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Don't know if I should continue studying
Montecarlo
Alum Member
I'm writing this post to 1.) cool down and 2.) get some good advice and hopefully have my questions answered
Background: When I first started studying for the lsat, it was 3 months ago and I used 7sage and studied for around 4-5 hours everyday, although I took a day or two off a week to rest my mind, while drilling LR and LG mainly at first and then later I moved onto RC. This past month I took 5 practice tests all in the range of the mid to high 140s and it has messed me up mentally. I can't seem to understand it but no matter what I do I keep getting these bullshit questions wrong. I barely have time to read 3 passages for RC and even then I only somewhat understand what I'm reading. I would say I definitely put over 200 hours into this bullshit and feel that this was a giant waste of time. Also, I want to clarify that I tried to study for the lsat from almost every which way possible so I wouldn't see that as the reason why I'm not doing good. My BR's are in the low to mid 150s, which is a dream score at this point, and every time I see my BR score I just get overwhelmingly pissed off that I can't get those numbers on the actual exam. I'm currently registered for the September lsat in a week and don't even care what I get at this point. I don't quit on things easily but I'm also realistic that the more hours that I put into this is just wasting time.
Another thing worth noting is the advice I got from the lawyer I currently work for who runs a successful law office. I spoke with him about my worry for my lsat score and he laughed and told me not to worry. When he spoke about his law journey, he told me he went to some shitty law school, which isn't even active anymore, and how he did terribly on the lsat, like me, and how he was worried about going to law school, passing the bar, etc. He took the bar 4 times and told me that that he was determined to become a lawyer and wasn't going to quit no matter how hard it was. It definitely paid off for him as he has his own office now, drives a 100k car, and is still in his 30's. One thing he said that gave me some hope was: "if you want to be a lawyer then it doesn't matter how it happens as long as you end up being one and are set on doing so." I'm focused on being a lawyer so I really do hope what he said holds true. He told me about his other lawyer friends from his same law school that all ended up being successful after graduating and that if I put my mind to it then I could be just as successful.
Current Plans: Assuming I get what I currently got on my PT's, let's say a 146, my chances of even getting into a below average law school is like 60% and that's on the 7sage law school predictor which inflates everything and isn't that accurate. My thoughts are I'm going to take the test now, continue to study until the October one and take it then, and then if I score better than the September lsat I'll keep it if not then I'll cancel it. I actually am shocked at myself for being unable to get into the 150s but that's irrelevant because I've been dealt a bad hand. I'm planning on applying to only low ranked schools and early admit one of them. I plan to submit my applications in October to give myself the best chances of acceptance.
Questions: So with a 146 lsat and 3.4 gpa what do you guys think my chances of getting into a school like Southwestern would be with early admit? For those that are also scoring in the 140s range what are your guys plans: Are you planning to study for higher score or just apply with what you have? Do people with 140s lsat scores get accepted to law schools? I know lsat matters a lot but how significant do you think gpa/internships/personal statements etc. matters in law school applications? Is it worth applying to law schools if you were in my scenario or would you switch career paths?
Just to sum up, I don't care what law school I get into as long as I get in somewhere. I know bar pass rates and all that but for me as of now all that matters is just getting in somewhere with what I have. I have great letters of rec and my personal statement is great as well. So, I hope the best for all you guys whenever you take your lsat and good luck with your guy's law journey.
Comments
I was scoring like you a month ago. Now I am in the high 150s. You just have to try different ways.
You can do this! My first practice test was a 146 but once I started studying, I started PT'ing a lotttt better!
i have taken the lsat 3 times, studied for 11 months and have only gotten my score up from 144 to 148 those 3 times. im naturally terrible at testing but at this point am contemplating similar things. right now my plan is to keep working on my personal statement and other app stuff and apply to 5-10 schools and see how i do and then hopefully love the school i go to or transfer after 1L which is very common. on the test think about writing less for reading section it helps a lot. o and on pts i was scoring between 156-162 so i feel you on this test bro, had a different hope for schools but is what it is.
I just got my August score back (second time taking it) and it was not near close to any of my PT's, I signed up for the October test and will be studying like crazy these next 6 weeks. I am hopeful I can get my score to where it needs to be, maybe even higher. I made myself a plan and what my goal is for each section, trying to devote at least 4-5 hours a day! I was devastated when I got my score back and the test and studying takes so much both mentally and physically, so I completely understand. But everyday is a new day and you just have to do what is best for you. I keep telling myself "you have to to do this, there is no other option" and that is what is going to get me through these next couple of weeks. I would go back and work on your weaknesses, for me it is LR, and just really focus on what you can do get your score up! Good luck, You can do this! We all can!
I was scoring in the low 140's on PT's and got a 144 on the August LSAT. I am going to retake it in October to try my best at scoring a 150. My diagnostic was a 126 so I went from that to a 144 in about four months. I have a law school mentor who just graduated law school and she graduated top 5% of her class. Her LSAT was in the high 140's and she transferred after her 1L and received amazing scholarships. Her advice to me when I told her I was scoring low was to never give up and try no matter what. You never know what can happen, good luck!!
