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Hi all,
I took a practice LSAT cold with no studying and scored a 146. I plan on taking the Oct LSAT, so I'll have 5 months to study. Is it feasible for me to raise my score to the mid-160s by October?

Irundistance wrote:Hi all,
I took a practice LSAT cold with no studying and scored a 146. I plan on taking the Oct LSAT, so I'll have 5 months to study. Is it feasible for me to raise my score to the mid-160s by October?

Yes.

Study the Powerscore Logic Games Bible and drill Logic games sections for 2 months at least.

Do the same for Logical Reasoning, although I was not impressed with Powerscore's logical reasoning book. I hear Manhattan logical reasoning is good.

Work consistently, but don't burn yourself out.

whereskyle wrote:

Irundistance wrote:Hi all,
I took a practice LSAT cold with no studying and scored a 146. I plan on taking the Oct LSAT, so I'll have 5 months to study. Is it feasible for me to raise my score to the mid-160s by October?

Yes.

Study the Powerscore Logic Games Bible and drill Logic games sections for 2 months at least.

Do the same for Logical Reasoning, although I was not impressed with Powerscore's logical reasoning book. I hear Manhattan logical reasoning is good.

Work consistently, but don't burn yourself out.

Thanks! That's the thing I do not want to burn out by the time the test comes.

Irundistance wrote:Hi all,
I took a practice LSAT cold with no studying and scored a 146. I plan on taking the Oct LSAT, so I'll have 5 months to study. Is it feasible for me to raise my score to the mid-160s by October?

Scored about the same on my first diagnostic....I plan to take the June test, and Oct as a backup, but my intention is only once. From what I have seen, it is doable, I am studying Manhattan books, and will probably squeeze in the logic bibles, and take a lot of practice tests. I plan on doing three a week a month before the test. Hopefully this works...good luck

How are the Manhattan books in your experience? Would you rate them at or above PowerScore?

Yes.

jcg wrote:Yes.

Thanks! I just heard about that 20pt ceiling was your limit in raising your score.

There are no limits

That's great to hear, just have to study hard

Irundistance wrote:How are the Manhattan books in your experience? Would you rate them at or above PowerScore?

They are both quality. Manhattan's LR edges better for me, and PS LG.

I went from 151 -> 167 (both real LSAC administered tests). If you think you can or think you can't you're right.

.

bee wrote:

Irundistance wrote:Hi all,
I took a practice LSAT cold with no studying and scored a 146. I plan on taking the Oct LSAT, so I'll have 5 months to study. Is it feasible for me to raise my score to the mid-160s by October?

Yes, of course. But you have to be diligent and treat it like a job. Have you thought about a prep course? Getting a score lower than 160 can mean that you don't have a good foundation in informal logic (and related topics), and enrolling in a (good) course starts you on the most basic logical concepts and takes you through to game day.

I have but its too expensive, so I was going to self-study instead

Irundistance wrote:

jcg wrote:Yes.

Thanks! I just heard about that 20pt ceiling was your limit in raising your score.

Nonsense, i'd say the average is about 12 with hard work, but with incredible effort and moderate skill, there is literally no ceiling, I went up 26 from first diagnostic to final official, although I acknowledge thats far from the norm. Just work your ass off, and don't rush yourself or burn out. You have a great GPA, and the most highly valued URM status. Don't quit at 160, your not incapable of doing better, and if you can get within the 170 range, you'll be set.

Clearlynotstefan wrote:

Irundistance wrote:

jcg wrote:Yes.

Thanks! I just heard about that 20pt ceiling was your limit in raising your score.

Nonsense, i'd say the average is about 12 with hard work, but with incredible effort and moderate skill, there is literally no ceiling, I went up 26 from first diagnostic to final official, although I acknowledge thats far from the norm. Just work your ass off, and don't rush yourself or burn out. You have a great GPA, and the most highly valued URM status. Don't quit at 160, your not incapable of doing better, and if you can get within the 170 range, you'll be set.

Sounds good! I have 5 months to prep, so I'm devoting all my time and energy to studying. I purchased the LSAT Blog 5-month study plan so I can stay focused through a set schedule.

You can do anything you put your mind to. Stay focused and stay on track.

MKX wrote:You can do anything you put your mind to. Stay focused and stay on track.

Most definitely. I can picture those acceptances in my mailbox, I'll work hard to make it happen.

Manhattan is superior, but the PS bibles lay a very good foundation for first time test takers. Reading both can't hurt. And raising your score is highly likely if you stick to a rigorous study plan, since you have ~ 6 months.

Ben Franklin wrote:Manhattan is superior, but the PS bibles lay a very good foundation for first time test takers. Reading both can't hurt. And raising your score is highly likely if you stick to a rigorous study plan, since you have ~ 6 months.

How many times did you take the lsat?

As others have said, there is never a limit to how high you can go unless you place an artificial limit on yourself. I don't think it can hurt to use a variety of test materials to prepare. Seeing different companies' approach to the sections could help you if one just happens to click better for you than the other. Maybe start with Powerscore and read through, take notes, and do the practice problems. Then once you've gone through the Powerscore book (one at a time), then move on to the Manhattan book for each respective section (LG, LR, RC.) Do one section, drill the crap out of it, then move on to the next. Use the Powerscore books as the broad foundation and use the Manhattan books as the fine finishings on the Sistine Chapel of test preparation.

Ben Franklin wrote:Manhattan is superior, but the PS bibles lay a very good foundation for first time test takers. Reading both can't hurt. And raising your score is highly likely if you stick to a rigorous study plan, since you have ~ 6 months.

I was looking through the Logic Games bible and it seems like it does in fact, like you said, lay a good foundation. I figure after going through the entire thing, I can supplement it with the Manhattan books.

Brixton wrote:As others have said, there is never a limit to how high you can go unless you place an artificial limit on yourself. I don't think it can hurt to use a variety of test materials to prepare. Seeing different companies' approach to the sections could help you if one just happens to click better for you than the other. Maybe start with Powerscore and read through, take notes, and do the practice problems. Then once you've gone through the Powerscore book (one at a time), then move on to the Manhattan book for each respective section (LG, LR, RC.) Do one section, drill the crap out of it, then move on to the next. Use the Powerscore books as the broad foundation and use the Manhattan books as the fine finishings on the Sistine Chapel of test preparation.

Your approach makes sense. I know what my weaknesses are: Analytical reasoning and to a lesser extent, Logical reasoning.

I'm going to respectfully disagree on doing one, then the other. Those books are wildly different on certain games, if you work through ps, then manhattan, your not suplementing anything, your changing. Better to work through them concurrently by game type and seeing what works best for you

Clearlynotstefan wrote:I'm going to respectfully disagree on doing one, then the other. Those books are wildly different on certain games, if you work through ps, then manhattan, your not suplementing anything, your changing. Better to work through them concurrently by game type and seeing what works best for you

I'll try Powerscore first then if it doesn't work for me then I'll use Manhattan.
Thanks for your advice