LSAT Diaries: Studying During Political Scandal

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Victoria, who took the June 2011 LSAT.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Thanks to Victoria for sharing her experience and advice, and please leave your questions for her below in the comments!

Victoria's LSAT Diary:

It's definitely hard for me to balance LSAT studying with three jobs, a full time course schedule (because I took the June LSAT, a lot of my LSAT studying took place at the same time as my regular academic obligations, plus my internships).

As for obstacles that stood in my way, a lack of money was definitely a problem. Because two of my jobs are unpaid internships, and the other is a minimum-wage IT job, I could never afford any fancy LSAT prep courses, or even the more expensive self-study tools (that is, buying many prep books, prep tests, etc.). As you can tell, the financial limitations were definitely frustrating...it's hard to hope for a really high score, when you can't afford more than half of the resources to help you do well on the test!

However, I tried not to let that dissuade, frustrate, or otherwise piss me off (much)--especially since I'm the type that prefers to study alone. I never understood the point of having study buddies, especially for something like the LSAT.

So I bought a few (and by a few, I mean three of each) PrepTests and LSAT study guides/books. During my free time at work, I would work on Logical Reasoning questions (always my strongest point) and during my lunch break, I would practice on Reading Comprehension (another strong subject for me, as a literature minor) and Analytical Reasoning / Logic Games questions (ugh, don't even talk to me about these monsters!).

Being the (sometimes) terrible summer student I am, I focused mainly on RC and LR (in my defense, these subjects cover 3/4 of the test, after all), and more or less tried to ignore AR/LGs' existence. (If I don't see it, it doesn't exist, la la la~) Also, in my defense (again), focusing on RC and LR really helped to boost my test day confidence--after all, if you're sure you can do well on at least 75% of the test, you won't freak out or have a breakdown in the middle of the test (in theory).

As I said, I took the June 2011 LSAT test, so I'm still waiting anxiously for my scores...so hopefully I'm not just blabbering on pointlessly. In any case, I have a very decent undergrad GPA (a respectable 3.7, hopefully a 3.75 or higher after my summer internships are graded), I am a research assistant for one of my major professors, I have tons of work experience and experience juggling many things at once (internships included), and I have a long record of volunteer/community services experiences.

All of my PrepTests put me in the very decent score range of 162 to 168--better than the score that would compare to my first choice law school's 75% percentile LSAT scores. I was feeling very good about my numbers, LSAT included.

That was, until June 1st. I won't go into details (as I'm sure that a decent Google search will fill you in on the details), but I somehow found myself being tagged in some very...odd Twitter posts. From reporters, and Twitter accounts for newspapers, tabloids, you know the kind. Apparently, because one politician follows me on Twitter (I'll leave you to guess whom I am referring to), I found myself in a media frenzy. I was getting emails, calls, all sorts of things from media-type people...all trying to get a quote or soundbite from me.

The next day, it escalated. I found my Twitter handle, full name, and even my picture (an old Facebook profile picture) being published online, and printed in newspapers and magazines. Needless to say, it was pretty damned difficult to focus on my last minute LSAT studying, when I was suddenly being implicated in some random, ridiculous political "sex" scandal. Luckily, by Saturday (or thereabouts), I decided I was over it. I was ignoring my Twitter account, locking down my Facebook, and screening all of my phone calls until test time.

Or at least, I tried.

The point is, despite a painful lack of money, somehow being implicated in the most ridiculous, lack-of-sex-involving political "sex" scandal this year, and being absurdly over-scheduled, I somehow managed to get through LSAT studying, the LSAT itself, and even the first part of the painful waiting game.

I suppose, after all of this, I should be grateful; after this, I should be able to take on anything! Law school, here I come!

