The Official June 2014 Study Group Forum

[alexrodriguez]

what schools are you guys applying to? these are my choices right off my lsac account


University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Boston College Law School
Boston University School of Law
The University of Chicago Law School
Columbia University School of Law
Cornell Law School
Duke University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
The Florida State University College of Law
Fordham University School of Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Harvard Law School
The University of Michigan Law School
New York University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
University of Southern California, Gould School of Law
Stanford University Law School
University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law
University of Miami School of Law
university of pennsylvania law school
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
Vanderbilt Law School
University of Virginia School of Law
Yale Law School

[WaltGrace83]

what schools are you guys applying to? these are my choices right off my lsac account

It's funny....EVERYONE who hears I am applying to law school asks me this question. My reply? "I have absolutely no idea until I get my LSAT score." The same goes here. Putting the carriage before the horse if one decides what schools one is applying to before taking the LSAT. I am keeping my mind open, knowing that I can get a 180 or a 150 and it is all up to me.

If I were to get my goal of 170+ so to speak I would just blanket the T14 with the exception of Cornell, Georgetown, and Michigan (absolutely no desire to go to those schools) and add UCLA, USC, Vandy, and WUSTL.

The goal is Penn.

[afnajjerh]

what schools are you guys applying to? these are my choices right off my lsac account

It's funny....EVERYONE who hears I am applying to law school asks me this question. My reply? "I have absolutely no idea until I get my LSAT score." The same goes here. Putting the carriage before the horse if one decides what schools one is applying to before taking the LSAT. I am keeping my mind open, knowing that I can get a 180 or a 150 and it is all up to me.

If I were to get my goal of 170+ so to speak I would just blanket the T14 with the exception of Cornell, Georgetown, and Michigan (absolutely no desire to go to those schools) and add UCLA, USC, Vandy, and WUSTL.

The goal is Penn.

I agree with Walt, although I do have my goal school (northwestern) for multiple reasons.

On another subject, I read on TLS a while ago about someone conditioning themselves with a certain type of gum whenever they studied, and I have been trying it for the past few weeks. In my experience it has help me get into that "LSAT mode" a lot faster than times when I forget the gum at home. If you have been studying for a while you understand it takes a few questions before getting completely into "the zone". I will be trying it with PT's in February when i start my schedule and hopefully it will also help me out with that as well. Just a heads up with anyone that will like to try it.

[gnomgnomuch]

what schools are you guys applying to? these are my choices right off my lsac account


University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Boston College Law School
Boston University School of Law
The University of Chicago Law School
Columbia University School of Law
Cornell Law School
Duke University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
The Florida State University College of Law
Fordham University School of Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Harvard Law School
The University of Michigan Law School
New York University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
University of Southern California, Gould School of Law
Stanford University Law School
University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law
University of Miami School of Law
University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
Vanderbilt Law School
University of Virginia School of Law
Yale Law School

Assuming I get a 172+ on my LSAT (which is a big assumption) ill be applying to all t-14's minus Georgetown and also USC, UCLA and Vanderbilt. Depending on the score I might not even bother with Y since my GPA is a 3.7.

[lawstudenthopeful727]

Hello all! I have been lurking around this thread for some time and I have finally gathered up the courage to post. I took my diagnostic Sunday, and I scored a 137.. I'm pretty bummed considering it seems that most of the people on this thread scored way higher.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do next? Study tips, words of wisdom, positive criticism, etc.
I do have the huge Kaplan book, plenty of practice tests, and the PS books. (From this thread I learned that the PR books are awful. Thanks for that!)

[mist4bison]

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[Nicolena.]

How many warm up LR questions do you do before a pt? I'm just curious

[WaltGrace83]

Should I be worried that, when I started drilling the Cambridge packet for Flaw with the level 1s from test 1-9, I was extremely disoriented by some of these questions. They just seem so......weird.

[law_dawg18]

what schools are you guys applying to? these are my choices right off my lsac account

It's funny....EVERYONE who hears I am applying to law school asks me this question. My reply? "I have absolutely no idea until I get my LSAT score." The same goes here. Putting the carriage before the horse if one decides what schools one is applying to before taking the LSAT. I am keeping my mind open, knowing that I can get a 180 or a 150 and it is all up to me.

