Wanting to give up after over a year of studying, advice?

g1oriaaa

Soooo I'm not the one to post but it seems needed and I have no where else to turn. First things first, I promised myself I would not go to law school unless I got into a top 20 school (specifically UCLA).
I started studying a bit in August of 2014 (I had graduated from UCLA that June) and I started a blueprint course in October. My diagnostic score was a 140...I know really low.. but being the type of person that I am (that I was?) I told myself that I can conquer this and my family was 100% supporting me. They did not want me to work a paid job so that I can really focus on the test. I quickly jumped up to the 150s after about three practice tests and a lot of course work. I was pretty confident at that point that I only needed a few more months to seal the deal to my 170ish score. I was on a great work out routine (I am a hurdler and I compete so I train around 4 hrs a day...the only thing I do besides study), sleep routine, mentally I am very stable (lol...I guess that could be questionable after you read this post) and super healthy so in other words I have no excuses and nothing stopping me. My life literally revolved around the LSAT. Life ----> LSAT where LSAT is the necessary condition to my existence basically. Soooo anyways...I realized that it was not going to be as easy as I thought. The jump into the 60s was gonna be much harder than the jump into the 50s. Which I totally get. By the way, My highest score in the Blueprint course was a 158 but I was averaging 155-56.
So anyways I am still studying after the class which ended in December so from Jan to May I did PT after PT and eventually got to around a 164. Then me being stupid started taking PTs in the 40s and 30s and my scores went up tremendously to 169ish only to realize around July that these sets of PTs are probably much easier and when I decided to tackle the newer LSATs (PT 70) my score dropped to 160 (back to where I was in February). I panicked because I had signed up for the Oct. 2015 test but I figured I still had a little over two months to fix this problem. So i started 7sage around then and I flew threw the course and although I was increasing in Practice test scores (I was back to 165ish range) my Reading comp had severely gotten worse. I went from -20 on my diagnostic to -6 - -8 and now i was getting around -12 - -14 (my reading comprehension is terrible despite being a philosophy major with a 3.7 GPA...English is kind of my second language and I do not talk any English at home but I dont believe in excuses so idk if this is worth mentioning or if this is even something that makes a huge impact and the only reason I bring up my GPA is cause im hoping that would give you insight into who I am and what the hell is wrong with me and LSAT reading comprehension...someone suggested for me to take a reading disability test after me telling them this ..haha...). Logic Games was my strongest section. I could finish a section and have time to check back and just in general I feel like LG is something that if you put in a lot of time and effort (like i did) it actually pays off unlike RC where my score kept fluctuating even though I was focusing a lot on it. So leading up to the test I am getting 166-167 but come Oct. 2015 test i get a 157. I was devastated to say the least but I knew walking out that I did terribly so it wasn't a big shock seeing the number on the screen. But BEING the person that I am I kept going. I put off my life plans and starting Nov. 1 i studied but definitely more relaxed than I was prior to the October test. I am finally currently scoring around a 166 but these are tests I have already seen in the past....I have taken every test (pt 26-76), some even multiple times and my reading comprehension still sucks. I started reading the WSJ I started doing fitbrains I started taking "brain" supplements and in the past I had even began flashcards. Basically I am doing everything I can and Im scared that it still won't be enough for the February test which I am signed up for. Does anyone have ANY advice on what I could do at this point? I dont know what else I could do to break 170 CONSISTENTLY....or even a 160 high...is this amount of time to study for a test even normal?

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Think your comment got cut off...

sarahfatima28

Your post is incomplete. It happens to me a lot when I am using the 7sage app on my ipad. Sorry can you type it again. Just select all after you are done typing in case there is some error. This way you won't have to type everything again.

sarahfatima28

The first thing that comes to my mind is please take a few deep breaths. You seem really stressed and burdened. I can understand your situation because mine is a bit similar. I did my Masters in 2014 and post that i have been just delaying the LSAT. So pat yourself on the back for actually taking the test. Some of us here get cold feet and lose motivation mid-way.

Coming back to things you can do. Giving my suggestions with a rider that i am no expert. Obviously many other pros will comment soon.

Are you applying this cycle? If not then maybe you can just take a few days off. Figure out better strategies and then give the exam in June. Your score fluctuations could be a result of the immense pressure you were feeling (because you are just focusing on the Lsat and your family is supporting you. Honestly my situation is the same. Sometimes just making LSAT your life can actually be the worst thing you can do to yourself particularly if you are a perfectionist like me) and the panic of decreased score. Also because you started 7sage just two months before the actual exam and rushed through it i think you dint give yourself enough time to reap the benefits. A lot of the times when you relearn strategies (i am sure there must be differences btw Blueprint and 7sage) you tend to slow down initially. You are smart and i don't think you have something serious because you did score -6 to -8 on the RC.

I think you should start meditation (if you haven't already) and speak to the pros here. Don't stress yourself out. There is nothing wrong with you. Its just you need some specific strategies now that you have used all the PT's. DONT THINK ABOUT GIVING UP. You have done so well so far. Why should you give up when you are so close to achieving your dream. Stay positive and i am sure help is coming.

g1oriaaa

ahh yea i by accidentally pressed "post" when I wasn't ready and it took awhile to finish the edit

g1oriaaa

I appreciate your time to write that out @sarahfatima28 I have kind of been meditating but not to the extent I should be, thank you ! I was gonna apply this cycle to be honest but I definitely did consider waiting

sarahfatima28

@g1oriaaa No problem. I know what it feels like. Just stay strong and positive. Don't let these doubts get to you. I am sure our mentors will give you better advice. So stay calm and just wait for it. Good luck!

