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As a general rule how long does it take to break 170?

My cold score is 153 and I broke 160 after a couple weeks of intense drilling. I've heard it takes a lot of work to break 170.

Well there's no one answer for this, it differs for everyone. Some people study for a few months and break 170, while others study for more than a year and continue to struggle to break it.

I think 3 hours minimum for 6 days and one 4 hour day for a PT over 3 months produces a 170.

TheMikey wrote:Well there's no one answer for this, it differs for everyone. Some people study for a few months and break 170, while others study for more than a year and continue to struggle to break it.

This. Some people crack 170 after a few weeks of practice. Some people can never crack a 170, and that's okay. Plenty of great law schools have median LSATs of 165-169, and a great GPA can help you overcome a slightly below-par LSAT.

Generally speaking, you should spend multiple hours each day taking sections of past tests, plus a full timed test around once a week. Focus on your trouble spots; if you're like me and cannot handle logic games, do like 50 logic game sections over multiple days until you start to get a groove. Intersperse occasional reading comp or logical reasoning to give your brain a break and keep your skills in those sections strong. I think a few months of intense practice is enough to bring most people up 10 points from their current average...you would be very well prepared for the June LSAT. Don't be afraid to retake in Oct if you aren't happy! An actual real-life LSAT freaks a lot of people out and can result in a score way below what you expected, but retakes often go much more smoothly (as long as you don't slack off in the interim). Also, don't be afraid to take days off to chill and rest your brain.

The PowerScore bibles are amazing for problem areas. I highly highly highly recommend the logic games one. Drilling just before you go to sleep helps some people absorb and remember more information.

Most importantly: You've already come so far, great work!!

scalawag wrote:As a general rule how long does it take to break 170?

My cold score is 153 and I broke 160 after a couple weeks of intense drilling. I've heard it takes a lot of work to break 170.

It's especially tough because when you're going from the 150s to 160s, you're mainly focusing on getting more questions right. Once you approach the 170s you have to put extra emphasis on things like making zero careless errors and time management. Getting one question per section wrong due to a mistake or running out of time will destroy your score. And knowing that throw your brain into some sort of mind-F where you start doubting your own answers even when you're pretty sure you got them right. I went from high 150s to mid 160s in a few weeks too, and it took me months and months of systematic practice to overcome my plateau before I reached the 170s.

19 weeks.

Some do and some just don't - I'm one of the latter as I took the LSAT 3 times, first scoring 168, then 165, and finally 164. However, depending on your GPA, if you score in the high 160s you'll still have viable t14 options.

Though I should note that I was regularly scoring 170s on timed practice tests; it just never translated onto the real test.

It took me 5-6 months. It takes some people one month (or, I've heard on these forums, even less, but 4-5 weeks is the shortest time I've personally witnessed).

As a rule of thumb, I think improving about one point per week of practice, typically with a very good prep class in the mix, is a solid measuring stick.

Anecdotally, a 153 cold diagnostic doesn't mean you won't be able to score 170. I think an improvement of up to 20 points on a cold diagnostic is doable for many. I've seen quite a few people do it.

greg giraldo apparently scored a 180 or very close to it without ever studying for it. personally, 8 months of intense prep and my cold diagnostic was lower than yours

It took me 5 months of studying 10-15 hours a week; I did it on my 11th full test.

To get to 170, I think it's more important to drill weak areas than to sit through a lot of tests.