Worried

Comments

• 8 Likes

  Jonathan Wang Yearly Sage ⭐

  April 2020 6866 karma

  Don't apply early decision unless there's a guaranteed scholarship attached, and don't set your heart on a test date until you're good enough at the test that your target score is within striking distance.
• henrylxix Member

  April 2020 89 karma

  Completely agree with Jonathan that you should never ED unless there's a guaranteed scholarship (e.g. Northwestern's ED program). Whether your timeline is realistic depends on your goal score and where you are now. Have you taken a diagnostic yet, and do you have a good idea of your relative strengths and weaknesses? If the answer to those questions is yes, you may not have to adhere so strictly to the schedule but rather focus on the areas where you need the most work. For example, I started studying at the beginning of March for the June date, and didn't have nearly enough time to do a whole structured course. Instead, I focused only on my most troubling section (games, which a lot of people think is the easiest section to perfect) to get within striking distance of my goal score and then worked on improving my stronger sections after that. That strategy might not work for you if games isn't your weakest section or if you're starting from zero on all three sections, but it's something to think about.
• 1 Like

  The Judges Free Trial Member

  April 2020 364 karma

  Do not worry about applying in the first two months ED is not helpful unless you get a scholarship attached.
• WhimsicalWillow Live Member

  April 2020 edited April 2020 79 karma

  I have not taken a diagnostic because I knew that a low score would hurt my motivation and self-confidence however, I'm familiar with how all of the questions on the exam as I've looked through the 2007 exam.

  I am a bit new to studying for the LSAT. I read through half of the Manhattan Prep LR book before finding 7Sage and purchasing the entire ultimate course. I've been working through the CC section by section however, I'm trying to figure out how and when to incorporate the Question Bank's problem sets in with the CC... I'm also unsure of how to put together certain sections from the PT that people drill and which ones to set aside for full-length PT.

  I know Logic Games will be a weakness for me. Additionally, I need to improve the speed of my reading comprehension (which I know is said to take a long time with consistent practice). In LR, I have a tendency to read the stimulus at least twice (or 3 times( in order to fully understand the content. I average about 1:20-1:50 mins/question and 2min on hard LR qs which I know is bad.
• WhimsicalWillow Live Member

  April 2020 edited April 2020 79 karma

  My goal is ED acceptance at a T14 school that guarantees a scholarship.
• caffeine powered human Alum Member

  April 2020 edited April 2020 414 karma

  By all means, it is definitely possible for some people to get a score for T14 schools within 5-6 months of studying. But that was not the case for me. I also echo what the earlier commenters said about not being too fixated on a test date because if you don’t feel ready you should not take the exam. I understand that having ‘I’m going to sit for the oct test’ provides motivation, but it also leads to a tremendous amount of self-disappointment if you are not ready by then.
  Speaking from my experience, I was very set on taking the 2019 October exam. Realized that I was not ready (not getting my goal score during my timed PTs), and pushed my date till March. I’ve gotten my goal score of 172 once during a timed PT before March, but I still was not ready to sit on March. Due to COVID, the march exam got cancelled and I signed up for the June one. In a way I am glad that I could not take the March exam because I don’t want to gamble and wait until 172 is my average. About 8 months of additional studying got added since my oct goal, but I really cannot complain.

  My goals (in terms of timelines) never really worked out. I also had to push the admission by a year and I think that was well worth it. There is a good chance that you can get your goal score by October. But speaking from my experience, having a leniency and some flexibility really helps. If I were in your position, I would do as much studying as diligently as possible and finish the CC asap. After the CC I would take a PT to see where I am at (whether you are going to take a diagnostic or not soon), and realistically face your plans. Only when you have a clear idea of where you are, you will be able to tell whether your plan is realistic. For that reason I recommend that you take a diagnostic despite the chances of being discouraged. I think having a realistic perspective is a better gain.