December LSAT

[RRani]

Hello,

As with many similar topics, I have a question about the remaining time left for the December LSAT. I started studying early September, working full-time and as a single mom. I study about an hour everyday as part of my lunch break (occasionally, when I have help with my son, I can manage to make it 3 hours a day - but definitely not daily). Apart from that, I study for about 2-3 hours on the weekends, including the Powerscore Online class on Sunday for 3 hours straight.

Due to such limited prep, I have only managed to score a 149 (only 2 points higher from diagnostic ). These days I will be having help with my son, so from hereon it'll be about 3 hours a day everyday. My point is, with such a low diagnostic and limited time crunch, do you think it's worth it to take the December LSAT, or do you suggest I postpone until June?

I don't really know anyone in the same position as me, or anyone taking the LSAT, so I'm hoping to get some insight from people with experience/similar situations. Thank you in advance!

-Rimmy

[Eric Ockert]

Hi Rimmy!

First of all, you are not alone. I know it often feels that way prepping for this test, especially because, as you noted, we tend not to have a lot of peers in the same boat at the same time. So it is difficult to bounce ideas off of other people and to get a feel for the kinds of challenges others are facing. But, while some folks are fortunate enough to be able to prep full time for the LSAT, most people are not. We find that most of our students are either full time students or work full time. These factors alone can greatly limit the amount of time you can devote to the test. Couple them with family demands, and it can be very restrictive.

Too much is often made of how much time or effort is "required" for proper preparation. You will hear many figures batted around for how many hours one should devote or how many practice tests one should take. The bottom line is, do as much as you can with what you have. Oftentimes, these outside demands can force you to be more efficient with the time you do have. That can actually be an advantage. All that being said, 3 hours per day going forward sounds like ample time to get yourself prepared for December.

Finally, it is still a little early to worry about your practice tests just yet. I'm not sure which class you are in, but at this stage many of our classes are just now taking their second practice test for December. We generally like to see students hold off for a few weeks to start with, so that they can really settle into the course material. And many students do not see a tremendous improvement right away. This is totally normal and not a cause for concern. It also does not provide much predictive power about where you are likely to end up. Once you have logged 4 or 5 practice tests, see where you are at that point. That starts to give you a much better feel if you are on the right path for December. But definitely wait until you have more information before you make any decisions for postponement.

Hope that helps!

[RRani]

Thank you so much, Eric, it really helps to hear from people who have been in a similar boat! I really appreciate it.