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December LSAT---Is it too late to apply for upcoming cycle?

StopLawyingStopLawying Alum Member
in October 2015 LSAT 821 karma
I've never taken the LSAT yet and I don't believe I'll be hitting my target score come October. I want a 169+ and it's really aggravating since LG is the section that's holding me back. In addition, I have some timing issues and am barely able to complete sections with a few minutes to spare. If I postpone to December, I think I'll improve in both LG and timing.
Now, I really want to apply for the upcoming cycle yet I also want to do my best. Postponing to December will hurt my chances for the upcoming cycle since I'll be late in the game + I won't have the option for a retake. But again, I want to take the real test knowing that I'm capable of hitting my target score.
Also, it doesn't help having parents and siblings continuously putting pressure on you. I've been studying since April, postponed to October after having initially signed up for the June administration, and now it looks like I'll have to postpone to December. And it's not due to laziness, rather it's taking a bit longer than I thought it would. The LSAT is hard! I wish everyone were as understanding as the people on this forum; my friends and family just don't understand how much work is required to hit a 170+ on this test.
And lastly, does anyone know how many practice exams one should take before his/her first exam? Should you save 5-10 practice exams for a potential retake?
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Comments

  • LSATislandLSATisland Free Trial Inactive Sage
    edited August 2015 1878 karma
    Hi @StopLawying

    December is not too late to apply for this cycle, especially if you are applying to US schools. Although it might disadvantage your application a bit, a poor LSAT would be more disadvantageous.

    Let your parents and siblings take a practice test timed and they'll quit complaining.

    There's no specific number of PTs that you should take before the actual test. Take as little or as many as needed to get the score you want.

    I think 10 might be too many to save for a potential retake. If you start seeing that you are running out of PTs during prep, use some old PTs once in a while. Especially since you mentioned LG is an issue, using old LG is crucial. Sometimes I think redoing LG is more useful than doing new LG.

  • StopLawyingStopLawying Alum Member
    821 karma
    @LSATisland Thanks for the response, really appreciate it.
  • c.janson35c.janson35 Free Trial Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2398 karma
    Don't worry about saving tests for a retake; you should go into the exam with the mindset that it's the only time you're going to take it. What I'm saying is, do all you can to prep for this upcoming exam and worry about any retake issues after the test. You wouldn't want to sacrifice 5 more PTs that you can take now to help you get more prepared just to save them in case of a retake.
  • StopLawyingStopLawying Alum Member
    821 karma
    @c.janson35 Definitely makes sense, thanks. J.Y underscores the importance of taking FRESH practice tests in order to accurately gauge your progress so I thought it'd be wise to save 5 or so.
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    For what it's worth, I comfort myself that if I need to retake in December, then I can take PT's from 1-35 to keep my skills up on fresh PT's (and retakes are good for this as well). So if you're looking for ways to get to sleep at night, that's one I use.

    But Corey's advice/mindset is really encouraging. So you should listen to him first of all, and then second of all (as a fail safe) know there are always more PT's unless you truly have taken 1-75.
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