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Related Discussions
August FLEX with 1 month study, or October exam with 3 months study
whatsmyname
Member
I'm at a cross-roads deciding whether I should sing up for the August flex (deadline is today).
Reason being, it's 3 sections, so it's going to be shorter, and it will be at the convenience of my home. There is also score preview.
The drawback is I only have 45 days to study - my work contract just ended so I can spend all day every day.
On the flipside, there is more time to study for the October exam. It may also be FLEX depending on how COVID progresses. Does the score-preview apply for all exams from now on?
What do you guys think? Anyone having similar thoughts?
Comments
1 month isn’t enough time to study for the LSAT.
Even at 50h/week?
Have you studied at all? 50 hours a week would be a good way to burn out. Many of these concepts you really have to understand, not just memorize. I would say with 95% certainty that October would be FLEX. Chances are they will be FLEX until next summer. I understand how you feel though. I was nervous that August wouldn't be FLEX 4 months ago.
one month is not nearly enough time to study unless your cold diagnostic is 165+
three months is also really cutting it tight.
Obviously this is not definite, but October will likely be flex and also have the same score preview option (look to LSAT powerscore podcast). So October is prob fine for you. If you want to try taking a diagnostic now just to see how far you are from your goal score that could also determine how much studying you'd need to do.
About a week and a bit at this point, got through most of the LSAT Trainer, fun stuff (minus RC). 7h/day is feasible, especially broken up, you can do even more with appropriate approaches.
What concepts are we talking about? Logic is simple enough, question types are not particularly difficult (perhaps drilling approaches to speed up answering will take some time), diagramming is also not difficult. Of course, all of this becomes more challenging under time constraints.
I just wish I did a PT, but thought it would be pointless without having a general overview of the exam.
cooler heads advise for October, and that seems to be the more reasonable option, so be it.
and thank you all for the input
45 days isn't enough time. That's barely enough time to get a solid foundation. I got burnt out doing 8 hours a day at the beginning of the shut down for 4 weeks straight. I plateaued and my brain just shut off for 1 week.
What's your diagnostic? You should try to take a test under timed conditions as a diagnostic to see where you are right now. I also agree that one mon isn't enough either, but everyone is different of course
Ill do a series today, tomorrow, and the day after and let you know
October will likely be Flex so no worries
150, 150, and 146 across three tests
Consistently not enough time to even start the fourth LG or finish 3-5 LR questions.
...lots of work to do
I would think three months is not enough time to really maximize results. I didn't start hitting my target score (170+) with any consistency until 9 months of studying 5 hours per day. For comparison, my diagnostic was 157 (which has no bearing on your personal ability or speed of improvement) however, consider it took me 9 months to improve an average of 15 points. My best advice is to not register for the LSAT until you can hit your target score three prep tests in-a-row. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed.
https://7sage.com/the-three-worst-lsat-mistakes/
"1. Underestimating when to start studying for the LSAT (Three months is not enough time to prepare!)
When should you start studying for the LSAT? The first mistake students make is underestimating the difficulty of the LSAT. So, let me be very clear. The LSAT is a beast. I don't know you. I've never met you. Maybe you're a beast too. But, I'm telling you right now that you need more than 3 months to adequately train."
I'm in the same boat as you and I registered for the August Flex. I only started two weeks ago. And 45 days is by no means a short time period. One can make substantial improvement (also depending on your background, of course). It doesn't hurt to try it out. At least you will get used to the online testing experience. And you can cancel the score if you are a first-time test taker and willing to pay some extra money. And if you happen to get a good score, then you don't need to spend extra months preparing.
Nah, you can do three months if you know how to study properly, organize and deconstruct material. 6 hours a day minimum, confidence, resistance to pressure and you'll be fine.
LG and LR practice daily with one RC passage per night.
