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Wow. Almost the same as poster above.

1) What score did you get?
165 Oct 08. Also my first time taking the test

2) What books did you use?
All PowerScore
Virtually every PT

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None. I would have but they are pricey and I couldn't do night classes.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
Approximately 1.5-2 hours per day from Aug-Oct.

5) How many preptests did you do?
I took 7 timed, simulated PTs in a room similar to where I knew I was being tested and on Saturday mornings. I must have done over 100 timed sections.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I'm stoked on my score. I was testing a little higher but couldn't have imagined how distracting test centers can be. The only thing I wold do differently would be take the LSAT in a place where there are relatively few test takers.

1) What score did you get?
166 in June 07
177 in Oct. 08

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Games were never a problem for me (which is ironic, since 2 of the 4 I missed in Oct were on games...), so I had the Powerscore LR Bible and the 2009 Princeton Review and Barron's LSAT books. I only bothered with preptests from the mid-30s to today after making the mistake of studying the mid-20s for the first one (when I got 166).

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None. I took a very brief one done by my undergrad, but it was nothing like a full Kaplan (and nothing like the price!). I didn't find it very helpful, to be honest, compared to my self-study. And I did it before the 166, not the 177. Find someone else in your scoring range and practice with them instead, so you can focus just on those questions with which you're struggling.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I decided after the 166 (for which I studied only the 2 weeks before the test), I wanted to spend a good 1.5 months. I also had to take the GRE this summer, so I did that first, and then started doing practice tests in late August and about every 3rd day until the actual test, mixed with some specific question tackling.

5) How many preptests did you do?
About 15 in total, although I cannibalized more RC passages from prior tests since that was my weakest area in the modern LSAT format.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
For June 2007, I didn't study enough, especially under strict timed conditions. I was surprised how much more nervous I was during the actual test (I had a freak-out in one section, thus the 166), although I had also worked a 70+ hour week the week (and weekend) before the test, so I think that contributed as well...I just didn't feel sharp and focused. I resolved to own it the second time...

I think there were three keys to me getting the 177 on the retake, apart from the usual advice:

1. I practiced with 32 minutes per section instead of 35 for EVERY SINGLE PREPTEST I took. This was the key to my 177. I felt incredibly relaxed in the actual test because I was practicing with a significant handicap. As a result, I was never pressed for time, never anxious about finishing a section, and I breezed through almost everything. I recommend this more than any other piece of advice. I am convinced this is what led to an 11 point jump.

2. In Preptests, I marked a dot on my answer sheets for any questions I was less than 90% sure about. After each test, I went through all my wrong and questionable answers and systematically figured out what why I got them wrong or wasn't sure. I also made a spreadsheet for each type of question to determine which ones I was struggling with. I went through the Powerscore LR Bible and broke down those question types. I am lucky to have an extremely smart boyfriend who also was willing to go through each test with me, which was helpful. Find a friend who likes logic problems (even if they aren't taking the LSAT) and just ask to go through your wrong or questionable answers. Having someone to flesh them out with made a huge, huge difference.

3. Look forward to the LSAT and enter zen mode on test day. Go in excited to ace it! For me, the key was the 32 minutes practice technique, because I knew I was happy with my preptest scores with 32 mins, so why not with 35? Indeed, 177 was the best I've ever gotten on any test. Do yoga, go for a run, whatever it is that gets your game face on. You won't ace the test if you don't believe in yourself. This was a big mental difference between the first time when I feared the test and collapsed under the pressure.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
Having had the 166 experience and the 177 experience, I will say this: don't take the test until you feel really ready. I didn't before the 166 test but took it anyway just to be done with it, and it was stupid. I'm just thankful my retake is sufficiently higher enough to negate it.

I have not posted much on this forum, but I formulated my study plan based on this thread, so I feel that I should share what I learned.