Photo by tonythemisfit

Logic and Games

* Casey Anthony, sentenced to 4 years in jail, will be free in less than a week due to time already served. What are your thoughts? [NYTimes; The Guardian]

* Why law school is harder than undergrad. [Law School Academic Support Blog]

* Law firms poach each others' rainmakers. [NYTimes]

* Best Buy threatens NewEgg.com for creating a commercial that mocks them. [ABA Journal]

* Sketchy journalism practices lead Murdochs to shut down British tabloid News of the World. [Mashable]

* American Apparel has to pay $343,000 for supervisor's racial slurs against an employee. [Gawker]

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

New LSAT PrepTest PDFs Available For Download

Just wanted to let everyone know that the June 2011 LSAT (LSAT PrepTest 63), and out-of-print LSAT PrepTests 1-6, 8, and 17, are now available for instant PDF download through LSAT Blog!

LSAT PrepTests 39-62 (December 2002 LSAT - December 2010 LSAT) have already been available for download for a while - get them now if you haven't already!

Every exam available for instant PDF download through LSAT Blog comes with free Logical Reasoning explanations for both sections of the exam.

Photo by ericejohnson

LSAT Diary: LSAT Prep Success Story

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from LSAT Blog reader Kelly, who scored a 170 on the December 2010 LSAT!

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Thanks to Kelly for sharing her experience and advice, and please leave your questions for her below in the comments!

Kelly's LSAT Diary:

Where to begin....

LAW SCHOOL? BUT WHY?

It seemed that in spite of a promising career in project management, I couldn’t help but get a giant pit in my stomach every time I heard about someone’s friend or cousin or acquaintance applying to law school or going to law school or graduating from law school or really, anything with "law" in the sentence. I couldn’t quite explain these feelings of animosity and jealousy when I myself had chosen against seven years of education out of high school, pursuing a technical diploma instead. But alas, the feelings remained, resurfacing on a regular basis.

In the spring of 2009, while I was completing a graduate certificate in Project Management to complement my current role, I perused the online programs at the University I was attending. To my surprise, I discovered a two-year online accelerated degree in Commerce. What a novel concept, I'd thought - a way to complete a degree, without committing to school full time or having to leave my job. And even if the law pipe dream never materialized, I’d have a solid business degree for application in a number of positions.

So, in September of 2009, at the age of 25, I began the two-year accelerated program with a few steps in mind. Step 1: Get grades worthy of law school admissions.

In the spring of 2010, after it became apparent that my grades were in the right zone, I emailed an advisor at the law school where I live (and the only one I was considering as I love where I live and had no intentions of moving away) to get the necessary details on next steps. I was surprised to learn that if I had any chances at the 2011 intake, I would have to get serious about studying for and taking the LSAT prior to February. So I registered for the December sitting, bought a thwack of books and tests, and off I went.


STUDYING

In the beginning, I practiced questions here and there casually between work and school and downtime, finding I enjoyed ‘solving’ the logic games and was fairly consistent in getting them correct. In late September, I sat down and took a practice test under timed conditions. To my surprise, I completely bombed the logic games, only finishing one and a half questions. Overall I scored somewhere in the 155-158 territory. Later, when I went back to finish the games section, it took me nearly 50 minutes to complete. I realized timed conditions put a whole new spin on things.

So from there, I practiced logic games, usually in bed minutes before I would fall asleep each night. I skimmed the pages, designing a system of diagramming for the games. Anywhere I found ‘free’ time over the next 3 months; I would do logic games, in my head, on post-it notes, on my iPod, anywhere I could find 10 minutes and some questions to practice.

Around the end of October, I started treating studying like work. Each evening when I wasn’t swamped with homework I’d try to do questions. As October came to an end, I started doing a complete practice exam twice a week. On Mondays - a day off from work and from school, I would do a timed test and practice sections throughout the rest of the day. As my studying progressed, my scores were generally between 162 and 166 with the odd 168.

Early on I’d decided that timing and the games were going to be the keys to increasing my score. I was fairly consistent on the reading comprehension as long as I took the questions in a quiet environment (trying to do reading comprehension while watching TV does not work, FYI) and read the question thoroughly without getting distracted half way down the page.

As for the logical reasoning questions, the only thing I studied was the section on parallel reasoning. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around not looking for the answer with the same words, but instead looking for one with the same concept. This was a couple hours of practicing and I’m still not sure I completely get that part. All in all, I completed over 30 practice tests and had another 30 that I did pieces of. I wondered at one point if I would actually run out of practice tests before test day, but luckily this wasn’t the case!!

