T15, 3.8, 149 Forum

[haohaoren]

Hey,

I'm a senior at Brown (humanities major) and just recently decided on law school. My gpa's okay (3.8ish) and I do have a few leadership positions and volunteering/internship etc. However, on my first diagnostic lsat (time), I only scored a 149 and now I am getting extremely stressed out. I have been planning to take the LSAT for real in June and apply some time in September next year (I plan to take a gap year to finish some research).

Just some details:
I scored a 30% on Logic Games
I scored 50% on Reading Comprehension (I didn't have time to finish the last one and a half passage, and forgot to fill in all the bubbles)
I scored 57% on Logical Reasoning (and also didn't have time to finish the whole thing) -- for some weird reason, although I didn't score well on this section, I enjoyed doing it a lot.

To be honest, I was expecting for higher scores. People tell me LSAT's correlated with SAT and I scored 96%+ on the verbal/english sections of both SAT and ACT. I guess if I didn't expect higher scores and weren't aiming for a top law school, I wouldn't feel the disappointment I do now.

What do you think I should do now? Do I even have the potential to break the 170s barrier at all? Please help.

[SgtLebowski]

Study. Read the Powerscore bibles for LG and LR. Your diagnostic probably shows that you're unfamiliar with the questions types and format, rather than an inability to understand the material.

[subgdubb]

Don't ask for people's advice on here. They will only bring you down. Try to do better on your LSAT and don't stress out about it. If you don't make it into a T14 you'll be fine. There are plenty of excellent lawyers from schools not even close to the top. I'm not saying you should look at any poorly ranked schools, just not just at the top. And you should still try to get into the best school possible. This website gives the impression that in order to get the job you want you need to go to Harvard or Yale. In reality, you can go to a school that is far from that level of prestige, but still prestigious, and do just as well. Good luck!

[jayn3]

just keep working at it. my first diagnostic was awful. it gets better.

[DanInALionsDen]

I agree with what Sgt. said about the powerscore bibles. Also, get all of the past lsats you can. Time yourself, doing one every other day or so, until you're done. If you don't feel prepared before the June test, wait until September. If you aren't happy with how you do, then retake. Also, get confident. Confidence helps a lot with this test.

[npodlask11]

the lsat is about understanding how they craft the test and which answers are "most right". get some prep material that breaks down the whole process. i was in a smiliar boat, 3.6 at Notre Dame freaked out i got a 153 on the diagnostics. took some time to study the nuances of exam and boosted the score 11 pts ish in later tests.

[BigFatPanda]

What do you think I should do now? Do I even have the potential to break the 170s barrier at all? Please help.

Yes, you just have to believe. "There is no secret ingredient, its just you."
Whenever someone got 149 and throw up their arms and say i am not good at LSAT, all they are saying is: i don't believe i can score higher. The fact is, you can, only if you believe. So go forth and get your 170+.

[am060459]

the 30% on logic games should be your first priority. you will see a countless number of statements on TLS stating LG is the easiest to improve on and it is. go through the LGB.

tackle LR next. focus on accuracy. dont worry about timing. when your getting questions right (90-100%) thats when you should implement time. work through the LRB but get a supplemental book that has LR questions broken down by type (i.e. Kaplan Mastery). if you cant get a copy of that, as it is hard to, check out this site (http://www.cambridgelsat.com/category/lsat/by_Type/8).

RC is the hardest to improve on. i would recommend you practice actual RC passages and read something like the Economist, WSJ, Scientific American, etc... to improve your reading comprehension.

as a final thought when you start taking PT and if timing is still an issue remember quality not quantity. good luck.

[sumus romani]

Many people have 20+ point improvements if they work hard and have the latent capacity (which you probably do). Don't worry about it, just get to work.

[Veyron]

The fact that you haven't even done enough research to know that it be T-14 probably shows that you have a lack of motivation when it comes to LSAT studying. Seriously, you arn't likely to make more out the LS you will get into then you will out of Brown.

[BruceBarr]

I went from a 149 diagnostic to a 167. Took four months of studying. Keep at it.

[haohaoren]

Hey guys,

I just want to say a BIG thank you for all the recommendations and advices! You have made me feel so much better and definitely more confident.

Veyron:
When I said T15, I was referring to Brown's ranking, although from what I just googled a second ago, it has now dropped to T-16 apparently. So yes, I think that title I posted earlier does require some revision and I apologize for that confusion on your part. As for the lack of motivation you pointed out, I do partially agree in the statement since I haven't done any studying for the LSAT at all- I've just recently decided to attend law school. However, I have to disagree on how much value my LS (I assume that stands for law school?) education will bring me, otherwise I would not spend three years and tons of $$$ on that. One of my majors is economics, so making decisions while taking opportunity cost into account has literally become a natural thinking process for me. Like I do for all the other posters who have so far responded, I thank you for your comment and concern, but please do not assume I haven't gotten anything out of my Brown education. I LOVE my campus and the education I am receiving. I will be graduating with 2 majors and a minor. Even if I don't attend a law school, there is no doubt my Brown education will still land me a very decent job.

