* Supreme Court Justice Breyer robbed by man with a machete. [Boston Globe]
* Rick Santorum claims judicial tyranny is a serious problem when it comes to gay marriage. [WSJ Law Blog]
* A legal scholar argues that Jim Crow still exists in America due to inequities in the judicial system. [NPR]
* The U.S. Constitution is losing influence as a model for those of other countries. [NYTimes]
* The worst Valentine's Day gifts ever. [Yahoo Shine]
February 2012 LSAT Score Release Dates
UPDATE: LSAC began releasing February 2012 LSAT scores on Tuesday, March 6th. Scores are released in batches, and it may take several hours for everyone to receive their scores.
Good luck!
***
The February 2012 LSAT scores / results are scheduled to be released via email by March 7, 2012. However, LSAC generally releases LSAT scores a bit earlier than that.
Let's look at the trend over the past several years (click to enlarge):
The December 2011 LSAT score release was a bit unpredictable, but the June 2011 LSAT score release and October 2011 LSAT score release are helpful in allowing me to make an educated guess about when February LSAT scores will come out.
Over the years, February, June, and October scores were traditionally scheduled to be released no later than 23 days after the exam date (a Monday). However, LSAC started giving themselves a little more time in the June 2011 - February 2012 test cycle, scheduling the score release date to be 25 days after the test date for the June 2011, October 2011 and February 2012 LSATs (a Wednesday).
For both the June and October 2011 LSATs, LSAC scheduled the results to be released no later than 25 days after the test date, but then released them 23 days later (2 days earlier than scheduled. For this reason...
My best guess is that February 2012 LSAT scores will be released on Monday, March 5, 2012.
"But at what time specifically? I need to know when to constantly refresh my email / LSAC account!"
In batches over the course of several hours. Likely starting late in the day (Eastern Time).
No one knows how the batches are organized, if at all.
The batches do not seem to be organized in any of these ways:
alphabetical/regional/high-to-low scores/low-to-high scores/test center #, etc.
Wish everyone all the best!
***
See other LSAT score release dates posts.
***
While you're waiting for your score, get busy with my Law School Admissions Book Recommendations list and other admissions-related blog posts.
Feel free to leave comments and vent at the injustice of having to wait so long for what is rightfully yours.
Finally, here's Success Baby, in case you prefer him to the other baby for your Facebook profile photo or something:
My best guess is that February 2012 LSAT scores will be released on Monday, March 5, 2012.
"But at what time specifically? I need to know when to constantly refresh my email / LSAC account!"
In batches over the course of several hours. Likely starting late in the day (Eastern Time).
No one knows how the batches are organized, if at all.
The batches do not seem to be organized in any of these ways:
alphabetical/regional/high-to-low scores/low-to-high scores/test center #, etc.
Wish everyone all the best!
***
See other LSAT score release dates posts.
***
While you're waiting for your score, get busy with my Law School Admissions Book Recommendations list and other admissions-related blog posts.
Feel free to leave comments and vent at the injustice of having to wait so long for what is rightfully yours.
Finally, here's Success Baby, in case you prefer him to the other baby for your Facebook profile photo or something:
LSAT Diary: Prep and Test Day Experience
This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Tamara, a 45-year-old computer programmer who scored a 166 on her LSAT.She's got some great LSAT advice for you about how she did it, and a great description of what taking the test was like.
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.)
Tamara's LSAT Diary:
Patents and intellectual property rights interest me, and friends who are lawyers suggested my prospects for practicing intellectual property law are good. I've worked in computer software for 15 years while I attended college for degrees in communication and computer science. I had high school ambitions for law school, but high school graduation was 25 years ago. Almost on a whim, I registered for the LSAT. I had ten weeks to prepare.
I didn't pin any specific outcome on the results. Everyone who completes a law school application takes the LSAT. So instead of pondering "Should apply to law school" and "How will I ever afford it" I decided to take the test and see what happens.
My first stop was the public library. I opened the phonebook-sized guide and took the practice test at the front. Reading comprehension, no sweat. Short-answer logical questions, hm, some of those I'm getting backwards or not right ... ohmigoodness, these puzzles? Most fun I've ever had with a #2 pencil, but each one takes a full half-hour? Many hours later, without timing anything and with ample breaks, I had a practice score of 159. (But test prep book warmups are not equivalent to the actual tests.)
So my journey began. Next step, Internet, where I quickly found LSAT Blog. Based on the advice of using official LSAT practice tests, I ordered five. One for each of the last five weeks of preparation. I didn't share this goal with anyone other than my housemates: people who could see from the huge tome labeled LSAT preparation on the coffee table.
The first five weeks, I focused on accuracy on the two weak spots: short answer (logical reasoning) and logic games (analytical reasoning). I spent weekday evenings casually answering 10 or 20 logical reasoning questions, then working on the types I got wrong. I learned about the question types, and how to identify the argument and conclusions. I followed a strategy of discarding the obviously wrong answers right off and then selecting the one best answer from the remaining answers.
Logic games? Definitely hard. Fortunately, it's the same type of reasoning required to solve the trickiest real-life computer programming problems. I photocopied logic games on individual pieces of paper and carried them with me, so that a wait at the mechanic or the vet became logic game time. I worked on them in the break room at work, where I sat and tried to figure out the contrapositives and grouping and scheduling and charts and placing square people at round tables.
