Too Early for LSAT? Forum

[jmjones]

I'm a rising junior and I wanna start studying for the LSAT from Oct-Feb/May depending on how well I master it.
I may either take the Feb or June. But what I fear is that I may start to do really well on PTs by March and then maybe
slack off till June. Is it possible for LSAT skills to deteriorate?

[gdane]

I hate when people refer to themselves as "rising" this or that. Youre an f'ing junior. No rising about it.

If you want to go to law school immediately after you graduate then you need to apply to schools during the first semester of your senior year. Have your applications done by November. This means that you need to either take the February or June 2011 LSAT. I'd highly recommend the June 2011 LSAT. I would recommend doing little things right now. Read more to get your mind in a reading type mode, become somewhat familiar with the test format, etc etc. Dont start any hardcore prep right now. Since I recommended the June LSAT, you should start prepping during winter break of this year and continue that throughout your spring semester.

Focus on your classes though. Although the LSAT is very important, so is GPA.

Good luck!

[Nulli Secundus]

Actually he is not.

Rising junior = Sophomore about to become junior, not junior.

However, this does not change the fact that it is a still retarded classification. Rising 2L, no you are 1L fgs.

[gdane]

Actually he is not.

Rising junior = Sophomore about to become junior, not junior.

However, this does not change the fact that it is a still retarded classification. Rising 2L, no you are 1L fgs.

Whatever the hell it is, its an annoying term. Either call yourself a sophmore/junior/senior or not. Calling yourself a "rising" whatever sounds so frooty.

[jmjones]

Actually he is not.

Rising junior = Sophomore about to become junior, not junior.

However, this does not change the fact that it is a still retarded classification. Rising 2L, no you are 1L fgs.

Whatever the hell it is, its an annoying term. Either call yourself a sophmore/junior/senior or not. Calling yourself a "rising" whatever sounds so frooty.

ha ha ha HEY! Who told you I was eating strawberries, grape and a tomato?

[DaveBear07]

Take the June test. You should have some time after your exams to hit the prep hard. I had a full 4 weeks.

Start preparing right now, as previous poster said, by reading more dense material and thinking critically. Take a logic course if possible.

It is very possible for your skills to deteriorate, especially in regards to stamina and timing. So a good schedule is critical. I started the LGB Bible in Feb, LRB in March-April, drilled sections in April, May began practice tests.

Hope this helps.

[JohnnyTrojan08]

Is it possible for LSAT skills to deteriorate?

Absolutely. You should start by taking a free sample LSAT under timed conditions just to make sure you're in the ballpark of where you want to score. I did this during my rising-Junior-summer as well, taking a free test at a Kaplan center. I got ~165 on my first try--didn't even know what a logic games diagram was, let alone use one--and didn't think about the LSAT again until I started preparing for the September test in my rising-Senior-summer. Yes, I was rising.

If you're in a similar boat and scoring in the ballpark of where you want, then you're good to go. If you need to add more than 20 points, you might want to consider prepping on a longer schedule.

In my own self-prep and working with clients since 2007, I've definitely come to the opinion that you can overprepare, prepare incorrectly, and prepare too soon. There are tons of calendars out there, choose one that fits your schedule but only go for more than 5 months if you're significantly below your target score.

[gdane]

When males refer to themselves as "rising" whatever, it sounds like they're talking about getting hard.

I only recently came to know the "rising" term. All my life I've told people "Oh I'll be starting my junior year in the fall" or "Ill be a senior next year". This is much simpler because most people dont use/know what the hell it means to be a "rising" this or that.

[locthebloke]

Just study. Study like you're taking it next month. It's never too early. Start reading through the bibles and doing prep tests. When you've read the bibles cover to cover and taken prep-test, review the bibles and take more prep tests. Just study and do prep tests regularly until June 2011. Imagine how prepared you will be by then.

[094320]

..

[JohnnyTrojan08]

Study like you're taking it next month. It's never too early.

I really have to disagree. There's only so much real content to use--i.e. official PrepTests--and if you space it out too long, there's a good chance you'll run out of content or water down the training so that you get tired on the actual test day.

When males refer to themselves as "rising" whatever

I agree, but...

It's just..the normal phrase.

So, like a lot of things in life, it can be thought of in that way if you want it to be.

[Sh@keNb@ke]

About to be a junior, started my prep in June. Never too early.

[westinghouse60]

Actually he is not.

Rising junior = Sophomore about to become junior, not junior.

However, this does not change the fact that it is a still retarded classification. Rising 2L, no you are 1L fgs.

During sophomore year, you are a sophomore, during the summer I suppose you could say you are a rising sophomore, (I always say, "I'll be a junior next year" though), but with classes starting/about to start I think it would be safe to call yourself a junior.

Anyway, being a junior, I'm in the same position, and I don't think its too early personally.

[Bumi]

I only recently came to know the "rising" term. All my life I've told people "Oh I'll be starting my junior year in the fall" or "Ill be a senior next year".

So wait. You're criticizing people for properly using a phrase you barely understand?

Fortunately, in the study of law, one never encounters new or unusual terms, or terms that are used in counterintuitive ways.

[094320]

..

[kazu]

I actually don't agree with the "it's never too early" advice... there are only so many PTs out there, and I think immersing yourself in the material for 2~3 months is much more effective than studying on and off for more than 6 months. However, not everybody's schedule allows that method I suppose.

Also, my personal experience has been that once you hit 17x consistently, LSAT skills don't seem to deteriorate that much. "Consistently" being the key word here though.

[cinefile 17]

Is it possible for LSAT skills to deteriorate?

Absolutely. You should start by taking a free sample LSAT under timed conditions just to make sure you're in the ballpark of where you want to score. I did this during my rising-Junior-summer as well, taking a free test at a Kaplan center. I got ~165 on my first try--didn't even know what a logic games diagram was, let alone use one--and didn't think about the LSAT again until I started preparing for the September test in my rising-Senior-summer. Yes, I was rising.

If you're in a similar boat and scoring in the ballpark of where you want, then you're good to go. If you need to add more than 20 points, you might want to consider prepping on a longer schedule.

In my own self-prep and working with clients since 2007, I've definitely come to the opinion that you can overprepare, prepare incorrectly, and prepare too soon. There are tons of calendars out there, choose one that fits your schedule but only go for more than 5 months if you're significantly below your target score.

In my opinion, this is TCR. Take a practice test, it all depends on how far you have to go.