[haohaoren]

I went from a 149 diagnostic to a 167. Took four months of studying. Keep at it.

Thank you for the encouragement.

[haohaoren]

the 30% on logic games should be your first priority. you will see a countless number of statements on TLS stating LG is the easiest to improve on and it is. go through the LGB.

tackle LR next. focus on accuracy. dont worry about timing. when your getting questions right (90-100%) thats when you should implement time. work through the LRB but get a supplemental book that has LR questions broken down by type (i.e. Kaplan Mastery). if you cant get a copy of that, as it is hard to, check out this site (http://www.cambridgelsat.com/category/lsat/by_Type/8).

RC is the hardest to improve on. i would recommend you practice actual RC passages and read something like the Economist, WSJ, Scientific American, etc... to improve your reading comprehension.

as a final thought when you start taking PT and if timing is still an issue remember quality not quantity. good luck.

This is very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I will follow through with your advice.

[haohaoren]

Many people have 20+ point improvements if they work hard and have the latent capacity (which you probably do). Don't worry about it, just get to work.

I hope so. Thanks for being so encouraging.

[haohaoren]

What do you think I should do now? Do I even have the potential to break the 170s barrier at all? Please help.

Yes, you just have to believe. "There is no secret ingredient, its just you."
Whenever someone got 149 and throw up their arms and say i am not good at LSAT, all they are saying is: i don't believe i can score higher. The fact is, you can, only if you believe. So go forth and get your 170+.

You're totally right. Thanks! I'll remember to keep on believing in myself and abilities.

[abbas123]

that site cambridge only lets you view the tests 3 times before cutting off access so make sure to print them to pdf if you buy them.

otherwise you can get the Grouped by Question Type book on amazon

[haohaoren]

Don't ask for people's advice on here. They will only bring you down. Try to do better on your LSAT and don't stress out about it. If you don't make it into a T14 you'll be fine. There are plenty of excellent lawyers from schools not even close to the top. I'm not saying you should look at any poorly ranked schools, just not just at the top. And you should still try to get into the best school possible. This website gives the impression that in order to get the job you want you need to go to Harvard or Yale. In reality, you can go to a school that is far from that level of prestige, but still prestigious, and do just as well. Good luck!

Hey, actually, people have been very encouraging and supportive. I agree, ranking and T14 isn't everything. But given that I've always been one of those competitive ones, it's sometimes hard to look beyond the rankings- especially when all of my best friend's attending Yale Law. However, you are right, even if I don't end up where my bff is, I'll be fine. That's what undergrad education is for right? I'll always have backup plans regardless of what happens or how the cycle ends.

[haohaoren]

that site cambridge only lets you view the tests 3 times before cutting off access so make sure to print them to pdf if you buy them.

otherwise you can get the Grouped by Question Type book on amazon

Thanks for the heads up!

[Veyron]

No, its T-14 not T-15 or T-16.

Refers to the number of law schools that are elite and place nationally.

[maks25]

Don't stress it, just study and you'll get up to 170 eventually.

[facetious]

Hey guys,

I just want to say a BIG thank you for all the recommendations and advices! You have made me feel so much better and definitely more confident.

Veyron:
When I said T15, I was referring to Brown's ranking, although from what I just googled a second ago, it has now dropped to T-16 apparently. So yes, I think that title I posted earlier does require some revision and I apologize for that confusion on your part. As for the lack of motivation you pointed out, I do partially agree in the statement since I haven't done any studying for the LSAT at all- I've just recently decided to attend law school. However, I have to disagree on how much value my LS (I assume that stands for law school?) education will bring me, otherwise I would not spend three years and tons of $$$ on that. One of my majors is economics, so making decisions while taking opportunity cost into account has literally become a natural thinking process for me. Like I do for all the other posters who have so far responded, I thank you for your comment and concern, but please do not assume I haven't gotten anything out of my Brown education. I LOVE my campus and the education I am receiving. I will be graduating with 2 majors and a minor. Even if I don't attend a law school, there is no doubt my Brown education will still land me a very decent job.

i always thought it was "concentrations" over here on the main green. and minors? that's for state schools, come on.

new curriculum, hippie-faux elitism aside: as a fellow bruno going to law school this fall with a similar gpa and lsat diagnostic, all i have to say is study. i went from a 152 diagnostic to a 171; with your gpa and some serious months of studying, there's no doubt you will get into some great schools. i haven't read all the posts on here yet, but i am sure they are all similar: the bibles and PTs. good luck, and i wish that i could say that my brown degree and concentration could land me a decent job.