143, 151, 171+

[BoscoBreaux]

My first prep-test was a 143... after LGB, LRB and endless prep-tests I got up to a 165 (untimed), then... with time, I plateued at 151-152...

I took a TM course and realized I had so much more to learn.... and decided to take the full TM Course for the October LSAT... my goal is 170+, possible?

Is it possible? Well, anything is possible. After all, a broken clock is right twice a day. But, I think your in the "one-in-a-thousand" odds here.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating on this board, and elsewhere, about the nature of the LSAT test. It is an APTITUDE test, and as such, after prepping adequately, the gains of hard work are minimal. Eventually, your intellectual capacity for the material governs; that is why it is used by Law Schools: they aren't interested in who works the hardest, but who has the innate skills to succeed in law school. Some prospective test takers, without prepping, take the test and get a 140, then take a course, study hard, and work there way up to 160, and see this as proof you can improve your score significantly though hard work. That is like saying I never golfed a day in my life, shot a 150, then took a three months worth of lessons, practiced incessantly, and now I can shoot 100. So, I will be able to beat Tiger Woods with a few more months of work.

Now, does that mean you cannot bomb the LSAT? Of course not. But, as the saying goes, you can't be more than your genetics say you can be, but through laziness or unpreparedness, you can be a whole lot less. If you have prepped adequately, going from a 151-152 (average) to 170+ (Top 1-2%) is as close to impossible as going from a 100 IQ to a 200 by studying. It won't happen. BUT, there may be a flaw in your preparation that keeps you from your innate 170. So, by all means, try!

[davidatfsu]

My first prep-test was a 143... after LGB, LRB and endless prep-tests I got up to a 165 (untimed), then... with time, I plateued at 151-152...

I took a TM course and realized I had so much more to learn.... and decided to take the full TM Course for the October LSAT... my goal is 170+, possible?

Is it possible? Well, anything is possible. After all, a broken clock is right twice a day. But, I think your in the "one-in-a-thousand" odds here.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating on this board, and elsewhere, about the nature of the LSAT test. It is an APTITUDE test, and as such, after prepping adequately, the gains of hard work are minimal. Eventually, your intellectual capacity for the material governs; that is why it is used by Law Schools: they aren't interested in who works the hardest, but who has the innate skills to succeed in law school. Some prospective test takers, without prepping, take the test and get a 140, then take a course, study hard, and work there way up to 160, and see this as proof you can improve your score significantly though hard work. That is like saying I never golfed a day in my life, shot a 150, then took a three months worth of lessons, practiced incessantly, and now I can shoot 100. So, I will be able to beat Tiger Woods with a few more months of work.

Now, does that mean you cannot bomb the LSAT? Of course not. But, as the saying goes, you can't be more than your genetics say you can be, but through laziness or unpreparedness, you can be a whole lot less. If you have prepped adequately, going from a 151-152 (average) to 170+ (Top 1-2%) is as close to impossible as going from a 100 IQ to a 200 by studying. It won't happen. BUT, there may be a flaw in your preparation that keeps you from your innate 170. So, by all means, try!

I'd agree with all of that. The class for me just buffed me up a little more for the timing. I had 20 people in my class and I never heard of anyone improving 20 points like that. 143-151 seems fair to me though. I took a diagnostic, scored a 155 and then fluctuated on practice tests (timed of course) between 153-159. I ended up with a 157, which was of course right within my band I'd been scoring at. And I worked my ass off learning how to get 4 games done in time. I honestly don't feel like 4 more months of practice tests and studying would have changed much at all. I'd also emphasize Boscos point of anything beyond a 170 being very rare (1-2%) and probably not something reachable by studying.

[frankm007]

It was not taking into account that my 151-153 was accomplished missing an entire passage (never finishing the last one), completing 2 games with moderate accuracy, and with unstable LR scores...

I believe by simply getting all games in with 90+% accuracy alone will get be at around 160... now complete a passage and improve the LR section... 165...

[uwofresh]

Don't get offended by what people say.  Score high and that's all there's to it.
BTW if you find a way to score high on reading comprehension let me know the method.
Reading comprehension seems to always kick my a** on a consistent basis!

[frankm007]

No no, not offended at all... I posted this to get some honest answers, i'm just a stubborn guy and when i set my mind on something it's hard to change it... the more people say NO the more it makes me want to do it ! lol, but i totally see everyones point, it is def. not easy... as far as RC, msg me and i'll send you my notes

AOL IM: octaviagym

[carabinero]

My first prep-test was a 143... after LGB, LRB and endless prep-tests I got up to a 165 (untimed), then... with time, I plateued at 151-152...

I took a TM course and realized I had so much more to learn.... and decided to take the full TM Course for the October LSAT... my goal is 170+, possible?

