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Hi guys!

I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m starting to study for the LSAT. I wanted to see where I was at before taking any classes or reading any prep books so I took a practice LSAT and got a 144. I know this is an awful score but considering I’ve only finished one year of college and have done virtually no studying yet, how do you think this score is? Did anyone else take a practice LSAT before they started studying and if so, how did you do?

Also, is the summer after freshman year too early for me to start studying for the LSAT or will starting now give me a bit of a leg up on the competition?

20+ point increases are possible. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=189001

You have two years before you would be taking the test "on time". Thats a little much. There is no harm in previewing the material a bit (read the PSBs/M), but as far as hardcore studying goes, anywhere between 3 months and a year is usually sufficient.

Freshmam through junior year are time to build softs not study for the lsats imo. Get involved in student government, join greek life and hold an officer position, focus on getting a big money internship, etc.

Also time spent in college has no correlation to lsat scores.

Just my opinion.

american707 wrote:Hi guys!

I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m starting to study for the LSAT. I wanted to see where I was at before taking any classes or reading any prep books so I took a practice LSAT and got a 144. I know this is an awful score but considering I’ve only finished one year of college and have done virtually no studying yet, how do you think this score is? Did anyone else take a practice LSAT before they started studying and if so, how did you do?

Also, is the summer after freshman year too early for me to start studying for the LSAT or will starting now give me a bit of a leg up on the competition?

I think you may be starting too early to actually be studying. You could very easily run out of PTs to do, and so my advice would be to grow through methods other than PTs and LSAT specific studying.

Try to maybe take some philosophy/logic-based courses.
Start working on reading comprehension, it is the hardest to improve on in the short-term but if you start reading more dense material now, you'll be much better off in a few years.

144 definitely leaves you with a lot of room for improvement, so just make sure to focus on the two pieces of advice above. Those two can lend a huge helping hand for LR and RC sections, which are harder to improve at in the short-term.

The advice above is mostly right. But I started studying the summer after my freshman year, so I just wanted to share my experience. I didn't study very hard that summer - just a few PTs here and there, and I did the first half of the LG bible. During my sophomore year in college, I would -- very occasionally -- do a PT in the library when I didn't have a lot of homework, or I would go over the LG Bible on the plane home for break, stuff like that. Nothing too intense, but enough so that when I finished my sophomore year this May I was familiar with every section and had taken ~5 or 6 preptests and pretty much knew where I stood.

I studied for the LSAT intensely from mid-May to June and took the test this June. Now I have a score I'm really happy with. I don't have to stress about it anymore, I can focus on my GPA, and I can go abroad next summer without having to worry about studying/taking a standardized test. If I hadn't done well, I would have plenty of opportunity (more than one year) to retake it and still get my apps in early.

So if you want to do that, I would say go for it, it's a huge relief to be done already. If you're planning on taking your LSAT after your junior year, don't start studying very much just yet, because they're right - there's only so much material.

american707 wrote:Hi guys!

I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m starting to study for the LSAT. I wanted to see where I was at before taking any classes or reading any prep books so I took a practice LSAT and got a 144. I know this is an awful score but considering I’ve only finished one year of college and have done virtually no studying yet, how do you think this score is? Did anyone else take a practice LSAT before they started studying and if so, how did you do?

Also, is the summer after freshman year too early for me to start studying for the LSAT or will starting now give me a bit of a leg up on the competition?

Forget that the LSAT exists for at least a year. Focus your study time on achieving a high GPA. Participate in student organizations/campus activities/programs and in other soft factor activities such as the ones mentioned in the previous posts as well as other activities that will broaden your experience and perspective of the world.

Get to know your teachers and professors by asking questions/participating in class and/or going to their office hours to chat about the material, ask questions about and discuss the subject matter (even if you really don't have any trouble with it) and whatever else in order to have sources for good LORs later when you apply to law schools. Teachers/professors remember students that show an interest and interact by doing those things, appreciate it and tend to write glowing letters of recommendation for them later down the road.

Have fun, make friends, date and get a GF or BF, don't get arrested or into any sort of trouble, or at least try not to. Play safe, but still have a good time during this time in your life, you'll regret it later if you don't.

If they are not required for your major, take a basic philosophy/logic class, statistics class, and some sort of English/literature/humanities class that requires you to read a bunch of different texts.

I think you should hold off on preparing for the LSAT for at least two years and in the meantime, absorb knowledge and build intellectual skills while also having a good time as a college student.

Jeffort wrote:

If they are not required for your major, take a basic philosophy/logic class, statistics class, and some sort of English/literature/humanities class that requires you to read a bunch of different texts.

If you do those two things, by the time you start prepping for the test you will be golden. Don't worry about your cold diagnostic. It really means nothing. This test is so learnable. I don't see why you can't jump into the 170s.

HuskyHopeful wrote:Freshmam through junior year are time to build softs not study for the lsats imo. Get involved in student government, join greek life and hold an officer position, focus on getting a big money internship, etc.

Also time spent in college has no correlation to lsat scores.

Just my opinion.

Bleh, suggesting someone join a frat to HELP them get into Law School seems like pretty bad advice.

You are really ahead of the game, but you can improve vastly considering the amount of time you have. Since you have so much time ahead of you, you dont need to rush, you can focus one why youre getting questions wrong one by one. I wouldnt go full speed studying until a few months before you take the exam

american707 wrote:Hi guys!

I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m starting to study for the LSAT. I wanted to see where I was at before taking any classes or reading any prep books so I took a practice LSAT and got a 144. I know this is an awful score but considering I’ve only finished one year of college and have done virtually no studying yet, how do you think this score is? Did anyone else take a practice LSAT before they started studying and if so, how did you do?

Also, is the summer after freshman year too early for me to start studying for the LSAT or will starting now give me a bit of a leg up on the competition?

Hey -- I just finished my freshman year as well, my diagnostic was close to yours and I'm PTing in the 170s now after a couple months of hardcore study. Don't worry about your diagnostic. Take your time with this test.