On another subject, I read on TLS a while ago about someone conditioning themselves with a certain type of gum whenever they studied,

^THE GUM DEFINITELY WORKS, I tried this while studying for a biology exam last spring. I'm basically in the same boat as everyone else in terms of what schools I will apply to. Ideally I'd be competitive for the following (highest to lowest preference)
Michigan
Georgetown
UVA
UGA/FSU/Notre Dame

[asdflkj]

Checking in. I haven't done much in terms of prep but will buckle down soon. Aiming for a 170+ to compensate for a low GPA. Schools will depend on the score, but ideally I'd like Duke, UVA, Vandy, Georgetown

[WaltGrace83]

^THE GUM DEFINITELY WORKS, I tried this while studying for a biology exam last spring.

You cannot chew gum during the test.

[10052014]

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[Straw_Mandible]

Hey guys! I just finished making my PT schedule, and I am now incredibly pumped to start putting all of this preparation into practice!

The wacky order is based on the DailyDouble rationale that we would benefit from being exposed to more recent tests early on. I saved PTs 45 - 49, so that if I need to retake in September, I will have fresh material to gauge my progress between retakes of more recent PTs.

I left the experimental sections blank so that I can target my weaknesses on an ad hoc basis. For instance, if I'm focusing my attention on drilling LG during a given week, I will choose an LG experimental section for that week's PT(s) to reinforce what I've learned.

All tests will be followed by blind review -- Same day for Saturday PTs, and Thurs/Fri for Wednesday PTs. If anybody is interested in following a similar schedule and wants to section off some time for group/partner review, let me know.

February:

SAT (2/1)........... PT 39 (4 Section)
SAT (2/8)........... PT 41 (4 Section)
SAT (2/15)......... PT 50 (4 Section)
SAT (2/22)......... PT 51 (4 Section)

March:

SAT (3/1)........... SuperPrep A (4 Section)
SAT (3/8)........... PT 66 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
WED (3/12)........ PT 52 *Retake orig. diagnostic* (4 Section)
SAT (3/15).......... PT 53 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
WED (3/19)......... PT 65 (4 Section)
SAT (3/22).......... PT 64 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
WED (3/26)......... PT 54 (4 Section)
SAT (3/29).......... PT 55 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)

April:

WED (4/2)........... PT 56 (4 Section)
SAT (4/5)............ PT 63 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
WED (4/9)........... PT 57 (4 Section)
SAT (4/12).......... PT 58 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)
WED (4/16)......... PT 62 (4 Section)
SAT (4/19)........... PT 61 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)
WED (4/23).......... PT 59 (4 Section)
SAT (4/26)........... PT 60 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)


May:

WED (4/30)......... PT 40 (4 Section)
SAT (5/3)............ back-to-back: SuperPrep B (4 Sec.) and PT 64 *Retake* (5 Sec.)
WED (5/7).......... PT 67 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
SAT (5/10).......... back-to-back: SuperPrep C (4 Sec.) and PT 68 (5 Sec.)
WED (5/14)......... PT 42 + Exp. __ Section (5 Section)
SAT (5/17).......... PT 69 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)
WED (5/21)......... PT 43 + Exp. (5 Section)
SUN (5/25).......... PT 70 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)
WED (5/28)......... PT 44 + Exp. (5 Section)
SAT (5/31).......... PT 71 + Exp. __ and __ (6 Section)

June:

WED (6/4).......... *Power Retake* - Toughest 60s or 70s PT
SAT (6/7)............ *Confidence Retake* - Fav. PT of all time!
SUN (6/8)……….... Light review and relaxation

MON (6/9)........... The day we all dominate PT 72!

[gnomgnomuch]

Hello all! I have been lurking around this thread for some time and I have finally gathered up the courage to post. I took my diagnostic Sunday, and I scored a 137.. I'm pretty bummed considering it seems that most of the people on this thread scored way higher.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do next? Study tips, words of wisdom, positive criticism, etc.
I do have the huge Kaplan book, plenty of practice tests, and the PS books. (From this thread I learned that the PR books are awful. Thanks for that!)

First off a 137 is bad, but its not the end of the world. A simple reason your score is that low is because you are unfamiliar with the LG section, and don't know how to tackle LR and/or RC. Look at your weakest section, if its LG/LR you're still in good shape because they are unlike what you have generally seen (especially LG, when I took my diagnostic I didn't even bother with the LG section because I didn't know how to approach the questions). If its RC id recommend you start reading the Economist, NYT and WSJ they can help with RC.

Next, what kind of learner are you, do you learn when someone explains it to you, or by yourself? If its the former id recommend a LSAT course (either online or in person), while they are expensive, they're totally worth it in the long run. If the latter id recommend 7sage.

Next, THROW KAPLAN OUT, its the absolute worst crap you can get, go for the bibles, powerscore, blueprint, even MLSAT - those are really the only books worth getting.

