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cron1834 wrote:160 should be attainable for anyone who does well at a reasonable university, barring some problem with reading comprehension. You're not studying well enough. I don't think that 170 is attainable for everyone who is of passable intelligence, but you should be able to practice your way into 160, unless your college courses were actual jokes.

karloswhelms wrote:

cron1834 wrote:160 should be attainable for anyone who does well at a reasonable university, barring some problem with reading comprehension. You're not studying well enough. I don't think that 170 is attainable for everyone who is of passable intelligence, but you should be able to practice your way into 160, unless your college courses were actual jokes.

Yes I definitely agree. The hardest part is to sit myself down and put in the time to study throughout this summer. I did not study much the first time, in part because of summer classes and such, but that still is not an excuse for a low score. I am also much more motivated this time around as well.

My classes were of moderate difficulty, with some econometrics, game theory, calculus, statistics and the works. I hope that the two PowerScore bibles and about twenty prep tests are enough to raise my score by at least ten points. What advice do each of you have for that?

james.bungles wrote: this. 3.72 in econ at a respectable university means you should be able to get at least in to the 160s and whatever UW's median is. but of course it sounds like you dont really want to be working with the law much at all, just doing it because all politicians are lawyers or whatever, so I'd probably advice going at all unless you had clear, law specific goals

It is useful to have a law degree to work in public policy. For example, there are legal counsel positions in the Washington State legislature that I would enjoy working in and they offer public affairs internships for law school students as well. However, I could also work in public administration and potentially pursue a masters of public policy or an MPA, but that requires taking the GRE. Additionally I would miss out on that look of disdain from the general American populace when they learn that I attended law school and built a professional network comprised of evil corporate lawyers.

Dirigo wrote:I'm a little confused. If you don't indicate otherwise, does that mean you took the PT untimed?
If so, stop that. You should not be wasting that many recent PTs.

Dirigo wrote: If so, stop that. You should not be wasting that many recent PTs.

smccgrey wrote:

WichitaShocker wrote:

Dirigo wrote:I'm a little confused. If you don't indicate otherwise, does that mean you took the PT untimed?
If so, stop that. You should not be wasting that many recent PTs.

This. Never take untimed practice tests.

I wouldn't say never take them. I think your first couple can be untimed, as long as you keep track of how far over you go for each section. I decided to do my diagnostic untimed, and I'm doing alright now. But the scores definitely do not count.

karloswhelms wrote:I just received my score and I'm kind of disappointed. I only had a 14 point increase to score a 159 this time around. I only studied for one-and-a-half to two months around 20 hours a week taking mostly untimed practice tests, but I was aiming for at least 160. I knew I had at least 70 correct and I thought this would put me at 160/161, but with the curve getting the 72 raw correct that I did only received a 159.

I should have timed more of the practice tests. Five of the eight points I lost on the logic games were likely due to poor timing on my part. I know for sure that if I studied diligently, then I could get a score up to 165 by December. Unfortunately, with work I do not see much opportunity to study more, and I blew a large amount of recent practice tests already.

smccgrey wrote:In your situation, I think it might be worth it to find a good prep course or tutor. To get an LSAT score that will get you into a school worth attending, you'll need someone to teach you successful strategies. Drilling and taking PTs won't help as much if you're not approaching the questions effectively.

karloswhelms wrote:I got in at the University of Oregon today with a $33,000 per year merit scholarship that is not contingent upon performance in law school. Since I am only really looking at going to schools in the pacific northwest, this is a little promising. I know it is not the highest ranked school, but I'll probably only end up footing a portion of my living expenses and I really appreciated the hand written note from the dean. If I has any chance of going to a top 25 school then that would encourage me to leave to PNW.

I am still considering taking the LSAT again in February.

karloswhelms wrote:Well the admission cycle has just begun. Those numbers aren't too bad considering I would graduate with a total of 15-19k in debt including from undergraduate.

karloswhelms wrote:I have family nearby in Oregon.