, I'm currently a full-time undergrad. I have five PTs in the 40s, three in the 50s and two in the 70s. I was thinking about taking some of the early tests (1-35) as well.

markariangeorge

Honestly, my advice would be wait until February. Do well in school this cycle and keep your GPA up. Than focus on the LSAT after. Don't run straight into PTing because you don't have many high ones left. Drill in the areas you need most and than PT the higher ones you have left. Even do the 70s again. It might sound weird to PT the same test twice but I think a second round of the 70s would be more useful than PTing 10s and 20s. Use those early test to drill instead. And don't be scared of a year off. I graduated this year and I can say it was a great decision to take a year off and I'll likely take one more now because I am getting EXTREMELY valuable work experience and building networks that will help me a lot when I graduated law school. I also got to travel quite a bit which might not be a chance once I start. Gap years are great and unique opportunities and if waiting to February can mean the difference between getting into a school you are OK with or getting into your dream school with a nice scholarship and the only difference is you get this really nice year to get work experience or travel or whatever, I think that is a pretty easy choice. Just my thoughts though.

GoLSATGo

^ @markariangeorge I agree with you 100%!

I'm in the same boat as you my friend, with the accompanying self-doubts last night. I've been studying since May whereas my colleagues have only been studying for 2 months max and fared far better than I did. I scored 6 points below my average PT as well and now I'm considering whether I should push for December or take more time until my PTs are in the 170s so I have a safety net to fall back on just in case something unexpected happens on test day.

One of the most valuable words of wisdom I ever got was "law school is no rush". Your time will come. Your circumstances might be different from mine but my plan is to spend the next two weeks studying hardcore, take a practice test the first week of November, and if my score is nowhere near my target I'm pulling the plug, getting my refund, and taking the LSATs next year. I'd rather have two more chances than rush in to my next test still unprepared, and risk my last attempt producing the same result.

Who knows what kind of great things you can accomplish within the gap year. Your application might turn out to be a lot stronger the second time around!

Good luck!

harrismegan

@GeotLSAT said:
One of the most valuable words of wisdom I ever got was "law school is no rush". Your time will come. Your circumstances might be different from mine but my plan is to spend the next two weeks studying hardcore, take a practice test the first week of November, and if my score is nowhere near my target I'm pulling the plug, getting my refund, and taking the LSATs next year. I'd rather have two more chances than rush in to my next test still unprepared, and risk my last attempt producing the same result.

THIS.
I've been studying for a year and a half off and on and I didn't do as I wanted this October. I was going to write in December but..... why? If I don't make the necessary progress in that time I have no business sitting for the exam. No. Rush. must remind myself of that.

1LBound

My advice is see how you PT between now and the deadline to register for the February test. If you feel like you're not ready by then, wait and take it in June. You're already having to wait to apply for Fall 2017, so might as well make your study time count. If you recall in JY's videos, he says you have to do a lot of PT to be fully prepared for the test, somewhere between 20-30. The LSAT is a beast and it's not something you can just breeze through, so studying and practicing takes time. Don't be discouraged about having to take a gap year, use this time to get some work and life experience. I graduated from undergrad in 2007 and l'm hoping to apply for fall next year. My plan wasn't to take this long of a break to go back, but life happens, so I made the best of it by staying focused on my goal and obtain jobs in the legal field. I've worked in criminal defense, family law, juvenile, and now environmental/local government. I've been studying since June, first with Powerscore and now 7sage, and its tough with a full time job, but somehow I've managed (slowly though). Right now I'm scheduled to take the test in December and if I don't do well like I hope, then I'm retaking it in June and pushing my application back another year. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I've waited this long and invested a lot of time and money, so another year is nothing to get the best score I know I can get. Best of luck and I hope everyone's responses has been helpful.

c.janson35

Did you fully BR all of the tests that you've taken already? Make sure you're always doing that. Also, don't shy away from doing retakes! I've always found retakes to be very beneficial. Even though you'll see a retake bump in your scores, the process of learning from retakes and solidifying the individual lessons that each test presents is really valuable. At the end of the day, you have to learn from the PTs that you take. Each question you get wrong is a lesson for your future prep. Once you start threading these underlying ideas together, you'll get a better sense for the test. Retakes make sure you're not forgetting these lessons by reengaging the areas of your brain that were stimulated on the first go around. Finally, I also feel that the tests 1-35 aren't complete throw aways, and some of the harder tests I've done have popped up in the twenties and thirties. Drill sparingly as you need to and focus the majority of your energy on PTing and learning from your PTs.

