When People Pressure You to Take the LSAT

Comments

• 3 Likes

  jmarmaduke96 Member Sage ⭐

  April 2019 2891 karma

  Honestly there are two ways to take questions like this, if people really are genuinely worried if you are just being a perfectionist or are putting things off, I would take the time to explain elements of the test to them. It is not a knowledge based test, just because I can describe a necessary assumption to someone does not mean that I will not miss another necessary assumption question. It is not like math, if you know your multiplication tables, then you know your multiplication tables. They aren't going to be dressed up in weird or tricky language.

  I also try to explain that the test is a game of averages. Just because I have taken one PT and scored at my goal score, my average is not there yet. I have put too much work into this test to go and take it just hoping that I get lucky and get an outlier score on test day. This is a test that will determine what law school I go to and how much debt I graduate with, this is worth doing and this is worth doing right.

  If they are less supportive and are just trying to rush you along, I'm not rude, but I pretty much just tell them that they don't understand this test and I leave it at that. It sounds a little harsh, but it is true. If they are trying to rush you, they will not be in a mood to listen to you, and there is no one that can truly understand what this test is like until they have put in the hours every single day and felt the ups and downs.

  Thats just my take, I hope that helps!
• studyingandrestudying Core Member

  April 2019 5254 karma

  It does. Thanks for the reply. Sometimes I don't know how to answer them. We must keep going and not give up.
• jasmine.lsatter Alum Member

  April 2019 72 karma

  I would not worry about other people and what to say to them - all you need to say is I'm working at it and I'm not ready for it yet. I'll take it when I'm where I need to be. I don't think you owe them more. I've faced a similar question - "Why haven't you applied yet?" The answer is easy - my LSAT score is not where I want it to be - but it's the circumstances and my bad habits with regards to studying that it highlights for me that sting a little.
• gettysburg Alum Member

  April 2019 126 karma

  Who is pressuring you?

  It depends on what their concerns are and what their intentions are -- maybe they're concerned with you burning yourself out or are worried that you might be putting off the test indefinitely because of test anxiety that you need to address.

  Or, it could be that they just don't understand the LSAT. I have very well-meaning friends who thought the LSAT was the same thing as the bar exam, or they think it's something you either pass or fail. If that's the case, then just explain that the LSAT is a very challenging, though learnable, test and you need adequate time to prepare to get the score you really want. Everyone who takes the LSAT has a different timeline because everyone has different desires. If you want to go to a law school that has a median LSAT of 160 and you took a diagnostic and received a 154, you probably won't need to study for as long as someone who had a diagnostic of 140 and is aiming for a 170. So it's all super variable and I'd try to explain this to them.

  If they're rushing you because they don't like how much time you spend studying and would rather you spend that time with them hanging out, then just say that this test is very important to your future and you'd like to have their support throughout the process, and if they're not happy with that response, then tell them to go kick rocks.
• studyingandrestudying Core Member

  April 2019 5254 karma

  Thanks for these answers, @gettysburg and @"jasmine.lsatter". I really appreciate it. I've needed to take a long time with studying and sometimes there's interruptions, and there's more PTs than there were in the past, plus more drilling materials, and so on, plus applying can take awhile as well, like you've mentioned. Maybe sometimes after people are done with LS and the bar, maybe they could become too busy with other stuff to think about it or maybe they try to forget. Not sure, though.
• 2 Likes

  Better every day Member

  April 2019 246 karma

  @lsatplaylist said:
  What to say when you've been studying for a long time but you're not ready? Thanks in advance for your advice on this. I know it's not a totally new thread. It's something I need to revisit though. Trying to find the right thing to say.

  My experience with this has been mostly with my friends when they get sick of me saying I’m not going out because of the LSAT. I honestly just don’t think it’s worth trying to explain this test/the magnitude of it to anyone unless they are genuinely curious and concerned. Most people are primarily familiar with knowledge based tests that simply require you to regurgitate information, they are not aware of how difficult it is to fundamentally train your mind to think a certain way so that you can perform the tasks the LSAT requires under timed pressure. I do agree that at a certain point you simply need to move on, but this test is so important that it is often worth it to take your time in order to achieve your maximum score. I originally planned on taking my first LSAT last summer and now it looks like I will be finishing up the process this summer. I didn’t plan it this way but ultimately it is what I needed to do to get where I want to go. If people are genuinely concerned and care about you then sit down and explain, but it sounds like you are looking for a good excuse to use on people who just have no idea how difficult the LSAT is. I would just advise to focus on your goal and don’t worry so much about the journey, don’t worry what ignorant people think.
• studyingandrestudying Core Member

  April 2019 5254 karma

  @"Better every day"--Your username is awesome. I agree.