Disadvantages to the the Feb LSAT Forum

[hinton2014]

Hey all,

I plan on taking the LSAT for the first time in February. I started studying recently, and wanted to try it out. Is there any disadvantage other than it being non-disclosed? I will be applying next year's cycle, and saw you can only take 3 times in 2 years. This would leave me Feb, June and September.

[MindBodyAbs]

i would strongly caution against feb, mostly because this is your first take.

you will not be able to see which sections were your best / worst and therefore won't be able to adjust your study plans accordingly in the event you need to retake.

if you are absolutely set on applying next cycle, the december test is still an option - it typically isn't considered too late for the cycle.

also, if you're still in undergrad, consider taking some time off (if possible) before law school. there's no rush in preparing for the lsat / going to law school.

[hinton2014]

i would strongly caution against feb, mostly because this is your first take.

you will not be able to see which sections were your best / worst and therefore won't be able to adjust your study plans accordingly in the event you need to retake.

if you are absolutely set on applying next cycle, the december test is still an option - it typically isn't considered too late for the cycle.

also, if you're still in undergrad, consider taking some time off (if possible) before law school. there's no rush in preparing for the lsat / going to law school.

Yeah, I'm pretty set on applying next year. I also am still in UG, but I have no desire to take time off between. I just want to go through. I know how hard it is to come back to school after taking time off. I think my best bet would be to go straight through.

[poptart123]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

[Rupert Pupkin]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

[hinton2014]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

This is where I struggle most-- the want to cram. Throughout college thus far, I've been able to get through very well just cramming the night before. I realize the LSAT isn't like this, though.

[hinton2014]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

I know for a fact unless I do end up taking the Feb test and do great, I will take in June. I like the idea of prepping as if I'm taking February though. From my cold diagnostic (153), I also saw that my worst was LG and RC, which LG can certainly be learned and RC was just fatigue near the end with being unfamiliar with summarizing dense material. LR, was fine. Only -4. So I feel confident with knowing I can improve, but I'm doing well there.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

This is where I struggle most-- the want to cram. Throughout college thus far, I've been able to get through very well just cramming the night before. I realize the LSAT isn't like this, though.

Trust me man -- I was the exact same way in college. Now im in a master's program and finally learned that thats not the way it works. The LSAT is training your mind to grow stronger in order to perform at a higher caliber. If you are doing an ironman. if you just start training and train 24.7 the week of the race (hyperbole, i know, but you get the point) you aren't going to do well. Slow and steady is the way to go. Start now!! and its not too soon. A lot of people on TLS LSAT journeys to the high 170s/180 have been over the course of a yr. You have the luxury of having soo much time, I dont and wish I did. And if I were you, I would totally do as I recommended. YOu wont regret having more time.

But who knows, you can just be a natural genius and bust out a 175 first take in two months... idk , but at least start prepping now with L-Term strategy and if by FEB the test is easy for you and you have what yo uwant to score as your PT average, go for it. But, dont rush your time -table preemptively

[Blueprint Mithun]

Hey all,

I plan on taking the LSAT for the first time in February. I started studying recently, and wanted to try it out. Is there any disadvantage other than it being non-disclosed? I will be applying next year's cycle, and saw you can only take 3 times in 2 years. This would leave me Feb, June and September.

There are two big factors that make the February test different from the others. The first is that your score report will not be fully disclosed. You'll get your score, but no detailed breakdown of which questions you got right and wrong. Second, you will probably get your score back too late to apply in the same cycle, since several law schools stop accepting applications in mid-late February. So be aware that you're probably taking the test for the next cycle, unless your target school has their applications open until later in the year.

Also, if you want my advice, don't bank on taking a single test unless you're fairly sure that your going to be able to reach your target score around test time. Ideally, you want to be scoring within 2 or 3 points of your target with a couple of weeks left until the test. Otherwise, it's probably best to postpone it until the next date.

[hinton2014]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

This is where I struggle most-- the want to cram. Throughout college thus far, I've been able to get through very well just cramming the night before. I realize the LSAT isn't like this, though.

Trust me man -- I was the exact same way in college. Now im in a master's program and finally learned that thats not the way it works. The LSAT is training your mind to grow stronger in order to perform at a higher caliber. If you are doing an ironman. if you just start training and train 24.7 the week of the race (hyperbole, i know, but you get the point) you aren't going to do well. Slow and steady is the way to go. Start now!! and its not too soon. A lot of people on TLS LSAT journeys to the high 170s/180 have been over the course of a yr. You have the luxury of having soo much time, I dont and wish I did. And if I were you, I would totally do as I recommended. YOu wont regret having more time.