1) What score did you get?
175 Oct 08

2) What books did you use?
Powerscore LG and LR bible
Superprep
Most recent 7 official LSAT preptests

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I started by taking the free test on the LSAC site and I scored 163 to see what the LSAT was like and what types of questions it consisted of. I went through the bibles casually from mid June - mid July (1-2hrs a day about 4 days a week.) I recommend the powescore books as a primer to the test. They really helpled me become familiar with the types of problems on the test. I would recommend developing your own strategies as you go through tests. Everyone is unique and an exact technique that works for one person probably won't work for others. I then went did the superprep tests in simulated conditions (except for giving myself 32 min per sec instead of 35) and went over them during the month of August. I spread out the latest 7 preptests during September doing about 2 a week.

5) How many preptests did you do?
11

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I'm happy with my score. The only thing I would do differently is try to do something to calm myself before the test. I missed 3 on my first section and 2 on my second then nothing on the rest of the test. I was able to calm myself down a lot during the break and that really helped.

Extra notes: I was a physics major in undergrad, and I think that taking quite a few physics classes really taught me how to think and approach problems in a way that is very useful for the LSAT. If you have a chance, take at least some physics courses in undergrad.

1) What score did you get?
168 Oct 08

2) What books did you use?
Powerscore LG and LR bible
Lots of practice tests 37-50

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I started studying at the beginning of August and took a initial diagnostic and scored a 156. I was working somewhere where it was really hard to study so I studied for about 3 hours every night after I got home from work, and then took a practice test on Saturday and then either took a practice test on Sunday or just relaxed and read a little bit from the LR Bible. The most important thing is to make sure you really review each question you got wrong and try to figure out what exactly tripped you up. Their is some very valuable information on this website and use it too your advantage.

5) How many preptests did you do?
15

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I was pleased with my score, if I could do anything different I would have not let myself get so worked up after the first section of the test which was experimental it really hurt my next sections score cause I was thinking about canceling the entire section. I ended up getting -6 in that section and then -5 for the rest of the test. Go figure. Good luck studying!

1) What score did you get?
179 - Oct. 08

2) What books did you use?
Kaplan Comprehensive LSAT and LSAT 180 (I didn't like these too much. I would rather figure out my own methods without getting caught up in their terminology).
Every practice test available on LSDAS

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
I started about a year ago before the Oct 07 exam with the Kaplan books and a couple practice tests, but didn't feel confident about my score so I canceled. About a month and a half before the Oct 08 test I began taking a practice test every night after work. Sometimes I would take two tests a day on weekends to build up stamina. After the first few tests, I would be sure to stay within the time limits. Also, I didn't watch any TV for the entire 4 months prior to the test (never watch much anyway but I had just moved and was too poor to buy a TV). Instead, I would read a lot, especially dense material, like Supreme Court cases and political philosophy. This really helped get my brain in shape.

5) How many preptests did you do?
About 40

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
Not much. I'm very happy with my score, but I was very nervous at the beginning of the test. Luckily the first section was experimental. It seemed so hard that I almost gave up, but just kept going, hoping that it was the experimental. I missed a couple easy questions that I shouldn't have. I feel like I rushed through each section. I had at least five minutes to spare in each one but didn't bother to review too much. Could have saved that extra point.

1.) 174

2.) Powerscore Bible (would highly recommend), pretty much every real LSAT out there and a few made up ones, Kaplan 180, and I read a book on informal logic (I think it was helpful, how much I don't know). And get the official Superprep. Going through the first 60 pages of explanations seems a daunting task, but it's easy to skim through the "duh" parts and while it won't tell you anything new, it will, or it did for me, provide a subtly different approach to some questions that made a difference in my score. For example, I hated relative ordering games (where all rules read like H in front of B, B in front C but after G and so on) and they were time consuming for me, even with the PS LG Bible approach. The Superprep approach was very, very similar but just presented slightly differently. It made a world of difference to me. I got this game on my LSAT and was done in 5 minutes.

