LSAT Success Story - What some people don't tell you

I have always wanted to go to law school, but it mainly lived in the back of my mind as a dream and not a real concept. As a junior in college majoring in Marketing, I realized I wasn't anywhere near as interested in sales or marketing as I once was. I decided after months of consideration to start studying for the June 2022 test in January 2022. I went through the entire 7sage course and finished it in early April, then took a few practice tests over the following six weeks. I took the test in June and just found out that I got a 157! I am retaking it in the fall because my GPA is a low 3.3 so I don't think that will help me at all, but I just wanted to come on here and share a few things I experienced that is not typically publicized. This may not work for you but it has worked for me very well and I feel like I should let everyone know that there are many different ways to find success! I'm by no means an expert, just someone wanting to share their story

• I took many study breaks during the time I was preparing. I started in January, and I am a Division 1 swimmer for my college team so I didn't have all the time in the world. I am up at 5 am five times a week, and I practice over 20 hours a week. I took a two week break for swim conference and the week after, one week for spring break, one week for final exam studying and a week for the actual exams, and many weekend breaks for formals, traveling plans, holidays, etc. I studied a lot don't get me wrong, but I made sure to have fun and relax when I needed to. I also really enjoyed studying so when I did I got a lot done at a time.

• I scored 152-55 on my practice tests and got a 157 on the real one. Uncommon, right? Don't go in thinking you will score lower on the real one. I have always been told that, but personally I could never get myself to truly focus enough on the prep tests compared to the real one. I feel like others may be able to relate to that; common ADHD side effect. So don't worry if your prep tests are not where you want to be: there is a chance you will score higher on the real one. Personally I find it hard to focus entirely on something unless it is as serious as the real test was so I am not shocked this was the case for me.

• I studied alone, and only used 7 sage. I looked over the book for a little bit but found it hard to stay focused. I did everything on my own terms on my own time and it worked out in my favor in the end. Again, may not be common but may work for some of you.

• I threw so many things out the window when it came to logical reasoning. I forgot half of the A --> B methods by the time the test came around; for some reason it just did not stick with me. Maybe that wasn't a good thing but I felt it saved me time in the long run. I just went with my gut and my instincts.

• Lastly, I practiced skills way more than I did tests. This may be obvious, but I literally only took three prep tests and one I decided to do last minute in my bed at 10 pm because I was bored. I find it way more helpful to do smaller 6-10 question sets and review those because it shows me more of a pattern of my mistakes.

• ALSO: Something that is not advertised enough: Law schools are lowering their standards every year due to lower interest in law school. I have read dozens of articles about how some schools are now accepting students with an LST lower than 140, which before may have seemed unrealistic. Even if you do not meet your personal standards, there is a high chance there is still a school out there for you. Work on getting rec letters and having a stellar personal statement, and if your GPA or LSAT are low, take the time to explain why. This will stand out to admissions!

Again, this may not work for you and it may seem stupid but I didn't think there was any way I would be above a 153 on my first test, much less above a 155 and here we are with a 157. I will be sure to update after my September test, but I felt this was a good enough starting out story to share