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I scored a 134 on the very first exam.
Have Princeton Review 2014 test prep books.

Possible to reach 160 by September?

URM 3.0 GPA from top public school in Illinois.

JDman wrote:I scored a 134 on the very first exam.
Have Princeton Review 2014 test prep books.

Possible to reach 160 by September?

URM 3.0 GPA from top public school in Illinois.

I tried PR books too. But once I got into studying, I heard that PR is one of the worst methods of studying because "they make their own questions, they dont use LSAC's" ? or something along those lines

choward014 wrote:

JDman wrote:I scored a 134 on the very first exam.
Have Princeton Review 2014 test prep books.

Possible to reach 160 by September?

URM 3.0 GPA from top public school in Illinois.

I tried PR books too. But once I got into studying, I heard that PR is one of the worst methods of studying because "they make their own questions, they dont use LSAC's" ? or something along those lines

Shit, what do you use?

JDman wrote:

choward014 wrote:

JDman wrote:I scored a 134 on the very first exam.
Have Princeton Review 2014 test prep books.

Possible to reach 160 by September?

URM 3.0 GPA from top public school in Illinois.

I tried PR books too. But once I got into studying, I heard that PR is one of the worst methods of studying because "they make their own questions, they dont use LSAC's" ? or something along those lines

Shit, what do you use?

I started with the bibles, then I've slowly transitioned to the manhattan LSAT books. I'm taking a PT tomorrow to see how its helped.

Yeah, don't use Princeton Review. Get PowerScore, Manhattan or the LSAT Trainer.

.

Don't sweat it. If you could have chosen your diagnostic, you would have gotten a 180. In other words, there no sense in lamenting a low diagnostic score since you can't control it.

Use the search function (I know you're new, so I'm not being a douche) for terms like "low diagnostic" "diagnostic" and things like that. There are plenty of threads here on TLS about being an LSAT Drake (started from the bottom)

My first PT was a 145 and my last PT was a 163, and I'm not even close to the best success story on TLS.

You do need to be aware, though, that it will be a long road. It's taken my a long time just to break the 160s on prep tests.

Use 7sage free explanations for logic games and then fro LR and RC use whatever (7sage, Manhattan, Blueprint, Powerscore, anything but Kaplan basically), and get your hands on some real LSAT questions from either LSAC, Cambridge, or LSAT Blog.

Look up pithypike's guide, noodleyone's guide, and daily_double's guide to the LSAT.

Don't put yourself on a timetable. Law school sin't going anywhere. If you aren't ready by September, don't take the LSAT then. Wait till you're ready.

And read this guy's guide he has linked on this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=230771

Good luck. It'll be hard, but don't get discouraged.

^^
20 point increases from original diagnostic scores are far beyond the norm. It actually translate into 30 or so more questions correct, it's insane really.

A 152 score and a 160 score is just 8 point difference, but one jumps from a 50th percentile scorer to an 80th percentile scorer. That's a bit difficult to fathom.

My first diag was a 143. 3 months later when it was for keeps I scored a 170. I don't believe myself to be particularly gifted; I was just committed and diligent during those 3 months. You can do it, as the LSAT is very learnable, but you have to do your part.

blsnared wrote:My first diag was a 143. 3 months later when it was for keeps I scored a 170. I don't believe myself to be particularly gifted; I was just committed and diligent during those 3 months. You can do it, as the LSAT is very learnable, but you have to do your part.

that's a hell of an increase. holy shit haha. Didn't even think 27 was possible to increase that much

Possible. It will be hard though since a score that low likely means you had serious problems on RC and LR which are basically unlearnable and only marginally learnable respectfully.

FYI:

Fast Forward a few months and most people here will say a 3.0 and 160 (even as a URM) will not put you in an advantageous position as an applicant.

JDman wrote: Possible to reach 160 by September?

anything is possible bro

doubt youll be ready in time tho

be prepared to study into decemeber

i recommend this plan: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=195603

I don't think large jumps are that uncommon if you genuinely took a "raw" diagnostic. My first diag I was completely clueless and scored a 144 a month later and my last two PT's were 163 (slightly cheated on time) and 159 (fully timed conditions).

150->176
Prepare to work twice as hard as you think

Louis1127 wrote:Don't sweat it. If you could have chosen your diagnostic, you would have gotten a 180. In other words, there no sense in lamenting a low diagnostic score since you can't control it.

