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I know it varies, but is this a test that can be learned?

I currently have a 157 LSAT, taken pretty much cold turkey. The only studying I did was take a free practice test administered by KAPLAN at my school, and did about an hour's worth of logic games problems the night before. It's possible I might get a nifty full time tax accounting job in Dallas, so I'd I could do that for a year while I did some serious studying. But honestly, I don't want to study my ass off for 6 months for a 3 point increase.

Could you share your thoughts and experiences?

Also would it be to much to ask that people not use the less than stellar LSAT I currently have as a reason why I should retake? We're all aspiring lawyers here; let's try keep irrelevant things out of the discussion. I'd be perfectly content going to a 3rd tier school, I just want to make sure I achieve my full potential.

LoyalRebel wrote:I know it varies, but is this a test that can be learned?

I currently have a 157 LSAT, taken pretty much cold turkey. The only studying I did was take a free practice test administered by KAPLAN at my school, and did about an hour's worth of logic games problems the night before. It's possible I might get a nifty full time tax accounting job in Dallas, so I'd I could do that for a year while I did some serious studying. But honestly, I don't want to study my ass off for 6 months for a 3 point increase.

Could you share your thoughts and experiences?

Also would it be to much to ask that people not use the less than stellar LSAT I currently have as a reason why I should retake? We're all aspiring lawyers here; let's try keep irrelevant things out of the discussion. I'd be perfectly content going to a 3rd tier school, I just want to make sure I achieve my full potential.

Yes, everything on the LSAT is completely learnable. You should get some LSAT prep books, read about the various types of questions, and take some practice tests. It's extremely likely that you can improve your score. Getting a 157 on your diagnostic means you probably already have a solid foundation of the skills you need, you just need to build on them.

How long you need to spend studying depends a great deal on how quickly you pick up the skills. Some people spend 3-6 months prepping. I studied for like 2 weeks. It's different for everybody. That being said, I would highly recommend studying for more than 2 weeks.

Magnolia wrote:

LoyalRebel wrote:I know it varies, but is this a test that can be learned?

I currently have a 157 LSAT, taken pretty much cold turkey. The only studying I did was take a free practice test administered by KAPLAN at my school, and did about an hour's worth of logic games problems the night before. It's possible I might get a nifty full time tax accounting job in Dallas, so I'd I could do that for a year while I did some serious studying. But honestly, I don't want to study my ass off for 6 months for a 3 point increase.

Could you share your thoughts and experiences?

Also would it be to much to ask that people not use the less than stellar LSAT I currently have as a reason why I should retake? We're all aspiring lawyers here; let's try keep irrelevant things out of the discussion. I'd be perfectly content going to a 3rd tier school, I just want to make sure I achieve my full potential.

Yes, everything on the LSAT is completely learnable. You should get some LSAT prep books, read about the various types of questions, and take some practice tests. It's extremely likely that you can improve your score. Getting a 157 on your diagnostic means you probably already have a solid foundation of the skills you need, you just need to build on them.

How long you need to spend studying depends a great deal on how quickly you pick up the skills. Some people spend 3-6 months prepping. I studied for like 2 weeks. It's different for everybody. That being said, I would highly recommend studying for more than 2 weeks.

How much were you able to improve your score after you studied, if you don't mind me asking?

LoyalRebel wrote:

Magnolia wrote:

LoyalRebel wrote:I know it varies, but is this a test that can be learned?

I currently have a 157 LSAT, taken pretty much cold turkey. The only studying I did was take a free practice test administered by KAPLAN at my school, and did about an hour's worth of logic games problems the night before. It's possible I might get a nifty full time tax accounting job in Dallas, so I'd I could do that for a year while I did some serious studying. But honestly, I don't want to study my ass off for 6 months for a 3 point increase.

Could you share your thoughts and experiences?

Also would it be to much to ask that people not use the less than stellar LSAT I currently have as a reason why I should retake? We're all aspiring lawyers here; let's try keep irrelevant things out of the discussion. I'd be perfectly content going to a 3rd tier school, I just want to make sure I achieve my full potential.

Yes, everything on the LSAT is completely learnable. You should get some LSAT prep books, read about the various types of questions, and take some practice tests. It's extremely likely that you can improve your score. Getting a 157 on your diagnostic means you probably already have a solid foundation of the skills you need, you just need to build on them.

How long you need to spend studying depends a great deal on how quickly you pick up the skills. Some people spend 3-6 months prepping. I studied for like 2 weeks. It's different for everybody. That being said, I would highly recommend studying for more than 2 weeks.

How much were you able to improve your score after you studied, if you don't mind me asking?

My diagnostic test was a 167, my PT range was 174-177, and I ultimately scored a 170.

What's your GPA? If you want to go to a T3 school (which I'm sure you know is, depending on your circumstances, often not advisable) you probably don't need to retake unless your GPA is pretty low. 157 is a good score for taking the test cold though, and with serious studying I think you'd have a shot at 170+ territory, if you wanted to.

153 diagnostic (screwed the pooch on logic games) -> 173.

There are tons of threads on this, and increasing by 8-15+ points seems to be frequent enough that I'd characterize it as the "norm" for LSAT takers. A 157 is a perfectly fine starting point.

Edit: Also, this wasn't with a ton of studying - only did 8 exams.

Started 165 up to a 178 on practice tests. i have really bad test anxiety though so i ended up with a 172. probably would have ended up in the 150s without the practice though. good luck!

With a 157, you should be able to improve by at least 10 points.

I took the LSAT the first time pretty much cold turkey and got a 159. Improved to 167 after about a monthish of studying.

Yeah, you're fine if you study. I think my first practice test was 155 (logic games were a complete bloodbath, maybe got 2-3 right) and I wound up with a 168 on the real thing and that was with about 2 months of study while working a full-time job. If you give yourself enough time you should be able to crush the test.

The other thing I'd say to give yourself motivation to plan for the LSAT correctly now that I'm going through the admissions process is that the LSAT is really, stupidly important. For example, I PTed at 167-171, but was happy enough with my 168 and I was worn out from studying/working and at the same time not getting any younger, so I just took it. My cycle is going fine, but schools really do treat even one point distinctions differently, even if the basis for doing so is totally absurd. It's completely insane the way schools treat such small distinctions, but that's just how it goes. Do absolutely everything in your power to max out.

Took me a while but I improved 14 points

155 diagnostic ====> 173 (third try)

High 150s first try(no studying). After doing almost all PTs available ended up with 177 on the real thing.

180 - your score = how much you can improve

fatduck wrote:180 - your score = how much you can improve

is this some kind of magic? get your devil formulas away from me.