First LSAT PT score to use as benchmark Forum

[tpj070]

I am looking to take the LSAT in January for Fall 2015 admission. My UG GPA is 3.08 but I have 1 year WE mainly in contract drafting and contract research for a medium sized corporation. (2 bill annual rev.) I just took my first LSAT PT without any prior studying to use as a benchmark before I begin studying. I scored a 149 which is much lower than what I will need to get into a solid school in my region (south east). Do you think this LSAT PT is incredibly low if I am shooting for high 160s in January? This is my first post so any advice is greatly appreciated.

[js1663]

It's possible you could improve to a 175 by January if you spent 6 hours a day studying for real, while you might end up at a 155 or even at the same 149 if you study an hour or day here or there. As with everything else in life, If you're committed, put in the time, and study at least 2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week and do it properly, 160's is very much within reach.

[nlee10]

I am looking to take the LSAT in January for Fall 2015 admission. My UG GPA is 3.08 but I have 1 year WE mainly in contract drafting and contract research for a medium sized corporation. (2 bill annual rev.) I just took my first LSAT PT without any prior studying to use as a benchmark before I begin studying. I scored a 149 which is much lower than what I will need to get into a solid school in my region (south east). Do you think this LSAT PT is incredibly low if I am shooting for high 160s in January? This is my first post so any advice is greatly appreciated.

As far as I know, there's no lsat tests in January.

As for your inquiry, I'm aiming for 165+ and I started at a 135 cold....I just hit 152 today.

[Jon McCarty]

My rule of thumb is that anyone can improve at least 20 points from their first PT with a few months and a strong effort. Get organized, get a plan, stay committed and the high 160s are a definite possibility.

[tpj070]

I am looking to take the LSAT in January for Fall 2015 admission. My UG GPA is 3.08 but I have 1 year WE mainly in contract drafting and contract research for a medium sized corporation. (2 bill annual rev.) I just took my first LSAT PT without any prior studying to use as a benchmark before I begin studying. I scored a 149 which is much lower than what I will need to get into a solid school in my region (south east). Do you think this LSAT PT is incredibly low if I am shooting for high 160s in January? This is my first post so any advice is greatly appreciated.

As far as I know, there's no lsat tests in January.

As for your inquiry, I'm aiming for 165+ and I started at a 135 cold....I just hit 152 today.

**February. December will not provide me ample time to feel prepared.

[LSAT Hacks (Graeme)]

149 is actually a pretty good diagnostic. You should definitely be able to get above 160. If your LG is low, then high 160s is feasible. Lower the LG, the better, since it's most learnable.

[Rigo]

149 is actually a pretty good diagnostic.

& February is a tad late in the cycle for fall admissions, but if you feel December is rushing it, then you have no other choice. Just be sure to have your applications ready to go so your apps go complete ASAP after the February scores are released.

[splittingheadache]

I started with a 150 diagnostic. I put off studying the LSAT for a couple of years (took the diagnostic I think during my second year) as I thought I had a lot of time. Started really pushing myself and drilling this summer while have other commitments that constantly interrupted my studying (I'd study for 3-4 weeks 5+ hours a day just drilling and then have to leave for abroad for a couple of weeks). Even just the periods of sustained studying in between where I just focused on Logic Games, I took another prep test last week and scored a 160, -1 on games, with 1/4 of the games listed on various LSAT prep websites as one of the hardest games ever.

This is just LG, I haven't even really touched RC and LR yet. Of course keep in mind LG is the easiest to improve on and that even took me months of drilling, reading, and refining my technique. I imagine RC and LR will take much longer for me to see such results.

Like the other posters before me, if you started now and minimized distractions and other commitments, in which you can put in 5+ hours a day, for at least 6 days week until January, I don't see why 170+ isn't possible.

ASSUMING YOU CAN (given work, financial situations): Also, if you take the LSAT in February, don't apply this year. Don't even apply if you take it in December. Give yourself as much time as possible until you have the highest LSAT possible and apply first day the next cycle. You would have a variety of options to choose from, and if you still want to go to the school in your region that you have your eyes on now, you will have more $$$ in scholarships.

nlee10: EXCELLENT WORK!

Good luck!

[P.J.Fry]

Yes you can and should be able to improve dramatically with a solid plan, hard work and smart studying over the next 5 months. That being said, people should not be blindly saying "sure, work hard and you can hit 170+" without knowing much more about you personally. A 170 is around the 97.5th percentile. Less than 3 people out of 100 test takers achieve that score. Everyone at TLS commonly seems to forget that this board is a very un-representative sample of test takers, and scores like that aren't possible for everyone.

I'm not saying you won't be able to hit that mark, but you have to be realistic about your own abilities and constantly be assessing where you are at throughout the process.

Good luck!

[tpj070]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have reached out to a tutor advertised locally that a friend of mine used before. He teaches small classes of 8-10 students once weekly for a total of 26 classroom hours. I think this will help me hone my skills on the test and help to have someone else assess my strengths and weaknesses.