Today marks exactly two months until the June LSAT! Are you doing everything you need to be prepared? It is our mission to get you on the right track!
As we have noted before, June is the ideal time to take the LSAT. Getting the LSAT out of the way early in the year leaves you with the time you will need to prepare your law school applications.
If you plan to take the June test but haven’t started your test prep yet, there is still time. But it is important to take action now. (We recommend that students have two to three months to study for the test.) If you have begun studying, this is a good checkpoint for you to make sure you are doing the necessary work to be well prepared for the test. For further details on getting reading for the June test, take a look at our previous “Countdown to the LSAT” posts.
Good luck and study hard! We are routing for you!
April 16th, 2008
In an effort to help keep you on track for the upcoming test, we continue with a series of monthly posts called “Countdown to the LSAT,” where we will provide a timely advice, reminders and tips. Check back often for updates on what you should be doing along the way!
The June LSAT is particularly important if you intend to apply to law school this Fall. Sure, you can take the test again in October, which is a great safety net. Know that if you do retake the exam you will do so with the distractions of school and/or work, applications and commitments to family and friends weighing heavily on you.
The University of Texas at El Paso Pre-law Information makes it very clear that June is prime time for the LSAT: “All things being equal, I suggest that students take the June administration of the LSAT at the end of their junior year.” He adds, “If you take the June administration of the LSAT you will know what your LSAT score is before you apply to law school. This is important since your LSAT score will condition your selection of which schools to apply to. If you apply ‘’blind,'’ as is often the case for people who take other than the June administration, you may make some mistakes in school selection. For example, suppose a student has a 3.35 GPA and figures that she will do a bit above average on the LSAT. She selects and applies to schools based on this assumption, but what happens when her LSAT score comes in she has scored in the 94th percentile. This score will significantly increase her chances of admission at premium law schools, but she did not have her score when making her school selections and so applied to some schools she should not have and did not apply to others that she should’ve. If she took the October or December administrations she may still have time to apply to additional schools, but now she is rushed, has wasted a lot of time and money, and may have missed the deadlines for some schools that she would have applied to if she had known her LSAT score. So the best bet is to take the LSAT examination the June before the fall semester in which you are applying to law school.”
Hopefully you read our previous post about how best to prepare for the exam. Did you take a practice test under simulated test conditions? Did you make a realistic study plan? Don’t put this off any longer if you haven’t. The June LSAT is only 10 weeks away, and counting!
Even if you feel overwhelmed by the aspect of preparing for and taking the LSAT, you need to get started. We advise that you incorporate studying into your daily routine. If you cannot devote large blocks of time every day, doing one reading comprehension passage or even one argument question daily will keep you on track. However this of course does not replace longer study sessions, which are imperative. Your daily LSAT work will however remind you that you have the test coming up and will help you to build your skills.
Remember that you are studying for the LSAT, not just the material on the test. The way you prepare for this exam is not the way that you would prepare for a college exam. Given this information, you should have a better idea of how to plan and allocate your study time. Don’t forget to check out some of our weekly challenge questions for additional practice!
April 7th, 2008
In an effort to help keep you on track for the upcoming test, we begin a series of monthly posts called “Countdown to the LSAT,” where we will provide a timely advice, reminders and tips. Check back often for updates on what you should be doing along the way!
If you’re thinking about taking the June LSAT - take note - yesterday marks exactly 3 months or 13 weeks until the test date!
If you are considering taking the June exam, congratulations. You have plenty of time to begin preparing. This does not mean that you have the freedom to slack off and study when it is convenient. However, if you make a plan and follow it you can be ready to ace the exam in June.
To start with, we recommend registering for the test. It solidifies your commitment to the test and hopefully to studying. Its also a good idea to register early and secure your spot in a nearby testing center.
Make a study plan that is both realistic enough for you to follow and ambitious enough for you to be prepared come June. Whether it is studying two hours a day every other day or an hour daily, mark it in your calendar. This reminder will keep the idea of studying fresh and may make it easier to pass on social engagements.
Hold yourself accountable for the time you have allotted to studying. Some people benefit from a study partner, whether it is a friend preparing for the LSAT or GMAT, a disciplined writer looking for more structure or even a law student who knows how tedious the studying can be. By reporting to someone else, most people tend to be more disciplined. Be honest with yourself because in the end of the day you are the one taking the test and you are the one who will be directly affected by the results.
Next, figure out what you need to study. We suggest taking a practice test so you can proportionately devote your time to the areas that need the most improvement. Most students struggle with the games section, but as we said in an earlier post this is one of the easiest areas for improvement. Do not let your score or frustration from the practice test deter you from future studying or from taking the test altogether.
You may decide a tutor or a class is beneficial to you. Either one helps you block out at least some study time and holds you accountable. Naturally, we are biased about the benefits of a private tutor. Here are a few: The tutor goes at your pace so you will never feel behind on the material or that the class is dragging. Your tutor can help you hone in on the specific areas you want improve while accommodating your schedule. Of course as with most things in life, you get out what you put in, so hiring a tutor whether it is for one session or twenty is not an antidote to studying. But if you start preparing now, you will be right on time for the June exam!
March 17th, 2008