Six months too little or too much time to prep? Forum

[Lt. Dan]

Hey all,

I've been a lurker for quite some time, and now I'm more than likely going to be sitting for the June 2012 LSAT (set to graduate in the spring of 2013). That being said, I've read a lot of conflicting advice regarding LSAT prep and how long one should go about prepping so as not to burn out too soon.

My goal is a 180, and I hope that I can reach that or very near to it. I'm currently rocking a near perfect GPA at a Public Ivy, and I intend to keep it that way. My only concerns in the coming spring semester will be the LSAT and maintaining my current A average.

I've read over the various 180 guides and have glanced at the Pithypike thread. I'm going to buy the Powerscore bibles and as many official tests as I can.

My questions are: would starting right after Christmas be overkill? Would I burn out over six months? Or, is it better to spend the most time possible prepping and start now?

Thanks in advance.

[bport hopeful]

lulz at knowing you can reach a 180

[Lt. Dan]

True, that's naive.

Edited to reflect that.

[bport hopeful]

Six months is plenty of time to study.

[Lt. Dan]

Thanks. Would you say that there is an ideal amount of time to spend prepping, something along the lines of a happy median between burning out and not having enough time?

[bport hopeful]

Thanks. Would you say that there is an ideal amount of time to spend prepping, something along the lines of a happy median between burning out and not having enough time?

Honestly, I didnt prep the traditional balls out way of TLS because I didnt know TLS existed and didnt really understand the magnitude of the test. I studied for like a month and a half on my lunch breaks.

I would guess that if you have six months to dedicate, do it.

[Lt. Dan]

Gotcha. That's what I've been thinking. Thanks for the insight.

[Seneca]

You can certainly prep without seeing a drop in your GPA, and you seem like you have a strong idea about what you need to do to allocate your time, given your GPA thus far. Six months isn't necessarily "too much or too little time" - people on this site have prepped for closer to a year, others have studied very effectively over three months, it just depends on your schedule, personal progress, and any number of other factors. One nice thing about having six months to work with is that you can afford to take a few days to a week completely off from LSAT prep, which some on this site have found to be beneficial.

[gaud]

^ non fiction.

You could potentially just create a light schedule (maybe pithypike's guide on a slower pace), which may prevent burnouts.

For me the issue of a burnout relatively disappeared after learning to love the LSAT.

[Lt. Dan]

Aye, having the ability to take a few days off is definitely a plus. I couldn't imagine prepping for a year. That's insane.

I'm just going over the preliminaries now. TLS has been an amazing resource thus far, and I can only imagine it will grow even more useful as I get into the actual prep.

Gaud, I certainly hope I can learn to love the LSAT. I guess only time will tell.

[Seneca]

Aye, having the ability to take a few days off is definitely a plus. I couldn't imagine prepping for a year. That's insane.

I'm just going over the preliminaries now. TLS has been an amazing resource thus far, and I can only imagine it will grow even more useful as I get into the actual prep.

Gaud, I certainly hope I can learn to love the LSAT. I guess only time will tell.

Hate > loving to hate it > love, if you don't love it to begin with. That was my experience with RC. I'm an English major and have great speed and reading retention, but I just despised that section and occasionally would go up to -8 on my first couple PTs. Finally I just drilled it to death, and by the end, I would intersperse LR drills with RC (I'd see how fast/accurate I could go on individual passages and whole sections) and LG for a "fun reward." I didn't realize how much I really loved it, though, until those weeks waiting for my score. The days felt so long without LSAT prep - by the end I was doing either two 3-4 hour sessions, or a big long PT and review session (but not both) almost every day. CONFESSION: I can't wait for October's test to release so I can have a new LG section.

I admit that prepping for a year may have killed the joy pretty handily.

[094320]

..

[Killingly]

I'm currently rocking a near perfect GPA at a Public Ivy, and I intend to keep it that way.

Is that worth pointing out? I sincerely doubt this means anything.

And I prepped for 5 months. I'll let you know how that worked for me in about 2 weeks.

[Lt. Dan]

Thanks for the tips, all. It's to my understanding that logic games are the most learnable of the sections, but also the section that most people start out the worst in.

Killingly, it wasn't necessary, no, but I wanted to give some kind of idea as to my UG institution. It does seem kind of pretentious now that I'm looking at it.

[Killingly]

Thanks for the tips, all. It's to my understanding that logic games are the most learnable of the sections, but also the section that most people start out the worst in.

Killingly, it wasn't necessary, no, but I wanted to give some kind of idea as to my UG institution. It does seem kind of pretentious now that I'm looking at it.

Logic games are the easiest to learn; buy the Powerscore Bible, it'll help.

And no worries. I'm at a "public Ivy," too - I just wanted you to know that it'll mean nothing in terms of admissions.

[Lt. Dan]

Would you recommend the Powerscore Bibles for the other sections as well?

[Seneca]

Would you recommend the Powerscore Bibles for the other sections as well?

Before I took a course, I worked through the LGB and thought it was excellent. I had a great instructor for my course, so I didn't spend as much time with the RCB and LRB, but I thought what I read in both was pretty quality. I do wish I had supplemented the course more with the LRB, as that's where I really choked on test day. If you can only buy one, go for LG, but I do strongly recommend the other two, especially if you're prepping independently.

[Killingly]

Would you recommend the Powerscore Bibles for the other sections as well?

I'd recommend the LGB and the LRB. I bought the RCB but never opened it because I was already really strong in RC.

[CodyRuegger]

6 months is fine. Just make sure you don't exhaust your prep material too quickly. You want to have fresh practice tests for the last 2 months or so.

By 'Public Ivy' do you mean UCB? I really can't think of any other public school that ranks in Ivy territory. I heard a lot of 'west coast Ivy' from my high school peers about their acceptance letters from USC and UCLA... annoyed the sheight out of me.

[josh43299]

6 months is fine. Just make sure you don't exhaust your prep material too quickly. You want to have fresh practice tests for the last 2 months or so.

By 'Public Ivy' do you mean UCB? I really can't think of any other public school that ranks in Ivy territory. I heard a lot of 'west coast Ivy' from my high school peers about their acceptance letters from USC and UCLA... annoyed the sheight out of me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy

[Tiago Splitter]

6 months is fine. Just make sure you don't exhaust your prep material too quickly. You want to have fresh practice tests for the last 2 months or so.

By 'Public Ivy' do you mean UCB? I really can't think of any other public school that ranks in Ivy territory. I heard a lot of 'west coast Ivy' from my high school peers about their acceptance letters from USC and UCLA... annoyed the sheight out of me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy

Wow I guess UCI is a public Ivy. I better update my resume.

[CodyRuegger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy

Looks like I learned something today!

[Lt. Dan]

I'll be honest, I picked up the term on here.

[paul34]

Powerscore is good (I used the LR and LG bibles). But really, you will need to practice on your own to really improve. The Powerscore methods are good, and they will get you started, but it really won't be enough. Honestly, no one's method will be enough. You need to start programming your brain to understand the LSAT. That takes practice. Different people's "methods" help to shorten the learning curve.

Just start studying; I think you'll understand soon enough whether you feel like you're getting anywhere. Six months is good - it gives you enough time to take some time off in case you start to burn out.