But who knows, you can just be a natural genius and bust out a 175 first take in two months... idk , but at least start prepping now with L-Term strategy and if by FEB the test is easy for you and you have what yo uwant to score as your PT average, go for it. But, dont rush your time -table preemptively

I like the comparison to the Ironman, so thanks for that! I recognize I have to take my time and study hard over time for myself to truly learn it. I've started to study and actually don't mind it. It's somewhat fun, in the sense of knowing the work matters towards my future success in the career path I want to take. Thanks for the motivation!

[Rupert Pupkin]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

This is where I struggle most-- the want to cram. Throughout college thus far, I've been able to get through very well just cramming the night before. I realize the LSAT isn't like this, though.

Trust me man -- I was the exact same way in college. Now im in a master's program and finally learned that thats not the way it works. The LSAT is training your mind to grow stronger in order to perform at a higher caliber. If you are doing an ironman. if you just start training and train 24.7 the week of the race (hyperbole, i know, but you get the point) you aren't going to do well. Slow and steady is the way to go. Start now!! and its not too soon. A lot of people on TLS LSAT journeys to the high 170s/180 have been over the course of a yr. You have the luxury of having soo much time, I dont and wish I did. And if I were you, I would totally do as I recommended. YOu wont regret having more time.

But who knows, you can just be a natural genius and bust out a 175 first take in two months... idk , but at least start prepping now with L-Term strategy and if by FEB the test is easy for you and you have what yo uwant to score as your PT average, go for it. But, dont rush your time -table preemptively

I like the comparison to the Ironman, so thanks for that! I recognize I have to take my time and study hard over time for myself to truly learn it. I've started to study and actually don't mind it. It's somewhat fun, in the sense of knowing the work matters towards my future success in the career path I want to take. Thanks for the motivation!

Np man- Best of luck to you! Sounds like you are headed in the right direction.

[hinton2014]

Feb. will be great if you want to apply for the following cycle. For this cycle, it's pretty late and I caution against it.

Feb. is nice for the following cycle if you feel prepared because you still have June/Sept./Dec. all for retakes. However, if you feel like you need more time to prepare then there is also no downside to just waiting until June. If you choose June > Feb. perhaps you can reduce your studying from its current level if you need to so you don't burnout. Of course, only if you are feeling the bern, though.

tl;dr I see no downside if applying next cycle

the BERN is real... hahah

I would prob take in June and then you have September in December.. Continue to study now--Having more time is only going to benefit you. Why rush? Study as if you are taking FEB and if you reach your target score on PTs by then go for it, but if not it will be a waste of a take. If you decide to take in June, the worst thing to do is put off studying now for a few months and try to cram. Rather study slowly and consistently over longer period of time

This is where I struggle most-- the want to cram. Throughout college thus far, I've been able to get through very well just cramming the night before. I realize the LSAT isn't like this, though.

Trust me man -- I was the exact same way in college. Now im in a master's program and finally learned that thats not the way it works. The LSAT is training your mind to grow stronger in order to perform at a higher caliber. If you are doing an ironman. if you just start training and train 24.7 the week of the race (hyperbole, i know, but you get the point) you aren't going to do well. Slow and steady is the way to go. Start now!! and its not too soon. A lot of people on TLS LSAT journeys to the high 170s/180 have been over the course of a yr. You have the luxury of having soo much time, I dont and wish I did. And if I were you, I would totally do as I recommended. YOu wont regret having more time.

But who knows, you can just be a natural genius and bust out a 175 first take in two months... idk , but at least start prepping now with L-Term strategy and if by FEB the test is easy for you and you have what yo uwant to score as your PT average, go for it. But, dont rush your time -table preemptively

I like the comparison to the Ironman, so thanks for that! I recognize I have to take my time and study hard over time for myself to truly learn it. I've started to study and actually don't mind it. It's somewhat fun, in the sense of knowing the work matters towards my future success in the career path I want to take. Thanks for the motivation!

Np man- Best of luck to you! Sounds like you are headed in the right direction.

Best of luck to you as well! I look forward to hearing your success story.

[bmathers]

I took February for my first take and it wasn't a good experience. Anecdotal, but just throwing that out there. The non-disclosed part is a bummer.

[WeightliftingThinker]

Is it true that the February test is "harder" than the other test dates?

[kindofcanuck]

Is it true that the February test is "harder" than the other test dates?

