Starting with a 138

[Amanda H.]

Something else to think about:  If this guy is going JAG, then it might not matter a whole lot where he goes to law school.  With a score in the mid-high 140's, he has a shot at Cooley, which will presumably be fine for JAG.  After that, he'll have actual courtroom experience, so he may even be marketable for other positions.

In other words, getting into law school, per se, probably is attainable by June with some good effort.  And if that's all he needs, then he should be fine. 

(If he can take it in October and get a better score/school, that of course would be even better.)

[jacy85]

Actually, it's fairly competitive to get into a JAG program from what I understand.  Maybe it's different if you're already enlisted and doing something similar to what AMB's friend is.  He should look into that though.

And just going to Cooley isn't the best idea either, given the fact that only 25% of the class graduates.  I'm sure the OP's friend would feel better and enjoy his time in LS more if he wasn't worried about being one of the 75% of Cooley students that don't make it.

[Amanda H.]

actually, considering the situation, it was pretty thoughtful. i decided 8/31 that i was going to apply to law school. i signed up for the lsat immediately, knowing that if i wasn't comfortable with my score walking out of the test, i could cancel and retake in december with more prep, but without the early application advantage. because i scored higher than i originally expected, i decided to wait an additional year in order to minimize the effect of my low gpa and gain more work/volunteer experience.

unfortunately, all this guy can do is study hard without getting burned out, and do his best. if i remember correctly, ambs22 had a high score and should be an asset to his friend. just make sure he's studying the right stuff when he studies - lrb/lgb - and is taking timed sections often with full length timed tests with the practice section included on a regular basis. i did 2-3 per week, on the weekends for the most part. he'll only be out the time and $$ if he isn't scoring well enough by the june date.

Hey, LisB.  

Again, I'm glad things worked out for you, and given that you didn't even decide to go to law school until a month before the test, your actions are certainly understandable.  I apologize if I sounded critical.

But I think it's important to realize how rare you are.  By definition, your score on the exam puts you around the 1 in 1000 category, and your aptitude for the test was probably even more rare.  The fact that you were able to reach this level in only a few weeks only underscores the fact that you have much stronger aptitude for the exam than most.  

For most people with other options, however, this approach probably wouldn't make much sense, because it will take most people at least 2-3 months to really max out in terms of their LSAT performance (and because it's difficult to predict how you actually did until you see your score).

(How long did it take you to get through the LRB?)

[hilljack]

I don't see why a month, or in this case a month and a week, isn't enough time.  Yeah, it would be nice to spread it out, but he has 38 days.  Is anyone suggesting that he couldn't put 100 hours into this in 38 days?  I would say that if the kid is motivated, he could get through what he needs to get through, but that doesn't mean he will top 155.  Some people just can't do it.

[BigTex]

there was a guy who used to post on this board long ago - "dsong" was his name. He had the most outrageous score improvement i've ever seen. It was well over 20 points i think. He scored in the 170's. Do a search. He posted quite elaborately on *exactly* what he did to achieve his improvement.

[Amanda H.]

Actually, it's fairly competitive to get into a JAG program from what I understand.  Maybe it's different if you're already enlisted and doing something similar to what AMB's friend is.  He should look into that though.

And just going to Cooley isn't the best idea either, given the fact that only 25% of the class graduates.  I'm sure the OP's friend would feel better and enjoy his time in LS more if he wasn't worried about being one of the 75% of Cooley students that don't make it.

This is true, which is why I noted it would be even better to attend a better school if possible.  (And there are other schools with lower entrance standards.)

I just didn't want the OP or his friend to think the situation was totally hopeless, if June is in fact the only option.  Cooley is in fact one possible option even with a sub-150 score, as are others. (Though I have no idea what the JAG req's are in this area, and this should obviously be looked into.)

[AMB22]

Although I agree anyone capable of scoring a 174 on the LSAT has a high natural aptitude for the test, I don't necessarily think that most people need 2-3 months to max out their scores. I reached a plateau fairly quickly as did a few others I know and from reading posts on here it does seem that although some people continue to make steady improvement for long periods of time, many others reach their max pretty quick. Its really impossible to say what percentage max out fast because we don't have a large enough sample and there are so many variables (studying methods, etc) but I know at least for myself that I don't think 2-3 more months of studying would have gotten more than possibly a point or two higher on the LSAT. That being said, I do agree I wish I had studied a little more because 1-2 points would probably have made the difference in some of the decisions I got that I wish were acceptances.

actually, considering the situation, it was pretty thoughtful. i decided 8/31 that i was going to apply to law school. i signed up for the lsat immediately, knowing that if i wasn't comfortable with my score walking out of the test, i could cancel and retake in december with more prep, but without the early application advantage. because i scored higher than i originally expected, i decided to wait an additional year in order to minimize the effect of my low gpa and gain more work/volunteer experience.

unfortunately, all this guy can do is study hard without getting burned out, and do his best. if i remember correctly, ambs22 had a high score and should be an asset to his friend. just make sure he's studying the right stuff when he studies - lrb/lgb - and is taking timed sections often with full length timed tests with the practice section included on a regular basis. i did 2-3 per week, on the weekends for the most part. he'll only be out the time and $$ if he isn't scoring well enough by the june date.

Hey, LisB. 

Again, I'm glad things worked out for you, and given that you didn't even decide to go to law school until a month before the test, your actions are certainly understandable.  I apologize if I sounded critical.

But I think it's important to realize how rare you are.  By definition, your score on the exam puts you around the 1 in 1000 category, and your aptitude for the test was probably even more rare.  The fact that you were able to reach this level in only a few weeks only underscores the fact that you have much stronger aptitude for the exam than most. 

For most people with other options, however, this approach probably wouldn't make much sense, because it will take most people at least 2-3 months to really max out in terms of their LSAT performance (and because it's difficult to predict how you actually did until you see your score).

(How long did it take you to get through the LRB?)

[Amanda H.]

I don't see why a month, or in this case a month and a week, isn't enough time.  Yeah, it would be nice to spread it out, but he has 38 days.  Is anyone suggesting that he couldn't put 100 hours into this in 38 days?  I would say that if the kid is motivated, he could get through what he needs to get through, but that doesn't mean he will top 155.  Some people just can't do it.

I certainly think he could improve significantly over 38 days, and he may even be able to hit mid-high 150's.  (Again, a cold initial LSAT isn't that predictive.)  

My point was simply that he was unlikely to reach his maximum performance level in that time, which I think most people would agree with.  Time away from prep is also usually important, and he won't have as much time to absorb and digest everything in the time available.

[Thou]

All work and no play makes Thou a dull boy.

[Thou]

All work and no play makes Thou a dull boy.