Is it possible? Well, anything is possible. After all, a broken clock is right twice a day. But, I think your in the "one-in-a-thousand" odds here.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating on this board, and elsewhere, about the nature of the LSAT test. It is an APTITUDE test, and as such, after prepping adequately, the gains of hard work are minimal. Eventually, your intellectual capacity for the material governs; that is why it is used by Law Schools: they aren't interested in who works the hardest, but who has the innate skills to succeed in law school. Some prospective test takers, without prepping, take the test and get a 140, then take a course, study hard, and work there way up to 160, and see this as proof you can improve your score significantly though hard work. That is like saying I never golfed a day in my life, shot a 150, then took a three months worth of lessons, practiced incessantly, and now I can shoot 100. So, I will be able to beat Tiger Woods with a few more months of work.

Now, does that mean you cannot bomb the LSAT? Of course not. But, as the saying goes, you can't be more than your genetics say you can be, but through laziness or unpreparedness, you can be a whole lot less. If you have prepped adequately, going from a 151-152 (average) to 170+ (Top 1-2%) is as close to impossible as going from a 100 IQ to a 200 by studying. It won't happen. BUT, there may be a flaw in your preparation that keeps you from your innate 170. So, by all means, try!

So what does this mean for me? I got a 167 on my first timed test, no studying. Should I be shooting for tiger woods or mini golf?

[BoscoBreaux]

So what does this mean for me? I got a 167 on my first timed test, no studying. Should I be shooting for tiger woods or mini golf?

If you got a 167 cold, no prep, then yes, a 170 would be easily attainable, and with effort, you will probably be well above it.

[HawkEye]

My first prep-test was a 143... after LGB, LRB and endless prep-tests I got up to a 165 (untimed), then... with time, I plateued at 151-152...

I took a TM course and realized I had so much more to learn.... and decided to take the full TM Course for the October LSAT... my goal is 170+, possible?

Is it possible? Well, anything is possible. After all, a broken clock is right twice a day. But, I think your in the "one-in-a-thousand" odds here.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating on this board, and elsewhere, about the nature of the LSAT test. It is an APTITUDE test, and as such, after prepping adequately, the gains of hard work are minimal. Eventually, your intellectual capacity for the material governs; that is why it is used by Law Schools: they aren't interested in who works the hardest, but who has the innate skills to succeed in law school. Some prospective test takers, without prepping, take the test and get a 140, then take a course, study hard, and work there way up to 160, and see this as proof you can improve your score significantly though hard work. That is like saying I never golfed a day in my life, shot a 150, then took a three months worth of lessons, practiced incessantly, and now I can shoot 100. So, I will be able to beat Tiger Woods with a few more months of work.

Now, does that mean you cannot bomb the LSAT? Of course not. But, as the saying goes, you can't be more than your genetics say you can be, but through laziness or unpreparedness, you can be a whole lot less. If you have prepped adequately, going from a 151-152 (average) to 170+ (Top 1-2%) is as close to impossible as going from a 100 IQ to a 200 by studying. It won't happen. BUT, there may be a flaw in your preparation that keeps you from your innate 170. So, by all means, try!

So what does this mean for me? I got a 167 on my first timed test, no studying. Should I be shooting for tiger woods or mini golf?

Dude, I used to get 173 on practice timed.  2 days before the test I had 169.  I got 167 on the real one.  YOU SHOULD GO TAKE THE REAL ONE, POP YOUR FIRST CHERRY, AND STOPPING MUMBLING ABOUT YOUR VIRGIN MASTURBATION RESULTS.  You sound like, "dude, I got a crazy 167 orgasm by doing it myself"

[JohnnyC]

My first prep-test was a 143... after LGB, LRB and endless prep-tests I got up to a 165 (untimed), then... with time, I plateued at 151-152...

I took a TM course and realized I had so much more to learn.... and decided to take the full TM Course for the October LSAT... my goal is 170+, possible?

how many timed tests have you taken? If you've only done a couple, I'd say you could very easily get high 150s with practice. Practicing the time is just as important as learning the question types. I found on my first couple of time practices, I was trying to go so fast that I forgot to use certain methods on certain questions and it through me off.

[carabinero]

Dude, I used to get 173 on practice timed. 2 days before the test I had 169. I got 167 on the real one. YOU SHOULD GO TAKE THE REAL ONE, POP YOUR FIRST CHERRY, AND STOPPING MUMBLING ABOUT YOUR VIRGIN MASTURBATION RESULTS. You sound like, "dude, I got a crazy 167 orgasm by doing it myself"

Huh? Are you suggesting I take the real lsat now because your score dropped after practice tests? And you need to calm down man...If you can find a way to bring up masturbation and virginity when talking about lsat scores, well then...