3.) No prep courses. I struggled with the choice, but several people (including one who was at HLS) said they were not necessary and from personal experience watching two friends who did take courses (one who went through two), I did not think they would help me. However, it depends, I think, on your type. I study best on my own. And I like setting my own agenda. A few courses do provide great materials to work with and helpful hints, though.

4.) I never took an untimed test. I don't see the point. To help with accuracy and understanding the individual components of the test, I did lots of exercises (from other LSAT prep books). And like Ken, I took the summer off and focused mostly on LSAT prep.

1) What score did you get?

178.

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I had all the Powerscore books, but I didn't really read any of them. I tried to use them as much as I could, but I really didn't find that I needed them that much.

I had every single PrepTest I could find from 7 to 54. This means all 3 LSAT books (10 Actual, 10 More, etc.) I had the PowerScore 2004 exams with explanations, plus every individual LSAT book from 39 to 54.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I had taken a few practices tests now and then going back a couple years, but I started studying in earnest in late April 2008 with PrepTest 7. I went forward from there, taking 2-3 practice tests a week on average (sometimes, especially at the start, only one) until I finished them all one week before the real thing in late September. I took the test on October 4.

5) How many preptests did you do?

All of them, some of them twice. I kept track in a spreadsheet.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

No, of course not.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Practice, practice, practice! My first practice score (years ago) was 166. I started in late April with a 174 on the 1993 exam, but my average steadily went up as I kept practicing.

1) What score did you get?

167


2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

Testmasters prep material, LGB


3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

Testmasters full length

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

Started in early June for the October test. I was working part time for some of that, going to school for the other half. Studied about 20 hours a week including eight hours of Testmasters classes.


5) How many preptests did you do?

About 10. Averaged 169.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

Study parallel reasoning questions harder. I hated doing them so I didn't study as hard and ended up missing two of them on the test.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

My weak section was games, so I did at least one section EVERY SINGLE DAY. By the end I had done almost every game twice. Ended up with only -3 on the test, after starting at -10 to -15.

1) What score did you get?
162 in June (misbubbled)
174 in October

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Powerscore Bibles
Kaplan 180 (do not recommend)

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
Before June during school from February until June. About 5 to 8 hours a week. In the library or my loud dorm room.
Before October I knew the fundamentals and just had to get back into the LSAT mindset. I did practice tests from September until the test.

5) How many preptests did you do?
Everyone I could get my hands on. From the oldest (which are still valuable) to the newest. Probably 40 test total. Many several times because I used them all before June.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
Somehow simulate the nervousness I experienced the first time. The second time I was so calm and ready.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Go over your mistakes
Learn the test

1) What score did you get?
Cancelled in Dec 07(knew I'd misbubbled)
175 Oct 08

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Testmasters books, preptests.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
Testmasters full length

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
Did the prep course. Not sure how highly I'd recommend. I didn't do any of the homework, and I found that most classes dragged, but it was helpful for games. Also, it was the only way I could motivate myself to even think about the lsat before Sept. For the last two weeks, I did a full test everyday(fortunately wasn't working at the time)

5) How many preptests did you do?
I did all the old ones when preparing for my first attempt, this time around I did roughly the 20 most recent tests.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
Nothing, I'm very happy with my score.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
The one thing that ended up helping me(and I am sure that this is not for everyone) was not second guessing myself. I finished sections very quickly(usually with 5+ minutes to spare) and I had a tendency to go back and second guess, and usually changed answers from the right to the wrong one by overthinking. I made a rule that unless I had an EXCEPTIONALLY convincing reason to change from my first impulse, to just stick and not go over everything. This improved my score a lot.

1) What score did you get?
October 08- 170
2) What books did you use?
I used the Testmasters course books, but, more importantly, all three Powerscore bibles.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
I took the full-length Testmasters course. While there, I ended up auditing three other teachers because I missed some classes, and while I would wholeheartedly recommend my regular instructor, I don't think the other teachers were as good- there should be a Rate My Professors for LSAT prep.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions?
Besides for the Testmasters course, which I took in the spring, over the summer I studied for about 180 hours.

