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am i tripping? (november lsat)
Hello people! I took the June diagnostic LSAT and scored a 157 with absolutely no prep and haven been out of the standardized test game for about 4 years. I'm wondering if I start now will I be able to break 170s by the November test or if that is an unrealistic goal because my parents are pressuring me to apply for the next school year instead of taking time off. I felt while taking the LSAT that some of my problems were that I was just out of practice when it came to reading comprehension and reading things quickly with timing, etc. which could just be because I haven't had to do it since high school and that could be helped by just doing more practice and others were of course things like logic games which I have not seen before but didn't find to be absolutely unbearable (i actually find them very fun). Is this a completely unrealistic goal?
Comments
People have done it before but it really really depends on how easily you master the test. You'd have to be naturally really good at picking up the kind of thinking that the LSAT requires and you'd have to have tons of free time for studying between now and then. A lot of the LSAT isn't stuff that you're likely to just be "out of practice" in because most of it isn't stuff that's taught or focused on in high school/college. A 157 is a good cold score, and I think you could pretty easily get up to 165 by November, but the higher up in score you get the harder each point is to gain.
It's possible if you study a solid 5 hours a day (full time), and know how to study well.
Wow, 157 completely with no prep is very impressive. You might just be naturally smart, in which case, you very well could achieve 170 by that time if you put in some good studying.
I think you can do it if you scored a 157 with no prep. I'm starting to study now, and I've set 3 hours a day until then (well 7Sage prepared my schedule by saying 20.7 hours a week is needed). You'll be able to do well if you study.
My diagnostic was similar and it took me 6 months of studying 20+ hrs a week to get to a 168. And this was after having gone through the 7sage curriculum a year before I started studying again. Just depends on how quickly you process. It’s hard for me to believe but a lot of people on here have claimed to get a high 170s score after only a few months of part time studying.
My diagnostic was 155 and it took me about 7 months of studying part time while working full time to get to a 168 as well. I think a 170 by November is unrealistic. Mid 160s probably, upper 160s maybe. 170+ is unlikely.
It sucks to have your parents pressuring you, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the LSAT and law school applications. At this point, you'd also be hard pressed to get in all your transcripts and letters of recommendation as well. And that's on top of studying for the LSAT.
There's some general guidance out in the world that it takes about 3 months to prepare for the LSAT. That's really just not true for most people. Or, if you have your sights on a high score (170+), it's likely going to take much longer than that. The thing is, the LSAT is an extremely difficult test, generally regarded as much more difficult than the more general grad school exams like the GRE and the GMAT. Law school applications aren't something you can throw together quickly.
I think a good approach would be telling your parents that you're going to work very hard on LSAT studying, but if you're not able to get a high score by November, it makes way more sense to give yourself more time to study. A lot of law schools also prefer people to have work experience before applying. The difference between a 165 and 170 LSAT could literally mean tens of thousands of dollars in savings via scholarships. If you're only able to get to 165 by November but are still improving, you should push back a year.
This is similar to my experience. I hate to be a downer, but I would be surprised (and impressed!) if someone improved from 155 to the 170s by November. It took me a year to go from my June 2017 diagnostic of 163 to my June 2018 172. I seemed to improve about one point per month of study.
I would plan to prepare for at least a year if you're trying to score in the 170s. You can do it! It just might take some time.
I echo others responses. Ultimately, all you can do is start studying and see where you are at come November. I had a diagnostic of 155 and only improved 5 points after 3 months of studying full time. I did have a few 167+ PTs but it didn’t translate come test day. I took a few months off, started working full time and studying part time. Been on that track for almost 6 months now. Thought I’d sit in June but pushed back to September. Last 8 PTs have been 168-172. I feel a lot more confident and not as rushed - not as stressed. 3 months of “study time” is just a ridiculous standard.
I think a lot of people deal with the pressure from family/friends/partners. I wish I didn’t tell anyone I was studying. My partner still doesn’t understand why I didn’t take the feb test after December, then why I pushed back the summer tests to September. And he is also confused as to why I will keep studying after sept to (maybe) take November. Just stay on your own path and you’ll get to where you want to be!
You're blessed. Take your time and apply next cycle. Even with just a standard amount of effort your should hit 170 if you wait.
The probability is not 0, but it is very, very low. You'll likely make a bit of quick progress at first, but once you start hitting the mid 160's range, that pretty universally grinds to a crawl. That said, very impressive diagnostic--way higher than mine. You can totally do it, you just may have to choose between prioritizing scoring 170+ or applying this cycle, because you almost certainly cannot have both. Sounds like you'd really like to choose the score, so do that if at all possible.
The wisdom of the forums @"Cant Get Right" @"Leah M B" have spoken to you. Furthermore, you didn't give us any information on what you didn't get right, only the end result of that exam. So we don't know your deficiencies are so we can give you the appropriate advice to tailor your study plans. Good luck though.
I'm a college student with a pretty simple work load since I am a senior and have finished most my required courses. I have upwards of 7+ hours to work with. Is that feasible in your opinion?
I think a lot of people deal with the pressure from family/friends/partners. I wish I didn’t tell anyone I was studying. My partner still doesn’t understand why I didn’t take the feb test after December, then why I pushed back the summer tests to September. And he is also confused as to why I will keep studying after sept to (maybe) take November. Just stay on your own path and you’ll get to where you want to be!
Thank you for that! I obviously understand the pressure coming from family/any other relation. It's almost too much. But, ultimately it matters what is the best school to get in to and I believe, with some convincing and explaining, they will understand that. Good luck to you!
These are the breakdowns if that is what you are referring to:
Logic games: 17/25
reading comp: 19/25
analytical reasoning: 19/25
logical reasoning: 17/25
So you're missing about -6 to -8 on games. That is fixable. It may take longer than your time-frame, but you can get that down to about -1 or -2 pretty easily.
Reading Comp. is pretty damn hard and you'll have to work to reduce that gap. It's a very monastic process and you'll have to figure out what you're getting wrong, what you missed when doing the passage timed, and figure out a way to resolve the issues. Ask questions here and we'll do our best to help you out.
Logical Reasoning is also a tough nut to work on. I suggest you do write-ups for the questions that you miss and do a lot of reflection upon review. Watch JY's explanations on how to solve the problems. Even if you watch the video and you don't understand how he got the correct answer, continue to ask questions here.
Finally, I suggest you join the November BR group. There are a lot of fantastic LSAT nerds there that will help you bridge that gap between where you are now, and your LSAT goals. Be patient, and if you work hard, the results will come.
I agree it is hard; but maybe a motivational post:
She went from 160 (untimed; diagnostic) to 170 in 7 weeks; she ended up at Chicago
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=188410
Did you read the full thread? They claim to have done 4 PTs a day. And they did over 50 PTs twice total in 7 weeks. Right.
I did. She did 15 sections per day (but not all of them are new) though