Is 157 a good starting point for the LSAT? Forum

[livingoriginalist]

I took a Testmasters diagnostic LSAT test last week and scored a 157. I walked into the test cold turkey, without any studying/preparation. Can I realistically expect a high score of 168+ if I study for a few months?

[Shib26]

What was your breakdown by section? If LG was your worst then you have a lot of room for relatively easy improvement. It depends on a lot of variables but yes it's certainly possible to hit your target score from where you're starting.

[splitterfromhell]

Depends a great deal on your section by section breakdown but most likely yes.

[charliekelly33]

I took a Testmasters diagnostic LSAT test last week and scored a 157. I walked into the test cold turkey, without any studying/preparation. Can I realistically expect a high score of 168+ if I study for a few months?

Yes. Good luck studying

[zeglo]

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[livingoriginalist]

What was your breakdown by section? If LG was your worst then you have a lot of room for relatively easy improvement. It depends on a lot of variables but yes it's certainly possible to hit your target score from where you're starting.

Logical Reasoning 69%

Reading Comprehension 81%

Logic Games 51%

[Shib26]

What was your breakdown by section? If LG was your worst then you have a lot of room for relatively easy improvement. It depends on a lot of variables but yes it's certainly possible to hit your target score from where you're starting.

Logical Reasoning 69%

Reading Comprehension 81%

Logic Games 51%

That's arguably the best way it could have turned out as LG is generally regarded as the easiest to improve and RC is the hardest to improve. Are you taking a testmasters course?

[mathis1490]

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[livingoriginalist]

What was your breakdown by section? If LG was your worst then you have a lot of room for relatively easy improvement. It depends on a lot of variables but yes it's certainly possible to hit your target score from where you're starting.

Logical Reasoning 69%

Reading Comprehension 81%

Logic Games 51%

That's arguably the best way it could have turned out as LG is generally regarded as the easiest to improve and RC is the hardest to improve. Are you taking a testmasters course?

Awesome, thanks for the info. No, they were just offering a free timed diagnostic in my area that included a 7 day trial of their website. I want to research more before dropping $$ on a class.

[Mikey]

What was your breakdown by section? If LG was your worst then you have a lot of room for relatively easy improvement. It depends on a lot of variables but yes it's certainly possible to hit your target score from where you're starting.

Logical Reasoning 69%

Reading Comprehension 81%

Logic Games 51%

It's a great starting point honestly, you're already slightly above median I believe. If you can get your LG section up then you'll easily be in the 160's if your LR and RC sections are consistent with what you stated here. But obviously you want to improve on all sections. BTW, most people start out in the 140's (myself included), so I think you will honestly do well with a great amount of drilling.

[Lexaholik]

I took a Testmasters diagnostic LSAT test last week and scored a 157. I walked into the test cold turkey, without any studying/preparation. Can I realistically expect a high score of 168+ if I study for a few months?

Maybe. I went from 158 to 170 and I'm pretty average when it comes to verbal based standardized tests. (E.g. SAT verbal and SAT II writing scores were in the 600s).

My original cold turkey diagnostic LSAT was 158 and I got my practice scores to 165 within several weeks. That felt pretty good. It took me an additional six long months or so to get that number to 170. Improvement isn't linear, especially when you get to the high 160s because every little mistake will dock you a big number of points. Your scores will plateau and you'll want to give up. And to have a margin of safety to reach your target of 168 on test day you'll likely need practice scores around 170-172.

When I look back it ended up being about a grand total of a year of studying (I retook my 170 but failed to score higher) and of course it was worth it. But when you're going through the process you will hate the LSAT, law school, and yourself. (Just look at how many threads are dedicated to discussing or complaining about LSAT practice.)

A lot of people give up along the way.

As long as you keep at it, you'll see results. Just remember that improvement doesn't come gradually or linearly. Suddenly one day you'll find yourself scoring in the 170s and won't be able to explain why.