5) How many preptests did you do?
Including my first, on which I scored 157 cold, I took 13 preps.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I was starting to feel burned out as the test approached, I should have started the personal studying earlier and given myself a week break in the last week of August in order to go strong during September.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
For those in Testmasters especially, do your homework. I didn't do any of it when I took the class and was not prepared to take the test in June when I originally had planned to. Also, it's never too early to start thinking about the LSAT.
I made an Excel sheet to keep track of all my scores, it's important to know exactly how you are progressing and to watch for changes, e.g. going up in LG while actually going down in RC.

good luck all.

1) What score did you get?
173

2) What books did you use?
Powerscore LGB
Powerscore LRB
2004 Deconstructed
LSAT Official SuperPrep
Kaplan Mastery
All three '10 LSAT' Books
Powerscore Logic Games Setup Guide

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions?
8 months, with varying degress of intensity. All out (20 hours+/ week) for about 4 monhts

5) How many preptests did you do?
Pieces of all of them, 30 in their entirety.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I would split up the studying based on types earlier on. I floundered in June because I didn't have a detailed, specific study plan. Link provided below for said study plan.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
Use this study guide as a foundation to build your own program tailored to your strengths and weaknesses.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =6&t=41657

Be aggressive but measured on test day. Calm intensity, not nervous energy, will win the day.

1) What score did you get?
170 (oct 08 - first and only)

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

Powerscore LGB
Powerscore LRB
official PT's

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
none

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
Started mid July, quit my job right before to focus on preparing for test. I had never taken a diagnostic nor had I had any real experience with the logic games, so I knew that I had to give myself a good deal of time to learn a systematic way of working with and thinking about the questions on the test.

In the middle of practicing, I needed to move across the country, so preparation before and after that move took about two weeks off of my studying time.

5) How many preptests did you do?

Although I did several timed sections individually (collectively, I went through most of the 30 tests available in the "10 actual" book collections), I took nine full and timed preptests.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
Really hard to say. I'm guessing that there would have been a more efficient way to go about studying for all of it. I spent a lot of time on preparing for all aspects for the test, and it probably would have helped me to take more breaks and spent more time reading the paper, the atlantic, novels, things like that.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
It's hard to understate the importance of your mental and physical state in the days and weeks before the test, most especially the day before.

I totally stopped drinking two weeks before the test, which may have helped my sleeping pattern adjust. The day before the test, I didn't really study at all, save for maybe doing a game and a couple LR questions to keep in the flow. In the afternoon, my girlfriend took me to a bikram yoga class, which is basically like doing yoga in a sauna. It beat the hell out of me, but I came out of the class feeling incredibly relaxed. Then we went out to dinner. I had a fish fry and we shared a dessert, essentially trying to have as relaxing a time as possible.

The morning of, I woke up very early, had a brisk walk with the dog, ate a good breakfast (not heavy), and got to the testing center with tons of time to spare. Did another game to get me in the mode in the morning.

What's so important to stress, and what really sounds so cliche, is the absolute necessity of having a really positive attitude once you've sat down and begun to do the damn thing. The energy that this creates is something entirely different from nervousness. You're awake, you're working on the LSAT, and you're feeling damn good. It's also different from feeling cocky. But having this attitude will help you through the whole ordeal.

Other than that, like anything else, it helps to have supportive and loving people to congratulate you when you get a good PT score.

On a more pragmatic level, you ABSOLUTELY have to take practice tests from the previous 5 released administrations. This will give you a MUCH BETTER feel for the contemporary structure of the test. Getting a 175 on a test that's ten years old, while a great score, does not necessarily translate to getting even a 170 on today's test. When you're doing PT's, stay modern.

