Should I take the December LSAT? Forum

[jusdel1]

Hey yall,

I just finnished my first year of college, but will be graduating a whole year early. My dad walked into my room the other day, and tried convincing me of not taking the LSAT at 18 years old. I've already put about hours and hours of studying this summer, and I find it a complete waste to just stop now. However, logical reasoning is by far my weakest section (literally like -15 or even sometimes -20). Surprisingly, RC and especially the LGs are easy for me as I'm not getting more than an average of 5 wrong on both those sections. I'm probably not going to listen to him, but I found places online that basically say people at my age tend to worse on the LSAT compared to those that are 20 or 21. My pre-law advisor said the exact same thing this past year (something about development in the brain??). Could what my pre law advsior and research online support why I'm doing bad on the logical reasoning, and maybe take the June 2012 LSAT? Or is this complete bs and just bad logical reasoning?

BTW. My reason for taking the December LSAT is that I'm studying abroad in Spain second semester. I want to avoid LSAT prep while I'm there because I want to have as much free time as I can to have fun. I could take the February test there, but I'll have to travel all the way to Madrid and stay over night. Then getting back to my exchange university in southern spain for Monday's classes would be a pain. On top of that it'd probably cost me a lot. I do not want to spend more than a 100 euros including my overnight stay.

If I'm not practicing over a 165 by the time registration deadline appraches then I'm not taking it in December, and prep for the June 2012 test while I'm in Spain. . Also, I plan to apply to law schools on right on the day application submissions are open to take advantage of earlier acceptances, and possibly a better chance of getting into whatever reaches I choose.

[lebroniousjames]

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[jln04a]

You say you're graduating a whole year early...plans change. You have time. Maybe you'll graduate early. Maybe you won't. Maybe you'll want to join a traveling group of slam poets when you finish.

Enjoy college and use this time to explore multiple options. If followed the path that my 18-year-old self planned, I would be a high school English teacher. I am not, and I doubt I ever will be.

Also the logical reasoning, while I would suspect that brain development could contribute to success, the critical thinking skills you learn in many college classrooms will teach be an important aspect of mastering those questions. Most, and certainly not all, freshman/sophomores are still learning to look at problems, logical arguments, and situations from multiple angles to find weaknesses or strengths.

You don't have to apply day one to take advantage of the rolling admissions. You could take the October 2012 test and be fine for admissions.

[senorhosh]

take it later.
By "later" i don't mean June 2012. I mean June 2013.

[caminante]

Yes, your logical reasoning will naturally get better with age. You've only done one year's worth of college which was most likely a lot of lower level classes. In your upper-level classes you will be forced to do a lot more critical thinking. Take a logic class, join a debate club. These things will naturally help your day-to-day logic develop in your brain. I have never had any problem with the logical reasoning questions and I credit this to using a lot of "logic" in my day-to-day life.

Take your dad's, your adviser's, and everyone else's advice: wait it out.

[suspicious android]

After everyone here tells you to delay, where will you go to next to hear the advice you want?

[incompetentia]

There is absolutely no reason to take the LSAT at the age of 18 or 19. Anybody who does so had better have a pretty damn compelling reason for doing so, and this is not one.

If you have time, there is absolutely no reason you should be thinking of taking the LSAT while you're hitting -20 on a single section. This is equally absurd, regardless of whether you're 18 or 28.


You have no reason to take the test any time in the next year, and your PTs show that you clearly need more work than you think. Even if you're not going to listen to those of us who have experience in these matters, you should realize that a crap score at the age of 18 followed by a 167ish down the road looks a lot worse on your apps than just a 167ish down the road.

By the way, applying in November after an October app-year score is about the same as applying on September 1.

[kwais]

average 1L in this country is something like 24. There might be a few reasons for this, but one is certainly that law schools don't need or want 21 year olds. Go get some life experience. Not only is it good for you, it is good for your applications. Step away from the prep book. Oh and as someone else said, if you are -20 on LR, you have more than a few months of study to go.