Spending the weekend drinking Lone Star while trying to figure out which seagull shat on which Amish hat was a highlight of my study time. After that game, my speed picked up. I started doing two games every time I sat down, finishing one and immediately starting another, and finally got to where I could solve two in a half hour. Three. I needed three. And eventually four? Would I ever compress two hours of work into 35 minutes?
The last five weeks I focused on completing the test in the allotted time. Oh, and without a cigarette break. And getting my 45-year-old eyes trained in on bubbling selections accurately on those tiny cramped answer sheets. Each Saturday I woke up at the time I'd have to wake up for the real LSAT, drove to the library, and took a practice test. I still needed more speed on logic games. Sometimes getting three completed during a practice test. Sometimes. Almost, but not quite. I had accuracy; if I got to a game, I got all or all-but-one of the questions right. If I worked too fast, jumped to a false conclusion, didn't re-read and carefully map out the initial information? I got the whole thing wrong. Accuracy took time, precious time, but I'd rather get two completely right than four completely wrong.
But at the same time, I remained casual about the results -- if I got a good score, I'd continue down this path and apply to schools, if not, that was OK too.
Game day rolled around. Got there early and joined hundreds of others sitting around waiting to be assigned to a room. Then we had interminable delays while the proctors figured out that even if you'd grown a beard since your license picture you still were allowed to take the test (a rather common thing, you'd think, considering that LSAT studying didn't seem to allow time for shaving ... or was it an influx of Amish inspired by the seagull question?)
The wait to get our LSAT test booklets was long and frustrating. The proctor mis-read and mis-pronounced instructions. Settled into a zen-like calmness for the rigamarole and tiny uncomfortable chairs; I never thought to practice sitting in a horrible chair with a tiny tiny platform and no place to rest my pencil? Logical reasoning, reading comprehension, logical reasoning, a break to walk around, more logical reasoning, will this never end? It's well after noon, and the quiet and tedium are taking a toll. Finally the analytical reasoning, the logic games. Read them through, ranked them order of attack, worked the first, third, fourth ... time was called, and bubbled in C on the blanks. Oh, and I never did work down my list of things to do and practice that writing sample. Arguing on the best choice for a summer camp? Whatever.
They collected our packages, and the whole thing was over. And I'd gotten to three of the four logic games. And I was jubilant, driving home, calling friends who practice law, my sister, anyone who might care: I'd finished the LSAT. Finished. It is done, and now I'm sharing. Keeping my plans quiet helped keep it low-key. Then we could wait for the scores to be published together.
The results of ten weeks of casual preparation? A 166 that I can send off with my other data to the nearby top-14 law school. Due to LSAC data-sharing settings, my email inbox is filling up with other schools inviting me to open houses, waiving admission fees and talking scholarships. All without ever breaking a sweat. Take it easy -- know the question types, know your strengths and play to them. You can improve your LSAT score with three to five hours a week of consistent but moderate effort over a ten-week period and maintain your job. Friends and family will barely miss you. Next up? Applying to schools. Again, I'll do my best to achieve good results without being too attached to any particular outcome.
Photo by offshore
Patents and intellectual property rights interest me, and friends who are lawyers suggested my prospects for practicing intellectual property law are good. I've worked in computer software for 15 years while I attended college for degrees in communication and computer science. I had high school ambitions for law school, but high school graduation was 25 years ago. Almost on a whim, I registered for the LSAT. I had ten weeks to prepare.
I didn't pin any specific outcome on the results. Everyone who completes a law school application takes the LSAT. So instead of pondering "Should apply to law school" and "How will I ever afford it" I decided to take the test and see what happens.
My first stop was the public library. I opened the phonebook-sized guide and took the practice test at the front. Reading comprehension, no sweat. Short-answer logical questions, hm, some of those I'm getting backwards or not right ... ohmigoodness, these puzzles? Most fun I've ever had with a #2 pencil, but each one takes a full half-hour? Many hours later, without timing anything and with ample breaks, I had a practice score of 159. (But test prep book warmups are not equivalent to the actual tests.)
So my journey began. Next step, Internet, where I quickly found LSAT Blog. Based on the advice of using official LSAT practice tests, I ordered five. One for each of the last five weeks of preparation. I didn't share this goal with anyone other than my housemates: people who could see from the huge tome labeled LSAT preparation on the coffee table.
The first five weeks, I focused on accuracy on the two weak spots: short answer (logical reasoning) and logic games (analytical reasoning). I spent weekday evenings casually answering 10 or 20 logical reasoning questions, then working on the types I got wrong. I learned about the question types, and how to identify the argument and conclusions. I followed a strategy of discarding the obviously wrong answers right off and then selecting the one best answer from the remaining answers.
Logic games? Definitely hard. Fortunately, it's the same type of reasoning required to solve the trickiest real-life computer programming problems. I photocopied logic games on individual pieces of paper and carried them with me, so that a wait at the mechanic or the vet became logic game time. I worked on them in the break room at work, where I sat and tried to figure out the contrapositives and grouping and scheduling and charts and placing square people at round tables.
Spending the weekend drinking Lone Star while trying to figure out which seagull shat on which Amish hat was a highlight of my study time. After that game, my speed picked up. I started doing two games every time I sat down, finishing one and immediately starting another, and finally got to where I could solve two in a half hour. Three. I needed three. And eventually four? Would I ever compress two hours of work into 35 minutes?