Hang in there! I 100% agree with everyone that is saying it is better to wait. I was a diagnostic of 153 last year and tried to force the LSAT to get better for me. You may improve quickly and be ready for October/November. However, if you don't, don't take it as a sign that you can't do it. The best piece of advice I got was to truly wait until I was ready to take the LSAT, even if that means delaying a cycle. It sucks and it's a tough pill to swallow, but it is the truth and it makes it worth it in the long run in terms of going to a school you want to get in to, getting scholarships, and having a great law school experience. Take it from someone who wasted $400, two takes, and a lot of stress, be patient with the LSAT. The LSAT is a very skills based under extreme time pressure test which is why everyone is saying it's so difficult. Come up with a routine, study a manageable amount, still be a person, be patient, and you'll eventually get the score you want! You'll get there! And if you want a great place to start, games is a place to make improvement quickly
.
Good luck!
I was tempted by the same thing and took the June FLEX and ended up cancelling my score because I didn't give myself enough time to study. The perk is that you will be able to view your score this time around if you are a first time test taker and cancel. Also the FLEX does't count as a take per the LSAC website. It is ALL very tempting. But honestly, if your PT aren't where they need to be I think you should wait till October as 45 days can really sneak up on you and really isn't a whole lot of time for you to work on getting that score higher.
One month or even three months is not enough time to study for and achieve your best score on the LSAT. That being said, if a score that is not your best score gets you into a law school you want to go to, then by all means take the October test (95% sure it's going to be FLEX).
I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, but if I were you, I would not apply this cycle. I would start consistently studying 3-4 hours a day, and I would plan to take the LSAT for the first time early next year or next spring. That way you can take it again in the summer if you don't like your score. If you have a good LSAT score on file by summer 2021, you are in a great spot to apply early in the 2022-2023 cycle, plus having studied properly for the LSAT, you will know that you earned the best score you could. It is 100% worth waiting a year in my opinion if you get into a better school / get scholarship money.
Last year at this time, I was in a similar position as you. I really wanted to apply for the 2020-2021 cycle. After realizing some hard truths, though, I decided to wait a year, and I am SO glad I did. My diagnostic was 149 in November 2019. I studied for 6+ months, and now I am my PTs are in the mid 160s. I have a shot at MUCH better schools now, and perhaps scholarship money. I also have saved up a lot of money over the last year working as a paralegal, and my goal is to go to law school debt free or with as little debt as possible.
You are all great. It's nice to hear all of your experiences and feedback, it's truly valuable so thank you.
Ill give it a shot no doubt, I'm of the same mindset and let you know how it goes
Yet, I can't discount anyone's experience so I'll keep an open mind and adjust accordingly.
7 hours a day is really not feasible. Maybe you can go through the motions for 7 hours some days, but they will not be 7 productive hours.
If you sign up for the August LSAT Flex, according to LSAC, you get a free coupon for any test before April 2021 - so you can sign up for the August LSAT and reschedule by August 20 if you feel like you need more time! I've been studying since June 1st, I'm about 22% through the course, and my most recent test was a 154 with a 169 on blind review. My cold diagnostic was 148. I've done 5 tests so far and I've gone up by 1 point from a 150 on each of my tests after the diagnostic. My blind review scores have also improved with each test. I basically study throughout the week, and take a prep test every Sunday. I'm currently working full time from my computer, so it's doable. I study from 7-9 every morning before starting work. I usually spend the entire day Sunday taking a prep test under timed conditions, followed by a blind review, and then explanation videos for all the questions for which I got"high" or "very high" priority. I haven't even started logic games or reading comprehension yet, both of which I've only gotten through about 2 games/paragraphs on each test thus far, so I'm expecting to get much closer to a 160+ once I've studied these sections. I'm curious as to why nobody has mentioned the fact that LSAT is allowing us to reschedule our test for a later one if you register for August? I'm hoping I didn't misinterpret what was written on the LSAC website!
You will definitely need more than 45 days in my opinion, however everyone is different. So I decided to sign up for the August test and change to October if by this time next month I don't feel confident in what I'm doing. You can always chose this method, just be prepared to realize that you need more time. I would also discourage doing more than 40 hours of studying because you will burn out. I would recommend studying about 4-6 hours a day Monday through Saturday and then take Sundays off. You need a day to rest and don't be ashamed of needing a day off in the middle if you can't focus. If you can't focus then you can't get anything productive done.