*

[nuppin]

*

[Saucony Jazz]

Honestly, you've got one of the best LSAT test preps, literally, across the street in Blueprint, and the fact that your taking your first diagnostic with them means your already kinda in the know. But you have to take the next step and sign up for their full-length prep course. Here's the trick, make sure you sign up with Trent or Matt. This is very important! These two are LSAT legends, seriously. And there is no doubt in my mind that if you sign-up for the full-length course, get Trent or Matt, go to every single class, and do ALL the homework and scheduled practice exams you'll clear 165, easy! If you have anymore questions, holla at ya boy! Peace and good luck! The world is yours!

[Freedom of Chat]

I've been having similar thoughts as the OP, however, after taking some time to think things over, I have lost most of my fear. Through your writing and high gpa, it's evident that you are an intelligent brother. With that said, do not let anyone, let alone a damn test, get in your mind and cause you to feel inferior.

Why are you aiming for a 165 if you have a damn-near perfect gpa. Get a 180 and go to the school of your choice. You can only go as far as you want to.

I have a much lower GPA (currently 3.0) as I enter my senior year of college (at a much smaller, public, institution). I plan on taking a year after college to get myself set financially, and to get some more experience under my belt. You on the other hand, seem like you're thinking and planning this through, and are on target to attend law school immediately after graduation. Don't let any horror stories egt in your path.

Good luck.

[CTL]

Don't sweat it.  That information should be assessed at the systemic level, not the individual level.  Many people take the LSAT without thinking or without preparing.  Those people bring the average down.  There are also people who are not good students - they also bring the average down.  You are an awesome student, so you must have done a few things to get yourself those As.  Look at the LSAT like a class.  Shoot for the A. 

Study up.  Don't let stats get you down.

[CTL]

I think the best way is to study RC sections directly.  If you have spare time to read outside articles, by all means do it.  Since the RC passages, and the questions posed in the RC section, are ultimately what you will be attacking, study those first and foremost.  Any RC section from preptest 1-53 will do.  Keep in mind, however, that they begin to be more representative of recent LSATs around preptest 39.

Give yourself plenty of time to study for the LSAT.  It is far better to postpone law school for a year than it is to take the LSAT prematurely and perform poorly.

[Nala16]

Honestly, you've got one of the best LSAT test preps, literally, across the street in Blueprint, and the fact that your taking your first diagnostic with them means your already kinda in the know. But you have to take the next step and sign up for their full-length prep course. Here's the trick, make sure you sign up with Trent or Matt. This is very important! These two are LSAT legends, seriously. And there is no doubt in my mind that if you sign-up for the full-length course, get Trent or Matt, go to every single class, and do ALL the homework and scheduled practice exams you'll clear 165, easy! If you have anymore questions, holla at ya boy! Peace and good luck! The world is yours!

And your suggestion if Trent or Matt aren't available in a particular area?

[trudawg]

Honestly, you've got one of the best LSAT test preps, literally, across the street in Blueprint, and the fact that your taking your first diagnostic with them means your already kinda in the know. But you have to take the next step and sign up for their full-length prep course. Here's the trick, make sure you sign up with Trent or Matt. This is very important! These two are LSAT legends, seriously. And there is no doubt in my mind that if you sign-up for the full-length course, get Trent or Matt, go to every single class, and do ALL the homework and scheduled practice exams you'll clear 165, easy! If you have anymore questions, holla at ya boy! Peace and good luck! The world is yours!

And your suggestion if Trent or Matt aren't available in a particular area?

Please excuse my niavete, but what/who are Trent and Matt, and how do they pertain to LSAT prep

[athena376]

Everyone above has good advice, I really hope you listen to them.

You really must ignore those racial statistics. Racial bias or no, they really result from two things: 1) historically, fewer black students have taken the LSAT and 2) the score issues are more about economic divides than racial. In terms of the first point, it's a classic LSAT error: comparing numerical quantities with percentages. A bell curve is a bell curve, so you would expect to see a similar distribution across all races. Fewer black testakers overall means fewer black testakers scoring above 170. Ok, but we don't see the same distribution with black students as we do with white--this is where point 2 comes in. The LSAT doesn't ask survey questions about income, so the only way to differentiate people is by race. I'm fairly sure that there are proportionately just as many non-middle class white test-takers that don't succeed on the LSAT as there are black. Succeeding on the LSAT requires preparation and for most students that preparation is prohibitively expensive. There are more middle class white kids in this country than there are black. You do the math.

Those statistics are bunk - socioeconomic divide is the real issue. If you can afford the prep, get it, put in the practice time, and you will do better than you would otherwise - black, white, or purple. If you can't afford it, don't make the mistake of selling yourself short. Find people with the tests, give yourself enough time to prep, use the powerscore books (I shouldn't say this, but they're available online as illegal free downloads), and forge on ahead. You are obviously a smart soul, work your butt off like the rest of us and prove those stats wrong!

Oh and by the way, 40% of French households don't own soap. Sound likely?

[CTL]

Oh and by the way, 40% of French households don't own soap. Sound likely?

Having taken the Paris metro many times, yes, it does sound likely..

[Mike19]

Good Evening,

I must admit, I feel this same exact way about the LSAT.  I am currentley in the Marine Corps and will be getting out in 2012. I will be graduating that same year from Kaplan University with a B.S. in Legal Studies. I have thoughts of preparing myself with the Test Masters course in Riverside. My plan is to get accepted in to the University of La Verne Colloege of Law. I want this Law School simply because I have a family and I own house in Lake Elsinore so I would much rather commute than pay the extra 20k. I would like to either work for a firm or courts, and maybe go in to the Navy JAG Corps. However like you I am faced with the same challenge, the LSAT. I am honestly terrified. Is this normal? I need to score at least in the 149-155 range? Is this a difficult score to achieve?