The last five weeks I focused on completing the test in the allotted time. Oh, and without a cigarette break. And getting my 45-year-old eyes trained in on bubbling selections accurately on those tiny cramped answer sheets. Each Saturday I woke up at the time I'd have to wake up for the real LSAT, drove to the library, and took a practice test. I still needed more speed on logic games. Sometimes getting three completed during a practice test. Sometimes. Almost, but not quite. I had accuracy; if I got to a game, I got all or all-but-one of the questions right. If I worked too fast, jumped to a false conclusion, didn't re-read and carefully map out the initial information? I got the whole thing wrong. Accuracy took time, precious time, but I'd rather get two completely right than four completely wrong.
But at the same time, I remained casual about the results -- if I got a good score, I'd continue down this path and apply to schools, if not, that was OK too.
Game day rolled around. Got there early and joined hundreds of others sitting around waiting to be assigned to a room. Then we had interminable delays while the proctors figured out that even if you'd grown a beard since your license picture you still were allowed to take the test (a rather common thing, you'd think, considering that LSAT studying didn't seem to allow time for shaving ... or was it an influx of Amish inspired by the seagull question?)
The wait to get our LSAT test booklets was long and frustrating. The proctor mis-read and mis-pronounced instructions. Settled into a zen-like calmness for the rigamarole and tiny uncomfortable chairs; I never thought to practice sitting in a horrible chair with a tiny tiny platform and no place to rest my pencil? Logical reasoning, reading comprehension, logical reasoning, a break to walk around, more logical reasoning, will this never end? It's well after noon, and the quiet and tedium are taking a toll. Finally the analytical reasoning, the logic games. Read them through, ranked them order of attack, worked the first, third, fourth ... time was called, and bubbled in C on the blanks. Oh, and I never did work down my list of things to do and practice that writing sample. Arguing on the best choice for a summer camp? Whatever.
They collected our packages, and the whole thing was over. And I'd gotten to three of the four logic games. And I was jubilant, driving home, calling friends who practice law, my sister, anyone who might care: I'd finished the LSAT. Finished. It is done, and now I'm sharing. Keeping my plans quiet helped keep it low-key. Then we could wait for the scores to be published together.
The results of ten weeks of casual preparation? A 166 that I can send off with my other data to the nearby top-14 law school. Due to LSAC data-sharing settings, my email inbox is filling up with other schools inviting me to open houses, waiving admission fees and talking scholarships. All without ever breaking a sweat. Take it easy -- know the question types, know your strengths and play to them. You can improve your LSAT score with three to five hours a week of consistent but moderate effort over a ten-week period and maintain your job. Friends and family will barely miss you. Next up? Applying to schools. Again, I'll do my best to achieve good results without being too attached to any particular outcome.
Photo by offshore
Logic and Games
* Get pumped for Saturday's LSAT with 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes. [YouTube]
* Then read all these LSAT Test Day tips available on the blog. [LSAT Blog]
* Goldilocks avoids criminal sanction when Sotomayor judges dispute on Sesame Street. [ABA Journal]
* Judge sentences man to take his wife to dinner at Red Lobster. [WSJ Law Blog]
* The University of Minnesota punishes mortuary sciences student Amanda Tatro for making jokes on Facebook, Tatro takes them to the state Supreme Court. [Above The Law]
* Then read all these LSAT Test Day tips available on the blog. [LSAT Blog]
* Goldilocks avoids criminal sanction when Sotomayor judges dispute on Sesame Street. [ABA Journal]
* Judge sentences man to take his wife to dinner at Red Lobster. [WSJ Law Blog]
* The University of Minnesota punishes mortuary sciences student Amanda Tatro for making jokes on Facebook, Tatro takes them to the state Supreme Court. [Above The Law]
LSAT Test Day Clothing: What NOT To Wear
It's often been said that the similarities between LSAT Blog and The Sartorialist are uncanny. After all, I write about the LSAT, and he takes photos of stylish people.So, I wasn't at all surprised when a blog reader recently asked me what to wear on Test Day.
My thoughts below:
-Formalwear
Pros: You can boost your self-esteem by dressing in formal clothing. Feeling good about yourself is important when performing difficult tasks.
Cons: Formalwear can be constricting, which might slow you down and make you uncomfortable. Also, no one likes that guy/gal, so they'll beat you up as soon as the test is over.
Protip: Don't wear a suit or evening gown to take a standardized test. Just don't.
-Homeless Chic
Pro: You'll distract other test-takers with how disgusting you look (and smell, if you really go all-out). Which is kind of funny, if you're an asshole.
Con: They'll beat you up as soon as the test is over.
Protip: As a general rule of thumb, if you dress in rags, you won't have many friends --- unless you're filthy rich. It's nasty, so don't do it.
-Casualwear
Pros: Just about everything.
Cons: You won't be asked to model.
Protip: Wear casual, comfortable clothing. Your favorite t-shirt, sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers work well. If you're a girl (or like to dress like one), you can also go the Juicy sweatpants route. You don't know whether the test center will be hot or cold, so layers are a good idea.