Now, as another aside, somewhere along the line I had decided to tell no one, aside from my boyfriend that I live with, and my mom that I had decided to write the LSAT. And I certainly told no one I was applying to go to law school. For the most part, I enjoyed my job and didn’t want to set off any bells that I was considering leaving. I also didn’t find it necessary mentioning to my friends or family that I was considering this path. After all, I wasn’t interested in moving away to go to school and if my LSAT grade wasn’t oh-so-high or my grades for that matter, the whole point seemed kind of moot. What this meant though is that I was stressed and busy all the time and couldn’t really explain why to anyone! Late November with exams for school and the LSAT date looming, I experienced a few emotional breakdowns!


THE EXAM

December came and I printed tiny pictures of myself, filled out the forms for test day and packed a special care package in a giant zip lock bag. I felt like I was joining some top secret mission and I that was allowed was 1 tiny bag of jelly beans, 1 bottle of water, 3 tissues, 5 pencils and 1 granola bar. I had my boyfriend drive me to the test center the night before to make sure I knew where I was going. He also drove me the morning of. I wasn’t taking any chances. As I arrived at the test center, I was eerily calm. I had studied SO much that I actually wondered if I would even bother retaking it if I wasn’t happy with the grade. I wondered if I could possibly do more than I had done.

I had no idea what I was in for in terms of the three hour wait between the alleged start time and the actual ‘everyone is now signed in we can actually start’ time. As I watched people filtering into the room, hoping I wouldn’t have to pee before the exam started, let alone the halfway point, I rested my head of my desk. At one point I heard a fellow exam writer say to another “check out that chick sleeping on the desk,” and realized he meant me. But finally we started. Nerves became focus and I moved quickly through the first three sections, realizing very quickly that I had just completed the test section as the games were oh-so easy.

After the break I was startled by how hard the games section was. The next day when I read that someone on their way home from the exam had spent an hour throwing rocks through the stained glass windows of a church, I knew it wasn’t just me. But alas, an hour later, I was writing my terrible essay, thinking to myself how happy I was that part wasn’t graded, and like it had never happened, it was 4pm and I was leaving the center. I felt as dehydrated, a bit ill and my head felt as though I hadn’t slept in weeks. I went home, spent one day recovering and the next day began cramming for a final exam I had in 5 days for my degree.

December came and went. I spent a long, luxurious 7 days at Christmas intoxicated, and my grades came in the mail. Tears hit my eyes when I saw the 170 in the email. I was at work, where I usually am at about 7pm at night, working on homework after my work day is done, and it all just seemed worth it then.

So. Long story short:

Studying needs to be like work. Don’t fit it in when you have time. Schedule time to fit it in. Write one practice exam under timed conditions at least once per week. Write an exam under non-timed conditions at least once per week. Compare the two and determine where time is affecting you (and just do more questions to get faster) and where your skill is affecting you.

Photo by bobaubuchon

Logic and Games

* Apparently, there's a surplus of lawyers being produced in nearly every state. Study hard. [NYTimes via AboveTheLaw]

* Hot Coffee, a new movie about the McDonald's lawsuit, shows how one incident led to a campaign for tort reform. [AboveTheLaw]

* Tom Petty sends a cease-and-desist to Michele Bachmann, demanding that she stop using his song in her campaigning. [Gawker]

* Scholars hypothesize that logical reasoning abilities are an evolutionary adaptation. [NYTimes]

* Everything you ever wanted to know about the origins of online dating. [The New Yorker]

LSAT Diaries: June 2011 LSAT Test Day (Part 3)

LSAT Blog reader Jessica has written a series of LSAT Diaries chronicling her experience in the countdown to the June 2011 LSAT.

This is the 3rd of a 3-part series containing her story.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Thanks to Jessica for sharing her experience and advice, and please leave your questions for her below in the comments!

Jessica's LSAT Diaries, Part 3:

T-Minus Mere Hours

Today's LSAT is, in a lot of ways, the closing of a really horrible year for me.