UsernameChange

"Wanting to give up after over a year of studying, advice?"
One word answer: Don't.

Nilesh S

Depends on what you want to do... if you really want to go to law school you might as well give it all that you have... on the other hand if you feel that this is not what you want to do then by all means walk away... as for the time... I spent double what you've spent preparing before I got to a school I wanted to go to... and i was still contemplating giving it a third time. This should not be any guide to you as to what you should do... And i'm not the only one who spent this amount of time preparing. However... this should not guide you... do what you want to.

shanep6k

You should talk to admissions offices. Schools do accept people who are slightly below their average for LSAT scores if all other aspects of their candidacy is strong, which seems to apply to you. You are allowed 3 times to take the LSAT and most top law schools only consider your best.

kyle101010

@shanep6k said:
You are allowed 3 times to take the LSAT

dont worry it is NOT 3 times ever... you can take it as many times as you want in total...however, only 3 times in a set period of time (i believe it is 2 years)

I knew a guy who took it 12 times...guess where he got into after?

g1oriaaa

where did he get in after @kyle101010 ? ! thank you guys for the feedback. No this is definitely a dream/ a goal that I am set on. But i just dont want to keep spinning my wheels.

tanes256

Spinning your wheels just seems to indicate that you didn't fully comprehend everything in the curriculum. I highly doubt anybody here went through it once and was done with it. Go back as many times as it takes. Also, pick up The LSAT Trainer if you haven't already. I was just so tired of watching the videos and I was just watching them, not actively. I needed something "new" so I bought the book. You may also just need a new perspective for things to click. I've been at this a lot longer than a year, as have several others around here. There's no timeframe for this. You get it when you get it. You've spent this much time preparing so you might as well keep on keeping on!

sarahfatima28

Yeah trainer did the same for me I.e. break the monotony @tanes256

@g1oriaaa Another reason for you to get the trainer (if you havnt already) is it's RC section. Everyone keeps saying it has helped them alot. Plus, now that you have a base it might just help fill any gaps you have.

Student...

@g1oriaaa
I believe we all struggle from time to time, but what counts the most is if we have the strength to persevere. You've made great progress so far. Please don't give up! If it makes you feel any better, my first cold diagnostic was 162. But after a month of prep, I scored a 152 for my second PT. Hope this makes you laugh and stop doubting yourself:)

g1oriaaa

Thank you for the suggestions guys, I am definitely gonna look into the trainer!! Yea i have gone through the course material one and a half times so maybe I am due for another. And @Galapagos.1001 , that is how I feel now, over a year later ! However do not worry. your second PT is bound to be bad because you have been bombarded by a lot of new information and in order to apply it, you are going to have to take a few steps back to take a LOT more steps forward.

runiggyrun

@g1oriaaa, do you think your RC scores are tanking because you have developed a mental block when it comes to this section? Does it send you in a foggy panic as soon as you turn the page to it? Because if that's the case, probably some sort of meditation (I'm no expert, but some people in here are) might help more than pushing through with PT after PT.
At this point you've taken all the PT's, so maybe focusing on the Memory Method for RC for a little while would be more beneficial than more retakes.
The stripped down version of the Memory Method would be to stop for a few seconds after each paragraph and sum it up in you own words, and check how it connects to the previous paragraph. It works even if you don't fully understand what the paragraph is about, because it creates a "map" in your mind so you know where to go back if the questions ask you about details. The LSAT trainer is pretty good with this. Example: paragraph 1. There's some sort of theory of dinosaur extinction that everybody believed. Paragraph 2 - there's new evidence that the theory is wrong, and a new theory is proposed. Some examples of things the new theory explains better. Paragraph 3. The the theory above is promising, but the author needs further evidence to be convinced by it.
Beyond this, check out @nicole.hopkins annotation methods and see if they help. Even if you don't end up using her exact system, it might be helpful to have a fixed system: for example you always circle the dates, square the names, squiggly underline line keywords that indicate tone/change of tone like but, although, also, unfortunately, however, promising, clearly, unclear, etc. Whatever makes sense to you.
It might be that you've picked up some bad habits that repeated PT'ing just reinforces, so you need to break them down and build them back up. You're not far off your target goal, but you seem to be a bit burned out and spiraling into doubt. Breaking out of that should be a priority. I hope someone chimes in with how to do that, because I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help in that department.
Good luck!

nibs7985

@g1oriaaa said:
Basically I am doing everything I can and Im scared that it still won't be enough for the February test which I am signed up for.

Don't be scared. Think positive! Give it everything you've got until a week before test date, then evaluate where you are. Doubting yourself before the exam is counter-productive and will likely make you go crazy.

If you're still scoring mid 160s, I think you should write the test and not think about it until you get your score, at which point you can evaluate on what your next move will be.

Either way, you're still a champ for putting in the work you have so far, you should be proud!
Most people don't have the guts to chase what they want in life the same way.

kyle101010

@gloria1117 The person got into HARBARD... not joking Harvard man... Seems to always be outliers and possibilities.