Hi Everyone,
I'm curious to hear about any stories of significant score improvement. When I say significant, I mean a good 10-15+ point improvement in score (not raw). I took the LSAT in 2013 after cramming for 45 days and during a major time of transition (quit my toxic full-time job, started my own contracting business that sometimes involved driving 120mi daily, relocated, etc.).
Yes, 45 days was dumb. My equation was that I self-studied for the GRE for about the same amount of time and got into the
#1 ranked school (at the time) for my master's.
GRE ≠ LSAT
As you may imagine, my score was relatively disastrous and three points less than my lowest expected (hoped for?) score. I'm planning to sign up for the October LSAT, and I'm not feeling very confident. I have yet to apply to any law school.
Thanks
Comments
My diagnostic was a 151, back in October 2013. I got a 166 in February 2015, which was a 4 point drop from my average of 170 leading up until the test. I've been studying for June about 15 hours a week starting in March and am ramping that up to 40+ in the last month. My best score has been a 177, my overall average is a 172, and I've recently started to score consistently within the 173-175 range as of late. All of this isn't meant to come off as, "Oh look at me, I'm amazing." It's to show you that growth is possible. Granted, I haven't made a 20+ gain quite yet (fingers crossed for D-Day 6/8) but I have made at least a 15 point gain.
First point:It is possible to improve on the LSAT. I am not a genius (clearly, see diagnostic). I don't have some magical gene that predisposed me to do well on the test. I studied, stopped, studied, stopped, reassessed, studied, and stopped. Rinse and repeat. Studying for the LSAT is an iterative and constantly changing process but the test rewards hard work and patience.
Second point:Know the stages of studying. There are multiple phases of studying for the LSAT, and I say this based on my personal experience as well as anecdotal evidence. The first step is to know the fundamentals. This is where prep courses and materials come in. Understand what the LSAT is teaching you and how the writers are trying to trick you. This not only means understanding formal lawgic and LSAT lingo (assumption family, inference family, etc.) but also common traps the writers set out for you that they hope you will fall into. I repeat, this test is not an intelligence test, it's a skills test. To acquire the skills, you first need to know the rules of the game. The second step is cementing those fundamentals. There are strategies governing every argument type, game, passage on the LSAT and it's not enough to familiarize yourself with those strategies -- you have to be able to execute them. Drilling helps cements those strategies to the point where pointing out flaws and overturning assumptions becomes almost second nature. The third step is consistency. This is where most people get obsessed with the test: did my morning routine mess me up? What time of day is best to study? What are my peak hours? Is Thai food a bad idea before taking a test? What argument type messed me up? Do I do better when there's a particular order of passages in RC? What about on LR? These stages are essential to you scoring as well as you want on the test and it's critical that you see these like Maslow's hierarchy of needs -- you can't maximize the efficacy of your studies in stage 3 if you haven't hit stage 1 (I say this because I totally made this mistake). It's crucial that you successfully "level up" (no cheats -- commonly in the form of taking PTs when you're not ready) to each stage to ensure that awesome score on your LSAC report. The third stage is also where it gets the most fun for everybody. I did not instantly love this test and was super concerned that I wasn't in love with this test in the way that TLSers seem to be ... like they popped out of the womb with this mindset. I certainly don't love it because it carries a lot of weight for schools but I do appreciate the intricacies of the test and love that I legitimately feel smarter.
Third point: The LSAT is personal. What works for me might not work for you, and what works for you may not work for others. Know/play to your strengths and study the crap out of your weaknesses. That requires knowing your fundamentals and getting obsessed with the test.
Fourth point: You are not alone. You have a wonderful community of support here on this forum, on the same journey as you, and who have a better understanding of how important this test is and the time commitment it requires. We're all in this together. :]
Fun anecdote: My BF and his brother got a 173 and a 171 respectively. All 3 of us have the same diagnostic. Even if I don't make a 20 point gain, they're 2 people who have. And again, their story isn't too different from most high scorers. Commitment, patience, perseverance, and hard work led to those awesome scores -- not some awesome science/logic/brilliant LSAT gene (though I definitely want to get bit by that radioactive spider).
@alejoroarios - if your 163 on the real thing was a disaster, then my first score on the real thing was a nuclear event! :[ As we can see, there is some hope out there.
I started out with a diagnostic of 156 (admittedly not entirely cold, I had done some light reading online) and my highest PT score thus far was a 174. I was stuck in the 166-168 range for what felt like millennia. There were a couple of times when I lost perspective and thought (similar to what @DumbHollywoodActor mentioned) that a 12 point increase was good enough. I'm so glad I pushed through because so many more doors will be opened if I can maintain my current PT score range and perform on test day.
I also agree that the process is entirely personal. Guidance from others is always helpful but no two people are the same. For example, I've always done better when dealing with LR (Lord only knows why). I saw the quickest improvement in that section and have been able to lock down perfect sections pretty consistently. Same sort of situation in RC. HOWEVER, I struggle in LG like nobody's business. It has always been a little bit frustrating for me to read about LG being the easiest section to improve. I've spent the most time on LG by far and am still very inconsistent. My point in all this is that, everyone comes to the table with a unique skill set but anyone who is willing to stick through can achieve whatever score they want. The caveat is that you have to really, really, really be willing to work.
A few of us have little study sessions over Skype/Google Hangouts during the week—pretty short sessions (<2 hours usually) compared to the BR groups. Would love to do more of these, with others, especially since @amanda_kw is ABANDONING me (aka taking the test in June).
So no, you are not doomed by any means lol. Just keep putting yourself into position to improve!
It's definitely possible to improve significantly. I recommend getting on the BR calls, they were helpful for me. Good luck!!!
Anyways, fast forward to December LSAT, I scored a disappointing 155. I've been studying part-time ever since and (as per my most recent post!!) I scored a 170 on my last practice LSAT. It can be done! I'm hoping to average lower 170s before the October LSAT and pull off a 165-lower 170 range mark .
on pts. This took significant commitment and time, and I work full time. If you're interested to hear more let me know; otherwise I'll spare everyone the details!