Has Anyone Here Ever Taken The LSAT? VOL.Advice

Please share your LSAT stories, How did you pass? Scores? Expectations? Study Techniques? Overall thoughts on the exams? Book Recommendations? Study Guides used?



Also your thoughts on going into the corporate law field in this economical climate.


Thank you in advance.

no but im sure the answers are floating around

Yea but I would like to hear what a Nter thinks

lsat is like a mental marathon. grueling, but manageable with the proper training. you HAVE to prepare. no way around it. I've always thought of myself as a smart person, above average actually, but the lsat kicked my $%&. When it comes to tests like this, I have more of a Melo/Tmac approach. I glide on my natural ability and don't train much. Bad idea. You've got to have a Kobe-like work ethic when preparing for this beast.

from what I hear from people who prepare exstensively, you learn what type of answers they look for, almost like you get the hang of it.

i took it in 2011 with VERY minimal preparation. waste of time. Test destroyed me. I need to start preparing again, I've been running away from law school for too long, for whatever reason, but I'm getting too old, I need to buckle down and crack open those study books.

^^^^ Thats what I like to lo hear.....how old are you and why do you still have the hunger for law school after being four years removed from a poor exam grade? What motivates you?

I took it a few weeks ago with zero prep, haha. Honestly I didn't think it was all that bad, really it is just a test of reading comprehension/logical thinking, and I suppose you could drill those skills into your brain, but it seems more innate to me.    

I'm 31 now, honestly I've just been too lazy to get the ball rolling, procrastinating and such. Once it's game time and school begins, I'll be ready to go, but just the first step is what i've been drag-@#$ing about.
I've known since high school that I want to go to law school. Even if I hit the lottery and become insanely wealthy, I would still want to go. Plus I'm not really in a stable career, so I may as well enter one that's legit, albeit the market is watered down now.

so there's not one lawyer on NT......

I am currently in the application process right now. I took the test twice, first time ( a few years ago)  zero prep, did OK on it, second time (a few months ago) did logic book quizzes and scored in the 80 percentile range, also read one of those generic study book guides, which gives you helpful hints. Honestly it's all on how you prep, it is essentially an IQ test, but there is def a window that everyone has and you should try your best to prepare. Prep courses are overrated from what I heard.

^^^^ Intelect what book helped you the best???

I used powerscore

I've got the power scores bibles.

RitchDad said:

Please share your LSAT stories, How did you pass? Scores? Expectations? Study Techniques? Overall thoughts on the exams? Book Recommendations? Study Guides used?



Also your thoughts on going into the corporate law field in this economical climate.


Thank you in advance.

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I took the LSAT in 2010 during my senior year of undergrad.  While taking practice tests, I was scoring perfectly on the Reading Comp and logical reasoning sections, but the logic games were incredibly difficult for me. So I took a prep class offered by my school, which sort of helped with the logic games, but I didn't see the improvement I wanted. So in an effort to increase my scores, I hooked up with a girl from my prep class and she worked with me intensely to increase my logic games scores. After about a week they went up considerably; I wasn't scoring incredibly high like the other two sections, but my score definitely increased. All in all, I studied intensely for about two weeks; I scored a 162. I attended Indiana University Law, which is ranked in the top 30. My only advice is to take as many practice tests as you can, identify your weak spots, take more tests, and take a prep class if at all possible.

And I'm going to be completely honest with you . . .the likelihood of getting a corporate associate position at a top firm is very slim to none; you have to be in the top five percent of your class, network with the right people, and kill your on-campus interviews. Even then, the climate associated with big firms is terrible: long hours to reach you billables, thankless duties from some sh$$ty partners, and a horrible attrition rate. It takes a special kind of person to succeed and make an impact in that climate. But if that's what you want to do, you have to kill your 1L year. I suggest you buy ever examples and explanations book for your particular classes, get outlines from former students, and get to know your professors. I didnt do study groups because I considered them a waste, but if that helps you, for a solid study group. 