This time last year I was having to give myself injections of blood thinners in my stomach because the doctor - by miraculous coincidence - found a massive blood clot in my abdomen. I was a walking pulmonary embolism, grappling with my own mortality, who just made the decision to go to law school. I printed my first practice test from LSAC and skimmed it at the pool, genuinely enjoying not thinking about strokes or bleeding to death.

But soon after I had gotten home, a uniformed police officer knocked at my door. My father had passed away suddenly on June 6, 2010. Just three days before his 60th birthday; just one week before Father's Day. My parents divorced when I was 3 and I'm an only child. There was no will. He and I were not all that close in my adult years. The entirety of his estate fell to me.

Over the next three months, two grandmothers and an aunt passed away. Then a dear friend committed suicide. My doctors find that I have a "resistance" to blood thinners; and thus, must take an abnormally high dose. But that significantly increases my risk of bleeding to death. I have to teach my daughter to explain how much and what kind of medicine mommy takes in case we get into a car accident.

I love to be humorous and light-hearted but this last year took a lot of that carefree blissfulness away from me. The LSAT gave me a place to focus my thoughts. I couldn't be mired in fear or heartache because I had to study, practice, etc. That blood clot can't kill me, I've put in too much time studying to die beforehand. I'm not going to quit because I know going to law school would have made my dad proud.

I'm going to do amazing on this test.



Lift-Off: Test Day
If I had a science, it would be based on the unfortunate combination Murphy's Law and the chaos theory. If there's any shit to be had, I'll be the one having it and it will be ridiculous. Here's how it went...

This morning, I was full of nervous energy, so I spent a really long time getting ready. My makeup and hair look fantastic today. Whatever - walk the walk. I look smart; I am smart.

Even though I drive by Oglethorpe University almost every day, I somehow managed to miss the fact that the closest gas station must be franchised straight out of Compton and the only reason to go there is to get carjacked. Since that's not on today's schedule, I head a little farther down the road to the grocery store to get my 20 oz bottle of allowed beverage. No biggie.

I park extra far away in between an Audi and a BMW convertible with its top down. See, I have to carry all my stuff in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag to the test center but I am not carrying that baggie into the Kroger. I figure if someone's going to break into a car it'll either be easy-pickens BMW or the flashy Audi. And if you really want some travel-sized Kleenex and No. 2 pencils, well then I'm the car for you and it's your lucky day.

I step out of my car and immediately put my foot down in some gum. And by some, I mean ankle-deep in a puddle of gum. No wonder this person had to spit this gum out! It's entirely too much for a human mouth to handle! Good thing it's 900 million degrees outside and I'm wearing flip flops. Extra melty parking lot gum all over my shoe and my foot.

Then I have to walk super far to the store, to the back of the store - while getting at least 4 comments on there being gum on my shoe/foot - listening to a "sticky-sticky-flop" sound before having to wash my damn foot in the sink of the public restroom at Kroger. Gross. This better be the best damn bottle of water I've ever consumed.

Maybe I'll buy Smart Water...

So I get to Oglethorpe and instead of looking if there were any LSAT signs, I just follow the big bunch of cars in front of me. I mean really, what else could be going on here during summer break, on a weekday, at noon?

Random Native American Potty Festival is what (though, not really its title).

And everyone walked so damn slow! Hurry up Aimlessly Meander, I got a test to take! We're going to have a whole different interpretation of the Trail of Tears if you don't start utilizing the sidewalk instead of the middle of the street!

I make it on time. It's cool. I'm not freaking out. Cool as a cucumber. Which is good because I end up sitting next to some kid named Doug. Doug is wiggly.

There's a whole bunch of calamity about how to bubble in our names on the cover and our proctors had to call the admission council TWICE to sort it out. Doug says, "If we can't even fill out our names right, we're fucked on this test." Fair point, seatmate.

And it's go time!

I can't tell you anything about the actual test, except that it was long and hard. They make us sign a confidentiality agreement.

About 10 minutes in, someone left. At the beginning of Section II, the summer session psychology class next door started watching a horror movie. Know what doesn't create peaceful ambiance? Suspenseful music, screaming and crashing sounds. Nor the affect those noises have on Doug. It's not Godzilla dude, sit still!

