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rfhassan wrote: Am I over-reacting and psyching myself out?

Yes. You'll do fine with proper practice. The LSAT forum has tons of helpful folks and information about rocking the LSAT. I voted September.

rfhassan wrote:Hi,
So I'm really stressing out about the LSAT. I am planning on taking on Sept 27, which is about 3 months and a half away. I am having second thoughts that it is not enough time to study since I am only two weeks into my prep.

This is entirely up to you and how you learn. My learning process is slow and steady. I cannot become great without really immersing myself in the material and understanding the general picture and the little nuances. For some people, three months is enough. For others (like me), it is not nearly enough time.

After a horrible cold diagnostic at those free sponsored practice tests, I have been really discouraged when it comes to the LSAT. I want to get at least a 168 on the lsat, but I'm scared that with my horrible 142 diagnostic I don't know how realistic that is.

I am by no means an expert on this topic, but my feeling is that any score is possible ONLY with hard work, dedication, and diligence. You won't improve much if you don't really focus and try to master this test in the right way (look on the various threads for how to do this. see "review").

Also, a 168? Shoot for 170+. The difference between a 168 and 170 are HUGE and could be the difference between going to a school for 150k and going to a school for free. I am just a 0L but most law students say that the LSAT is cake compared to being a truly achieving law student. Go for it! Get a 168 out of your head and just go for PERFECTION in every way.

I am considering doing the Dec. lsat, but I'm scared that it will be too close to deadlines, and I don't want to postpone law school a year. I am spending the first five weeks studying alone using reputable prep books ( ex: Logic Games bible) and then in July I am starting a testmaster's course

Again, I am just a 0L (so take my advice with a grain of salt). However, do NOT go in with this thinking. Prep to a score; not a deadline. If I offered you $250,000 to work at a coffee shop for a year, study your ass off for that year, AND a full ride to an amazing school, would you do it? I hope the answer is yes. Achieving a top LSAT score is very analogous to this situation. Just go get it!

I originally was prepping for June. Now it's September. If I am not ready by September 27, do you know what I am going to do? Postpone until December (I sincerely hope not!!!). While postponing sucks and being in limbo sucks, having a crippling debt sucks WAY more. Trust me, I have seen what soul-crushing debt does to people (many people). Law school can be financial suicide. It is up to you whether or not it will be.


TLS will believe in you, but ONLY if you put in the work. This is a great community.

So start cracking those books, let's rock the LSAT!

Oh and by the way, 142 is not terrible depending on your breakdown. If you got all the RC questions wrong and all the LG questions right - yea you are going to have a long road ahead of you - but diagnostics are NOT indicative of your true potential. You probably don't even know the difference between "the argument depends on..." and "the argument would be properly drawn if..." Don't beat yourself up.

~3 months is more than enough time for prep. Just keep with a study schedule (if you have one), drill, do your practice tests and you should be golden.

What you want to do can be accomplished in 3 months, but it will take a lot of dedication. TLS has some very detailed study guides and most are tailored towards having a 3 month time span to study so check some out and see what works for you. And don't get discouraged because of your cold diagnostic. If you were given a college algebra test in third grade and failed would that mean you could never pass, no you just have to learn the material. Use your cold diagnostic to see the sections you will probably have to spend more time mastering (the LSAT can be learned) and just use it as a road map from there.

December is considered late for apps but you should check the specific deadlines and admission processes for the schools you intend to apply to because it would be better to be late than out due to a score you could have increased.

And remember, the LSAT will greatly determine your law school and your law school will greatly determine your job prospects.
Your stats with the right LSAT will make you a very competitive candidate. Do your best to make it to Sept. but if you honestly feel you can do better by sitting out a cycle do that, scoring as high as you can is worth more than fitting into a timeline.