Low diagnosic - upper sophmore in college Forum

[gnomgnomuch]

Ive recently taken a practice Lsat test, and scored terribly (147) on it. This was taken completely cold and under pretty bad conditions, though it was timed. My main problems were Logic Games and Logical Reasoning (i had -12 or -13) on all of those sections, though Reading Comprehension was a lot better! I have my eyes set on an elite school T-14, where you need an Lsat of 170+ to get in.

Im wondering if you guys can give me tips on the study plan ive made for myself, bearing in mind that im only an upper sophmore in college, and have around 1.5 years before i take the test.

Im going to go over the Kaplan book i bought for Logic Games, unti i feel that i have gotten the hang off the games. This i think will take a couple of months. Once i get that done, ill move on to doing real sections from previous lsats, under timed conditions. Ill basically repeat this with Logical Reasoning and to an lesser extent Reading Comprehension. (I will also use the Bibles, and other books)

Once ive done that, ill take another LSAT. Hopefully my score would be in the 160's by than. After this is done, no matter what the score is, unless its in the 170's, i plan to take a LSAT prep course, to maximize my gains. I hope to be scoring around 165 by this time next year, which would leave me 6 months or so, to get that final push into the 170 and range, is this a realistic outlook?

This is just a outline of how i plan to study, but if this is done, do i have a shot to scoring 170+? Any of you out there, who started with low diagnostics and ended up in the 170s, your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[AHarpinng]

Well this is uncanny! Our posts are virtually the same, and were written within 30 minutes of each other.

[cause8191]

First, throw that Kaplan book in the fireplace. Seriously, Kaplan sucks. Use Manhattan or the LG Bible for LG - and for everything else. Manhattan, Powerscore, and Cambridge are the only brands you really need.

Second, an 18 month study plan is not a smart idea for the LSAT. Mastering the LSAT requires recognizing patterns and becoming almost robotic in your approach. You need to spend about 5-6 months of intense studying, no less than 2-3 hours per day. I think you would be better off just forgetting about the LSAT now and then come back to it next year than casually studying for a year and a half, unless you can manage taking it this year sometime.

Third, trying to learn the material without drilling is pointless. Once you learn about a particular type of question, do tons of problems only concentrating on that type.

Fourth, prep courses aren't really necessary. Studying alone, on your own schedule, focusing on your specific strengths and weaknesses is the way to go.

Fifth, diagnostics mean nothing. It's like taking a final exam on the first day of class. I only scored in the mid-150s on mine, but I still have great confidence that I will break 170 at least in June.

Look into pithypike's plan and arrange it according to your needs.

[gnomgnomuch]

I dont mean hardcore studying, more of a going over every section to be at a decent level of solving each type of problem and than once im at that level, do insane studying for a couple of months and than take the test.

Is Kaplan really that terrible :O

[rad lulz]

You're a sophomore. Get a life.

[cynthiad]

I dont mean hardcore studying, more of a going over every section to be at a decent level of solving each type of problem and than once im at that level, do insane studying for a couple of months and than take the test.

Is Kaplan really that terrible :O

I wouldn't recommend this. You should do moderate studying for about 6 months. If you do light studying earlier on, you won't learn very fast and might reinforce bad habits. If you do "insane" studying leading up to the test, you'll get burned out.

You should absolutely look over pithypike's schedule, or the ones at LSAT blog. Those will give you a good idea of what to do in what order.

Also, don't worry about that diagnostic, it means nothing. LR and LG are easier to improve than RC, so it's good that those are the sections you need to improve the most. The LSAT is a test you can learn.

Also, taking an LSAT prep course at all is not necessary, but taking it after you have self-studied makes no sense at all. The prep courses tend to be geared towards middle/low scorers, and are more helpful for learning the basics of the test than perfecting your ability.

[gnomgnomuch]

You're a sophomore. Get a life.

ouch, you hurt my feelings.

[LawyerBrah]

Throw the Kaplan book in the garbage

Get this instead

http://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-LSAT-L ... 0980178207

and this

http://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-LSAT-L ... ning+bible

followed by this

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Reading ... 1935707124

[sparty99]

You're a sophomore. Get a life.

+1,000

[Teflon_Don]

Retake. ED UVA

[CyanIdes Of March]

Retake. ED UVA

Why is that becoming a meme around here?

[rad lulz]

Retake. ED UVA

Why is that becoming a meme around here?

It's an old meme

[CyanIdes Of March]

Retake. ED UVA

Why is that becoming a meme around here?

It's an old meme

Ok. Why is it a meme? I just don't get it, need it explained to me.

[rad lulz]

Retake. ED UVA

Why is that becoming a meme around here?

It's an old meme

Ok. Why is it a meme? I just don't get it, need it explained to me.

Because if you have > 3.0 and 170+ you can ED to UVA and you'll pretty much get in. So it works for almost everyone who doesn't have a sps GPA.