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What is the average gain that students make after prepping for the LSAT? I took the diagnostic exam and scored a 154. I'm aiming for a 158.

You should aim much higher.

Personally, I improved from 149 to 167 over 4 months.

Many people improve over ten points. Everyone is different though. It is really unpredictable.

josemnz83 wrote:What is the average gain that students make after prepping for the LSAT? I took the diagnostic exam and scored a 154. I'm aiming for a 158.

you're aiming for a four point increase?.........

josemnz83 wrote:What is the average gain that students make after prepping for the LSAT? I took the diagnostic exam and scored a 154. I'm aiming for a 158.

Aim for a 160, at least. I think I improved about 10 points and I didn't study as long as I wanted to. It also depends on what you are struggling with. The games section is the easiest to improve, so you can expect a higher score if you were clueless during the diagnostic, but understand it after studying. Reading is the hardest (at least for me it was) so if this section is your greatest struggle, your score might not improve that much.

I have 700 dollars to invest in a study program. What do you guys recommend? I'm leaning towards Velocity course.

IMO, Manhattan is second to none. They are the best and most comprehensive guides. You can bundle all 3 for just $70 + shipping on Amazon. The other guide worth buying would be the Power Score Bibles. I have read both and think Manhattan is more sophisticated.

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-LSAT-Se ... 27-1737414

Also, you should get all the old prep tests. A bundle of 10 prep tests cost about 20 dollars on Amazon. Get atleast 28-37 and 52-61. 38-51 are not sold in bundles. Then, buy 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 individually (8 dollars a piece), but save them for the end of your prep, since they are the most recent and thus refelct the modern test the best.

Nova wrote:IMO, Manhattan is second to none. They are the best and most comprehensive guides. You can bundle all 3 for just $70 + shipping on Amazon. The other guide worth buying would be the Power Score Bibles. I have read both and think Manhattan is more sophisticated.

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-LSAT-Se ... 27-1737414

Also, you should get all the old prep tests. A bundle of 10 prep tests cost about 20 dollars on Amazon. Get atleast 28-37 and 52-61. 38-51 are not sold in bundles. Then, buy 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 individually (8 dollars a piece), but save them for the end of your prep, since they are the most recent and thus refelct the modern test the best.

+ 1.

Your score is going to improve because of the hours you spend studying the material relentlessly, not because of the amount of money you throw at it. Get a study guide or two (Manhattan's seem to be highly regarded around here), get the most recent couple of collections of old tests, and go to work. Gains of 10 points and more are not uncommon, especially given your starting point. I'd reach for the stars and aim for above a 170, if I were you. With time and work, it's certainly possible.

When investing so much time (and potentially money), aim for 180.

The Powerscore Bibles are a great place to start.

The average is very low from what I've read, I think something like 3 points. I can't site a source for that, I just remember that's what I had expected reading. You get tons of stories about people who improve something like 10-15 points though, focus on those, it will do wonders for your confidence going in.

I improved 10 points....on practice tests.

Started at 159 and ended at 174 (was PT'ing at 177-179, but nerves got the best of me). Like everyone else is saying, aim for a 180. The LSAT is a very learnable test and if you put the time and effort into understanding the concepts the test is trying to evaluate, you will be rewarded with significantly higher scores.

1Lguy23 wrote:The average is very low from what I've read, I think something like 3 points. I can't site a source for that, I just remember that's what I had expected reading. You get tons of stories about people who improve something like 10-15 points though, focus on those, it will do wonders for your confidence going in.

I improved 10 points....on practice tests.

He was referring to improving from a diagnostic test. Not the average improvement of retakers on the actual lsat.

Diagnostic: 151
PTs: 170-175
Test day: 165

Diagnostic: 144
Took a prep course (BIG mistake, not because I wasted money, but because it was a bad timing and I did not do any HW, just went to class, 8 hours a week), took four diagnostics, the last one-155.
So pretty much I am starting my preparation right now, I have all the materials from the course. I am aiming for something around 165...Doable?

patienunderstanding wrote:Diagnostic: 144
Took a prep course (BIG mistake, not because I wasted money, but because it was a bad timing and I did not do any HW, just went to class, 8 hours a week), took four diagnostics, the last one-155.
So pretty much I am starting my preparation right now, I have all the materials from the course. I am aiming for something around 165...Doable?

It has been done many times before.

I jumped 18 points from my cold to my actual.