Your lawyer friend speaks truth. I know many a lawyer who joke about the terrible laws schools they attended and who are extremely successful. Also, let me tell you about my lsat journey which began in 2017. I took a PT and scored maybe in the 130s. I then read the powerscore logical reasoning bible and the logic games bible twice. For years, I struggled on the analytical section, but I finally broke into the 150s this year. Just relax and enjoy the ride. I am a firm believer that some of the most rewarding things in life are also the most difficult to achieve. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
I got a 148 on my October 2019 LSAT and graduated with a 3.5 GPA (however, LSAC calculates my GPA as 3.6). I studied and studied but wasn't seeing a score increase and finally decided to apply this previous cycle.
I applied to nine law schools and got into two this previous cycle. I also originally got two rejections and five waitlists but I did not get off the waitlists. So yes, it is possible to get into law school with a score in the 140s! The fact that I was on the waitlists for some of these schools was surprising because they were top 100 law schools. One of the schools I got into was Southwestern. I applied to Southwestern in December. I put a lot of time into writing my PS and I think that that definitely helped out.
@prayerful wow this gives me a little encouragement. So for clarity, you applied for the 2022 cycle using your 2019 lsat score of 148 and was accepted to southwestern? Are you currently attending or did you decide to wait and apply for the new cycle? Thanks!
Saint Mary's Law School in San Antonio may be your saving grace (pun intended). Here's the link. I'm understanding they just launched a full ABA accredited online JD. It may be worth looking into. FWIW, I'm in the exact same boat as you.
Good luck!
https://law.stmarytx.edu/
I've been studying for a year now and am getting into my target range of upper 150s/breaking 160. The school I'm targeting is good but not crazy competitive so this will hopefully also get me in some scholarship range for an already affordable school. Take a short break, try a new study method (it's taken me switching through 3 others until I finally clicked with 7sage).
I definitely think you can still get into law school with a score in the 140s! Also, I don't know if you have specific plans for what to do with a law degree, but if you are hoping to go into public interest, you should absolutely check this out: https://www.law.cuny.edu/academics/pipeline/
@SLODHILL yes, that's correct. I applied with my 2019 score of 148 to Southwestern for the 2022 cycle and was admitted. I chose to not attend and I am applying this cycle.
have you tried actually doing the 7sage course? I scored in the 140s as my diagnostic then i completed the entire course and immediately got a 157. I was incredibly discouraged and almost gave up several times along the way, but I kept going and now I just have to drill till October test and will probably get in the 160s. Understand that there's potential for tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money, you may even go for free. Your attorney is right, it doesn't at all matter what school. I know several lawyers who went to the worst ranked schools and now own multiple firms. But think about how much money youll save if you just put in a dedicated effort.
If you think you can improve it doesn't hurt to keep studying. Maybe you need more time and could try studying less per day, switch it up and see how you do with 2 hours instead of 5-6. I was cramming for 8-10 hours every day for months and after a certain amount it doesn't really help you improve and you just feel numb. I've decided to submit applications with my 152 from august and most likely just keep studying for another year. If I get in great, but if not then I'll try for 2024 with a better score. If I keep studying for another year I'm sure I'll improve. It's hard to find balance when you have ambition to improve, but perhaps just slowing down and taking a more patient approach might help you. That's what I'm hoping for with myself.
Wow its really humbling to see the struggles of other students. I felt bad because most of my study mates were killing 160+. Thanks for sharing your struggles and I hope you become a successful and happy lawyer. Just remember if you decide to pursue business with law, it really doesn't matter where you came from!
one thing my pre law advisor told me was that as long as you have a degree, an lsat score, and two letters of recommendation, there are accredited schools which will take you. if you really wanna get into the economics of it, a 3.4 gpa is very good for the standards of low barrier to entry schools which consider lower LSATs. obviously keep at it and improve as much as you can though, there is nothing innately different about you which prevents you from being unable to score as high as anyone else.
I am not going to lie I feel the same, My highest PT is 146 and it feels like no matter what I do, its not enough. I took the LSAT in Feb and am aiming for June23. Haven't been able to get my Feb score because I didn't even care to take the written portion to see it knowing I did bad. Im very distraught but maybe things will look up
First of all, I respect the dedication. But am I the only one who thinks that studying for 4 to 5 hours each day is excessive? It sounds to me as though you may be putting in the time, but it's not necessarily time well spent. (I could be wrong!)
I do this with chess. I love chess, and I want to get better, but instead of really taking the time to analyze my games and learn opening theory, etc. -- I just play a million games. Needless to say, my chess rating hasn't improved much. (Experience and "time spent" do not always equal results, unfortunately.)
These concepts sometimes take a lot of time to sink in. For me, at least, they do. To give you some idea, just the simple concept that "only if" and "only when" introduce necessary conditions took me, like, a week to wrap my head around. "Food is in the fridge only when Rufus is not around." I had the most difficult time realizing that Rufus can not be around, and food can still NOT be in the fridge. I actually made small posters with examples of "only if" and "only when" statements and hung them around my work space so I could look at it often.
I would try to figure out what key concepts you're struggling with, concepts that haven't become entirely clear or intuitive yet, and go from there. Just my two cents. Best of luck to you! You got this!