Is it crazy to take the exam without having done any studying in 2 months? And quick life advice...?

splitterhopeful

I was pretty burnt out by the date of the December exam. I didn't do my best, and now I'm wondering if I should just cancel my registration for tomorrow and do what I'm sure will be a better job in June for the next enrollment cycle, when I'll have my apps in at a better date also. But then, I'm "old" (30+ crowd) and waiting another year seems pretty severe. If I were 25, I'd definitely just retake in June while prepared to the best of my abilities. Or should I just roll the dice tomorrow and hope for a better score, even after a 2 month hiatus? Any advice is appreciated.

stepharizona

Withdraw and withdraw fast, unless you are scoring 3 points of the median of the school you want to go to. If that is not the case, or you haven't done a single PT in 2 months, Do Not Take The Test!! You must withdraw (if you are going to) by 11:59pm EST, so in 3 hours or less.

Takes are precious. You only get three. That's it... please do not waste them. From what you have shared, in my opinion, testing tomorrow is a waste of a take.

If you're under 50 you will not be one of the oldest student in your class, so don't let nearing 30 be a reason to take the test when you are under prepared. And even if you are the oldest person in your class, its fine.

If you haven't studied at all, or even taken a PT in two months, I wouldn't recommend having your first one be tomorrow. It sounds like you have already forced yourself to take in June anyway, so do not waste the take.

There is no benefit to Feb. The test is undisclosed, so you cant even learn from your mistakes.

STR80UTTAYYC

How confident are you that you will get the score you need tomorrow? If you feel you can get a "good enough" score for whatever school you want to get into then I say take it. If you feel that it's more of a coin toss then i would say hold off. Why waste your time on something that's not a sure thing? The LSAT is not like other tests where you can guess your way through and do well. You either have it down or you don't. Given the fact that you even have to ask whether you should take it tomorrow I would say you probably don't have it down. Then again I've been wrong before... once or twice. You could end up being a ridiculously lucky person.

Nicole Hopkins

Never waste a take. If you weren't ready in Dec then you're definitely not in top form having been in burnout recovery mode for the past 2 months.

bbutler

@splitterhopeful Sorry this is so long, but I would highly suggest that you wait and take it in June not knowing anything else for a couple reasons.

1) I know that you think that it's a bad thing that you're "old" but personally I believe that depending on what you've done after undergrad that can be an advantage because you have some work/life experience that many people that apply right out of undergrad won't have.
2) I would never recommend anybody sit for the exam after 2 months of not doing anything LSAT related. Most of the people who have studied for this exam have experienced burnout and yes it's real, I don't hold it against you for taking some time off to get re-focused/re-motivated but taking the exam after doing nothing for 2 months especially after taking it already and essentially having June as your last shot I'd feel would be throwing a shot away.
3) I know you probably already know this but the LSAT is the single most important part of your application. It can determine not only where you get in but also how much it's going to cost. Right now we're already late in the cycle so unless you score high (depending on your other parts of your application) I would think it would be tough to get into a prestigious school or to get scholarships. Why not set yourself up for success by taking the June exam and having the rest of your application done, while also leaving the possibility open for September should you need to retake?

I don't know what your aspirations are but personally I wouldn't take the actual one and study for the June exam. I know it might not seem like something you want to do now but I was there along with others. I rushed and took it in October to try and apply this cycle and bombed it, I was signed up for December, but didn't put my best foot forward because I took about 3-4 weeks off after the October exam. I withdrew from December a few days before and I decided that I wasn't going to try and take it again until I felt comfortable and knew that I was ready, even though it meant waiting another cycle. This was to the dismay of my family and I had to try and find some part-time jobs which has cut into my studying but I can tell it was the best decision I've ever made to wait. Going through the curriculum, webinars, chats, and everything else 7sage has to offer I feel like I understand the material so much more now. Plug into the BR groups whenever you need any motivation or fear that you're burning out. Watch a webinar one day to add some variety in your studying. Take your time, law school isn't going anywhere, and you deserve to set yourself up for success so you can go to law school for free. Good luck and we're here to help you!

beth.flanders

ditto to all the comments above but I must add that 30+ is definitely not too old, not even close to being too old. I started studying for the LSAT back in 2012 at age 48. In between life's twists and turns, I had to put it on the back burner -- for two years. I was finally able to make the commitment to studying for the LSAT toward the end of 2014 and again another life surprise and other commitments. So here I am at age 52 now, four years later, withdrew from last June and Oct and didn't bother attempting tomorrow because I'm not ready. I'm hoping to sit for June but if i'm not ready I have no problem waiting until I am. Basically what's the rush.

I think what keeps me going, beside the challenge of tackling this exam and knowing the importance of it, is an Uncle of mine who at age 78 graduated from Fordham Univ with a Masters in Psychology. He went ahead and open his own business as a psychologist after graduating, so age 81, and he is still going strong today. His advice to me on this endeavor and so simply stated, was do it!

twssmith

ditto from me as well:)

@beth.flanders said:
ditto to all the comments above but I must add that 30+ is definitely not too old, not even close to being too old

I started studying two years ago at 48 and withdrew from Dec test knowing that the delay was putting me into the next cycle and another year older. However, I am excited to be turning 50 next month, pursuing my life long dream and starting my mid-life in law school (definitely not a mid-life crisis). As I have learned and others have stated, you cannot rush the process.
Take the time you need to make the best of your future with no regrets!!