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dansykes94
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Nothings impossible, but I would recommend you reschedule. You only have 3 shots at this over 2 years and you don't want to feel the pressure if you don't get your grade in Feb. Don't be stupid. If you do decide to do it and pull it off, maybe you could host your own webinar here.
I thought they got rid of the 3 LSATs cap?
LG is generally known to be the easiest section to improve on. But it takes some time to actually improve. I do think it's possible to go -0 on LG within a month, but I can't say that it is likely going to happen. It really depends on your understanding of logic.
So you need roughly 20 questions to move from a 150 to a 162. I don't know how quickly you pick up things, but for me I think that would have been reasonable. Unless you're a quick learner with games you're probably not going to get down to -0 in a month. Perhaps you should focus on 3 games, and guess on the 4th.
You don't have that much time left so I'm not sure if working through the CC is a good use of your time. If you're adamant that you won't retake/delay the test, I'd suggest you focus on the more modern exams.
If you're going -4/-5 in both LR sections combined, I doubt you'll be able to quickly cut that down further. You should experiment with RC and see if you can improve there.
If that's the case, it won't hurt. But some schools may look at all your LSAT attempts.
Thank you for your replies. Its very encouraging. I'm happy with -5 on LR, after all I'm going for 165 not a 175.
I forgot to mention, i have 50 percent extra time for the exam because i am visually impaired, hopefully that will help too.
I'm kicking myself for not studying last year but i guess i still have one last crazy chance to pull this thing off.
+1 to what @10000019 has said. One can improve in LR and RC but it takes more time to hone those skill than LG.
I think that you can see some major improvement in 250 hours but I think going from a 155 (untimed) to a 165 timed in Feb on test day is a bit unrealistic. Unfortunately, that's just not how learning/improving on the LSAT works.
Getting good at the LSAT reminds me a lot of when I was trying to get really good at playing the piano when I was younger. You not only have to learn the basics, finger placement, how to site read, etc. You need tons of hours of practice. And no matter how hard or intense your practice, it still just takes time before you see substantial improvement. You're essentially re-training your brain and that's something that can't be crammed into any set amount of hours.
Yeah, it took me 6 months of full time study 6+ hours a day, 6 days a week to get from a 153 diagnostic to a 165 in December (although I was PTing in the mid 170s prior to the Dec. exam)... and this as summa cum laude double major haha. Undergrad performance is not a good predictor of LSAT performance. Don't underestimate this test—it already kicked your ass once! You may just want to plan on prepping thoroughly for June.
There is no reason to rush on Feb. anyway since you're already at a massive disadvantage applying so late in the cycle with a weak first score. Retake and Reapply is the only real choice here if you're serious about BC or BU.
Even if you were to apply for next year, you have absolutely no reason to take in Feb. since it's nondisclosed and you can't learn from your mistakes if you end up needing to retake in June.
Your not crazy, but it is sort of wildly optimistic.
However, let's grant that you get your 165 and get into BC or BU. If you can get to a 165 by February, then you can get a much higher score by say June. I would recommend studying at least until you hit a ceiling and stop inproving. Those ceilings can often be broken through so I don't think hitting one means you should stop studying, but if you were to gain 23 points in a couple of weeks or a month, then you could probably gain 5 or 10 more in 6 months. And those points would definitely be worth it.
So if I were you I would wait a cycle study for June, retake in September if necessary and know you have done what you can to get into a school and get as much merit aid as you can with the best job outlook possible for you.
They did get rid of the 3 take rule, but there still isn't anything to gain from taking a test before you are ready.
I'd postpone a cycle and schedule a June take if I were you, but why not try out your ten hour a day logic games foolproofing strategy anyway. If you can get games 1-35 foolproofed quick that will give you more time to study RC which is usually harder to improve and to adjust to the timing of actual PTs and learn from them in blind review. If you can't push quite that hard and burnout it won't be a problem since it will be many months before your real test.
I've gone from -8 on LG to -1/BR -0 in slightly less than a month, but granted you are starting off with -15/-20 on LG. It's doable, but you have to have a fairly good handle on logic first, like @akistotle said.
To reasonably assume you can get 165, you should be consistently PTing in the 167-169 range. Mid 150s to high 160s is a big PT jump that I think would take 2-3 months if you're lucky/smart. I would say you should reschedule for June.
Also, why the rush to go next year? If you know you want BU, just prep intensely for June (like you want a 170+) and apply Early Decision next fall. They guarantee a full tuition scholarship to anyone they accept through their Distinguished Scholar Binding Early Decision Program.
Your reluctance to delay a cycle may not only cost you the opportunity to attend the school of your dreams, but is also likely to be a $150k+ mistake, even if you were to get in off your Feb. score. By June, you could dominate the LSAT and be competitive for a big scholarship like BU's ED program (or others if you decide to shoot higher).
Don't limit yourself! Put in the work that this test requires and give yourself a real shot at the outcome you want, for free. Not to mention the application fees you'll save when the fee waivers come pouring in with a 165+ score.
Im super optimistic, one can even say unrealistic, but you have to realize (as I have) that this test takes time to understand. You cannot "rush". I would drill LG until it becomes fun. LR has to be nearly perfect and maybe consider doing only 3 RC passages perfectly and guessing on the 4th. LG is your best bet in the time frame. Get that down to -1/0.
Either way, everything is going to work itself out.
Namaste
In my opinion, waiting a year is always an option when law schools give out $100,000+ scholarships for high LSAT scores.