Starting with a 138

[jacy85]

Eh, it's old news.  She's had that before.  Last time she used it as her avater, it was up for quite some time.

[thelawfool]

i have like 400 posts.  never seen it.  not old news to me.

[_EKC_]

that's because for a while i didn't venture off the georgia thread. sorry if i distracted you.

[BigTex]

Eh, it's old news.  She's had that before.  Last time she used it as her avater, it was up for quite some time.

the picture is memorable. LizBeth, didn't you used to go by something else? etc? something like that?

[SummertimeAndTheLivingIsEasy]

Eh, it's old news.  She's had that before.  Last time she used it as her avater, it was up for quite some time.

the picture is memorable. LizBeth, didn't you used to go by something else? etc? something like that?

I think it was EKC

[Amanda H.]

my point was that people can certainly reach their max within a month of studying. i didn't use LRB/LGB - i used just the tests, then the PS book that they give out at the weekend course, which is basically a combination of the LRB & lgb. that weekend was enough for me to get the info that i needed from those books becaues i knew what to look for.

I think a very small minority of people may be able to reach their max within a month of studying.  However, from everyone I've spoken to, including tutors, etc., and everything I've seen, most cannot.

Again, you have to remember that you have an extremely strong aptitude for the LSAT, one that is highly unusual.  Someone like you may be able to grasp the concepts very quickly, but, again, this is very unusual. 

(For what it's worth, you could probably have scored even higher with more prep, but I'm sure you did fine as it is.)

i think a lot of people make the mistake of studying TOO long for the lsat - but, again, everyone is different. i certainly think that this guy can reach his max in 5 weeks if he really stays organized and dedicated to learning the test.

I think very few people study too long for the LSAT. I'm really not sure how you could.  And I'm sure this guy would do better with 2-3+ months prep if he can swing it, but if not, I certainly hope he gets close, and I certainly think he can significantly improve over the next 5 weeks if he focuses.

[Amanda H.]

I got my third highest score (out of 17) so far on the fourth practice test I had taken in three days.  I think time off is nice, but perhaps not necessary.  But it could differ by the person of course.

As your mental muscles develop, you generally need less and less time off.  Near the end, you should be able to do repeated exams fairly close together, and this is good practice for endurance. 

Time off is more important near the begining, and you may of course also find that you need a few more breaks in the future.

[Amanda H.]

i took the one right before the test. actually the timing was perfect for me becuase i knew what i needed to pay attention to and what i could ignore based on how i was doing on my own. depending on how he's doing, it might still be worth it.  The weekend course seemed to help me break from the low 170s to the higher 170s.

really?  where are you headed?  what have you been offered?  you're the very first person i've ever met that went from the 150s to the 170s.  that's nearly impossible.  did you know that?  that, that's nearly impossible that is...

I dont' think this is impossible at all, or even really that unusual.  I went from the 150's to the 170's, and I'm sure a good number of other people do as well.

[Amanda H.]

as i mentioned above, i'm applying for '06. when i took the diagnostic, it was honestly the first time i had seen the test. i had maybe seen a couple LR questions earlier that day, had never seen games (although i used to do them for fun when i was little) and took it on the computer. but it was timed, i used scratch paper, etc. my second score was a 168, then i dropped to around 165 for a couple, then bounced up to the low 170s for a couple, and was routinely scoring high 170s before the test including one 180.

and i resent the implication that i'm not being truthful. as was mentioned earlier, i'm not the only one to make a huge jump.

i'm looking at schools in the DC area. However, i have a low GPA that will prevent me from getting into any place really exciting.

Hey, Lis, I believe you.

If anything, your story is good evidence for the idea that initial diagnostics are essentially worthless.

And don't sell yourself short on schools unless you've researched them all very carefully.  You can get into a LOT of good schools with a 174, no matter what your grades are.  Most schools are LSAT whores, pure and simple. I'd say you probably have a shot at everything from GW on down (and you could always apply to Gtown just in case.)

[hilljack]

I just have to interject before you go for a fiver.