How much improvement can be reasonably expected? Forum

[LouisianaLaw]

This is my first post...I apologize if this information is easily found somewhere else (I'm still getting used to the search feature and forum structure).

I'm a junior Biology major who has recently decided that dental school (my original plan) just isn't for me. I'm doing fine in the major (have a 3.5 GPA) but I just don't love biology or chemistry and can't imagine doing this for the rest of my life. My advisor suggested looking into law school, based on my personality type and strengths. I'm still doing some research on whether or not this is the right career decision for me, but in the event that I do decide to pursue law school admission, I decided to take a practice LSAT (the June 2007 version) to determine what I could be working with.

I scored a 170 without any preparation or study (I only looked at a few examples to know what kind of questions would be on the test). My question is, if I begin studying now, how much improvement can I reasonably expect if I plan to take the test in June 2013?

If I do decide to pursue law school, I want to get the best LSAT score I possibly can, because my GPA as a Bio major is a little lower than it would have likely been as a humanities major. Also, most of my volunteer and research experience is medical/dental related instead of having anything to do with law, so I think I may be at a bit of a disadvantage there. I'm a nontraditional student with some life experiences that may help my application a bit, but I'm not a URM and I don't think I have anything particularly outstanding or impressive that would make my application stand out.

Is it completely unreasonable to hope for a 7-8 point jump with 5-6 months of study?

[gaud]

Was the 170 from a strictly timed test?

If no, I'd take another one that is strictly timed.

If yes, I'd say you don't even need to begin studying yet. The difference between a 170 and 180 is only a handful of questions and, to be honest, a 170 is a much higher starting point than most people begin with.

I would assume if you began prepping in March that you'd be ready come June. A 170 shows you have the skills, just need some fine-tuning to improve your scores. Also, if LG gave you any trouble I'd pick up a guide from Manhattan LSAT or PowerScore.

Good luck

[LouisianaLaw]

I timed it myself with a cell phone timer and didn't allow myself to cheat on time. It was a quiet environment though, so I should probably try again with some distractions at some point.