More LSAT Test Day Dos and Donts here ----->
LSAT Diary: Logic Games Tips
This LSAT Diary is from Liz, a 23-year-old English teacher who's taken 20 timed tests and 40 untimed tests as she's been preparing for the February 2012 LSAT. She's got tons of great advice from her LSAT studying experience, and she's improved 15 points on her practice tests - from a 154 to a 169. In this LSAT Diary, she provides some of her tips on Logic Games.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.)
Liz's LSAT Diary:
Logic games were my greatest weakness when I started out. Fortunately for lots of us, though, they probably comprise the most easily learned section of the LSAT. The following are some general observations regarding an overall approach:
1. Take your time on the individual games when you start out. Using Steve’s 5-month LSAT study schedule, I dedicated an entire month to dissecting and deconstructing the games by category and then focused on my weaknesses (for me, In-and-Out games). I did not time myself until I felt relatively at ease with each game type, and even then it usually took 7-11 minutes for me to solve them accurately. But as I shifted my primary focus to LR in month 2, I continued to work at least one section of games per day, timed. My speed eventually picked up and I can now accurately solve most sets within 5-8 minutes. Even now, just a few days before the LSAT, I still work out a few challenging games each night to ensure a speedy performance on Saturday.
2. Work as many LG sections as you can get your hands on. Especially if these are very difficult for you, as they were for me, practice will be an essential component of your ability to master the games. I started out on the Next 10, which seemed somewhat easier, and “graduated” to 10 More as my speed and accuracy increased during Month 1. I tabbed the most difficult games by color and worked those sets several times.
3. If you run out of LG sections, just recycle the ones you’ve already completed. I’ve probably done each of those sets at least twice, and those that I tabbed, many more times. For this reason it’s important to practice either with photocopies or with a notebook so you don’t have to erase your work again and again.
4. Confine your problem-solving space. Because I don’t like photocopies, I used a notebook to solve my game sets. But I didn’t want to become dependent on the extra writing space, so I took Steve’s suggestion and divided each page into fourths to confine my working space for each problem set. See his post for more information on this strategy.
5. Pay very close attention to the wording in each stimulus. I know this seems obvious, but it’s amazing how one teensy little mistake in a game setup can waste precious minutes. I’ve committed several during my timed practice tests, so now I re-check all of my diagrams before moving on to the first question.
6. Double-check your responses if time allows. And I don’t mean just at the end of a section, either. Once I reduced my average time per game, I began to notice that I could finish a section with 2+ minutes to spare and still miss 2-3 questions! So I started a new approach – I began to check my responses as I completed each question. For example, if I think B is the correct answer choice, I will still work through C, D, and E to make absolutely sure I am choosing the correct option. Nine times out of ten, I have chosen B correctly, but on those few occasions where D is the best choice, this strategy pays off. The issue with this approach is, of course, the timing. Personally, I don’t need to check my watch anymore to know how I’m doing on a problem set – if I feel I’m taking too long, I won’t work out C, D, and E, but will mark that problem set just in case I finish all the games early. This is a very subjective approach, but it has worked well for me so far. If you’ve developed another strategy for checking your work, please share!
7. Solidify your understanding of conditionals. This was a major issue for me in the In-and-Out games, and one I did not master until studying the relevant LR questions in Month 2 of my study plan. If you find conditionals particularly challenging, focus on them and your performance should improve.
8. If you get discouraged, take a break. Especially during your original orientation to the games, it’s important to maintain a positive attitude in your approach. Becoming frustrated will only condition you to view the LG section negatively, which is important to avoid if you want to successfully tackle the games. After all, it’s much easier to study subject matter that you associate with positive or neutral feelings than with negative ones.
More to come soon!
1. Take your time on the individual games when you start out. Using Steve’s 5-month LSAT study schedule, I dedicated an entire month to dissecting and deconstructing the games by category and then focused on my weaknesses (for me, In-and-Out games). I did not time myself until I felt relatively at ease with each game type, and even then it usually took 7-11 minutes for me to solve them accurately. But as I shifted my primary focus to LR in month 2, I continued to work at least one section of games per day, timed. My speed eventually picked up and I can now accurately solve most sets within 5-8 minutes. Even now, just a few days before the LSAT, I still work out a few challenging games each night to ensure a speedy performance on Saturday.
2. Work as many LG sections as you can get your hands on. Especially if these are very difficult for you, as they were for me, practice will be an essential component of your ability to master the games. I started out on the Next 10, which seemed somewhat easier, and “graduated” to 10 More as my speed and accuracy increased during Month 1. I tabbed the most difficult games by color and worked those sets several times.
3. If you run out of LG sections, just recycle the ones you’ve already completed. I’ve probably done each of those sets at least twice, and those that I tabbed, many more times. For this reason it’s important to practice either with photocopies or with a notebook so you don’t have to erase your work again and again.
4. Confine your problem-solving space. Because I don’t like photocopies, I used a notebook to solve my game sets. But I didn’t want to become dependent on the extra writing space, so I took Steve’s suggestion and divided each page into fourths to confine my working space for each problem set. See his post for more information on this strategy.
5. Pay very close attention to the wording in each stimulus. I know this seems obvious, but it’s amazing how one teensy little mistake in a game setup can waste precious minutes. I’ve committed several during my timed practice tests, so now I re-check all of my diagrams before moving on to the first question.