With the December test a month away, it's probably not wise to rush it, especially with finals and graduation coming up for you. Keep prepping now when you have the time, ramp up after December, and reevaluate. If you're happy with where you're at, then take the Feb test! If not, use all of the extra time you'll have to aim even higher for June or Oct.

Good luck!

markariangeorge

My advice differs a bit from there's^ though. And of course, it is up to you what you choose to do. But based on what you said, you don't have too many fresh new PTs left and I do see a difference between the new test and older ones. Not that some a necessarily harder or easier but the LG gets a bit weirder (though I think the games are easier than in the 20's) and the RC passages get a bit more confusing. I assume you will finish school mid December which will give you about a month and a half before the Feb. LSAT that you can fully dedicate to it. With that, I say you graduated and then shift you energy to the LSAT and give it a last hard push to February, join the BR group, take most of the new remaining PTs, and then give the February test your best shot. I just don't know if you have enough fresh material to keep you studying until June. That is 7 months away and retakes are useful...to an extent. Also, if you are done with the LSAT in February, you can use your gap year to make you a more qualified applicant in other ways like work experience and you have plenty of time to really prepare yours apps. Just my thoughts though since I am not totally behind that "Don't take it until you are 110% ready" mentality.

eastring

Thank you so much for all your replies! It's really tempting to just push for Dec because I believe I can easily pull of 160+ but probably not my target score of 165+. Since I'm graduating half a year early, I'll have one and a half year gap if I do wait a cycle, which is why I hesitated it in the first place. However, I think you guys are correct in that I should take extra time to prepare and ace the Feb exam instead, since I risk taking the Dec exam underprepared and potentially wasting one of my two attempts left. I'll try my best to give it all to February so that I don't have to drag it on until June.

One last question: do you think I should still apply this cycle and see where I get in? I live in Canada and the applications are due Nov 1st. All the schools that I'm applying to accept the Feb test results, although they discourage it.

markariangeorge

@eastring My only question would be: Is it worth the risk of getting into a worse school with far less money available to start a year earlier? February test for that same year often affect acceptance rates quite a bit (especially the higher in the rankings you go) but they REALLY affect scholarships. It is up to you what that year is worth. And if you get into a mid-tear school, would you settle? It puts you in a weird place I think no matter where you get in because you know that if you just wait a year you will almost for sure get a better offer.

And a year and a half is not a long gap period. It is pretty short actually so I wouldn't worry about that too much. You can do a lot of amazing things in that time and learn what non-campus-based life is like for a bit, try different things you've always wanted to do, get work experience, travel, build networks. All things you don't get to do while in law school really. Why not have an extra year of that? Again, I'm not a person to advocate studying for the LSAT for 2 years or taking 10 years off before going to law school but a year and a half sounds perfect. But again, your choice if that year seems worth it.

Artwork94

Hi guys-similar situation. drastically underperformed on my LSAT and people have recommended I take a year.... but I don't want the test haunting me forever and there is NO GUARANTEE I will do better in a year even if i study my ass off. So i am in a predicament... signed up for december but also don't wanna use up my attempts. Any advice??? I just don't wanna waste a year and "study" and then still not get a better score than now. that would kill me..If only I was guaranteed to do better if i studied for the next year. B.c. I think I am prepared rn/know all the LSAT fundamentals/problem types etc, just can't perform when it counts the most.

Nilesh S

I may be wrong and if I am, pleas excuse my ignorance... but I see a lot of anxiety in your statement that you've associated with your goal... (1) if law school is your goal... you can only benefit from taking the test later... remember... not law school this cycle... but law school in general... (2) also you inadvertently compared yourself to your friend.... this is a cardinal mistake... in test prep and in life... remember that the race is long and in the end, its only with yourself... his 170 is not going to help you or harm you... his story is different... his life is different... you need to do you... which means keep a cool head... KNOW that you have all the time in the world... and devise a smart plan... remember... a smart plan... not just a plan where you work hard... check your weaknesses... redo those problem sets, repeat fundamentals... i.e. LAWGIC, conditional chaining and games... track your progress... keep your fresh tests for later... and then give it all you have... don't worry about your score... put in the work... the score will take care of itself... and at the end of the day remember... you are far more than a scaled number on an exam... and THAT is the key to getting you where you want to be...

Pacifico

Law school is not the goal... Becoming a lawyer is the goal... If you didn't have to go to law school to become a lawyer almost nobody would do it because most do not find it to be a uniquely enjoyable experience for 50k a year.

You are super young, so I would recommend taking a year or two off and getting some work experience to bring a bit more to the table than the average K-JD... Law school will be there when you are ready and when you have more time to dedicate to prepping for the LSAT and everything else that goes along with it...

Aside from that I would second pretty much everything my fellow mentors have said in this thread.