A High School Student's Practice

[Led_Zep]

Here's the situation:
I'm a seventeen year old high school senior.  I've just started looking into going to law school after college graduation.  When I found out that you after to take the LSAT, I took a practice one.  It was the Oct. 1996 one if that matters.  Anyway, according to the conversion chart in the back, I got a 161 (77 correct, 24 wrong).

I was wondering if this was a good or bad score and how much I can expect it to improve when I take it for real in four years when I actually know what it is and how to answer to questions.

My best section, by the way, was the one with the puzzles.  I got on question wrong.

Thanks for the help.

[yiplong]

You need not worry about LSAT now.  Worry about the SAT. 

[Led_Zep]

I've taken the SAT.  1880 on the new one.  1290 on the old.
But that doesn't matter.  I'm asking about the LSAT.

[HandsDown]

It seems early to worry about the LSAT. Go to college. Keep up a decent GPA. And then worry about it. I'm sure if you can find this site you can look up schools and their average LSAT score.

[snikrep]

That's a great score for a high school senior, lol, get a good GPA in college and you'll do fine.

[Typhoon Longwang]

I wouldn't study specifically for the LSAT but there are some decisions you can make that will improve those skills that the LSAT requires.  College is the perfect opportunity and place to build your baseline intelligence.  Plus, the LSAT will probably have changed in 3-4 years to be a computerized test with a scored writing section.  Collecting LSAT books (mostly books with actual, previous LSATs) might be a good idea since you never know when LSAC may stop producing the books.  But don't take many practice LSATs or study specifically for it.  Taking a timed practice test once a year might help you keep your mind on the beast you'll need to slay later.

More useful things to do with your time:
-AP credit makes college a lot easier and may improve your class position (allows you to register earlier for classes, etc).  Study for and take the AP tests even if you didn't have a class for them.  The cost of the AP test is much cheaper than the equivalent credit at college.  It allowed me to graduate a semester early, move to be with my (now) wife who was a year ahead of me, start job hunting before most people that graduated, and saved me $4,500 and my parents $10,000.
-Go to a well respected (i.e. well ranked), challenging college.  I found my experience at a small liberal arts college (Oberlin) was better than what my friends who went to big state schools reported.
-Take at least one course in deductive logic.
-Take a statistics class.
-Politics classes helped me refine my reasoning skills, take some.
-Find 2-3 professors you like and take as many of their classes as you can (this gives you professors to ask for letters of recommendation who like and know you).  Find 3 profs if you're applying straight out of college.  Don't be annoying about it but office hours can help give you that opportunity.
-Take several science classes in various areas (chemistry, biology, physics, etc)
-Develop a strong resume.  If you work during the school year try to find jobs that are meaningful (research assistant) as opposed to busy-work (signing people in and out of the gym);
-Get internships at interesting organizations for every summer during college.  Start early; shortly after the year starts is a good idea.
-I didn't do it but philosophy classes outside of deductive logic would be a good thing.
-Take classes that require you read a variety of texts (plays, novels, poems, science texts, journal articles, histories).
-Take challenging coursework that will look good on your transcript.
-Get a good GPA and don't @#!* up a semester.
-Start slow with the amount of credits you take and only add more as you realize you can handle more.
-Go abroad - use the opportunity to travel, study subjects your college doesn't offer and have fun.  I went to Scotland the 2nd semester of my Sophomore year and I feel like I came into my Junior ready to really kick ass.
-Never stop reading outside of class.  Read literate magazines (I'm partial to the New Yorker and its variety) and read books, both fiction and non-fiction of high quality (i.e. classics).
-Play games...but not the really fun kinds.  Do puzzles, crosswords, and those puzzle magazines you can get at bookstores.
-Build strong, deep frienships in college.  These are the people you'll support and who will support you in the years to come.
-Finally, consider the option of working for a few years after college before going to law school.  But, take the LSAT while your mind is still fresh from college...I took it 4 years after graduation and it was an uphill battle in a way it might not have been Junior or Senior year.

[Belisarius]

This new SAT business ticks me off. 20 years from now my kids will ask me how I did on the SAT and when I say "1560" they'll look at me condescendingly.

[FossilJ]

-Never stop reading outside of class.  Read literate magazines (I'm partial to the New Yorker and its variety) and read books, both fiction and non-fiction of high quality (i.e. classics).

-Find out what a canon is and don't be a biitch to it (i.e. don't read "classics", read anything you feel holds meaning and isn't rehashed crrap geared only at selling five million copies).

[theo]

Philosophy Departments always offer courses in Formal Logic, which will help with LR sections, in particular.

An intro logic class will give you more than enough logic to prep you for the LSAT; the upper level logic courses are much more advanced than you need, and can be murder on your GPA, unless you're just really into the subject, or need it for the major.

And for God's sake, stop listening to Led Zepplin!  It can only lead to harder drugs, and the resultant inability to concentrate on Reading Comp passages will mess up your score...

[Typhoon Longwang]

And for God's sake, stop listening to Led Zepplin!  It can only lead to harder drugs, and the resultant inability to concentrate on Reading Comp passages will mess up your score...

As a confirmed Led-Head who did well, I was listening to Kashmir as I entered the testing center.  If you're going to play it, play it loud.