6. Double-check your responses if time allows. And I don’t mean just at the end of a section, either. Once I reduced my average time per game, I began to notice that I could finish a section with 2+ minutes to spare and still miss 2-3 questions! So I started a new approach – I began to check my responses as I completed each question. For example, if I think B is the correct answer choice, I will still work through C, D, and E to make absolutely sure I am choosing the correct option. Nine times out of ten, I have chosen B correctly, but on those few occasions where D is the best choice, this strategy pays off. The issue with this approach is, of course, the timing. Personally, I don’t need to check my watch anymore to know how I’m doing on a problem set – if I feel I’m taking too long, I won’t work out C, D, and E, but will mark that problem set just in case I finish all the games early. This is a very subjective approach, but it has worked well for me so far. If you’ve developed another strategy for checking your work, please share!
7. Solidify your understanding of conditionals. This was a major issue for me in the In-and-Out games, and one I did not master until studying the relevant LR questions in Month 2 of my study plan. If you find conditionals particularly challenging, focus on them and your performance should improve.
8. If you get discouraged, take a break. Especially during your original orientation to the games, it’s important to maintain a positive attitude in your approach. Becoming frustrated will only condition you to view the LG section negatively, which is important to avoid if you want to successfully tackle the games. After all, it’s much easier to study subject matter that you associate with positive or neutral feelings than with negative ones.
More to come soon!
Photo by paperbackwriter
Logic and Games
* Disabled LSAT-taker gets extra time on the exam as an accommodation. He decides to sue LSAC anyway, demanding double-time. [Boston Business Journal]
* In related news, the ABA approves a resolution urging LSAC to provide "appropriate accommodations" to test-takers in need. [ABA Journal]
* Attending law school part-time is becoming a less popular option.
* A law student in Austria takes on Facebook for alleged privacy violations. [NYTimes]
* On the legality of unpaid internships (and: ATL seeks a paid intern.) [Above The Law]
* A law student in Austria takes on Facebook for alleged privacy violations. [NYTimes]
* On the legality of unpaid internships (and: ATL seeks a paid intern.) [Above The Law]
LSAT Test Day Food Recommendations
An LSAT distance tutoring student of mine recently emailed me:"Any tips on what to eat for breakfast the morning of the LSAT? I know you say to have a big breakfast, but what? And what do you suggest for the break and to drink?"
At least one of the items pictured above is not part of a healthy LSAT breakfast.
If you guessed FourLoko, you're on your way to a top LSAT score. Congrats!
(McDonald's probably isn't part of any healthy breakfast, but there's a reason I didn't go to medical school.)
More about food in a bit, but first, coffee and cigarettes (breakfast of champions?).
I've already gone over whether coffee, cigarettes, and gum are allowed on Test Day. Now, the question remains, should you drink coffee or have cigarettes in the morning before the exam?
Answer: Do whatever you normally do. If you normally have coffee or cigarettes in the morning, don't try to go cold turkey now or you'll almost certainly find yourself with a pounding headache.
I don't know why you'd suddenly take up smoking, but now's not the time to start (if there ever was). Coffee will probably empty your intestines in the middle of the exam if you haven't had it in a while, so it's probably not a good idea for folks new to it.
You want to be fully alert, so a pre-test wake and bake isn't a good idea. What you do after the test is up to you (assuming it's for medicinal purposes, of course). Maybe California will vote to legalize next time, folks.
Oatmeal with bananas, raisins, or cranberries is probably about as healthy as it gets, while mild enough that it shouldn't give you any stomach issues. Eat it well before the exam starts so that you'll have time to go to the bathroom (oatmeal has lots of fiber).
Perhaps I misspoke - yogurt and granola might top oatmeal and fruit for "healthiest breakfast of the year." Again, it's mild and has carbs, but unlike oatmeal, yogurt has lots of protein as well. (Perhaps the nutritionists can chime in with their recommendations.)
Eggs have a lot of protein. However, depending upon how you cook them, you might also end up with lots of fat. Fat can make you sleepy. For this reason, lay off the butter and oil. Consider eating them hard-boiled, perhaps with a little salt for flavor. Alternatively, you can go the Rocky route and drink them raw, but don't blame me if you get salmonella.Pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, cold cereal, etc. are also all good, just make sure you have also some protein.
Cold (or warm) pizza is probably good too (cheese has protein), but this is coming from a guy who sometimes eats leftover burritos for breakfast, so you may not want to listen to me on this one.
The bottom line is that you'll want to eat some carbs to give you energy, and some protein to improve your mental performance.
(This site appears to have some simple, yet comprehensive, nutrition advice. This link on it is also good.)
***
LSAT Snacks For During The Break:
Try not to be the guy who brings this:
Here are some more practical alternatives that the proctors will probably allow:
Granola bars: quick to unwrap, easy to eat, sugar
Bananas: quick to peel, easy to eat, sugar
Water: reduces thirst
Juice: reduces thirst, sugar
Coffee will likely be cold by now, but I suppose it's ok if you don't care about that sort of thing.
With all beverages, don't drink too much in order to avoid bathroom breaks. Your test center may have a water fountain, which would eliminate the need to bring a water bottle. Or maybe you're one of those people who's paranoid about tap water or lives in a part of the U.S. / world where the water's unsafe to drink.
***
See all LSAT Test Day tips.
***
Discuss the best breakfast foods and snacks in the comments. I'm sure that most of you know more about nutrition than I do. If you know something, please comment!