My intern path did not involve any corporate law internships ( I interviewed with several, but my GPA didn't make the cut), but I did have some awesome internships: 1. State court of appeals judge, 2. solo practitioner specializing in divorces and criminal, 3. Law fellow with the NAACP general counsel, 4. Policy analyst for the State Senate. Basically, since my GPA was only slightly above average for law school, I focused on building a killer resume, and it helped greatly. So just find your niche, work your butt off, and you'll be fine. Your JD is about what you make of it. People that complain about not finding a job simply aren't hustling or didn't hustle in law school. Grind and network and you'll be fine. Good luck!

Ears1351 said:

 
Even then, the climate associated with big firms is terrible: long hours to reach you billables, thankless duties from some sh$$ty partners, and a horrible attrition rate. It takes a special kind of person to succeed and make an impact in that climate.  

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Met up with a friend over the weekend, who worked as an associate at P&B, and confirmed all of this as far corporate practices are concerned...

he left after a year or so to be a trial attorney with a government agency...loves his new role, despite making considerably less...

I took Testmasters. I believe it may be called Powerscore in some regions. Anyhow, I implore you to take a course. The LSAT made me 100K in scholarship money so start viewing it as an economic opportunity. Definitely be diligent in your preparation. In today's legal climate, where you go to school is incredibly important to your professional opportunities.

I work for a big firm, and I received both of my summer associate positions strictly based upon my first semester performance. I highly recommend reading a book called Planet LawSchool, and also reading Aspen's Examples and Explanations for your 1L courses. I did all of this the summer before law school and it gave me a tremendous advantage. I believe I had a 3.9 GPA my first semester, and its solely because the aforementioned gave me a head start on my fellow classmates.

First things first, RIP.


Test was insanely demanding. The guy above who stated that he didn't prepare and it wasn't that bad will be back in two months with a 138. I'm currently in my third and final year of LS and can say that the LSAT was thus far the hardest part, notwithstanding the impending bar exam. I took a live course with Testmasters and can attribute my relative success on that course solely.

The course met twice a week for four-hours each during a two-month span leading up to the test. I actually drove two-hours each way twice a week as that was the nearest center. When starting the course I attempted to continue working my part-time job and my undergrad studies concurrently. That came to a quick halt as I had to quit my job to fully dedicate myself to that beast. My first diagnostic test raw was a 138 and I felt like giving up. But by the end I was PT'ing in the mid 160's. Like someone said above, YOU CAN'T TAKE TOO MANY PRACTICE TESTS. Once you learn the small tricks then really its just about testing yourself and hammering out your weak spots.

The logic games section is the most difficult, but the easiest to improve upon with a few small tricks. Logical Reasoning can also be improved upon a good amount. There is nothing you can really do to improve your reading comprehension in the short term. So don't waste too much time trying--you either have it or you don't. However, since you haven't started preparing yet there is still hope. I have heard great things about people being able to increase their reading comprehension levels significantly by reading the Wall-Street Journal every day for months. Get started.

The whole application process for law school is another monster entirely, but we will cross that and the law school bridge respectively when they draw nearer.



NB: You will not get a big law gig, and will be lucky to be in the top 30% of your class.

^some people don't realize others may be more gifted intellectually and so they make statements like "you will not get a big law gig." OP, score as high as you can on this test by drilling logic games and logical reasoning as the above poster suggested. Apply to 8-10 schools and negotiate for (more) scholarship money citing expenses as your primary decision maker when deciding on schools despite your high interest in xyz university. For logic games, I would recommend only attacking 3 out of the 4 games because it's such a long section and it's worth spending time
To get answers right and guessing on the last game.

165 LSAT, Goto an ok law school in major us city, full scholly, biglaw job, top 1/3
of class. If anyone needs lsat tutoring services PM me

^^^^ Some real good advice here........


kickhead23 what do you mean by NB?

boo700gs said:

^some people don't realize others may be more gifted intellectually and so they make statements like "you will not get a big law gig." OP, score as high as you can on this test by drilling logic games and logical reasoning as the above poster suggested. Apply to 8-10 schools and negotiate for (more) scholarship money citing expenses as your primary decision maker when deciding on schools despite your high interest in xyz university. For logic games, I would recommend only attacking 3 out of the 4 games because it's such a long section and it's worth spending time
To get answers right and guessing on the last game.