2nd person just gets up and walks out.

....Seriously Doug, if you're having this hard of a time, maybe you should go too? Run screaming from the room for all I care, but just STOP BEING NEXT TO ME. Besides, every person out is a bump in the curve for the rest of us. Go Doug...

Oglethorpe doesn't allow their students to have hot water, which is sad since they also apparently don't allow their toilets to flush and I was feeling the need to be sanitary. Good thing Doug has Purell. I love/hate him.

Bad thing psychology class apparently is watching the horror movie's sequel.

And 3rd person leaves. Followed by a flurry of activity from the LSAC people regarding what happened. I think, it's not like I had time to listen to them. I'm trying to concentrate in spite of earthquake Doug and Murdermania Double-Feature. All grounds to cancel my score...but I have to know it! Curiosity kept the cat our of Georgetown...

I don't know how I did. I no point was I rushed. There were definitely 3-4 questions I had no clue about. Ironically, the writing sample may have been my weakest part because you're not allowed to be funny.

Guess we'll find out June 29th! [Ed: Likely sooner] Thanks for all the support!!!

Photo by lij

Logic and Games

* U.S. News may change its law school ranking methodology. [U.S. News]

* Arrested? LawyerUp gets you a criminal defense attorney ASAP. [NYTimes; Gawker]

* Supreme Court rules in favor of Wal-Mart in sex-discrimination lawsuit. [Politico; The Independent; NYTimes]

* You know that joke about how life in jail is better than life on the outside? This guy believed it. [Thought Catalog]

* Are you a fellow coffee addict? Turns out tea is worth looking into. [Lifehacker]

* Fun with over-analyzing text messages. [The Hairpin]

Getting Around The LSAT 3-Times-In-2-Years Limit: Rule Change

LSAC typically limits test-takers to taking the LSAT a maximum of 3 times within a 2-year period. Up to this point, test-takers could request an exemption to this rule by appealing to a law school directly.

However, beginning on June 24th, 2011, LSAC is no longer allowing law schools to intervene on an applicant's behalf. Instead, applicants will have to request an exemption directly from LSAC itself.

Here are some more details directly from LSAC:

Greetings. I write to make you aware of a change in policy regarding the LSAT. The LSAC Board of Trustees has approved a change in the policy related to applicants who wish to take the LSAT more than three times in two years. In the past, law schools could allow applicants to take the test an additional time by notifying LSAC of the extenuating circumstances of the candidate. Under the new policy, all exceptions to the policy will be determined by LSAC. Schools will not approve requests for additional testing after June 24, 2011 when the new policy goes into effect.

Following is the language for applicants on the LSAC website regarding this policy:

You may not take the LSAT more than three times in any two-year period. This policy applies even if you cancel your score or if your score is not otherwise reported. LSAC reserves the right to cancel your registration, rescind your admission ticket, or take any other steps necessary to enforce this policy.

For significant extenuating circumstances, exception to this policy may be made by LSAC. To request an exception, submit a signed, detailed explanation addressing the circumstances that you feel make you eligible to retake the LSAT and specify the date that you wish to test. E-mail your request as an attachment to LSACinfo@LSAC.org or send it by fax to 215.968.1277.

You will be notified by e-mail of approval or denial of your request. Be sure to submit your request well in advance of the regular registration deadline so that you can receive timely notification of our decision. Barring unforeseen circumstances, LSAC will respond within seven working days of its receipt. LSAC’s decisions are final.

Photo via Wikipedia

Sample Logical Reasoning Questions

Blog reader Zach recently wrote to me with a few sample Logical Reasoning questions he's written himself. Although real LSAT questions are best to practice on, these are also good practice and completely free to share with all of you!

Here's what Zach wrote to me:

With the LSAT coming up, my mind has been focused in just one area recently. Everything I do, see or hear is relevant to this test and this (faked) conversation between my mom and the dog is no different.

I wrote a couple of sample Logical Reasoning questions below based on their conversation.

Here they are:

Mama: You better poop when I take you outside. If you don't poop outside, I will make you stay on the bed all day. Therefore, you cannot roam around on the floor.