Use the search function (I know you're new, so I'm not being a douche) for terms like "low diagnostic" "diagnostic" and things like that. There are plenty of threads here on TLS about being an LSAT Drake (started from the bottom)

My first PT was a 145 and my last PT was a 163, and I'm not even close to the best success story on TLS.

You do need to be aware, though, that it will be a long road. It's taken my a long time just to break the 160s on prep tests.

Use 7sage free explanations for logic games and then fro LR and RC use whatever (7sage, Manhattan, Blueprint, Powerscore, anything but Kaplan basically), and get your hands on some real LSAT questions from either LSAC, Cambridge, or LSAT Blog.

Look up pithypike's guide, noodleyone's guide, and daily_double's guide to the LSAT.

Don't put yourself on a timetable. Law school sin't going anywhere. If you aren't ready by September, don't take the LSAT then. Wait till you're ready.

And read this guy's guide he has linked on this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=230771

Good luck. It'll be hard, but don't get discouraged.

I have the exact same diagnostic. How long did it take you to increase to your current score? I am having the hardest time with LG!

At least you finished the diagnostic. I gave up halfway, crumpled into a ball and then hid in a corner and started crying.

Then I opened the crumpled pages back because I thought the LSAT ghosts were gonna come after me.

If you are determined to take the September test, I would recommend buying official PTs in sets of 10 off the LSAC website. Take as many as you can. After grading each test, review the incorrect answers until you understand what you did wrong. The LG bible is also helpful if you have difficulty mapping the games.

I took 60 tests over about 18 months leading up to my test. My diagnostic was low 150 and I had PTs as high as 172 after about 50 tests.

Reaching 160s is conceivable, but you will likely need more time than a September test will allow.

Chrstgtr wrote:Possible. It will be hard though since a score that low likely means you had serious problems on RC and LR which are basically unlearnable and only marginally learnable

Ummmmmmmmmm no?

WaltGrace83 wrote:

Chrstgtr wrote:Possible. It will be hard though since a score that low likely means you had serious problems on RC and LR which are basically unlearnable and only marginally learnable

Ummmmmmmmmm no?

More like LOL no

JazzyMac wrote:At least you finished the diagnostic. I gave up halfway, crumpled into a ball and then hid in a corner and started crying.

That was my exact reaction upon seeing LG for the first time.

Chrstgtr wrote:Possible. It will be hard though since a score that low likely means you had serious problems on RC and LR which are basically unlearnable and only marginally learnable respectfully.

FYI:

Fast Forward a few months and most people here will say a 3.0 and 160 (even as a URM) will not put you in an advantageous position as an applicant.

This one. Make sure you understand that the current climate for law school graduates is not fantastic. Graduating from a lesser-ranked school exacerbates that fact. So, do look into issues regarding unemployment and debt. Don't waste your time studying for the LSAT until you've done your due diligence, and you are absolutely sure that you still want to attend (for the right reasons).

BigCityDreams wrote:

Louis1127 wrote:Don't sweat it. If you could have chosen your diagnostic, you would have gotten a 180. In other words, there no sense in lamenting a low diagnostic score since you can't control it.

Use the search function (I know you're new, so I'm not being a douche) for terms like "low diagnostic" "diagnostic" and things like that. There are plenty of threads here on TLS about being an LSAT Drake (started from the bottom)

My first PT was a 145 and my last PT was a 163, and I'm not even close to the best success story on TLS.

You do need to be aware, though, that it will be a long road. It's taken my a long time just to break the 160s on prep tests.

Use 7sage free explanations for logic games and then fro LR and RC use whatever (7sage, Manhattan, Blueprint, Powerscore, anything but Kaplan basically), and get your hands on some real LSAT questions from either LSAC, Cambridge, or LSAT Blog.

Look up pithypike's guide, noodleyone's guide, and daily_double's guide to the LSAT.

Don't put yourself on a timetable. Law school sin't going anywhere. If you aren't ready by September, don't take the LSAT then. Wait till you're ready.

And read this guy's guide he has linked on this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=230771

Good luck. It'll be hard, but don't get discouraged.

I have the exact same diagnostic. How long did it take you to increase to your current score? I am having the hardest time with LG!