LSAT Diary: Studying with Kids and Farmville
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.)
Leave Lucy some encouragement below in the comments!
Lucy's LSAT Diary:
As I head into the backstretch of my preparation for the LSAT, I have begun to truly realize what preparation means. As I sat in my alma mater's library working diligently on a section of assumption questions, I hit a wall. I could not focus and the answers were all blurring together. It is then I pushed back my chair and decided to take a break. Now I always check my watch and have become accustomed to documenting all my hours in a day or week of what I have studied (as well as writing it down to make myself accountable). I was stunned to see I had been studying for nearly three hours!
Where have I gotten the stamina? This is more than “digging deep”; this is hard work, practice and endurance.
I walked outside and took a deep breath. Wow. This must be what it is like to train for the Boston Marathon. I felt an immediate respect for athletes, because if you really think about it, that is what we are…athletes (in the mental sense) preparing for the exam of our life. There is literally hours on end I do not speak to anyone...nothing, except a hello in the elevator.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have wanted to go to law school for a very, very long time. The timing of life never seemed right and something else always managed to pull me away for something better. Vacations, work, business travel, parties, significant other, friends, well…you get the picture. This is the first time I have actually said “nope, sorry…not available this weekend”. This my fellow LSAT taker is earth shattering. If you knew me, you would really understand as I can be a real handful…my motto has always been work hard and play harder. I have even taken over the formal dining table utilizing every square inch of the 7-foot beast for my obsession because that is what I feel right now, a bit obsessed.
Two weeks into my LSAT studying, I began smoking (bleck). I foolishly thought that I could have the exam ‘nailed’ within two months - how completely wrong I was! Now maybe some of you have the natural genius or ability to do well on standardized exams…I am not one of them. I have my MBA and I have taken the GMAT, which was grueling enough…however, the LSAT takes that to a whole new level.
When I first realized this, I panicked. I then made the decision to not push for December and to study for the LSAT the right way…not under pressure or with my own set of demands/expectations screwing it up for myself. I decided to put off law school for one more year and I am now very glad that I took a step back, I have also somehow in the process learned a balance (and respect for myself) during this development.
During this progression, I have learned that I will not ‘die’ if I do not read Facebook for a day, miss out on friends’ witty wall posts or not farm my Farmville crops. The laundry will not fossilize to the wall like a phytolith (heehee, big LSAT word), I will not dry up if I don’t go to the wine-tasting on Saturday or don’t meet up for brunch on Sunday with Nicole. I have also learned to say no to my very demanding boss and set boundaries.
Nothing will allow me to look back and say “gosh, maybe I ‘woulda/coulda’ gotten a 176 if I had not been working those extra 20 hours (instead of studying) or lying on the couch all day on a Sunday instead…” (You get the picture). Time matters and time is very precious to a hardcore LSAT taker. I actually took this entire week off from work to do just that…study. That is it. Not go on vacation, not visit family, not party...just study as much as I can and want to. Nothing more, nothing less.
That does not mean that I do not have challenges that pull me away. In fact, just yesterday, I received a phone call from my 7 year-old son’s teacher it was discovered he had lice (appalling but true) - now I should also add that my fancy front-loading (very expensive) washing machine has not worked for TWO months as it keeps breaking down and they keep putting new parts in it instead of giving me a new one(under warranty I will add) – so I make an emergency run to Walgreens for a lice kit and Hefty bags so when I pick him up, whoever he got the cooties from does not transfer to the rest of the family..I even make him strip in the school parking lot, throwing backpack, jacket and anything loose into Sir Hefty.
Then off we go home...I get him in the shower to scrub and race around like a possessed woman stripping clothing and bedding. I then run to the Laundromat and wash everything at once in hot water, make a frantic call to my husband “Come home NOW!...you will be taking a day off tomorrow (he has 5 weeks of PTO)” and then get back to the house, all the while I am watching the clock paying attention to every minute I am not studying.
Once everything seems settled, I grab some old spaghetti out of the refrigerator, zap it and plop it in front of the boys. I then head off to campus as I have also learned very early on that I rarely if ever get any serious studying done in my home environment, just too many distractions (duh). I am home by 11:30 pm. The 3-year old is vomiting. Old spaghetti is not a good thing and I immediately wonder how I am going to make it.
I have come to the firm conclusion I will either lose my sanity and my children will end up eating Burger King (not an entirely BAD thing) everyday, or I will wake up the next day tired, but with a giggle in my heart that somehow I managed to still get six hours of studying done after fighting off cooties, assholes and exhaustion. The moral of my story is DO what has to be done; quickly and efficiently so that you can get back to studying… before you forget why you need to fit clowns in a car or birds in a forest.
As I look down, I realize I have picked off all of my manicured French nails *sigh*. Time to smoke that menthol before heading to bed – after the LSAT, life resumes as I remember it.
For all you “non-touchy-feely-types” stop reading now.
Be Positive
Positive people are successful!
Make yourself a “visual board” – I have one and I look at it 10+x a day!
GIVE yourself an LSAT score you want…set yourself up to achieve it!
You will attain your goal
Do not give up
Do not get depressed, do not get frustrated!
Believe in yourself
You can and will do this!
~stay focused
~stay focused
~stay focused
Photo by 13kingdoms
Logic and Games
* More class-action lawsuits against law schools for inflating employment data.
