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Greetings TLS community. I've been lurking for a bit now, but this is my first actual post.

I just took my first diagnostic test (June 2007) and scored a 168. I would like to take the June test, but unfortunately my school is on the quarter system and the June test falls on my spring quarter finals week. I have a few questions regarding the timeline that I have in mind:

1) Is it advisable to take the test with less than 3 months of preparation in between my initial diagnostic and the actual test?
2) Does anyone have any experience that they could share in regards to taking the LSAT during finals week? Is this an awful idea? My course load for this particular quarter will be pretty light, which leads me to believe that I'll be able to dedicate a large portion of my time to LSAT studying and that my school work will not overwhelm me.
3) If I don't take it in June I could take the September test, but I will be abroad at that time. Is it generally ill-advised to take the test overseas?

Thanks in advance for any input.

GauchoMarx wrote:Greetings TLS community. I've been lurking for a bit now, but this is my first actual post.

I just took my first diagnostic test (June 2007) and scored a 168. I would like to take the June test, but unfortunately my school is on the quarter system and the June test falls on my spring quarter finals week. I have a few questions regarding the timeline that I have in mind:

1) Is it advisable to take the test with less than 3 months of preparation in between my initial diagnostic and the actual test?
2) Does anyone have any experience that they could share in regards to taking the LSAT during finals week? Is this an awful idea? My course load for this particular quarter will be pretty light, which leads me to believe that I'll be able to dedicate a large portion of my time to LSAT studying and that my school work will not overwhelm me.
3) If I don't take it in June I could take the September test, but I will be abroad at that time. Is it generally ill-advised to take the test overseas?

Thanks in advance for any input.

First, congrats on the strong diagnostic (assuming that you took it under timed conditions). June '07 has a brutal curve.

1) Don't think about prep in terms of the amount of time necessary. You should instead set a target score for yourself and only take the test when you are consistently hitting (or exceeding) that mark. Some people take a year to achieve their target, others take only a few weeks. Start studying now, see where you are come the June registration deadline, and make your decision then.

2) I can certainly see how taking the LSAT during finals could be difficult. Ideally, however, all of your LSAT prep will be finished by this time (most people only do light review in the week preceding the test). Nonetheless, if you think that testing in June will compromise either your LSAT or GPA, don't do it.

3) I'll let someone with direct experience comment on this. Keep in mind that overseas tests are not disclosed (you can't see your answers), which can make it difficult to assess your weaknesses.

GauchoMarx wrote:Greetings TLS community. I've been lurking for a bit now, but this is my first actual post.

I just took my first diagnostic test (June 2007) and scored a 168. I would like to take the June test, but unfortunately my school is on the quarter system and the June test falls on my spring quarter finals week. I have a few questions regarding the timeline that I have in mind:

1) Is it advisable to take the test with less than 3 months of preparation in between my initial diagnostic and the actual test?
2) Does anyone have any experience that they could share in regards to taking the LSAT during finals week? Is this an awful idea? My course load for this particular quarter will be pretty light, which leads me to believe that I'll be able to dedicate a large portion of my time to LSAT studying and that my school work will not overwhelm me.
3) If I don't take it in June I could take the September test, but I will be abroad at that time. Is it generally ill-advised to take the test overseas?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Was this diagnostic purely cold? In other words, did you have any prior experience with the LSAT?

I had read a couple logic games before, but this test was the first time actually having tried to solve a game in a real testing environment.

Thanks for the response, random number. I'll take what you've said into consideration. I'm setting 174 as the target score for myself, and unless I'm scoring that on a consistent basis leading up to the test I will not take it.

GauchoMarx wrote:I had read a couple logic games before, but this test was the first time actually having tried to solve a game in a real testing environment.

Thanks for the response, random number. I'll take what you've said into consideration. I'm setting 174 as the target score for myself, and unless I'm scoring that on a consistent basis leading up to the test I will not take it.

No problem. I suggest joining the June study group if you haven't done so already - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=211248

Good lord do not try to take the LSAT during finals week.

Overseas tests aren't a bad thing, its just that they are undisclosed (so you won't get anything back but your score)

Sounds like you're a natural test taker, so I suspect that you're not overly stressed about finals, either? If that's accurate and you're going to have time to rest (physically and mentally) during that week, there's no reason you can't take the LSAT during finals week.

You have plenty of time between now and June to make the improvement you're looking for (if you're ever going to be able to).

I don't know anything about taking the test abroad, but given what you've said there doesn't seem to be any reason to delay and contend with any issues that might arise--just get it done in June and move on.