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I have started to prepare for the LSAT, and wanted to know from experienced test takers if four months is enough time to prep for the exam. I had set a date for December, however, looking at the application process felt that taking the exam in Dec might make it tougher to get into law school should i score within the law schools borderline LSAT criteria. I would say RC and LR are easier for me than logic games, and thus would also like to know if four months of LG practice is enough.

For most people, yes.

It's great to hear that LG is the weak area - as you've probably heard, LG is the easiest section to improve upon. It's true.


If part of that 4 months involves any or all of the following:

going away on vacation, planning a major life event (like a wedding), a major illness, a super-busy work schedule, etc., then you may need more time.

I recommend a minimum of 3 months. 4 or 5 months may be even better, depending upon how busy you are, how quickly you learn, and how much you want to improve.

You are correct that applying in December makes admissions slightly tougher. October is the way to go if you can swing it in time.

Its a bit tougher as i just made up my mind last year that i wanted to finish my undergraduate work early. I wish i had started prepping in the Fall of 2009 and this Spring. I actually took my first practice test and scored for whats its worth a 153. It was a cold test, meaning no prep before hand, and the real point losses were in the LG.

Dec might be a bad idea because it might interfere with Exams. I'm taking the Feb test even though its disclosed. I am not sure if you plan on heading to LS in 2011 or 2012. I am heading in 2012 so I have some leeway.

I am hoping that i can get in for 2011. If i cant, then ill take the year off in between and start in 2012 and find a job in the meantime. I do not like that fact that schools do not have spring admissions.

Sorry to be anal but this is bothering me: its the LSAT not LSATS. Its not plural. Carry on.

merichard87 wrote:Sorry to be anal but this is bothering me: its the LSAT not LSATS. Its not plural. Carry on.

I fixed the title of the thread. You can see how new i am to this.

I suggest you go with the earlier examination. 4 months is plenty of time for the vast majority of people, but you would have to begin taking the prep very seriously starting over the next 2 weeks or so, else you'll fall behind and be forced to study very hard in the middle of the semester. And by very seriously, I mean a strict schedule of practice tests, individual sections, LG & LR bibles, etc. Take a look at the various study plans on the internet for an idea of time commitment.

Reasons to take it early:
*Easier to get in to certain schools by applying early.
*If you are not at the level you want to be by the test date, you have a decent alternative date (December) that will still work with the 10-11 admission cycle.
*Assuming your a student, summer tends to be a much easier time to prep as opposed to Aug-Dec. Additionally, I would much rather be cramming those last tests in the middle of the semester as opposed to around finals.

mst wrote:I suggest you go with the earlier examination.

Reasons to take it early:
*Easier to get in to certain schools by applying early.
*If you are not at the level you want to be by the test date, you have a decent alternative date (December) that will still work with the 10-11 admission cycle.
*Assuming your a student, summer tends to be a much easier time to prep as opposed to Aug-Dec. Additionally, I would much rather be cramming those last tests in the middle of the semester as opposed to around finals.

this is dead on IMHO.

I have been out of undergrad for ages but def. feel that the workload was always a bit easier to manage earlier in the semester. If you can get your foundation studying done and PT scores up before the semester begins you are hedging your bet. Also gives you a number to work off if (if you do not cancel the score). If you know what schools you are applying to, have a solid idea of what your GPA will be upon graduation then you can reverse engineer it to some extent. If you want to go to school where 168/3.4 will get you paid then you know what you need to do. If you want a 170 then you can work off of that. If your GPA is solid and you are going to sit for the LSAT again in Dec. you can balance out your studying to reflect what you need to maintain GPA and or increase LSAT score.

Do the right thing, get acclimated to LSAT now, study and get it together. Having a score especially if it is sufficient will probably be a great feeling moving forward. A few extra months of waiting for Dec score to drop, then possible retest in Feb is prob. not the boat you want to be rowing in.

I say go hard on LG study for a few weeks, get it down and take a few more PT's with a few days in between (3-4) and see if you are scoring consistently. Then you can adjust your plan and address the rest of your weak areas. You have ample time if you begin now. I was slow and the go and paid for it. All that stress blew my focus/clarity when it came to studying. Don't do that to yourself. Balance my ninja, balance.

Good luck.