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145 to 168

jehieliLOjehieliLO Alum Member
edited January 25 in General 44 karma

TLDR:
- LSAT is a marathon not a sprint don’t burn yourself out
- 7Sage tutoring is actually worth the money
- Give yourself more time to study that you think you’ll need
- Celebrate the small wins!
- Yes, you can bring your score up significantly but it takes time
- If I can raise my score by 23 points so can you, but you have to have GRIT
- Be proud of whatever score you receive by knowing that you gave it your all

The first time I took the LSAT (my diagnostic test) I literally scored a 45. No, you didn’t read that wrong, no it wasn’t a 145, quite literally it was 45. For reference I have never done well at standardized tests, (I'm both dyslexic and have ADHD) I did so embarrassingly bad on the SAT that I didn’t send my scores to universities. But after religiously studying with the 7sage curriculum and receiving the accommodations I desperately needed, I was able to earn a 145 on my second exam roughly four months after my diagnostic! While it was a significant improvement, it wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted to be. I wanted a 170.

I knew that the higher the score I received the more scholarships I could potentially get. I’m an immigrant and first generation college graduate and knew my parents wouldn’t be able to help me financially during law school. I also knew I wanted to go into civil rights work, so I couldn’t rely on any big law money to pay off loans. So I got to work GRINDING on studying for this test.

I worked full time at a law office and every night after work I would come home and study for 2-3 hours each night, except for Fridays which were my rest days. I would take a practice test Saturday mornings and spend Sundays reviewing the results. My mindset for this exam was it is a marathon, not a sprint. I would still go out and have fun with my friends on Saturday nights but instead of drinking tequila sodas like everyone else, I was drinking seltzer water with lemon because I knew I had to be up the next day to study. For an entire year I was primarily sober at parties and events, and still had a great time!

I started studying in January 2023, convinced that I could pull my score up to at least the high 160s by August, and boy was I delusional. I’m sure others would be able to do that, but I most certainly was not. I decided to defer applying for a year to get my score up. I ended up scoring a 161 on the November LSAT. While it wasn’t my dream score and I knew I would have to take the test again, I was still INCREDIBLY proud of myself. Up to that point I had been scoring in the high 150s, so this was a major win. You need to celebrate the small wins along the way.

I used my law firm bonus to pay for tutoring through 7Sage and it was some of the best money I ever spent. They helped me break down what I was missing and I began scoring in the high 160s and had my first 170! I was signed up for the April 2024 LSAT ready to absolutely crush it, and then got laid off from my law firm job (rip) two weeks beforehand. I ended up choking on the test and got a 163. While happy my score had gone up, I was devaaaaastated it didn’t reflect my practice tests. I decided to take a break from studying and took two months off because I was burned out. I started studying again in June 2024 while starting to write my applications and took the September LSAT scoring a 168 in the 95 percentile!

While I had scored higher on practice tests before (I only got to that 170 once) I was still so unbelievably proud of myself because I knew I had given this test everything I could have. I sent out my applications this past fall and am eagerly waiting to hear back from schools <3

Comments

  • sweetcaroline23sweetcaroline23 Live Member
    32 karma

    Thank you for sharing your story! It is truly inspiring, congratulations on your 168! That's an amazing accomplishment! Especially while working is so impressive!!
    I hope to get there soon. I scored in the high 140s on my November LSAT and aim to be in the high 160s by the June exam! I will be using all your tips :)

  • 199 karma

    Thanks so much, I felt dumb after studying for 8 months I scored a 147. I thought I was getting them all down. Starting to restudy and thought to retake in April. My practice is at a 149. I need about a 155 to get into my law school of choice and earn some scholarships I hope but this is encouraging to me

  • CTLSATTTCTLSATTT Live Member
    13 karma

    Do you recommend a tutor in particular?

  • LawtinaaLawtinaa Core Member
    151 karma

    Congratulations!! As a first gen latina myself, it's been hard working towards the score I want. I scored a 138 on my very first diagnostic, and I'm also studying after work and schoolwork (I work at a law firm also LOL). Your story is inspiring, and thank you for sharing. I hope you get all the scholarship money you're looking for!! <3

  • hannahm45hannahm45 Live Member
    edited January 27 24 karma

    This is amazing! Congratulations on all of your hard work and every single one of your well-deserved achievements. You should be so proud of yourself!

  • omar.p.perezomar.p.perez Core Member
    16 karma

    I don't think a 45 is a possible score

  • beckerbrenttbeckerbrentt Live Member
    55 karma

    120 is the lowest possible score. Regardless, nice work on the improvement and congrats on the score!

  • propilotpropilot Core Member
    23 karma

    Lol how did you get a 45 if the minimum score is a 120?

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