score of141 on diagnostic... can i practice my way to a 168?

[serra]

hey everyone,
i have 5-6 weeks until my exam (june) is this realistic?  i need to get from a 141 to a 168... i'm willing to dedicate all my time to practicing..but i want to know your opinion.  Should i postpone to October or give these 5 weeks all i've got??
thank you! 
serra

[baseballjones]

If you serious spend 4 hours a day 7 days a week you can do it. otherwise i would pay the money for a prep course and take it in Oct.

[lstudent]

Hmmmm...is the ability to do well on the LSAT innate, or is it a skill-set that can be developed? 

I believe it is both.  It might be pushing it to jump from what may be the 11th perecentile to the 98th percentile on the LSAT...but miraculous things can and sometimes do happen...

[blizzard of ozz]

hey everyone,
i have 5-6 weeks until my exam (june) is this realistic?  i need to get from a 141 to a 168... i'm willing to dedicate all my time to practicing..but i want to know your opinion.  Should i postpone to October or give these 5 weeks all i've got??
thank you! 
serra

Impossible? No. Extremely doubtful, yes. I'd say postpone taking it unless you want to be seriously disappointed.

Realistically, you need at least 3-6 months of uninterrupted time to study for the test. It took me 3 months to raise my score 12 points from my first practice test which was a 151 to a 163 (which was what I got on the exam). I was studying a lot more than 4 hours a day by the way, especially the last month, when I was going damn near insane.

I think an increase around 10 or so points would be a more realistic goal. It's still very hard to increase your score that much. Basically my social life went flying out the window for 3 months (I'm sure many others can commiserate on that one).

I've never heard of a 27 point increase. Given your current score, I don't think it's even remotely plausible unless you can afford to set aside 6mos-1year of studying.

[tahoetahoe]

My thoughts?  Probably not...  I'm going to say this in the nicest way.  If you think studying non stop for several months is "extreme," you're wrong.  I would say most people scoring in that range are studying at least that long.  Not to say it isn't possible...but I agree with the previous statement it isn't probable.  If you're feeling burnt out or in a rush to take the test...think twice about that feeling.  Embrace the pain of studying for the LSAT.  To put it better, you are better off waiting until October and being ready than going to bomb it in June. 

[dsong02]

just a word of encouragement...i had a 25 point increase in my lsat from my first blind test to my actual test.  27 isnt all that much further...

ive wrote about it in another thread, so if youre interested, check it out. 

but i just wanted you to know that the old saying is true - 'where theres a will, theres a way.'

[ajlynnette]

i agree w/dsong...but i'd also add that you have to realllly want that 168. can i ask why you want such a high score, btw? is it to get into a top 10? to counterbalance a low gpa? i think your reasoning for wanting to jump so high in a relatively small amount of time plays a role in the scheme of things as well.

thoughts?

[jgruber]

I did not increase my score at all through practice.  BECAUSE I DID NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!

 

[serra]

Thanks for everybody's replies! I appreciate the input 
I'm quite determined to get high 160s. I'm gonna bring it on!!!

[zpops]

Your biggest obstacle may actually be running out of questions to practice.  I'm no expert on the kind of studying you'll have to do, but here is what I would do in your situaion. 

If you're really serious about this, then you should order EVERY test (the two 10 real actual lsats books will help with cost).  Also buy a few strat books (read reviews or ask around for the best ones), and start off by reading them, then figure out with some untimed and then timed sections what works best for you.  Once you get your technique down, stick with it, because you need to be as comfortable with the test as possible.  The increase you are talking about is far from impossible, but it won't be easy either.  My intuition is that with very serious work, a good means of releiveing stress, and enough questions, you have a shot at it.  Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask if you're having any problems, as I'm sure everyone would be happy to help you.