You've probably heard this before, but the best way to improve your score is to take official LSAT preptests. I combined this with a very effective strategy I devised which I explain in detail below, and improved my score 16 points from my original diagnositc in about 3 months. I know its a lot to read, but I did the dirty work coming up with the strategy ( with tips from an LSAT tutor who scored 180 4 times in a row), AND IT WORKS. If your interested in improving your score, READ THIS!

First, i got my hands on every official LSAT preptest available, I believe there are about 45 in all (certain ones are not available, such as # 1-6) My 3 month program involved the following 3 steps:
1) 1 month general prep and understanding of question types and structures
2) 1 1/2 months of hardcore testing
3) 2 weeks of final review and nailing my weakness's



1) In my general prep I did the following:
a)I used a princeton review book that had a chapter on every question type for every section. By seeing dozens of questions of the same type all at once you begin to recognize all the different stem types of that question type and can spot the question type on first glance, THIS IS ESSENTIAL.
b) I made flash cards for every question type for all 3 sections. on the front would be the question and on the back would be how to answer that question by listing what choices to eliminate, and what clues to look for in picking the right answer. For instance, for LR - FLAW, the back of the notecard would say "-eliminate choices that dont correctly state what the argument does", "-eliminate choices that state something the argument does that isnt wrong", and so on. For every question I answered during my 1 month review, i forced myself to first recite out of memory every note on the back of the card until I was able to do it as a reflex, not even a 1 second pause. So just by glancing at the question stem, you will know what to do, and what to eliminate. After completing dozens of questions with this method, you will pick up a great deal of patterns and similar setups the LSAT uses to trick you.


2) In my hardcore testing I did the following:
a) First, I got this advice from an LSAT tutor who has scored 180 4 times in a row, she is brilliant, and her strategy is incredible. DONT TAKE PRACTICE TESTS WITH ONLY 4 SECTIONS. Better yet, she recommended, take practice tests with more sections than the acutal LSAT, take them with 6 sections!!!!!!! If you practice with 5 sections, you get semi fatigued around the 5th section. If you practice with 6, you will train your brain for a hard six and you'll get fatigued around the 6th section, so you will NOT BE FATIGUED DURING THE 5 SCORED SECTIONS OF THE TEST!!! This is the absolute best tip anyone had given me for LSAT prep, IT WORKS, DO IT!!
b) So incase no one else has told you, the older tests are very different from the new ones. With this in mind, what I did is take my tests with using the newer tests, but used the older tests (starting with the oldest #7) as my unscored experimental sections. This way, every question your answering is a real lsat question, DONT USE ANYTHING BUT OFFICIAL LSATS, the "similar" or "like official" tests, dont require you to use the exact same train of thought and deduction process. Let me also state that I got a few "free b's" on my actual LSAT by taking every official preptest because some questions are essentially repeated with a minor tweek or two.
c) After I took my 9 am test, I took a 1 hour break, and then spent the rest of that day reviewing the test w no breaks. NOT JUST THE WRONG ANSWERS. I reviewed every answer, double checking to make sure i didnt just guess it right, and making sure I answered it correct for the right reason. I will honestly admit that some questions took me up to an hour to fully understand, but i rarely ever got a question like that wrong again, because i broke it down to a full understanding.


3) My final review and nailing my weakness's:
a) this may sound psychotic to some of you, but I created a spreadsheet of every test I took. I followed the trend of how many questions i got wrong on each section type, and tracked my improvement. I tracked my average score for tests of a given week, and set target #'s for the following week. If I didn't hit that number, I spend a full day (8-12 hours) tweaking my strategy for that section type before testing again the next day.
b) I hit a brick wall after my first 10 point average increase, and overcame it by doing the following; I went back through all the exams I had already taken, and created a second spreadsheet listing how many of each question type I got wrong per section type. For instance, I found that almost 1/4 of all my wrong Q's in LR were "Weaken" questions, and over 1/3 of my Q's in RC were "Inference" questions. I Targeted my study to all my weakness's and jumped another 3-4 points just over a week.
c) Using the My princeton review book with questions broken up by section type and question type, i redid those Q's timing each section, and calculated an estimate of how long it takes me to work certain questions. For example, LR "Parallel Flaw" questions take me just about 2 minutes to answer, and LR "Necessary-Sufficienet Inference" questions take me over 2 minutes on average. Through this analysis, I was able to determine which questions I should leave for last in a section, because I could answer 3-4 "strengthen" questions in the time it would take me to answer 2 "parallel flaw" questions. This improved my pacing strategy and jumped me another 2 points or so in under a week. KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS'S, and either break through them, or learn to work around them.



