When Is The Best Time To Take The LSAT?

Figuring out the best time to take the LSAT can be difficult, especially for those of you who are in college.

In this blog post, I give some advice for one blog reader who's having difficulty determining when to take the LSAT.

Blog reader Kim recently wrote to me with the following question:

I am currently a rising junior, and am pretty positive that I am going to take time off before going to law school. My question to you is when do you think I should take it? I was planning on taking 1-2 years off, so I could apply to a jd/mba program. However I am not sure when to take it or what I should do. I have started studying but if I have no concrete date I am working towards I feel lost.

Also, I am asking this so I can figure out which LSAT study plan of yours to buy!

My response:

You could study over the coming fall semester and winter break of junior year, take it in February 2012, apply to law school in the fall of 2013, and start law school in the fall of 2014 (this gives you a year off).

Alternatively, you can still take it in February 2012, apply in the fall of 2014, and start law school in the fall of 2015 (this gives you 2 years off).

You can also take it in June 2012 or October 2012 (the latter would give you the summer to study) and still apply in the fall of either 2013 or 2014.

Many law schools only consider scores from the past 3 years, but in any of these scenarios, you'd still be applying less than 3 years from your LSAT test date. By taking it early, you give yourself a chance to retake or postpone if things aren't progressing how you like or if you need more time.

In any case, I'd suggest the 7-month day-by-day study plan for you. This is the most comprehensive and contains recommendations regarding the use of the greatest amount of material. The plan is more useful for its specificity and detail than the particular day-by-day breakdown.

Hope this helps!

Photo by wallyg