* Harvard Law School sells naming rights to its new bathrooms. [Above The Law]
* A prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney talks about making the switch. [NYTimes]
* In 1865, a master wrote a letter to his former slave asking him to return to the South. Here's the former slave's hilarious response. [Letters of Note]
* Kids' funny responses to questions about dating. [Happyplace]
* Harvard Law School sells naming rights to its new bathrooms. [Above The Law]
* A prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney talks about making the switch. [NYTimes]
* In 1865, a master wrote a letter to his former slave asking him to return to the South. Here's the former slave's hilarious response. [Letters of Note]
* Kids' funny responses to questions about dating. [Happyplace]
Columbia Undergraduate Law Review: Call for Submissions
I just received the below announcement from the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, which is seeking submissions ASAP for its Spring 2012 issue. You don't have to be a Columbia student to submit - you can be a student anywhere in the world, and you can re-use papers from your undergraduate courses.This is a great way to get published and to add a few extra lines to your resume. You can email culrsubmissions@gmail.com with your submissions.
***
The Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, a journal of undergraduate legal scholarship based at Columbia University in the City of New York, is accepting submissions for its Spring 2012 issue. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 15th at 11:59 pm but we encourage you to submit before that deadline. In recognition of the various paths undergraduates may take to study law, we welcome submission of research articles, senior theses, and essays embracing a wide range of topics and viewpoints related to the field of law. Undergraduate students in any major, track, or class year should thus feel free to send us their work. Check out www.culr.weebly.com to view past journals or to read our mission statement.
Submissions should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word .doc format, follow the Chicago style, and include endnotes. Although we will consider submissions of any length, most papers published in the journal range from 20 to 25 pages. It would be highly appreciated if longer papers could be shortened to fit this page length recommendation before submission. In the document please also include the following information:
1) Your name:
2) Current email address and phone number:
3) Undergraduate college/university:
4) Class year:
5) Title:
6) 250-word abstract:
Kindly send submissions to: culrsubmissions@gmail.com
The Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, a journal of undergraduate legal scholarship based at Columbia University in the City of New York, is accepting submissions for its Spring 2012 issue. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 15th at 11:59 pm but we encourage you to submit before that deadline. In recognition of the various paths undergraduates may take to study law, we welcome submission of research articles, senior theses, and essays embracing a wide range of topics and viewpoints related to the field of law. Undergraduate students in any major, track, or class year should thus feel free to send us their work. Check out www.culr.weebly.com to view past journals or to read our mission statement.
Submissions should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word .doc format, follow the Chicago style, and include endnotes. Although we will consider submissions of any length, most papers published in the journal range from 20 to 25 pages. It would be highly appreciated if longer papers could be shortened to fit this page length recommendation before submission. In the document please also include the following information:
1) Your name:
2) Current email address and phone number:
3) Undergraduate college/university:
4) Class year:
5) Title:
6) 250-word abstract:
Kindly send submissions to: culrsubmissions@gmail.com
LSAT Diary: Studying and Improvement
This LSAT Diary is from Liz, a 23-year-old English teacher who's taken 20 timed tests and 40 untimed tests as she's been preparing for the February 2012 LSAT.
She's got tons of great advice from her LSAT studying experience, and she's improved 15 points on her practice tests - from a 154 to a 169.
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.)
Leave Liz some encouragement below in the comments!
Liz's LSAT Diary:
Greetings fellow LSAT preppers,
My name is Liz and I’ll be taking the February 2012 LSAT. I bought all my books and buckled down to study in September (I’ve been going by Steve’s 5-month LSAT study schedule), so the bulk of my preparation is now behind me. I’ve taken 20 timed tests so far in addition to 40 untimed tests and my average score is a 169 (timed tests only), up 15 points from where I began. Because I’ve already worked out the kinks in my own approach to the LSAT, my posts will be reflections about what failed and what worked for me as well as what I’ve learned. But before I get to that, a bit of background info:
I’m a 23-year-old English teacher from rural North Carolina with a degree in Spanish and Political Science. Like countless others in my position, I’ve always dreamed of law school but without really knowing why. So instead of going straight to law school like many of my undergrad friends, I opted to take some time, see the world, and reassess my desire to study law. With my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification in hand, I was on a plane headed for South America just a month after graduation. I taught for three months in Santiago, Chile, spent another twelve in Panama City, Panama, and backpacked through many countries in between before I decided it was LSAT time. Now I’m back home with the parents, studying full-time and waiting patiently for February 11th, after which I will head to Saint Petersburg, Russia to take up my next teaching position.
In retrospect, I can’t stress how glad I am that I took a gap year before reevaluating my decision to attend law school. I’ve only been out of school for a year and a half, but I feel ages ahead of where I was as a senior – maturity, perspective, self-discipline, you name it. I briefly attempted my own LSAT study plan during my junior year of college and can really see a difference in my performance: I can now solve with relative ease and speed the logic games that used to give me so much trouble. It’s also become much easier to cope with distractions and maintain my focus and positive outlook while studying.
Studying habits aside, teaching abroad has given me the opportunity to learn two foreign languages (Spanish and Portuguese) and has exposed me to cultures and perspectives that I never would have considered otherwise. So for those college students who find themselves in my previous position and are thinking of going straight into law school – really reflect on the decision you’re about to make. The debt alone that we will all be incurring is a substantial undertaking. Be sure not only that this is the right path for you, but also that it’s the right time for you to head down this path.