FINAL NOTE ON MY OCTOBER 2008 TEST

First, you should know that my original diagnostic was in the 140's, but I bumped it to the 160's with this strategy. This strategy takes time and isn't for everyone. I quit my job, cancelled my cell phone and hit the books, this strategy is time consuming and requires discipline. I put in 8-10 hours a day 6 days a week, with only one full week off in between. I also used the LSAT proctor DVD, which i am soon to re-sell on ebay. BUY IT, IT WORKS.
I got to the test center late and needed to pee but had to hold it in, from the start my head was rushing, during RC I had a complete blackout and couldnt even remember what the passages were about after the test, I felt as though i was guessing on my first LR, pretty much i was a heartbeat away from cancelling. Based on the massive # of tests I had done, i was able to rush home, review my spreadsheets, calculate my approximate score based on the number of questions I had guessed and how I believed I had performed in comparison to previous tests where I felt similarly. In receiving my score a few days ago, I didn't hit the 165sh I had been scoring on practice tests, however, my massive test taking and review had allowed me to react "instinctively" throughout the whole test and landed me in the 160's w/o me even realizing it. I answered the fist 21 questions correct, and i felt like i was guessing; NO, i was naturally reacting in response to the 500+ hours and 2000+ LSAT questions I had krushed the 3 months before.

WHAT YOU PUT IN IS WHAT YOU'LL GET BACK IN RETURN

Study hard people, I truly hope this strategy will help someone improve their score, For those of you taking Dec. or Feb., its not too late to step your game up!!!

1) What score did you get?
166 Oct 08 (first and only)

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Powerscore LG and LR Bible

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
Didn't take

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
Started looking at the study materials in June, didn't do more than a few hours a week until mid-August.

5) How many preptests did you do?
Most of the Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I would have studied with more tests, specifically more recent tests. On the October exam I didn't really miss more than I had been averaging, but my score was three to four points off of where I was practicing because the tests I was taking had a greater margin for error. I was also a little to lax on timing myself.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
Bubble the sheet when you practice. I never did, and for the three weeks before I got my score all I could think about was what if I mis-bubbled. Doing the tests that way all along would have probably made me doubt myself less.

1) What score did you get?

177. My first ever try at a timed LSAT practice landed me a 165, about

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I didn't pay attention. I checked books out of the library without discriminating, really--I thought the Kaplan books were the most helpful, if only because they tended to be more recent (and so were much more like the actual LSAT questions). I checked out a Princeton Review book and didn't realize that I had checked out a book labeled as having the "MOST DIFFICULT LSAT QUESTIONS EVER!!!!" I did hilariously poorly on that book, it didn't help me out at all. I'd avoid that type of book if possible--no use ruining your confidence on questions that were probably flawed in the first place (which is why so many people might have missed them in the first place).

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I took one diagnostic test from Princeton Review cold and got a 165; that was last February. I checked books out of the library and would do one section per day, pretty lazily for most of the summer (although I would time each individual section strictly). I would skip days, at least towards the earlier half of summer. Eventually I started cracking down a bit more, and there were days when I took 2 or 3 sections. In late July/early August (I forget exactly when) I took a Kaplan diagnostic and had improved to 169. I studied at about the same rate up until the day before the test. It wasn't particularly stressful.

