Feedback on prep schedule Forum

[WeightliftingThinker]

In early January, I self-studied logic that is fundamental to the LSAT, law school, and legal reasoning. For the most part, I am acquainted with it, although a little more preparation will be beneficial.

My goal is to take this exam once and score in the 170s. As an aside, I am a philosophy major and criminal justice minor with a 3.92 GPA. My dream law school is a T-14 in California.

Over the next few months, I will be balancing school, LSAT prep, internship, and work. Here is the LSAT prep schedule:

Sunday: timed LSAT prep test (homework day)
Monday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Tuesday: break (homework day) (classes)
Wednesday: another timed LSAT prep test (internship) (class)
Thursday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Friday: break (homework day, work day)
Saturday: review questions I had most difficulty with among the two prep tests (work day)

I will start with the earlier LSAT exams. Although they are outdated, the exams contain concepts that I believe are applicable to more recent tests.

The plan is to follow this schedule every week leading up to the actual exam, which I plan on taking in June. If I do not feel ready, I will take it in September. Merely following this plan is not enough. I must understand the reasoning behind the choices I make, both the valid and the faulty.

My concern is that even if I go through all the exams diligently and with understanding of my mistakes, I may not break into the 170s, that I may need preparation books (i.e.: Powerscore LG and LR books). I know the conventional wisdom is that you should do what works for you.

Please share your feedback on this schedule and my goals. Thank you.

Disclosure: I was inspired by someone who spent five days per week for months preparing for this exam. He or she scored a 177. The person posted their schedule, which is similar to mine, but I cannot find it.

[erugani]

I am on the same flight path as you, sorta. I scheduled to take the June exam and my attempt is to do at least 1-2h a day, or when time is available. I am deployed right now so time is not easily available in my schedule, but I will have a solid 2 months of prep. I plan with my full time job is: Sat & Sun prep test and corrections. Then Mon-Fri review difficult sections and continue practicing on the challenging portions. Are you doing any classes or just book studying, dvds, etc.?

[WeightliftingThinker]

I am on the same flight path as you, sorta. I scheduled to take the June exam and my attempt is to do at least 1-2h a day, or when time is available. I am deployed right now so time is not easily available in my schedule, but I will have a solid 2 months of prep. I plan with my full time job is: Sat & Sun prep test and corrections. Then Mon-Fri review difficult sections and continue practicing on the challenging portions. Are you doing any classes or just book studying, dvds, etc.?

Thank you for your service. Moreover, I wish you the best of success on this exam.

You should give yourself as much time as needed to prepare, but not too short and not too long. Are you planning for the 170s? If so, without knowing all of your abilities and scheduling, I would take the September exam. June is closer than you think. Plus, your schedule probably prevents you from getting the most out of preparation.

In my schedule, I am taking two prep tests a week under timed conditions. I have seen students who received high scores mention how they took at least two prep tests a week, but correlation is not causation. It's what worked for them.

I took a prep course last summer to acquaint myself with the exam. In retrospect, I realized self study is much better than group study. No DVDs. I might get PowerScore books, which are highly acclaimed by people. However, I really want to avoid studying the test and actually study for the test. I stocked up on old and new prep tests.

[Blueprint Mithun]

In early January, I self-studied logic that is fundamental to the LSAT, law school, and legal reasoning. For the most part, I am acquainted with it, although a little more preparation will be beneficial.

My goal is to take this exam once and score in the 170s. As an aside, I am a philosophy major and criminal justice minor with a 3.92 GPA. My dream law school is a T-14 in California.

Over the next few months, I will be balancing school, LSAT prep, internship, and work. Here is the LSAT prep schedule:

Sunday: timed LSAT prep test (homework day)
Monday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Tuesday: break (homework day) (classes)
Wednesday: another timed LSAT prep test (internship) (class)
Thursday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Friday: break (homework day, work day)
Saturday: review questions I had most difficulty with among the two prep tests (work day)

I will start with the earlier LSAT exams. Although they are outdated, the exams contain concepts that I believe are applicable to more recent tests.

The plan is to follow this schedule every week leading up to the actual exam, which I plan on taking in June. If I do not feel ready, I will take it in September. Merely following this plan is not enough. I must understand the reasoning behind the choices I make, both the valid and the faulty.

My concern is that even if I go through all the exams diligently and with understanding of my mistakes, I may not break into the 170s, that I may need preparation books (i.e.: Powerscore LG and LR books). I know the conventional wisdom is that you should do what works for you.

Please share your feedback on this schedule and my goals. Thank you.

Disclosure: I was inspired by someone who spent five days per week for months preparing for this exam. He or she scored a 177. The person posted their schedule, which is similar to mine, but I cannot find it.

If you're well-acquainted with the content of the test, then this seems like a solid schedule. At a certain point, full, timed PTs are the most valuable form of prep. Still, I wouldn't discount how useful drilling can be, or rather just mixing up your regular activities in general.

Perhaps you could do an extra individual section here or there. I found that Reading Comp was my weak point in the weeks leading up to the exam, so I started adding an extra RC section to my prep during review days in between full PTs.

If you find yourself getting stuck, it may be a good idea to revisit some of your prep guides, especially for the q.types/sections that are proving the toughest.

[WeightliftingThinker]

In early January, I self-studied logic that is fundamental to the LSAT, law school, and legal reasoning. For the most part, I am acquainted with it, although a little more preparation will be beneficial.

My goal is to take this exam once and score in the 170s. As an aside, I am a philosophy major and criminal justice minor with a 3.92 GPA. My dream law school is a T-14 in California.

