Any Advice is Great Advice: September vs. December LSAT

LSATHopeful-2

I apologize that I'm posting on here even though I've already seen several people post about the same thing. I read through those articles and realized I need a bit more knowledge from experienced LSATers.

My dilemma, as you may have noticed, is that today (August 30th), is the last day to change my LSAT test date. My score on the last 3 timed PTs I took were all 161. I tend to score LG: 13/23, LR: 20/25, LR 20/25, RC 23/27. Obviously, I'm focusing on Logic Games. I will admit, I enjoy LR and RC far too much and thus spent most of the last 2 1/2 months on those.

I'm going into third year, so really, I'm not worried about being late for the admissions process. Even if I do postpone and still don't reach my target score (which would be hella shitty) I can retake it next September/October. My only concern is balancing school with the LSAT. 1. From your experience do you think that one can make significant improvements (aiming for a 170) whilst in school? 2. Do you think it is possible to put a sufficient amount of work to see improvements DURING exam season (as the December LSAT and my exam season coincide)?. 3. Overall, should I postpone in the hopes of a higher score at the risk of being able to put in less work per day than I have been these past 2ish months? 4. If yes to the last question, any tips on how to efficiently and strategically study while in school?

Thanks for the help ya'll!

Alex

@zohaib.a said:
1. From your experience do you think that one can make significant improvements (aiming for a 170) whilst in school?

Yes, of course you can! And most people do study successfully while in undergrad. I can say from experience it is possible with correct time management skills. You need to set hours aside each day reserved for just the LSAT. Once you get into a true habit of studying, your brain will switch into LSAT mode at whatever time it is used to.

@zohaib.a said:
Do you think it is possible to put a sufficient amount of work to see improvements DURING exam season (as the December LSAT and my exam season coincide)?.

Yes. But don't sacrifice studying for your exams for the LSAT when you can decide to take the LSAT whenever you are ready. Never forget that! Exams you don't have a choice; your profs sets the dates and you take them on that date. You get to choose when you take the LSAT.

Again, if taking during exams season, you just have to make sure to set aside time for LSAT prep. If your school is like mine the Dec 4th date is right before finals/exams week at the end of the fall semester. So it is kind of difficult to balance... But it is possible!

@zohaib.a said:
Overall, should I postpone in the hopes of a higher score at the risk of being able to put in less work per day than I have been these past 2ish months? 4. If yes to the last question, any tips on how to efficiently and strategically study while in school?

You should absolutely 100% postpone if you are considering taking next month. No question about that. You should postpone not in the hopes of a higher score, but to give yourself time to prep and get the score you desire. Luck and hope are the last dying wish of the unprepared. If you are truly prepared hope or luck won't be on your radar, lol. Seriously though, don't take until you have the proper time to prepare is what I'm saying. You won't be ready for September that is for sure at this point. The good news is, like I said, you don't have to set a date and work towards it. You can set a score and work towards it instead.

The good news is you are missing a lot of your points on games. I would recommend using the fool proof method and focusing on just LG for a month or so. If you can get games down to -3 or so, you'll be looking at a mid-to-high160s score. Then, if you can cut your LR misses down a bit you'll be in the 170s! It is very likely you could do this by December, as logic games are generally the easiest and quickest section to improve on.

But again, work towards your goal, not one of the 4 LSAT test dates. So don't feel pressured to take in December or any other date if you aren't ready. Although, I don't think December would be an unrealistic date to consider.

Tips on how to effectively and strategically study while in school?

-Make weekly and monthly schedules of what you are aiming to accomplish and treat your LSAT prep like you do any other class.
-Give yourself assignments like learning 2 new question types per week or something like that.
-Set specific and rigid times everyday that you are going to set aside for LSAT prep.
-Take breaks when you need to!

Hope this helps a bit...

Cant Get Right

Alex pretty much covered it. Second.