Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.? Forum

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ar1656

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Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by ar1656 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:28 pm

I'm taking the Oct. LSAT and my starting point is 150.
Is there a possibility that I can hit 170 by Oct?
Is 63 days enough time to prepare for that?
Should I push my LSAT back to Dec?

Hardest section is RC, easiest LR.
Last edited by ar1656 on Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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gaud

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by gaud » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:32 pm

It's certainly possible to make a jump that large, however, achieving it by October may be difficult. I'd say you should continue with your prep and if you feel ready in October, you should go for it. If not, postpone for December.

Good luck!

thederangedwang

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by thederangedwang » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:43 pm

gaud wrote:It's certainly possible to make a jump that large, however, achieving it by October may be difficult. I'd say you should continue with your prep and if you feel ready in October, you should go for it. If not, postpone for December.

Good luck!
Basically this, however, I would suggest that if you cant make it by october, depending on your situation, it may be better to sit out a year and reapply next cycle

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JamMasterJ

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by JamMasterJ » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:45 pm

you really ought to wait for December. I wish had waited the first time (insert joke)

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gaud

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by gaud » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:46 pm

^ agreed. (with thederangedwang)

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heebie-jeebies

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by heebie-jeebies » Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:56 pm

ar1656 wrote:I'm taking the Oct. LSAT and my starting point is 150.
Is there a possibility that I can hit 170 by Oct?
Is 63 days enough time to prepare for that?
Should I push my LSAT back to Dec?

Hardest section is RC, easiest LR.
As others have suggested, you've got a lot of work in front of you, and an October test date is probably too aggressive, although certainly not impossible.

I would add that both the amount of work in front of you and the likelihood of jumping ~20 points depends on whether the score of 150 is a "cold" diagnostic (i.e., you did zero preparation before sitting down to take it) as well as whether it was taken in timed or untimed conditions.

A score of 150 on a cold diagnostic under timed conditions is much different than a score of 150 that was achieved after several weeks of study and under untimed conditions. With the former, you're main challenge is likely to be gaining familiarity with the different types of questions, whereas with the latter, there are probably deeper issues that will need to be addressed.

ETA: Obviously, the above is an oversimplification, but since you didn't specify the conditions pertaining to the 150, I thought it would illustrate my point.

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Nova

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by Nova » Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:10 pm

ar1656 wrote:I'm taking the Oct. LSAT and my starting point is 150.
Is there a possibility that I can hit 170 by Oct?
Is 63 days enough time to prepare for that?
Should I push my LSAT back to Dec?
It is possible, but very unlikely.
Not typically.
Depends. See where you are at by the deadline, Sept 4th (or 14th if you dont mind the late fee), and make the decision then.

ar1656

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by ar1656 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:14 pm

heebie-jeebies wrote:
ar1656 wrote:I'm taking the Oct. LSAT and my starting point is 150.
Is there a possibility that I can hit 170 by Oct?
Is 63 days enough time to prepare for that?
Should I push my LSAT back to Dec?

Hardest section is RC, easiest LR.
As others have suggested, you've got a lot of work in front of you, and an October test date is probably too aggressive, although certainly not impossible.

I would add that both the amount of work in front of you and the likelihood of jumping ~20 points depends on whether the score of 150 is a "cold" diagnostic (i.e., you did zero preparation before sitting down to take it) as well as whether it was taken in timed or untimed conditions.

A score of 150 on a cold diagnostic under timed conditions is much different than a score of 150 that was achieved after several weeks of study and under untimed conditions. With the former, you're main challenge is likely to be gaining familiarity with the different types of questions, whereas with the latter, there are probably deeper issues that will need to be addressed.

ETA: Obviously, the above is an oversimplification, but since you didn't specify the conditions pertaining to the 150, I thought it would illustrate my point.
I've been preparing on and off all summer. The 150 was not a cold diagnostic.

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heebie-jeebies

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by heebie-jeebies » Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:52 pm

ar1656 wrote:I've been preparing on and off all summer. The 150 was not a cold diagnostic.
Get back to work and ditch the "off" button. Whether you take the test in October or December, you can little afford to be less than fully committed to mastering this test.

