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About a month until January LSAT and I need some input from y'all

daviddubosejrdaviddubosejr Member
in General 24 karma

I have never taken the LSAT before and started studying in October for the January test. Many of you are probably asking why I am taking such a late test to apply for this cycle, but it's a long story. To give some context I took my diagnostic back on October 13th and scored 149. I applied for accommodations and got 50% extra time. Just yesterday after a couple months of studying I decided to take my first PT and scored 166. The PT was 37 which I know is older. I went from -13 in LG to -1, -6 in RC to -4, and from -13 in LR to -6. I know most of you would probably say you have to take more PTs, but with so little time left I am wondering what y'all would do with the remaining weeks and what PT numbers should I take and how many in order to see a reliable indicator of what my score is and what my knowledge and understanding is like for the material. Any help is appreciated and good luck to everyone.

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  • itonydelatorreitonydelatorre Core Member
    edited December 2021 158 karma

    I would stick to the newer ones, although the actual newest PT doesn't have explanations as of yet, but I imagine it will sooner than later. The newer ones will better represent what you will take. The most recent 10 are very valuable because of that. Even if that 166 was a bit of a fluke and you find yourself scoring a couple points lower on more recent preptests, that's still an impressive jump in such a short time. It may not be worth changing up too much of your study routine.

    With that said, depending on how much time you have, I would start taking at least a preptest a week though to the lead up. Maybe 2. Probably not more, you want to give yourself time to blind review. Only so many preptests, don't waste them. Simulate the testing conditions.

    You may want to think about a couple things:
    1) What time of the day do you find yourself doing better. As i went on, I found I do a bit better after lunch, not so much in the mornings.

    2) Is there a certain location or area you do/feel better testing in?

    3) What warmups help you do better? Perhaps you find you do good with a really light warmup, or an easy logic game, maybe your best tests are just diving in, or a full section before.

    Have an idea of these things, or at least be consistent about it. The pressure is much more immense on the actual thing, so the worst thing would be to find yourself testing in a new place at a time you don't normally test at, you know? Keep as much familiar as you can.

    Good luck! And remember (circumstances depending*) your first take doesn't have to be your last, one year off and waiting for next cycle isn't the end all if things go bad.

  • Scott MilamScott Milam Member Administrator Moderator Sage 7Sage Tutor
    1342 karma

    The most recent PTs (highest numbers) are the best indicators of your Test Day performance, since they are the closest to the "real thing." I would make sure that you are taking the PTs under "Test Day Conditions" - use the same computer, don't give yourself extra breaks, etc.

    As to how you should prepare, I would take 2 PTs a week, making sure to Blind Review each time and keep a Wrong Answer Journal. Make sure you understand why you missed each question and how to avoid doing so next time!

    Finally, I would encourage you to be flexible about your plans. Hopefully you get your score the first time! But if not, be willing to take the time to get a great score! The difference in school quality / scholarship amount will reliably outweigh the value of entering law school a year early.

    Finally, keep your eyes peeled for next week's newsletter where one of our tutors directly answers the question "Are you ready to take the test?"

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