How many practice tests did you take before the real deal?

[Before taking the actual LSAT, how many practice exams had you taken?]

Before taking the actual LSAT, how many practice exams had you taken?

0-5

 4 (36.4%)

6-10

 2 (18.2%)

11-15

 0 (0%)

16-20

 1 (9.1%)

21-25

 0 (0%)

26-30

 0 (0%)

31 or more

 4 (36.4%)

Total Members Voted: 11

[randombetch]

Also, what other methods did you use to study? PowerScore logic and reasoning bibles?

I'm trying to gauge how many to take before I'm ready. I'm thinking of just buying the 3x 10 practice exams that the LSAC sells.

[Thane Messinger]

Also, what other methods did you use to study? PowerScore logic and reasoning bibles?

I'm trying to gauge how many to take before I'm ready. I'm thinking of just buying the 3x 10 practice exams that the LSAC sells.

What's your goal?

If it's a top law school, chances are you will have to take a LOT of practice exams.  There's not so much an upper limit as a mindset and an internal insistence on taking practice exams until you can see them in your sleep.  The first dozen will have a noticeable impact.  The next dozen, still good but not so much.  By the seventh dozen, you might increase your score just a point or two . . . but you'll be happy for every one of those points for your reach school.

This is, contrary to (very) popular opinion, not just a cognitive test, or a biased test, or an unfair test, or a test to be rigged, or any of that.  It is a dynamic process, much like exercise, where logical thinking is honed to the point that you begin to see patterns regardless of the facts.  Just like law school.  There are many, many alarmingly smart people taking the LSAT.  The key is to focus that smartness in ways that coincide with how the law is learned, structured, and internalized.

[BikePilot]

I took all of them, but then I suck at standardized tests so I needed the practice (I'm slow and it took me forever to get to where I could finish everything in time).  From my perspective, getting nearly all the answers right is almost trivial.  Getting them all right in the time alloted  though was next to impossible.  People have different strengths though - my wife took a practice test and finished each section in way less time than alloted, but accuracy wasn't perfect (though she beat my first practice test score). With a bunch of practice I got faster without loosing much accuracy.  On the real thing I finished everything but the games with time to spare. I didn't get much of the last game done though.  Luckily you can get a 170+ without even doing one of the games iirc:)

[randombetch]

Thanks for the replys. Yes, for me it'd be either a top law school or no law school at all. There's no way I'd even consider applying to a non-T14 or UCLA law school.

Wow, it looks like 31+ is the norm around here. I guess I'll have a busy summer if I want to break 170.

[Elizabeth999]

Take as many practice tests as you can.  Trust me...I wish I had.  Good luck and I know if you do the work, you will succeed!!!

[EarlCat]

Wow, it looks like 31+ is the norm around here. I guess I'll have a busy summer if I want to break 170.

Sampling bias FTW.