Honestly it's taken me about 6 months to get to where I am now (which is still not yet where I need to be!). However, many people on TLS improved more quickly than I did from a similar starting point. Furthermore, I'm not even close to the best success story here, haha (I haven't even taken it for real yet, haha). There will be points in your prep that get tough. Just take a one or two day break when you need to and BE FLEXIBLE with your study plan.

Louis1127 wrote:

BigCityDreams wrote:

Louis1127 wrote:Don't sweat it. If you could have chosen your diagnostic, you would have gotten a 180. In other words, there no sense in lamenting a low diagnostic score since you can't control it.

Use the search function (I know you're new, so I'm not being a douche) for terms like "low diagnostic" "diagnostic" and things like that. There are plenty of threads here on TLS about being an LSAT Drake (started from the bottom)

My first PT was a 145 and my last PT was a 163, and I'm not even close to the best success story on TLS.

You do need to be aware, though, that it will be a long road. It's taken my a long time just to break the 160s on prep tests.

Use 7sage free explanations for logic games and then fro LR and RC use whatever (7sage, Manhattan, Blueprint, Powerscore, anything but Kaplan basically), and get your hands on some real LSAT questions from either LSAC, Cambridge, or LSAT Blog.

Look up pithypike's guide, noodleyone's guide, and daily_double's guide to the LSAT.

Don't put yourself on a timetable. Law school sin't going anywhere. If you aren't ready by September, don't take the LSAT then. Wait till you're ready.

And read this guy's guide he has linked on this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=230771

Good luck. It'll be hard, but don't get discouraged.

I have the exact same diagnostic. How long did it take you to increase to your current score? I am having the hardest time with LG!

Honestly it's taken me about 6 months to get to where I am now (which is still not yet where I need to be!). However, many people on TLS improved more quickly than I did from a similar starting point. Furthermore, I'm not even close to the best success story here, haha (I haven't even taken it for real yet, haha). There will be points in your prep that get tough. Just take a one or two day break when you need to and BE FLEXIBLE with your study plan.

Okay thank you so much for the reply! I haven't been studying for very long. Im really just trying to figure out which materials work best for me. I will get it together soon hopefully haha! Good luck on your prep! Hopefully I can see some improvement soon

I concur with Louis. I usually plan things in meticulous detail well in advance. What I did was I told myself do around 100 questions a day in a Cambridge drilling packet in order for me to stay on schedule. But making a schedule is only a means to an end, not an end itself. I caught myself racing through questions many times instead of analyzing them in greater detail.

OP, I highly recommend you to not go on lawstudents.ca. It's a law school forum that Canadian students usually use for advice. It's very helpful, but many many members there like to pour cold water onto someone's head if he scores low on his diagnostic, to show him the cold reality (that it's virtually impossible to score into the 170s without substantial natural talent), which I don't think is good for people's confidence.

I wouldn't worry much about that first diagnostic. You've got a ways to go, to be sure, but it's quite doable. A couple things tho:

1. Study hard, and see how you progress of course. BUT, if at all possible, do not take the December test off the table. It's somewhat advantageous to have your applications in by November, but not with a subpar LSAT score. If you're scoring between 163 and 164 in September (since you say 160 is your goal) I'd say go for it, but if you haven't yet got there I am of the opinion that you should keep gearing up for the December test. I suggest you make sure you're scoring 163 or so before you take the actual test for the same reason that I'd suggest Evel Knievel successfully clear 163 semi-trucks in practice before attempting 160 in front of a crowd. You don't want any surprises on game day.

2. There are some top-notch study materials out there and, with only a matter of weeks before the test, it is imperative that you get your hands on them. Logic Games are typically what folks find most challenging initially (that was certainly the case for me), so if you'd like more work on those I'd strongly recommend "The Blueprint for LSAT Logic Games." I'm happy to talk more about such materials if you'd like to PM me.

3. I agree with blueberrycrumble (superb name). A 26 point jump is pretty big, and in order to position yourself best for success I think you should take a Prep Course. If your schedule does not permit you to enroll in a live class, there are great online resources that are 1. less expensive and 2. allow you to study on your own time. Again, I'm happy to discuss such options thru PM if you'd like.

As a closing remark: you do have a sizable challenge ahead, but it's far from insurmountable. It is crucial, however, that you consult the very best resources available, especially given the timing.

Best luck in your studies.