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Related Discussions
Take in September or Wait till December?
az.avdagic
Free Trial Member
Hi everyone, I have been going back and forth on whether or not to sit for the September LSAT or to wait until December. I was wondering if anyone had any good insight or advice - my diagnostic was a 147, took another PT and got a 147 again. When I look over the sections and see what I'm missing, it is mostly in the LG section, where I only got 7 total points on both PTs. I actually don't finish my LG sections completely either... but the first 20 or so questions I do get to, I miss about 4 or 5. My RC could be better also. I'm worried that doing so poorly indicates that I should not be going into law in general, but I also think attaining a goal score in the 160's is generally possible, any advice? Thanks ahead of time!
Comments
If you truly want a 160+, I would recommend holding off for at least December.
Your diagnostic speaks absolutely nothing of you aside from the fact that you aren't familiar with the material. I had a diagnostic three points higher than yours (and perhaps only because I bubbled in a lot of answers for questions I never even had time to get to). It wasn't long before I was at where you want to be. It's honestly shocking the progress that can be made on the LSAT, but it isn't so surprising when you realize it's like being tested on a new language.
@az.avdagic I'd say replace the date in your mind with a score (160?) and just work towards the score not the date. It is only a matter of time before you are scoring in the 160s without a problem. It may take a while though, and that is OK. You want to be walking into the LSAT test confident you are going to kill it! I made the exact same choice to postpone, finish school, and work for a year. This gives me work experience, [more] time to prep, and it lets me study without being stressed that an arbitrary date is approaching.
If you are only missing 4-5 on LR and RC, I would just focus on LG for a while. Perhaps do a month long intensive on just LG. Go through the lessons on logic games and use the fool proof method. It isn't a silver bullet, but it is as close as you can get! I was missing 20 LG questions/section in June and through 7Sage/fool proofing I am down to about -4 or -5 misses per LG section and I haven't even finished the LG lessons yet... It really works!
To get a score in the 160s you can miss about ~24 questions. If you got your LG down to a consistent -4 or -5 you could easily score a 160 if you get your LR and RC consistently down to -4 or -5 misses per section. So start with that as a goal and before you know it you'll be in the 160s and trying to break into the 170s
How long is the powerscore class? Sorry for all the questions btw haha
Yeah, I think finishing school is a good move. Get some work experience under your belt, and see what type of law you might be interested in. I got a job in corporate america working with some ex-lawyers. So it was nice to get a glimpse of what things might be like post-law school.
@ unequivocally.rizeq I am thinking about taking 2-3 PT a week from this week onward, I have a friend who did one in the morning and one at night almost everyday for about 3 weeks before his test and he said it really helped! (He got a 160) Although I would really like to take some time to just focus on LG and basic concepts for awhile as well.
2 a day is a recipe for burnout. Furthermore, you just won't have the mental capacity to do two in a day and do the proper blind review. The blind review is where you are going to really do the learning, whereas the PT itself is a gauge; a means to an end, if you will.
Also, don't feel like you have to rush to start PT'ing if you still need some work with LG first. From hanging out on LSAT forums for the past year +, I think I can say unequivocally that the two most common mistakes I see made are 1. Starting PTs too soon. and, 2. not spending enough time learning the curricula.
Like @montaha.rizeq said, The LSAT Trainer is probably your best bet if you wish to supplement with another book. My opinion on Manhattan is generally favorable. I think they are lightyears better than Powerscore in many respects, at least in their books that is.
It is basically Powerscore without the gimmicks. I actually went through some of the Powerscore LR today, got 15 pages in and got extremely confused and remember why I put it down in the first place. They have these catch phrases like "The conclusion discovery Binary Method™ " And I'm just like...Oh OK.....
So yeah, Manhattan explains it without the trademarks. That said, I think The LSAT Trainer takes all the best things about Manhattan and makes it better once again while distilling it.
Mike Kim (who authored The Trainer and co-authored Manhattan LSAT) essentially told me this when I asked why he doesn't include things like the "logic chain" in The Trainer, for example.
I'd say reach for Manhattan only if you find you still need another point of view for things to click. Powerscore LG/LR bible actually confused me more. The again, everyone is different, so you have to do what works for you! I'm clearly a 7Sage convert, even after buying ALL--and I mean ALL--these books, so that should count for something, lol.
I have a lot of faith in you and your goals! December is 4 months away. Consistent-deliberate action will be key. You got this, @az.avdagic.
1. Performing poorly on the LSAT after very minimal studying is definitely not indicative of if you're meant for law school or not. I'm about a year and a half into studying for this thing, and that isn't unusual. It's a really hard test, so don't let it give you a crisis of confidence.
2. I would definitely delay at least until December. Jumping from the 140s to the 160s is an enormous undertaking. September test takers really need to be scoring at least at their target scores by now. It's too close to time to expect significant gains between now and DDay.
3. Stop taking PTs! Taking full length, fresh PTs is actually a very advanced stage of studying for this thing, and you can't benefit from it until you're mastered the basics, which you are still working on. Taking PTs before I was ready was maybe the biggest mistake I made (other than taking the real thing before I was ready!) and it's not one you want to have to learn for yourself if you can avoid it. Fresh PTs are really powerful study resources and if you're attempting them before you are ready you are wasting them.
Stay strong girl, we are all in this together!
While it can be effective to find different study methods to give yourself another idea, it shouldn't result in "omg soandso studies this way and got a 180, I need to study that way too!" sounds like a logical flaw cough cough.