Reality of the LSAT as a True Measuring Stick - Then and Now

Comments

• 2 Likes

  sundayjupiter Alum Member

  January 26 19 karma

  I'm not sure if this will be of any help but I read your message and wanted to offer some words that I found helpful in my perspective.

  I'm going into my 10th year of the lsat journey, so not nearly as long as your 28 year journey but not in a dissimilar situation either. Originally scoring low, getting discouraged, deciding to forego my law school dream and go into a different career. Rinse and repeat.

  But, I was recently given some advice from a brilliant instructor who is simultaneously an engineer, doctor, and a lawyer. He shared with me that he teaches because he wants to help people through the barriers that standardized testing creates. Anyway! He simply said: "you just need a score to go to law school, so get your score and go."

  I think there is so much law school stigma about having to have the BEST score and having to go to a T14 school or otherwise just don't bother at all. In the end I think that's all gatekeeping. You can become an incredible lawyer with any score. It's one element of the process.

  To put it in conditional language:
  High LSAT Score -> Law School
  A "high score" is sufficient, but it is most certainly not necessary.

  I hope you continue to pursue your law school dreams!
• 1 Like

  JDream2025 Core Member

  January 26 996 karma

  It is a learnable test. It is a different skill that we don't utilize on daily which is why it does not come natural to us. But it is learnable. I can go on and on how this test is just arg!... but I have come to accept it. Nothing good in life comes easy... I am sure you are well aware of that. All in all, you CAN do it. I wouldn't give up especially given your background.
• 2 Likes

  cardi tea Live Member

  January 26 41 karma

  Don't give up! I've been intermittently studying for this test over the past five years. At the start of 2023, I committed myself wholeheartedly to studying. Back in 2019, my initial diagnostic score was a discouraging 139. However, in November 2023, I took the official exam and scored a 161. Even now, I continue to push myself and study every day, hoping to retake the exam later this year to score a 165+.

  My biggest takeaway from this journey is the importance of understanding the fundamentals. English is my second language, so I struggled with reading comprehension in LR and RC and parsing out convoluted grammar. I spent six months only learning about grammar (modifiers, embedded clauses, referential phrases, etc.) and identifying arguments' premises and conclusions. The top 4 things I needed to ingrain in my brain before learning about question types were:

  1. Grammar
  2. Identifying the Premise and Conclusion
  3. Understanding Conditional Logic + Memorizing Logical Indicators
  4. Reading with my imagination (in other words, I try to visualize what I'm reading in my mind; this helps with retaining and understanding what I read)

  I also read "The Loophole" by Ellen Cassidy and "Reading with the Right Brain: Read Faster by Reading Ideas Instead of Just Words" by David Butler. Both of these books were instrumental in helping me improve my reading skills.

  I hope this was somewhat helpful. I'm confident that you can achieve your goals. Keep at it!
• noahzarc1 Alum Member

  January 27 45 karma

  @"cardi tea" said:

  I also read "The Loophole" by Ellen Cassidy and "Reading with the Right Brain: Read Faster by Reading Ideas Instead of Just Words" by David Butler.

  Great post and thank you for your perspective and comments. Looks like I found two new books to read. I wish you the best at your pursuit. With the kind of motivation and determination you've displayed, you will make a fantastic attorney in whatever path you choose.
• noahzarc1 Alum Member

  January 27 45 karma

  @JDream2023 said:
  It is a learnable test ... I wouldn't give up especially given your background.

  Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, you are correct, it is like everything one pursues, in that they always have to learn something new. The whole of a law enforcement career was new, different thinking and after 25 years I can only wonder where the time went it has been so much fun but highly challenging at the same time.
• 1 Like

  noahzarc1 Alum Member

  January 27 45 karma

  @sundayjupiter said:
  I think there is so much law school stigma about having to have the BEST score and having to go to a T14 school or otherwise just don't bother at all. In the end I think that's all gatekeeping. You can become an incredible lawyer with any score. It's one element of the process.

  Thank you for your comment. Agreed. I initially decided to forego law school because I was caught up in the "get into the best school" conversation and as a young college kid with only a GPA and an LSAT score, what else did I know. Now, my desire is to get into one of the 3 law schools within commuting distance, they're all ranked in the 100s and beyond, but at this point it doesn't matter to me. I joke that I feel sorry for the T15 school every year. They've been arbitrarily kicked out of the club through no fault of their own. At the end of the day, I've now felt confident that given my work and life history, all I needed was a score to get in. I guess as a retiree, I was hoping to get a score to qualify for scholarships to help fund some of the cost. Then again, the law schools I am looking at are little more than the cost of a high-end SUV these days. I appreciate your professor's wisdom; I will take it to heart.