The dog: Your reasoning is flawed. I can jump off the bed to the floor anyway, regardless if I poop outside. Therefore, me pooping outside does not have any impact on my freedom.

1. Which one of the following is most parallel to Mama's reasoning?

(A) You must eat carrots when we go to this restaurant. If you do eat carrots, you will gain better eyesight. Therefore, you might be able to read better.

(B) You should get gas when we pass Springfield. If you don't get gas, we will stall out near Huntsville. Therefore, we might be murdered.

(C) You better have a drink when you go the bars. If you don't have a drink, you won't have a lot of fun. Therefore, you won't have good stories to tell.

(D) You better try these mushrooms when we go into the magical forest. If you do try them, you will see magical creatures. Therefore, you cannot disbelieve their existence.

(E) You must be quiet when we go to Amishville. If you are not quiet, you will be shunned. Therefore, you might embarrass me.


2. Which one of the following most weakens the dog's argument?

(A) The bed is only a few inches off the floor.

(B) The bed is situated only on a twin-sized frame.

(C) The weight remaining within the dog because of his lack of poop is insignificant to his jumping ability.

(D) The dog's concept of freedom is contingent on the amount of digestive material within his larger intestine.

(E) If the dog does not poop outside, Mama puts up an electric fence around the bed barring any entity from accessing or leaving it.


Answers:
(Please highlight the text below to read them, since they are in a white font color.)

1. C
2. E

***

Please let us know your thoughts on these, and how you do on them, in the comments!

June 2011 LSAT: LSAT Diaries, Part 2

LSAT Blog reader Jessica has written a series of LSAT Diaries chronicling her experience in the countdown to the June 2011 LSAT.

This is the 2nd of a 3-part series containing her story.

Enjoy, and if you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Thanks to Jessica for sharing her experience and advice, and please leave your questions for her below in the comments!

Jessica's LSAT Diaries, Part 2:

T-Minus 6 Days & Counting

LSAT Blog saved me from Craigslist tutor-murder.

I am so close to the score I want. So...very...close. My first prep test in August was a 139. I promptly deemed myself metal handicapped and bought $100 worth of LSAT prep books. The first prep book I read dedicated the entirety of its opening chapter as a pep talk to the reader for having to buy the book. Thanks.

My prep test scores quickly improved 20 points as I became more familiar with the questions. I got this! But then came the plateau. I decided to get a tutor, except I'm poor. Full-time job at a non-profit, full-time student, 6 year old who participates in every activity under the sun, etc. - basically, I'm lacking for luxury tutor funds. So I start to look around online.

The first guy I contacted about tutoring might as well have included in his ad "bring your own duct tape and plastic sheeting." No thanks dude, I will not be paying $25/hr to be hacked into bits. Then a "I can only tutor you if you accept collect calls." Swell, I'm going to fail the LSAT because I'm cheap and have a strong survival instinct.

Right about the time I was contemplating selling out my will to live, I found the LSAT Blog. I bought the 4-month LSAT study schedule and the rest is history. I've gone from 159 to 168. I want a 170. So...very...close.

Now my problems are all mental. I'm not too worried about it; I'm a great test-taker, though the stress in the meantime may drive me up a clock tower. I'm frantically searching for zen about the test. Maybe I'll try screaming the Serenity Prayer...



T-Minus: 5 Days and Counting

It takes a village to pass the LSAT. My coworkers are an excellent example of this and I would like to thank them. And freak them out because me being selflessly appreciative isn't exactly my style but they love me anyway; hence the thanks.

When I wanted to make a "word wall" for all of the indicator words in the logic section, my coworkers generously donated all their different color Post-Its. When I couldn't solve an analytical reasoning question, I'd copy it from the book and tape it to my office door. They would try to solve it and then explain how they worked it out or deem it "f*cking impossible" like I had and we would all feel nice about it.

Whenever I was taking prep tests at work (during breaks and lunch of course), I'd total my section scores about 3:00. Depending on the result, I'd either be walking on sunshine or stomping around, grumbling nonsense about letters, principles and diagramming. My coworkers quickly learned to keep candy around in case my score was low. Here, Jessica, eat some M&M's, it'll help.

