Anyone studying for a year or more?

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• 3 Likes

  danielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  November 2016 edited November 2016 4181 karma

  I don't think you're an anomaly. It took me two years to be confident I would get a 170+ on test day, even though I had been scoring in the 170s after just over a year or so. There definitely is a big difference between sometimes hitting the 170s and actually staying there, and it took me a while to get to the latter.
  
  You've hit the 170s, so that's big. How are you on each section, generally speaking? I might be able to offer more specific input if I had a better idea of where you are.
• 1 Like

  Anna Marie Alum Member

  November 2016 210 karma

  Hi Danny, I've been on and off for a year and mostly full time for the past few months. It took me at least 6 months to be comfortably in the 170s and I've postponed the test twice.
  
  The LSAT is a very learnable test, but everyone has to go at their own pace. So, don't sweat it!
  
  But, it might be helpful if you fill us in on how you go about your prep. What's an average day in your schedule like? How do you review tests? Also, are there any sections you struggle with more than the others?
  
  One thing I've found really helpful in my own prep is joining the BR calls. It's also helped me stay sane, because studying for the LSAT full time can be quite lonesome. If you haven't joined a call, give it a try to see if hearing from others might add a new dimension to your prep.
  
  From what you've written above, it looks like you're going through the PTs sequentially. That's fine, but if you plan to take the December or February test I would recommend acquainting yourself with some of the 70s series tests since they're the most recent.
  
  In the end, though, don't be disheartened -- it sounds like you've hit some great scores and have made impressive gains in your prep!
  
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 23929 karma

  @dannyy121 said:
  I've been studying LSAT for a year..FULL TIME (60-70 hours per week). Yep. A YEAR.
  I've rigorously studied every PT from 1-59 and done more than half of 60s. But I am not still hitting 170+...
  The only PTs I got 170+ on are 40s... I have to apply this cycle and December and Feb are the only changes left for me and I am still in 165-168 range.
  Anyone in my situation?
  

  If it makes you feel any better by the time I sit for the LSAT, I'll be studying for about a year. And I know several people who took 1-2 years of intense prep to hit their goals. The longer you study, the better you'll get... I'm looking forward to taking as much time as I need to walk into my testing center confident and unworried about scoring a 170+
  
  Also, you never have to apply this cycle. Law school isn't going anywhere and often people just convince themselves they have to apply for usually pretty bad reasons.
• 1 Like

  lsnnnnn0011 Alum Member

  November 2016 edited November 2016 227 karma

  @danielznelson In 60s, in general I get -7 in LR, -5~8 in RC, and -1~0 in LG. My score in RC especially dropped significantly from my scores in 50s. How did you get adjusted to the increasing difficulty in RC in 60s?
  
  @"Anna Marie" Thanks for your encouraging comment! I usually study from 9am till midnight and I take 3 PTs a week and rigorously blind review and I drill the question types I struggle with on the days I don't take a PT. I live in Asia so it's pretty difficult for me to join the BR calls, although I'd loved to
  
  @"Alex Divine" I feel like I "have to" apply this cycle because I already graduated from college and all I've been doing since then is doing some short internships and studying....
• 2 Likes

  Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 11542 karma

  You aren't alone. I've been at this since 2014 but I will say I have taken long long breaks in between lol (months and months off to be frank). Anyway, now that I found a curriculum that I believe can help me achieve my desired score I am gladly taking a year to study consistently and efficiently for the LSAT. Don't feel pressured to apply for a cycle with risking a lower LSAT score; the LSAT is HALF of your application, it's weight is hefty and can determine how much scholarship money you are offered. So because of that, sitting out on my second cycle doesn't seem too bad because I am hoping to reap the benefits in the long run. I do sense maybe you are burned out and should possibly take a break before hopping back into this. I also see you aren't a 7sage member, what study resources/methods have you been using so far if I might ask? I've used Powerscore and The Princeton Review before 7sage and neither have helped me get where I want to be.
• 2 Likes

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  November 2016 edited November 2016 23929 karma

  @dannyy121 said:
  @"Alex Divine" I feel like I "have to" apply this cycle because I already graduated from college and all I've been doing since then is doing some short internships and studying....
  

