Do I have enough time to prep for the September LSAT? Forum

[olikatz]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

[RationalHeretic23]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

What other responsibilities will you have other than your full time job? This is definitely doable if you have enough free time to dedicate to studying. You can always register for the September LSAT and study as if you're taking it in September, and then see what scores you're getting on practice tests around test time. If you're not scoring around 170 you can cancel the LSAT registration before the deadline and then just take it in December.

[lawschoolbound17]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

Try taking a cold diagnostic to gauge where you are. I decided to do that prior to signing up for June. I just started taking my class but my initial diagnostic came in at 162. I want to be in the 170s so I felt close enough to go ahead and sit for the June test. That said, I'm also monitoring my progress. May 17 is the deadline to switch your test date for the June test so if I'm not in the 170s or very close by then I may delay. Also, I wouldn't have signed up for June had that initial diagnostic come back in the 140s or 150s.

I'm studying while working a full-time job. Definitely not easy, but, if you're disciplined enough you can make the time.

[pittsburghpirates]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

I second what the other poster said about taking a diagnostic. Definitely helpful to know where you are starting from. Other than that, think pulling up to 170 by September is definitely doable. I was on a similar schedule as you this past cycle while working full time and I was happy with my timeline. Big gains are definitely possible and there are some awesome LSAT study guides on this forum. I'd suggest checking those out. I'm happy to share more details about my timeline, situation etc via PM. Best of luck!

[Lexaholik]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

Theoretically you do but that depends on where you start from. Your breakdowns matter too--improvement comes easiest if your weakest section is LG and LR. Some odds I pulled out of my ass based on personal experience:

- If your diagnostic score is 160+ I'd say you have a pretty good chance (75%+) of getting to 170 in 5 months.
- If 155 to 160, maybe 50% depending on how much you practice and how effectively you study
- If less than 155, you're unlikely to hit 170 by Sept.

The key is zeroing on your weaknesses and systematically improving them. Most people don't practice enough. And those who do just take practice tests over and over again which helps in the beginning but eventually is ineffective.

In all likelihood, you'll hit a plateau somewhere along the way--don't let that throw you mentally. Do drills, take breaks, and you will gradually see improvement. If you're dead set on maxing out your score in September, I would absolutely invest in the best LSAT self study materials, or even tutor, depending on your personal learning style. It might seem expensive but you'll get really good ROI.

[Blueprint Mithun]

Assuming I have done no prep work whatsoever and will be starting full time employment in June, will I have enough time to be adequately prepared to earn a 170 for for the September test or will i be well advised to sign up for a later test date?

It's not possible for us to answer this question without more information. You should definitely take a diagnostic test (follow the timing restrictions) ASAP. That'll give you a feel for the test, and a general idea of where you're at. However, you shouldn't put too much stock into this score, as it tells you nothing about how fast you'll pick up the material. Afterwards, dive into prepping, whether it's through some online resources or prep books. See if you feel like you could teach yourself this stuff, or if a course/tutor would be a better course of action.

It's definitely important to treat studying for the LSAT like a part-time job. That's the advice my pre-law advisor gave me, and it served me really well. Don't slack off, put in your hours, and put in SOME time every day (or 6 out of 7 days per week).

Everyone learns this stuff at a different pace, but it is definitely very learnable. I went from a 153 diagnostic to a 175 on the actual test in exactly 3 months. I put in probably 30 hours a week leading up to then. That's just my particular case, though. Don't treat anyone else's path like it's scientific data. Get in there and work on it yourself, as soon as possible. Hope that helps!