Finally, find a system that works for you and stick to it, the LSAT is not an easy test, but it is learnable. Almost everyone is able to get between -0 and -2 on LG, LR is very learnable and RC is the hardest to make the most gains. Don't fret, you've got 5 months of studying between now and June. Put in the effort and you'll see your score rise.

Best of luck.

[rebexness]

I like your schedule but I cannot PT after work it makes me

[Straw_Mandible]

I like your schedule but I cannot PT after work it makes me

I'm sure in the beginning this is going to suck super hard. But I hope I'll get used to it eventually. Notice I made the transition very gradual. No Wednesday PTs at all until March, and no experimental sections on Wednesday PTs until May 7th. Fingers crossed that I'll be able build up enough endurance for that brutal full day of work/5 section PT combo.

[10052014]

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[Straw_Mandible]

I like your schedule but I cannot PT after work it makes me

I'm sure in the beginning this is going to suck super hard. But I hope I'll get used to it eventually. Notice I made the transition very gradual. No Wednesday PTs at all until March, and no experimental sections on Wednesday PTs until May 7th. Fingers crossed that I'll be able build up enough endurance for that brutal full day of work/5 section PT combo.

when will you review your pts? (not blind review - which is going over the ones you are unsure about, and re-doing the problem etc. [correct me if I'm wrong.])

Outside of my PT days, I will have 3 hours after every work day, and 6 hours on Sunday to devote to the LSAT. So Feb 1 - Mar 11, I have Sunday through Friday for drilling and review. When I start doing 2 PTs per week (Mar 12), I will have Sun - Tue for review/drilling after the Saturday test, and then Thurs/Fri after the Wednesday test. My guess is that by the time I hit my first Wednesday PT, I will be comfortable enough in my process to review only incorrect answers. If I feel that I need more time, there's always room for small adjustments.

[alexrodriguez]

PT 45 today at 8:00 AM

LR -2
RC -6
LG -1
LR -5

Scaled = 168

well, I guess i'm getting to that elusive 170, but I just don't know whats wrong with my rc.

I'll be drilling that tomorrow, and will review this pt friday.

Next PT will probably be saturday, but I'm not sure yet.

jaylawyer,

If I were you I'd take the Feb exam and for a few reasons

1. I think you'll hit 170+ on the real thing
2. Schools are going to take your higher score anyway so I don't think it will matter too much if you fuck up
3. you can get a sense of real testing conditions
4. reasons 2 and 3 don't really matter because I believe you are prepared and will score a 170+

[Straw_Mandible]

PT 45 today at 8:00 AM

LR -2
RC -6
LG -1
LR -5

Scaled = 168

well, I guess i'm getting to that elusive 170, but I just don't know whats wrong with my rc.

I'll be drilling that tomorrow, and will review this pt friday.

Next PT will probably be saturday, but I'm not sure yet.

JL: First of all, congrats on the great PT score! We're all green with envy that you're already testing in the high 160s.

What materials have you used to study RC? Have you just done drills, or have you read any guide books (e.g. MLSAT RC)? I know you haven't gone through the Trainer yet, but I have a feeling that once you do, your RC score will improve dramatically.

[rebexness]

If I were you I'd take the Feb exam and for a few reasons

1. I think you'll hit 170+ on the real thing
2. Schools are going to take your higher score anyway so I don't think it will matter too much if you fuck up
3. you can get a sense of real testing conditions
4. reasons 2 and 3 don't really matter because I believe you are prepared and will score a 170+

1. Never assume you will hit higher- a test day drop, often significant, is more likely.
2. It might not matter for schools, but this would be a waste of a take, plus it can be disheartening
3. This can be replicated without paying $160
4. No.

(nothing against you JL- 168 is great this early on!)

[FlyingNorth]

If I were you I'd take the Feb exam and for a few reasons

1. I think you'll hit 170+ on the real thing
2. Schools are going to take your higher score anyway so I don't think it will matter too much if you fuck up
3. you can get a sense of real testing conditions
4. reasons 2 and 3 don't really matter because I believe you are prepared and will score a 170+

1. Never assume you will hit higher- a test day drop, often significant, is more likely.
2. It might not matter for schools, but this would be a waste of a take, plus it can be disheartening
3. This can be replicated without paying $160
4. No.

(nothing against you JL- 168 is great this early on!)

^ This. Don't take Feb., you seem primed to score well above 170 if you continue your schedule and methods through June.

[WaltGrace83]

Taking February would be stupid. What do you have to gain? Nothing. You are not applying this cycle and you have only taken TWO practice tests (not to say that it's not a good start or anything but a little bit of consistency and familiarity will never hurt).

[10052014]

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[10052014]

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