No. If the questions are harder, that would be compensated for by the curve. If the curve is less generous, you would expect easier questions. Either one should be totally outweighed by the other. This is exactly like taking multiple PTs. The curve is different, but over a short time people tend to score within a narrow range, which reflects their abilities.

The only thing which makes February more painful is that it's non-disclosed, so you never find out which sections or questions you lost points on. Which places you in the same boat as the year-found Sabbath and International takers.

[hinton2014]

Is it true that the February test is "harder" than the other test dates?

No. If the questions are harder, that would be compensated for by the curve. If the curve is less generous, you would expect easier questions. Either one should be totally outweighed by the other. This is exactly like taking multiple PTs. The curve is different, but over a short time people tend to score within a narrow range, which reflects their abilities.

The only thing which makes February more painful is that it's non-disclosed, so you never find out which sections or questions you lost points on. Which places you in the same boat as the year-found Sabbath and International takers.

What do you mean by "the curve?"

[kindofcanuck]

Shaping the difficulty of the test so a person who gets a 160 on one test is very likely to get a 160, or near it, on another, and the average test taker will get about a 151.

[Rigo]

If you're prepared, no disadvantage to February. If you only need to take once, who cares if it's undisclosed or not. You should be aware of your weaknesses and won't need to see what went wrong in February even if you retake.

Basically, don't wait an extra 4 months until June if you're ready.

[Deardevil]

What do you mean by "the curve?"

A hard test can have a curve of -13,
so you can still get a 170 with 13 wrong answers,
whereas the curve of an easy/easier test may be -10.

[Rigo]

What do you mean by "the curve?"

A hard test can have a curve of -13,
so you can still get a 170 with 13 wrong answers,
whereas the curve of an easy/easier test may be -10.

Tests are equated though so this really shouldn't be a consideration.

[kindofcanuck]

What do you mean by "the curve?"

A hard test can have a curve of -13,
so you can still get a 170 with 13 wrong answers,
whereas the curve of an easy/easier test may be -10.

Tests are equated though so this really shouldn't be a consideration.

That's the entire point of this.

Weightliftingthinker asked if February was 'harder' than other tests. Which it isn't, but if any individual one happened to contain harder questions, it would be compensated by the curve, and the entire equation process would mean a person of a given ability would likely get roughly the same score as if they'd happened to get an easier test that day. As is the case for any administration (or PT, for past administrations).

[Rigo]

What do you mean by "the curve?"

A hard test can have a curve of -13,
so you can still get a 170 with 13 wrong answers,
whereas the curve of an easy/easier test may be -10.

Tests are equated though so this really shouldn't be a consideration.

That's the entire point of this.

Weightliftingthinker asked if February was 'harder' than other tests. Which it isn't, but if any individual one happened to contain harder questions, it would be compensated by the curve, and the entire equation process would mean a person of a given ability would likely get roughly the same score as if they'd happened to get an easier test that day. As is the case for any administration (or PT, for past administrations).

I didn't miss the point. Just preemptively warning against TLS's OBSESSION with the curve.

[WeightliftingThinker]

What do you mean by "the curve?"

A hard test can have a curve of -13,
so you can still get a 170 with 13 wrong answers,
whereas the curve of an easy/easier test may be -10.

Tests are equated though so this really shouldn't be a consideration.

That's the entire point of this.

Weightliftingthinker asked if February was 'harder' than other tests. Which it isn't, but if any individual one happened to contain harder questions, it would be compensated by the curve, and the entire equation process would mean a person of a given ability would likely get roughly the same score as if they'd happened to get an easier test that day. As is the case for any administration (or PT, for past administrations).

I didn't miss the point. Just preemptively warning against TLS's OBSESSION with the curve.

Isn't it more likely that the Feb exam would have more challenging questions than the Sept one since more students apply for the Sept?

[Rigo]

Isn't it more likely that the Feb exam would have more challenging questions than the Sept one since more students apply for the Sept?

No. It doesn't work like that.

[kindofcanuck]

Isn't it more likely that the Feb exam would have more challenging questions than the Sept one since more students apply for the Sept?

No.

The LSAT is scored on a bell curve. The idea is that someone in the top 20% on any one administration (including a properly prepared PT, which are simply old administrations) will also be top 20% on any other. They won't suddenly be top 5% or top 40%. If it varied like that, the entire nature of the standardised test would be pointless.

A February test is just a test, like any other. It isn't in any way special, different, or unusual. The only way a north american taker would experience a difference is that it's the only test where they'd never see what they got right or wrong. For Sabbath or International takers, there's not a jot of difference at all.