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Bob's LSAT Diary:
I’m not by nature a blogger. Instead, when I believe a compliment is in order, I communicate it directly to the person who deserves it. Therefore, thank you for the clarity and insight you’ve shared on the LSAT Blog with those preparing to take what may be the academic world’s toughest timed test.
To state the obvious, when it comes to the LSAT, I’m a Non-traditional student, one with non-traditional goals. For starters, I’m probably older than the fathers of most law school applicants you teach. For me, attending law school simply fails the cost/benefit test. Rather, I’ve made a late-career choice to enroll in the Paralegal Certificate program at a local college. For that reason, I plan to take the LSAT this June, and I hope to draw upon your blog’s materials to improve my score.
Unlike most of your other students, I don’t need to take the LSAT, but I think I should take the LSAT, namely for two important reasons:
First, I don’t plan to be just an average paralegal; I want to be an exceptional one, a professional whom good attorneys will seek out to help them research and write. I want the self-assurance of knowing I can stand on a cognitive par with those who’d retain me.
Secondly, educators maintain the LSAT can accurately predict performance in law school. It only stands to reason the same predictive standard would also apply in the somewhat less competitive study of paralegal law. A strong LSAT performance could place me in better standing with professors; even open doors at Cornell Law. Who knows.
Well-rested and sober New Year’s morning, with minimal preparation, I took “cold turkey” my first LSAT Prep Test (June 2007; the free download). Since then, I’ve taken three more tests (#52, #53 & #54), each under timed conditions. For me, the results were disappointing. The scores reached only the low-to-mid 140’s. I know I can do better. I must do better before June!
My main problem is speed, or rather lack thereof. My more mature brain may have left me with less working memory. LG proves particularly difficult. I’m never able to complete even two of the four games on time. Of course, I have yet to master the process of diagramming and its multitude of rules. Once I’m able to approach those games like a machine (to quote your blogger “Samson”), I’m confident my score will improve. I want to make LG my strongest element, not my weakest. (LR is presently strongest; but I’m answering only 17-20 of the questions in timed tests.)
I’ve downloaded and have begun to adopt your 4-Month LSAT Study Plan. I observe you downplay timed testing at the outset, preferring instead to focus on basics. To help execute your plan, I’ve just ordered PrepTests #19-28 and #29-38. I’ll hold off further timed testing for now, but I’ll start using the older LG sections for untimed practice.
For me, a score in the mid-150’s (65+ correct answers) would prove minimally acceptable. But I’d like to break 160 (75+ correct), and I’d love to do it by June. With the right materials and sufficient practice, the goal may be possible.
Whatever my own eventual performance on the LSAT, I hope you realize how much your service is appreciated. You’ve done much to educate and motivate aspiring law students and to take the “scare” out of the LSAT. Unlike some of the other tutorials I’ve skimmed through at the bookstore–but never bought–your instructions keep matters simple. You steer clear of those fancy grids which no test taker on deadline has time to construct. Quick and to the point: Get in; get done; get on to the next problem or game. Once I master your technique, I’m sure my score will improve.
Maybe, in time, this older student can be one of your success stories.
Photo by Paul Watson
I agree with Prof. Schwartz and teach the LSAT prep to master the basics before doing timed tests. You have to build your confidence and skills first -- speed comes after that. Having said that, try to be more relaxed with the LG. I advise my students to carry a page with one game on it with them and work it during a coffee break the same way you might do a crossword puzzle -- just for the fun of it -- or if you're a comptetitive person -- to beat it! I start my students with RC because once you have mastered those dense passages I find the other parts of the test fall into place. Good luck to you in your adventure!
ReplyDeleteHi Bob! I too am a non traditional LSAT Test Taker. I have a son who is in his senior year of college right now.
ReplyDeleteI took the LSAT just this February and I'm currently waiting on my results. I agree that at first, don't time yourself...and if you are having a hard time with the LG sections, do them more than once. It really, really helps...and you will tend to see things you didn't see when you first took it. I was having a hard time finishing too, but in the end, after 3 months of practice and many, many Preptests I only missed one question on the entire exam and really only needed about 15 more second to complete that one! ARGH! You can do this! It takes a lot of time and dedication but it does get easier.
Hi Bob! I am also taking the June lsat and a very non-traditional student(currently 7mths pregnant) and with a 2 year old daughter + I'm a native non-english person. I was very poor at the LG section myself, i could not even finish one game in a 30min timed period but now i finish each game in less than 6 mins and/or between 6-8 mins under timed conditions. My initial practice was to solve each game by category(from linear to groupings)6 times ......1st-3rd untimed, and then time myself for the 4th-6th ones, by the 3rd time, i know the the workings of the game and begin to understand how its is structured. So for the 4th and 6th- i make sure i do it very well within the 6-8min timed period or if possible less. By now, i am getting hold of each game and how they are structured. So seeing a similar game or even an unfamiliar one, makes it easier now because i did a lot of prep with solving each game 6 times. Also, I realized that the most important portion of the game is the Premises you are given, make sure you are diagramming those premise well to your understanding-something you can refer to easily when going through the qts, if possible number each premise, review your diagram and make any deductions before going to the questions, i found out the hard way that helps a lot with answering the LG questions.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Bob and i wish you the best in June.
I'm also a non-traditional LSAT taker. I took the February test at age 51 after more than 30 years away from academia mostly working as a comic juggler (see www.joethejuggler.com).
ReplyDeleteAs a starving artist, my best hope for going to law school this fall is to do well enough on the LSAT to get some kind of scholarship. I took about 15 practice tests. My average score was 168, with a slightly improving trend (my last 3 were 170 or better) with a low of 160 and a high of 173, but I honestly have no clue how I did on the real test.
Waiting has been torture!
I really want to know how Bob did!
ReplyDeleteIt's been 2 years since OP posted....Bob, how did it go? Are you in school? This non-trad would love to know! I'm planning on taking the LSAT for the second time after not giving myself enough study before my first attempt. I scored lower on the actual test than I did on my diagnostic!? THAT was frustrating.
ReplyDelete