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Bankrupt257

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by Bankrupt257 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:36 pm

ar1656 wrote:
heebie-jeebies wrote:
ar1656 wrote:I'm taking the Oct. LSAT and my starting point is 150.
Is there a possibility that I can hit 170 by Oct?
Is 63 days enough time to prepare for that?
Should I push my LSAT back to Dec?

Hardest section is RC, easiest LR.
As others have suggested, you've got a lot of work in front of you, and an October test date is probably too aggressive, although certainly not impossible.

I would add that both the amount of work in front of you and the likelihood of jumping ~20 points depends on whether the score of 150 is a "cold" diagnostic (i.e., you did zero preparation before sitting down to take it) as well as whether it was taken in timed or untimed conditions.

A score of 150 on a cold diagnostic under timed conditions is much different than a score of 150 that was achieved after several weeks of study and under untimed conditions. With the former, you're main challenge is likely to be gaining familiarity with the different types of questions, whereas with the latter, there are probably deeper issues that will need to be addressed.

ETA: Obviously, the above is an oversimplification, but since you didn't specify the conditions pertaining to the 150, I thought it would illustrate my point.
I've been preparing on and off all summer. The 150 was not a cold diagnostic.
Devote 3 hours a day to it. Cut sleep. Thats the only way its going to happen. I am trying to to the same thing (my 153 diagnostic was cold though), so you are not alone. But you have to make this your life until then. I cant even remember the last time I have been out doing anything fun for more than an hour. I kind of wish I did not have to go to graduate school this semester to devote more time to it. but even so - Cut 3-4 hours of sleep. Personally if you sleep 11-7am, I would wake up at 5-6...hit it before work assuming 8am...then as soon as you come home (assuming 8pm), eat hit it from 9-11 or 12...if you cant devote time like that...then no.

ar1656

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by ar1656 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:01 pm

By on and off, I mean I took a week off for a funeral then two weeks off for surgery, etc. Not laziness. I just wanted to rectify and explain that definition.

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yoni45

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by yoni45 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:06 pm

Bankrupt257 wrote:Devote 3 hours a day to it. Cut sleep. Thats the only way its going to happen. I am trying to to the same thing (my 153 diagnostic was cold though), so you are not alone. But you have to make this your life until then. I cant even remember the last time I have been out doing anything fun for more than an hour. I kind of wish I did not have to go to graduate school this semester to devote more time to it. but even so - Cut 3-4 hours of sleep. Personally if you sleep 11-7am, I would wake up at 5-6...hit it before work assuming 8am...then as soon as you come home (assuming 8pm), eat hit it from 9-11 or 12...if you cant devote time like that...then no.
Dedication, yes, but one point: don't cut sleep. You need sleep for the things you study to consolidate into your intuition.

Cut whatever else, but not sleep.

(on topic: 20 points is definitely possible, but it's a hell of an uphill battle. Whether you make it or not by October is to be seen, but really shouldn't affect your prep: push your hardest, and if it happens it happens; if not, December...)

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magp90

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by magp90 » Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:23 pm

I would definitely say that it's more difficult if it wasn't a cold diagnostic. I got in the low/mid 150's the first time I took a cold diagnostic LSAT back in March/April. Now I'm hovering around a 167, and I still have a couple of months until the October exam. Just be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and devote some uninterrupted time to it every day. Once you figure out what you do and don't have to work on, you can better structure your time to tailor your needs.

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Triveal

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by Triveal » Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:17 am

I went from a 154 cold diagnostic to a 172 on my second timed PT. In between, I did both the LG and the LR bibles thoroughly. It took me 3 weeks or so. It's definitely possible.

Bgibbs

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Re: Possibility of jumping ~20 pts.?

Post by Bgibbs » Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:25 am

If LG was your worst section then you might have a chance to make a major jump (not necessarily 20 points) by October, but with RC being your worst section and the 150 not being a cold diagnostic I don't know if you can pull it off. You'd probably be better off waiting until the next application cycle unless you see dramatic improvement quickly.

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