5) How many preptests did you do?
I'm not exactly sure. 12-16 sounds about right.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
I really can't say I would change anything--I'm extremely happy with my score, and was surprised when I got it. I was hoping for a 170 and blew that away. I mean I didn't practice nearly as much as I could have, and didn't take a course, and it ended up working out. But I think part of that was practicing at a pretty consistent pace for a pretty long time (4/5 months or so). So don't cram--stay consistent. That would be my advice.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
When I took the test I was on 2.5 hours of sleep, and a fraternity was chanting slogans outside of the testing center throughout the logic games section. My advice is to learn how to collect yourself and be at peace--in a way, just detach yourself from how important the test is, and think of it as a fun little exercise. God, I know it's *not* a fun little exercise, but when you think of it that way I think it'll make you a bit calmer.

And make sure you don't leave ANY blank. Guess. I guessed on the last 3 questions of the test (logic games), and ended up getting 2 of them wrong and 1 right (which moved me from a 175 to a 177). It can't hurt you!

Unless you need a lot of help on games, I do not recommend taking a prep course. It will overburden you even more!

1) What score did you get?
first diagnostic, 153. then got 171 on June 08 and 180 on Oct 08

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)
Downloaded all the tests from each book

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?
had a private tutor for a couple months before june

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)
i would study for 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week leading up to june (was taking a practice test every day and going back over it after). I would mix up the conditions that i took the practice tests under, a lot of times intentionally putting myself in tough/loud environments for practice


5) How many preptests did you do?
40+

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?
not much

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.
The key for me was going back over the answers i got wrong and the ones i thought were hard (i would circle them when i while i was testing). Eventually you start to think like the testers think and can sniff out the "trick" answers.

Also, the second time around, i barely studied (took 3 practices in the 3 months leading up to the test), but i scored decently on them so i was very confident and relaxed going into the Oct test. The lack of stress just made it much much easier.

1) 165, Oct '08 (scoring 168-172 on PT's two weeks prior to test)

2) LGB, Superprep, All three LSAC Preptest books and about 6 of the $8 individual books

3) No prep courses.

4) 2 1/2 months, in the evenings and on weekends, while working full-time.

5) 35+

6) I would have started earlier. My late start was determined mostly by a somewhat sudden decision to apply.

7) I started at 153. My big weakness from the beginning was games. On my first diagnostic, I missed more than half. It took me a long time to even get to the point where I could finish two or three of the games and get most of them right (particularly on the old, harder games). The LGB was essential. On the excellent advice of many here, I erased my marks and make two copies of each game after every PT. I put these in packets and would work on them at work or at home whenever I had time. I did these timed and untimed, until I mastered each game. On the big test, I finished with 5 minutes to spare and thought I had gotten almost everything right. I ended up missing 6, mostly out of rushing and overlooking small details. This definately pushed my score down, but it was still a great improvement from where I started.

From the beginning, I was reasonably successful with logical reasoning and reading comp, although I did make a point to always go back and look at answers I got wrong in detail. I now wish I would have purchased more of the $8 tests, because I didn't realize until shortly before the test how much more difficult the RC section has become.

Another point that helped me was exercise. I found I always did better on a PT if it was after a run. On the morning of the test, I got up early and jogged around the city (still quiet and sleepy). It didn't erase my nerves, but I know it helped a lot.

Best wishes to everyone on this journey! This board helped me a lot, so I wanted to make sure to do my part, especially for those who are looking for a good score, but don't expect the 175+ we so often see here!

Hi everyone! So this is my situation...I basically have a really really low gpa (2.6 ish) Biomedical Engineering. I want to go to law school for IP. I have four years work experience with medical devices. I'm really confident that I can score 170+ on my lsats. I know that law schools like engineering majors since it brings diversity, along with my work experience..Do you think that its possible for me to get into law school? Any response would be appreciated =)

1) What score did you get?
147 Diagnostic
162 in June
168 in October

2) What books did you use?

