Take the February LSAT, or wait and take it later?

[Dave Killoran]

I received the following from a student recently:

hi i just took the december lsat for the first time- going in i had around 95% accuracy in a LG section, and around 75% accuracy on LR (both timed). i didnt invest much time on RC in contrast to the time i put into the other sections (partially cause i find it kinda boring) and that subsequently put a gap in my overall confidence going into it. i am not that confident in how i performed on the test and doubt that ill be happy with my score- that being said, and assuming i am not satisfied with my score, what would you advise regarding when to retake it? i dont plan on applying to law schools before next year(and possibly even later), so does it make sense to try taking february while i still have a handle on the material, or try to take it later eg) in october (which case there would probably be a regression)and take time off till then? I should also add that after april theres the possibility ill get married- in that case does that strengthen the option of february, cause otherwise my mind may be too frenetic to be focused on the test?

This question gets to the heart of an interesting LSAT preparation question: is it better to take the LSAT when everything is fresh, or should you take time off but then also have to rebuild to a certain extent? There's a simple answer to this: it depends For some people it is better to take it immediately while things are fresh, and for others that's not the case. Only you can make that determination, and it depends on the type of student you are, how much time and motivation you have, and how close you think you are to reaching your scoring potential.

One objection that you often hear to taking time off is that it forces you to start again. This is a legitimate concern, but form a scoring standpoint, time away from the LSAT is often beneficial. Please see my article, Why Breaks From the LSAT Can Increase Your Score, for more info on that.

The other relevant point to this question is time-related. When you force yourself to take the next LSAT, you are by design minimizing the amount of time you have to prepare. Partially this is done to obtain the benefit of everything being fresh. and if you are near your score ceiling this is a reasonable trade. However, I've long been of the mindset that the more time you have to prepare, the better. Students who start earlier are often more relaxed, and ultimately end up scoring slightly better than students who prepare for a shorter period of time.

The marriage could be a significant distraction, especially if you are planning for it to be a sizable event with many guests. If you act as your own wedding planner, that will occupy a lot of time. That can be good or bad—sometimes you can use your LSAT prep as a distraction to the process. If it's a small event, I wouldn't worry about it as much. So, again, it depends

My general advice in your situation would be to take the later LSAT, but only you know the details of some of the points above. I'd take a few minutes to think about it, and then decide.

Please let me know if this helped, and good luck!

[byhw92]

hi thanx for the thorough response! assuming i were to retake in september, what/how would you advise studying the next 9 mos? is it worthwhile to put it on the side for a couple of mos or study briefly here and there?

[byhw92]

hi thanx for the thorough response! assuming i were to retake in september, what/how would you advise studying the next 9 mos? is it worthwhile to put it on the side for a couple of mos or study briefly here and there?

[Dave Killoran]

I'd build in two significant breaks: one right now for at least a month (6 weeks would be even better) and then another one of a month right around June, just before you go into the final study run up to the September LSAT. Those two breaks should give you a solid break form studying, and keep you refreshed.

As far as what to study, that's a tougher question for me to answer in detail. But, there are generally two things to work on: specific weaknesses that you have, and your overall timing and endurance. For the specific weaknesses, that requires looking at your practice LSAT results and using the feedback to determine which concepts and question types need work. Then, focus in on those, either by studying all the questions of that type you have done, or by using something like our Training Type books.

Overall timing and endurance is built around taking practice tests, and then reviewing them rigorously. Here is an article that might help with that process: The Best Way to Review LSAT Practice Tests.

As you work through the various materials, don't forget to continue to work on your mental approach. Some of these resources might help: The Ultimate Test Mentality Resource List.

Overall, I'd suggest taking at least a test a week while you are studying, and possibly more depending on your progress and the time you have available. We also have more detailed study plans and a free LSAT scoring analyzer that you can use throughout the process as well. Please see PowerScore Self-Study Site