Top Law Schools

Hi all,

First time poster, long time lurker. Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!

I'm currently signed up for the February LSAT administration. I got a 163 on my semi-cold diagnostic back in late November (I took it right before my first Manhattan LSAT prep course). I call it "semi-cold" because I had briefly glossed over the Powerscore Bibles just so I could get an idea as to what the test was actually testing, so I knew some very fundamental basics about LR and LG. I also have been going through the LSAT Trainer simultaneously while taking the Manhattan LSAT course, which I am halfway through.

While I've been told 163 is a solid cold diag, I seem to have absolutely plateaued in terms of my progress. My recent PTs have been around 165-166. I really want a 172+. My weakest section is by far LR at this point (around 10 wrong overall when doing a full PT).

It's definitely disheartening, considering I am definitely putting in the work outside of class. I've also consulted with a couple tutors outside of class, who have given me some pointers. I feel like I am definitely making some mental gains, but the results simply aren't showing up on paper.

Besides doing PTs as part of my regular study routine (about 2 a week), I'm going to be taking a couple PTs prior to February in more test-like conditions, which may influence where I score also (I currently take the tests in my apartment). I am applying to JD/MBA programs in Fall 2014 (entering Fall 2015), and took the GMAT while still in college. When I took the GMAT I didn't get 700+ 'til about a week before the test (it was senior spring) and nailed a 760 on the actual thing. Granted, the GMAT is a vastly different exam, but my hope is that I can make some solid gains in this last month.

Regardless, I was hoping for some advice about whether I should postpone until the June administration. I do work full-time and there are a lot of work-related things that are coming up after February that I do want to be fully in-the-loop for, and studying on the side for the LSAT during that time would be detrimental. Any tips or advice would about the test itself would be very much appreciated as well.

englandco wrote:
Regardless, I was hoping for some advice about whether I should postpone until the June administration. I do work full-time and there are a lot of work-related things that are coming up after February that I do want to be fully in-the-loop for, and studying on the side for the LSAT during that time would be detrimental. Any tips or advice would about the test itself would be very much appreciated as well.

That is a question you and only you can answer.

But, if you're looking for guidance on how to answer it for yourself, I'd say that you should figure out why your perceived gains aren't showing up on paper. Do you go over every missed question with a fine-toothed comb? Are your missed questions confined to a single section (LG, for example), a single type of question (sufficient/necessary assumption), or scattered throughout the test? These are considerations you should account for when deciding how much prep-time you need and how to approach the prep.

To the extent that you will be quite busy after February, that's going to be another obstacle for you. Others on this forum have posted about having a full-time job, five kids, and a husband and still scored 170+, so it's not unheard of. But, the more time you have to prepare is obviously important, as more prep-time generally lends itself to a better score.

I hope you figure out what you want to do. Good luck.