Powerscore Bibles
LSAC Superprep

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None. Save the money for law school applications. They are really expensive. You can get all the private tutoring/help on this site.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

About 8 months. I ate, breathed and lived for the test. Seriously, I brought study materials with me to Key West over winter break. My girlfriend thinks i'm the biggest nerd possible.

Took PTs in all kinds of weird environments. Starbucks, the park, random benches (these were too extreme and really useless). The best place was in the library, right at the front where everyone walks around in so that I can see them with my peripheral vision.

5) How many preptests did you do?

probably 45+

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

Recognize how nervous I was in June and that I wasn't in the best testing conditions. I should've just canceled but everyone told me not to. Piece of advice, if you don't feel absolutely confident, like you rocked the test, think long and hard about a cancel.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Start early and really familiarize yourself with the test. I'm one of those overachievers who were not blessed with big brains but make up for it with a very dedicated anal work ethic. I started with a 147 diagnostic and I improved over 20 points because of hard work. So definitely start early and practice often.

Here's some advice that's worked for me:

1. Keep your answer sheets for PT that you have done (for #2). Keep them in a folder or in a binder.

2. Retake PTs. Wait about 2-3 months and retake the PT. And then compare it with the first time you took it. Did you get the same questions wrong? Find out why you got it wrong again. So what if you may "remember" some of the test, you won't remember all of it and your goal is to learn about your own habits and the mistakes that you are inclined to make, not to rock each PT.

3. Don't get hung up on PT scores. Your goal is to get every single question right. If you get a 179 on a PT but you got 3 questions wrong, don't celebrate, find out why you got those 3 wrong.

4. Studying does not involve just taking PT after PT after PT. Utilize them better. Use them to understand the logic behind the questions and to understand your own test-taking liabilities/weaknesses.

5. Underline and Mark the conclusion to EVERY LR question. Seriously, there are many questions that people get wrong b/c they forgot what the conclusion was (i.e., the conclusion states all boys while the evidence only refers to some boys.

6. Practice LG like mad. Do LGs by type until you have it down. Seriously, it's all a pattern and it's about gaining confidence. The day I realized I could do the first 2 games in under 14 minutes was the day my PT scores began to skyrocket. Remember, there's usually only one HARD game.

7. RC is a bitch. Your best bet is to learn how to move on. Don't spend more than 1 minute on a question. If you're unsure, just move on (this is MUCH easier said than done)

8. Give yourself less time on PT. For the Oct test, I did 30 min LR 32 min LG and RC (only 8 min each)

9. Enjoy the LSATs. I saw it as a challenge that I could overcome. Don't get too down when you do poorly on PT and don't get too excited when you do well on PTs.

10. The LSATs is just a test you need to take to get into law school. It does not justify your life nor does it save you from despair. Getting a good score will feel great but it doesn't define you. Getting a bad score may suck but it also does not define you. This is not the end-all-be-all and please don't treat it like it is. It is an important test and if you prepare well you will do well. Make sure that when you go into the test center that you feel there was nothing else you could have done to better prepare. If you feel like you could do better with a few more months practice, then just cancel. You want to feel like you left everything you had in the testing room and even if you were given another year to prepare you would do no better.

zabagabe wrote:1) What score did you get?
166 in June 07
177 in Oct. 08

This might just be an odd coincidence but I'm doing nearly the exact same routine. Even 32min per test, making the markings beside quesitons I am unsure of etc...


what were your PT scores like a week before the test, ?

1) What score did you get?

175

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

None

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

Testmasters. Full length

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I studied for the length of the course which was about 2 months. I was working about 10 hours a week at the time. In hindsight that was way too much time.

5) How many preptests did you do?

None except for what Testmasters assigned.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I probably would have not taken the course and instead just looked at the Bibles. The course was, for me, sort of a waste of time.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Be a philosophy major. Get the Powerscore Bibles. Talk to someone with a lot of knowledge about the test, each person should study for it in a different way.

take as many tests as you can.
get at least 20 every section.
you'll get at least a 165 everytime.