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Hello everyone,

I would like to know what you scored on your first diagnostic? (please indicate if you prepared for it or went in blind) and what your final score on your lsat was? How much did you improve? I'd like to get a feel for what a reasonable amount of improvement is. ...(I ask because I'm getting more and more depressed every time I see people say they started out in the 160's... fml) THANKS!

^ 12-13 points

I actually asked a similiar question yesterday, here

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=161069

People improve 20+ points from their cold diags all the time. All that's needed is a certain amount of time before the test and a decent study plan.


I went +12, but I'd even say that's below the average improvement around here.

Thank you all for your responses, I'll put away the noose now

I mean it depends. I had a rather high cold diag (upper 60's). And I had a friend get a 152. He's been improving (scorewise) much quicker than i have, and he's already toe to toe with me on many of the problems I find myself struggling with.

The LSAT is pretty foreign to most people. Just because you aren't used to extensive applications of critical thinking does not mean you can't learn.

I think a real test of 'aptitude' should be like a month or so after you have started studying. Then that would show your ability to become familiar with argumentation, and that should be a sign of aptitude. Not the fact that when you were a fetus you were able to identify "begging the question".

Don't take your diag and just add a 25 to it and say "This is what I'll get after studying hard". If you really want this, you'll do what it takes.

Got a 159 cold 2 hours ago, I hope to improve 11+ points.

incompetentia wrote:People improve 20+ points from their cold diags all the time. All that's needed is a certain amount of time before the test and a decent study plan.


I went +12, but I'd even say that's below the average improvement around here.

I wouldn't say 20+ happens all the time, but you can confidently say that most people can improve by at least 10 points, with a handful that reach 20+.

153 cold to a 173 in June. 4 weeks of intense studying (50 hrs/wk). And if I had spent a proper 4-5 months I probably could have hit 175.

After my diagnostic it was my dream to break 170. Practice and familiarity really do help, and if you're dedicated a +20 - +25 jump certainly isn't out of the picture.

brownpride wrote:153 cold to a 173 in June. 4 weeks of intense studying (50 hrs/wk). And if I had spent a proper 4-5 months I probably could have hit 175.

After my diagnostic it was my dream to break 170. Practice and familiarity really do help, and if you're dedicated a +20 - +25 jump certainly isn't out of the picture.

This has definitely has given me some motivation to put even more hours in. But, as anyone can tell you, it's what you put into the hours, not the hours you put in. ----Back to studying

OUBobcat wrote:

brownpride wrote:153 cold to a 173 in June. 4 weeks of intense studying (50 hrs/wk). And if I had spent a proper 4-5 months I probably could have hit 175.

After my diagnostic it was my dream to break 170. Practice and familiarity really do help, and if you're dedicated a +20 - +25 jump certainly isn't out of the picture.

This has definitely has given me some motivation to put even more hours in. But, as anyone can tell you, it's what you put into the hours, not the hours you put in. ----Back to studying

Yeah, I agree with this. I don't this the LSAT is something you can just "grind". It requires careful contemplation and planning to effectively tackle. There is only so much prep material at your disposal.

see http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =6&t=83117