It does kind of help. Thanks guys.

They've had to endure my bizarre new vocabulary, sometimes erroneous accusations of flaws in their reasoning and my near-manic fits. They too have become invested in my score. It's like we're all taking it together. I feel an enormous amount of pressure about that but I'm glad to have the support. Today is my last day in the office before I take the test and it's a little bittersweet. They've done all they can. Fly baby bird, fly.

Enjoy the peace and quite office mates!



T-Minus 4 Days and Counting

So I have ADHD. Like the real kind. Not the one people make up when they don’t want to mind their manners or that lazy parents have their kids diagnosed to circumvent spending quality time. The real, medication everyday or it’s a mental cluster f*ck.

Typically, I don’t even mention it because people don’t seem to believe me. No one really thinks of an adult as having ADHD and since I’m not bouncing off the walls like a nut the label doesn’t always seem fitting. But it’s all carefully controlled chaos. I’m not ashamed of having ADHD but I am ashamed when it bests me.

Having ADHD may be a reason to do poorly on the LSAT but it will not be an excuse. It is tough to reign in to study. And sadly, the internet is sorely lacking on ADHD tips for LSAT. I did pick up an ADHD “lifestyle” magazine at the bookstore the other day but it was an insulting 15 pages. Useless! I wasted my stereotypically meager attention span on an overgrown brochure about the importance of To Do lists.

That being said, the one and only item on my list for today is: STUDY



T-Minus 3 Days and Counting

AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!



T-Minus 2 Days and Counting

My practice test scores are all over the map. And off the side of the map. And eaten by sea monsters.

How many times have you said "I hate this test" today? I've said it about 6; once this morning to a stranger at the makeup counter at the mall. I can't wait for this madness to be over. Or at least have a break before repeating it in October.

I know - don't think like I'm going to take it more than once. Whatever. I've practiced. I've familiarized. I hate this test (7th). I made a deal with myself that I would take a break for 2 days, do nothing LSAT and be rested and rejuvenated for Monday. Then I scored a 153 on a prep test. A whole 10 points lower than my last one. It takes me too long to make the charts in Analytical Reasoning...

So I decided to practice that. Then I made the most surprising discovery...I don't know how to read. I know! Apparently I've made it all this way in life without really knowing how to read. The constraint will say "S is 4th" and I'll write down "S = 7th."

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

I really wish I hadn't gone illiterate 3 days before the test! In looking back over my wrong answers it's all because I read something wrong. I blame Reading Rainbow. Yeah, it's come to that. How in the world am I going to teach myself how to read back up to a college-level in 3 days?!

I hate this test (8th).



T-Minus OMG Tomorrow!

How is it possible that I don't have a grown-up pencil sharpener? Or that the 3 stores I went to yesterday are completely sold out of them? Seriously, all I have are 5 Hannah Montana pencils (admittedly, No. 2) and a pink dinosaur pencil sharpener. And my daughter says I can't borrow them because she doesn't think I'm responsible enough. Go to your room. Mommy is stressed!

What kind of snack should I bring? Which food is a brain food? I don't want to screw up and bring something rich in antioxidants. I'll worry about lowering my cancer risks on June 7th.

I spent entirely too long picking out my admission ticket picture and wondering what brought about that lengthy "no firearms or weapons" section of the test packet. Man all of my Facebook photos are really inappropriate. Should I wear my glasses or contacts? Jeans or sweatpants? Handgun or sword?

Kidding, according to pg. 2, weaponry must remain in the car with your cellphone. Thank goodness for that checklist.

Photo by bdorfman

Logic and Games

* Blind prospective law student sues ABA. Claims LSAT Logic Games section discriminates against the blind because written diagrams help you solve questions. [NPR]

* ABA makes major changes to law school employment disclosures. [Law School Transparency]

* Many lawyers stuck with low-paying temp jobs. Get a high LSAT score so you don't become one of them. [WSJ]

* Juror gets jail time for contacting criminal defendant on Facebook. [Mashable]

* Rep. Anthony Weiner will finally resign. [NYTimes; Washington Post]