165 LSAT, Goto an ok law school in major us city, full scholly, biglaw job, top 1/3
of class. If anyone needs lsat tutoring services PM me

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You are correct, I meant to say that you should not assume based on your success in UG that you will be able to replicate it in law school--everyone is just as good if not better. To quote my dean in the 1L meeting before our first finals week in the Fall of 1L: "Not all of you will succeed as you wish. Do not be discouraged, as you have achieved great things just by reaching this point. (add in a percentage of people in the world with a J.D.) Think of this (law school) as the Olympics, everyone is exceptional, but only so many can place."

Also, to piggyback on what you said regarding negotiating with schools and the application process, OP should be aware that once he receives his test scores he should send them along with his GPA and LSAC number to every school he is considering applying to and asking for a application fee waiver. I saved over $1,500 doing this.

RitchDad said:

^^^^ Some real good advice here........


kickhead23 what do you mean by NB?

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Nota Bene, its a Latin phrase for take note. It was a terrible legal joke. Forgive me.

maybe not the appropriate place, but can anyone in a big firm talk about the non-attorney positions? marketing/business development, analysts (conflicts, due diligence), paralegals...

is compensation decent (im going to assume its not anywhere near attorney levels )?

i was in a research role for a small firm back in college and i liked it...see a few openings here and there at big firms around DC, and am sometimes tempted to apply...

I took it. Got a good enough score to get into the university of Arizona on a partial scholarship. I took it three times first time I took the course and did the minimum. Got an awful score. 2nd I had a bubbling error that ****** me. By I studied with materials outside of the course as well. 3rd I was calm and did good bc I did so many practice tests.

Take the test masters course AND use the power source bibles. Also purchase practice exams. You can get them on amazon. This isn't the time to be cheap. Law school is going to cost you a 100 grand plus. What's another 2 grand?

Games you should kill with practice. Reading comp you should kill by practice as well. The other part is knowing the rules they teach you.

Good luck man!

Just got my score. 153 , but I went in cold, so what did I expect right? Anyways, time to actually study for round two this December, hopefully can hit the 170ish range. 

KickHead23 said:

First things first, RIP.


Test was insanely demanding. The guy above who stated that he didn't prepare and it wasn't that bad will be back in two months with a 138. I'm currently in my third and final year of LS and can say that the LSAT was thus far the hardest part, notwithstanding the impending bar exam. I took a live course with Testmasters and can attribute my relative success on that course solely.

The course met twice a week for four-hours each during a two-month span leading up to the test. I actually drove two-hours each way twice a week as that was the nearest center. When starting the course I attempted to continue working my part-time job and my undergrad studies concurrently. That came to a quick halt as I had to quit my job to fully dedicate myself to that beast. My first diagnostic test raw was a 138 and I felt like giving up. But by the end I was PT'ing in the mid 160's. Like someone said above, YOU CAN'T TAKE TOO MANY PRACTICE TESTS. Once you learn the small tricks then really its just about testing yourself and hammering out your weak spots.

The logic games section is the most difficult, but the easiest to improve upon with a few small tricks. Logical Reasoning can also be improved upon a good amount. There is nothing you can really do to improve your reading comprehension in the short term. So don't waste too much time trying--you either have it or you don't. However, since you haven't started preparing yet there is still hope. I have heard great things about people being able to increase their reading comprehension levels significantly by reading the Wall-Street Journal every day for months. Get started.

The whole application process for law school is another monster entirely, but we will cross that and the law school bridge respectively when they draw nearer.



NB: You will not get a big law gig, and will be lucky to be in the top 30% of your class.

Click to expand...

At least I didn't get a 138 haha.