  That is exactly how I felt last year when I graduated. But law school is probably the biggest financial choice you'll make in your life. If you go to a bad one you could easily end up paying north of $300,000 to be unemployed doing internships when you graduate law school. This, of course, on top of the financial loss/opportunity cost of spending 3 years in law school....
  
  If you need to find a job while prepping, it is doable. I work quite a bit and I prep at nights from 6pm-10pm and all day Saturdays and Sundays. It sucks, but it is doable. Taking a year to get work experience and prep has not had any downsides. Just more time to study and build my resume.
  
  February would give you ~2.5 months of prep which may be enough time to break into the 170s. If you can prep full time, I think that may be doable. I don't think the couple of weeks until the December LSAT will be enough time though.
  
  Worse case, if you aren't ready by Feb, you can sit the cycle out. A 170+ next cycle, couple with applying early, could yield life-changing acceptances!
  
  
  Good Luck!
  
  
  
• 6 Likes

  danielznelson Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  November 2016 edited November 2016 4181 karma

  @dannyy121 this is common even amongst those initially great at RC. There are a few things I think that the newer RC passages are doing:
  
  I don't think the RC passages themselves are significantly harder, but I think the questions are trickier. They require even more active reading and more inferences, even for questions that aren't "Inference Questions." You may, for example, be required to piece together two bits of information, each which are at opposite ends of the passage, in order to arrive at the correct AC. That isn't too terribly common, but it does seem to happen more often. But to an even greater extent that than in the older RC, the correct ACs are frustratingly vague and confusing. More specifically, they may even seem incorrect at first, and this is usually do to awkward, referential phrasing. Yet an incorrect AC will be much bolder, much plainer, and more apparently relevant to the passage, save one add-on or one word that just isn't supported AT ALL. I, along with all of those I've helped in RC, obsess over what's very correct in that incorrect AC, while hopelessly trying to justify what is clearly wrong. You just have to kiss the attractive, yet incorrect AC goodbye and recognize that the correct AC often requires you to work; that is, it will force you to get practical with the wording, to treat the referential phrasing as you would in LR, by finding what it could be referring to in the passage.
  
  Try using synonyms for weird referential phrasing. For example, one newer question uses the phrase "makes two inferences..." but changing it to "makes two [substantiated] conclusions" makes your tasking of bringing relevance to the referential phrasing a whole lot easier.
  
  Be prepared to reassess your reading of ACs. Why we are ready to re-read RC passages and LR stimuli, yet not the actual ACs is beyond me. If you're stuck, and if you generally are good at retaining RC passage information, trust you did in whatever particular instance, and reread the questions. Quite often, your struggles come down to the fact that you let a word or two slide in the answer choices. Maybe one attractive AC uses the word "incompatible" when the passage only compares two things and views one as better than the other. They're in that sense, of course, not incompatible. But that incorrect AC will sound great otherwise, leading you to fixate on what's right and completely ignore what's wrong. The test writers aren't going to make finding correct ACs and eliminating traps easy.
  
  When in doubt with potential incorrect ACs and especially with ones that use referential phrasing or potential like-terms compared to one stimulus, ascribe synonyms to each. Again, the test writers aren't going to make things easy. Treat what the ACs are saying own your own terms. Assuming you assign proper synonyms, this will help greatly, I assure you.
  
  Main conclusion questions are in my opinion harder than they used to be. To get them right, really understand the author's tone and what the author is using the support the argument. Research? Personal opinion? Anecdote? Also, try skipping a difficult MC if you can't get past it, only going back to it when you've answered the other questions for the passage. I find this helps illuminate the fine details of the passage and helps to bring out the MC. I could see where this would backfire, as the questions may be hyper focused on one thing that's not the MC, thus leading you astray. I've never had this experience personally, however.
  
  I know I have more, but I just can't remember everything. I need to start writing this stuff down...
  
  Anyway, I hope this helps. Keep in mind that some if not most are struggling more with the newer RC, even those really good at it. I was never a "natural" at RC, so I had to really fight to get a good score on it. I'm confident utilizing this techniques will help you. I see just about everyone who struggles with new RC falling for these traps.
• 2 Likes

  lsnnnnn0011 Alum Member

  November 2016 227 karma

  thank you SO much guys for all the advice and encouragement. I genuinely appreciate it. Now, I need to go CRUSH this exam!!!