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I took the first proctored practice LSAT from Kaplan last Saturday..

The score I got was 146....!!

which translates into 30th percentile.. I can't believe I didn't even pass the median!

Well I never studied or prepared for the practice test

but, from what I've heard, the score could only improve by about 10 and rarely by 20...

I did pretty well on the LG and LR, but totally crapped on RC..

partially because I was literally holding my crap when taking RC section..

I wasn't aware that the sections go on continuously without a break.

One question, how much could the low lsat score off-set by the high GPA?

I have 4.01 GPA from T20 undergrad.

Anyway..

I don't know if I should stay on LSAT track or switch to something else early on...

completing wrote:I took the first proctored practice LSAT from Kaplan last Saturday..

The score I got was 146....!!

which translates into 30th percentile.. I can't believe I didn't even pass the median!

Well I never studied or prepared for the practice test

but, from what I've heard, the score could only improve by about 10 and rarely by 20...

I did pretty well on the LG and LR, but totally crapped on RC..

partially because I was literally holding my crap when taking RC section..

I wasn't aware that the sections go on continuously without a break.

One question, how much could the low lsat score off-set by the high GPA?

I have 4.01 GPA from T20 undergrad.

Anyway..

I don't know if I should stay on LSAT track or switch to something else early on...

Do you have a burning desire to be a lawyer? If not I'd save yourself months of what could be painful studying, waiting, and applying for less-than-guaranteed results. With a stellar GPA from a top UG, you'll have other job prospects coming your way, unless you majored in something useless.

completing wrote:I never studied or prepared for the practice test
I was literally holding my crap when taking RC section..

I wasn't aware that the sections go on continuously without a break.

if you study and go to the bathroom before hand, next time you'll do better.
as for trying something else, sure, why not? you haven't convinced me you want law school yet.

I went from 150 to 171..just study..there's no rule about how much u can jump in score after studying

if this was your diagnostic dont worry, they are completely useless in terms of what you are capable of scoring. it only shows ur starting point and not where you are capable of ending.

hard work.

Since RC was your major problem area, what did you get on your SAT-Verbal?

itsfine wrote:if this was your diagnostic dont worry, they are completely useless in terms of what you are capable of scoring. it only shows ur starting point and not where you are capable of ending.

hard work.

Just keep studying. You have a few months before the tests in the summer and the fall, so there is time to significantly improve your score.

itsfine wrote:if this was your diagnostic dont worry, they are completely useless in terms of what you are capable of scoring. it only shows ur starting point and not where you are capable of ending.

hard work.

TITCR

One practice test does not an LSAT score make.

you will ruin yourself thinking a diagnostic test you didn't study for is indicative of your ability to perform on this very learnable test. refrain from telling yourself you can't do it, buy all the powerscore bibles, and study until june. you can improve over 20 points.

.

completing wrote:I One question, how much could the low lsat score off-set by the high GPA?

I have 4.01 GPA from T20 undergrad.

No GPA, not even a 4.0+ one, will offset a 146. If you boost that LSAT up 15 points, then your GPA might help you get into a T30 school.

I don't know if I should stay on LSAT track or switch to something else early on...

Do you really want to go to law school? If so, then it's worth giving the LSAT a shot. As you've already heard on this thread, some people improve dramatically with studying. On the other hand, some people don't improve much at all. (Most of those people aren't around TLS to share their stories; they're not going to law school.) There's only one way to find out which category you fall into. Good luck.

I majored Economics.. which is pretty useless for getting a job.

I thought about/am still thinking about going to Econ PhD

But I'm not sure if I want to commit 6~7 years of my life.. (even though I LOVE the subject)

I don't have enough work experience to even apply for a Business school.

Two Econ majors I know went to medical school. But I'm not that crazy to flip my world upside down.

I'm a realist. I achieve what I can..

Well.. I think I'm going to give it a try.

Once I get started, I know I'm going to give 100% like I always do.

Thanks for the comments

another thing that is worth keeping in mind for someone such as yourself who is going into this a little hesitantly (although i dont think thats the word i really want), is that as you study you may not see a lot of progress very fast....this test is all about persistence and hard work. don't get discouraged and utilize these forums when you need help...there seems to be a decent amount of people who are willing to share their experiences and advice.

good luck.

completing wrote:.Once I get started, I know I'm going to give 100% like I always do.

Thanks for the comments

This is the right attitude. You should buy the powerscore bibles and study from them for a while. I have heard very little positive reviews of Kaplan and I've bought a few of their books and products. From my own experience, they suck. I had much better results form Testmasters class. I also used Powerscore and recommended it to my LSAT students when I was a tutor. Blueprint seems to be good too from what I have heard.
The best advice is on Pithypike's sticky in the LSAT Preperation threads on TLS. If you are working hard and practicing a lot you will get tons of support from the folks at TLS so post often and ask questions.

Just wanted to provide the echo-chamber effect. With a determined attitude and a ton of hard work, even a 170+ is not off the table. Do a bunch of self-study and then as many PTs as you can get your hands on.

PT studying:

Carefully review EVERY QUESTION (even the ones you got right).

I cut out all the questions I got wrong and pasted them into a notebook with a long written explanation underneath. This helped be notice trends in my errors (and used a detailed excell spreadsheet).

Also, be realistic about your goals and your current ability. If you're not scoring where you want on your practice tests when the date comes around, then post-pone it. There is no harm in taking the test a few months later when you feel completely prepared. (And it's much better than taking it and getting a score you're not satisfied with)

completing wrote:I majored Economics.. which is pretty useless for getting a job.

Really? Because I am an econ major and the top students in my program are easily working their way into some greats jobs (financial analysts for HP, Bane, Goldman, etc.). If you can't get an alright job with that good of a GPA, I question your job hunting ethic.

I am not trying to dissuade you from law school - one of the guys who helped me with the LSAT took a diagnostic that put him at a 129 and then jumped to a 169 on his actual test. Atypical, yes, but there are plenty of people who can jump a good amount.

completing wrote:I majored Economics.. which is pretty useless for getting a job.

I thought about/am still thinking about going to Econ PhD

But I'm not sure if I want to commit 6~7 years of my life.. (even though I LOVE the subject)

I don't have enough work experience to even apply for a Business school.

Two Econ majors I know went to medical school. But I'm not that crazy to flip my world upside down.

I'm a realist. I achieve what I can..

Well.. I think I'm going to give it a try.

Once I get started, I know I'm going to give 100% like I always do.

Thanks for the comments

If you love economics, then try out the LSAT for a little while and see how it goes. You have a good falling back point, especially if you combine that econ background with a solid math background. If you do decide to go for the economics PhD, it's one of the more useful doctoral degrees outside of the hard science research degrees. I wouldn't fear that track.

Don't give up. I went from around upper 140s to 172 just by studying, and I ended up with a 164 on the real test.