Over the next few months, I will be balancing school, LSAT prep, internship, and work. Here is the LSAT prep schedule:

Sunday: timed LSAT prep test (homework day)
Monday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Tuesday: break (homework day) (classes)
Wednesday: another timed LSAT prep test (internship) (class)
Thursday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Friday: break (homework day, work day)
Saturday: review questions I had most difficulty with among the two prep tests (work day)

I will start with the earlier LSAT exams. Although they are outdated, the exams contain concepts that I believe are applicable to more recent tests.

The plan is to follow this schedule every week leading up to the actual exam, which I plan on taking in June. If I do not feel ready, I will take it in September. Merely following this plan is not enough. I must understand the reasoning behind the choices I make, both the valid and the faulty.

My concern is that even if I go through all the exams diligently and with understanding of my mistakes, I may not break into the 170s, that I may need preparation books (i.e.: Powerscore LG and LR books). I know the conventional wisdom is that you should do what works for you.

Please share your feedback on this schedule and my goals. Thank you.

Disclosure: I was inspired by someone who spent five days per week for months preparing for this exam. He or she scored a 177. The person posted their schedule, which is similar to mine, but I cannot find it.

If you're well-acquainted with the content of the test, then this seems like a solid schedule. At a certain point, full, timed PTs are the most valuable form of prep. Still, I wouldn't discount how useful drilling can be, or rather just mixing up your regular activities in general.

Perhaps you could do an extra individual section here or there. I found that Reading Comp was my weak point in the weeks leading up to the exam, so I started adding an extra RC section to my prep during review days in between full PTs.

If you find yourself getting stuck, it may be a good idea to revisit some of your prep guides, especially for the q.types/sections that are proving the toughest.

What's your definition of "well-acquainted" relative to this exam?

[Blueprint Mithun]

In early January, I self-studied logic that is fundamental to the LSAT, law school, and legal reasoning. For the most part, I am acquainted with it, although a little more preparation will be beneficial.

My goal is to take this exam once and score in the 170s. As an aside, I am a philosophy major and criminal justice minor with a 3.92 GPA. My dream law school is a T-14 in California.

Over the next few months, I will be balancing school, LSAT prep, internship, and work. Here is the LSAT prep schedule:

Sunday: timed LSAT prep test (homework day)
Monday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Tuesday: break (homework day) (classes)
Wednesday: another timed LSAT prep test (internship) (class)
Thursday: review questions I got right and wrong from that prep test (classes)
Friday: break (homework day, work day)
Saturday: review questions I had most difficulty with among the two prep tests (work day)

I will start with the earlier LSAT exams. Although they are outdated, the exams contain concepts that I believe are applicable to more recent tests.

The plan is to follow this schedule every week leading up to the actual exam, which I plan on taking in June. If I do not feel ready, I will take it in September. Merely following this plan is not enough. I must understand the reasoning behind the choices I make, both the valid and the faulty.

My concern is that even if I go through all the exams diligently and with understanding of my mistakes, I may not break into the 170s, that I may need preparation books (i.e.: Powerscore LG and LR books). I know the conventional wisdom is that you should do what works for you.

Please share your feedback on this schedule and my goals. Thank you.

Disclosure: I was inspired by someone who spent five days per week for months preparing for this exam. He or she scored a 177. The person posted their schedule, which is similar to mine, but I cannot find it.

If you're well-acquainted with the content of the test, then this seems like a solid schedule. At a certain point, full, timed PTs are the most valuable form of prep. Still, I wouldn't discount how useful drilling can be, or rather just mixing up your regular activities in general.

Perhaps you could do an extra individual section here or there. I found that Reading Comp was my weak point in the weeks leading up to the exam, so I started adding an extra RC section to my prep during review days in between full PTs.

If you find yourself getting stuck, it may be a good idea to revisit some of your prep guides, especially for the q.types/sections that are proving the toughest.

What's your definition of "well-acquainted" relative to this exam?

Good question. By well-acquainted with the content, I mean:

LR:
- you're familiar with all the question types and can identify any type from reading a question prompt
- you have a reliable strategy for each question type, that you've practiced to the point where it's become second nature
- you are aware of any weaknesses you have with specific q.types (you should be working on these, by revisiting your guides and/or drilling those q.types)

And a bonus one: You've set timing benchmarks for the section, e.g. trying to have the first 10 questions done in 10 minutes, etc.

LG:
- you're familiar with each game type, and have practiced plenty of Ordering, Grouping, and Combo games. The practice should have helped familiarize you with a lot of the inferences that you'll see again and again
- you've memorized how to diagram each rule. Make sure you have a consistent way of diagramming each type of rule.

Also, a tip that not a lot of people seem to know: if you've made your main diagram but can't make many inferences, and you're considering drawing some scenarios/hypotheticals, scan the question prompts for that game. If you see a lot of conditional questions (e.g. If P was in slot 5, then...), you might not need as many big inferences, since you'll be plugging in a lot anyway. If you see several absolute questions (e.g. Which one of the following cannot be true?), then scenarios are more likely to be useful. This isn't 100% foolproof, so it shouldn't be the only factor when deciding to draw up scenarios, but it's a useful one.

RC:
- you have a reading strategy that focuses on gleaning key information from the passage during your first reading. At Blueprint, we consider the main point, author attitude, major perspectives/opinions, and a basic understanding of the passage's structure/flow to be the key elements, because most RC questions are about these.

The idea is to minimize the time you'll spend going back and forth between the passage. Questions that are more abstract/big picture, like main point, will suck your time if you're not careful, so be prepared to answer those ahead of time by looking out for those elements during your first reading. Detail-oriented questions warrant jumping back into the passage; however, if you have a decent understand of the passage's structure, you should know where to find the information you're looking for fairly quickly.

I don't think I'm forgetting anything. Hope that helps!