Back to LSAT tips – here’s my advice regarding an overall schedule. More to come on the individual sections and specific strategies that worked for me!
1. Organize your studying content to fit your needs. Earlier I said I was using Steve’s 5-month schedule, which recommends focusing on Logic Games first, then Logical Reasoning, and finally Reading Comprehension. This worked for me because I found the LG sets to be the most difficult, then LR, and RC was the easiest. But if you find LG easier than LR, switch the order of those months. Choose to study your weakest section first – that way you’ll have more time to devote to it!
2. Allow yourself some flexibility for study breaks. Sometimes I have on-days where the logic flows freely, and sometimes I have off-days where my thoughts are disjointed and chaotic. Just as athletes training for a marathon need time to rest, our brains need time away from the LSAT. If this happens early on in your studying, no big deal. Just spend a day or two away from the books and come back when you’re feeling focused again. This was a very important step for me to avoid frustration – if I insisted on studying during my off-days, my frustration would mound as I continually missed problems or became distracted. But beware of too many off-days – if a runner spends a week away from the track, she can tell the difference when she returns.
3. Be positive and patient. This was also a very important factor in my case, as I’m unemployed and living with my parents in rural NC, which isn’t the most exciting situation for a 23-year-old fresh from life overseas. Sometimes it can be downright discouraging to miss 9 LR questions or 12 RC questions two tests in a row. This is where flexibility comes in – we need to be comfortable with taking a break and reassessing the problem later from a fresh point of view. Personally, I went to the gym to de-stress after disappointing study sessions. Our attitudes have a HUGE impact on how we approach the LSAT – the more positive, patient, and determined we are, the better results we will ultimately achieve.
4. Start slow. One of my biggest mistakes when I started out was trying to time everything. I began working on my timing issues before I could even break down the different types of LR problems. Through trial and error, I found that the best approach was to spend as much time as my mind needed to unwrap and thoroughly examine every single logic game or LR question. I looked at questions from every possible angle and deconstructed them the best I could, and that takes time. The first three months of my studying were almost entirely untimed – I like to think of them as ‘orientation months’. I used the last two months to take timed tests, focus on my problem areas, etc. In my LG orientation month I averaged 12-15 min./game; through repetition and practice I’ve managed to reduce that time to 5-8 min./game without missing any questions. Speed comes with repetition and experience, but we need adequate time to build upon those components.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t have Steve’s explanations for the LSAT PrepTests and can’t figure out why you missed a particular question, ASK. Preferably someone with good logical thinking skills – I usually ask my brother the nerdy neurobiologist, who’s about as logical as they come.
6. Reward yourself. Take small breaks, eat chocolate, spend time with your friends or significant other. Find some way to positively reinforce your study habits so that you can stay strong until the test rolls around. After study sessions I usually treat myself to a honey wheat bagel (mmmm, my favorite!) or a few M&Ms, and my reward for Feb. 11th is Saint Petersburg!
7. Don’t let more than 2-3 days go by without picking up an LSAT book. Like going to the gym or running, too many off-days will result in lower performance. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut by letting a few days slide by – avoid this by working even one LG set per day or doing some Sudoku. And remember, rewards can go a long way!
That’s all for now – next post will be on Logic Games!
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.)
Liz's LSAT Diary:
Greetings fellow LSAT preppers,
My name is Liz and I’ll be taking the February 2012 LSAT. I bought all my books and buckled down to study in September (I’ve been going by Steve’s 5-month LSAT study schedule), so the bulk of my preparation is now behind me. I’ve taken 20 timed tests so far in addition to 40 untimed tests and my average score is a 169 (timed tests only), up 15 points from where I began. Because I’ve already worked out the kinks in my own approach to the LSAT, my posts will be reflections about what failed and what worked for me as well as what I’ve learned. But before I get to that, a bit of background info:
I’m a 23-year-old English teacher from rural North Carolina with a degree in Spanish and Political Science. Like countless others in my position, I’ve always dreamed of law school but without really knowing why. So instead of going straight to law school like many of my undergrad friends, I opted to take some time, see the world, and reassess my desire to study law. With my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification in hand, I was on a plane headed for South America just a month after graduation. I taught for three months in Santiago, Chile, spent another twelve in Panama City, Panama, and backpacked through many countries in between before I decided it was LSAT time. Now I’m back home with the parents, studying full-time and waiting patiently for February 11th, after which I will head to Saint Petersburg, Russia to take up my next teaching position.
In retrospect, I can’t stress how glad I am that I took a gap year before reevaluating my decision to attend law school. I’ve only been out of school for a year and a half, but I feel ages ahead of where I was as a senior – maturity, perspective, self-discipline, you name it. I briefly attempted my own LSAT study plan during my junior year of college and can really see a difference in my performance: I can now solve with relative ease and speed the logic games that used to give me so much trouble. It’s also become much easier to cope with distractions and maintain my focus and positive outlook while studying.
Studying habits aside, teaching abroad has given me the opportunity to learn two foreign languages (Spanish and Portuguese) and has exposed me to cultures and perspectives that I never would have considered otherwise. So for those college students who find themselves in my previous position and are thinking of going straight into law school – really reflect on the decision you’re about to make. The debt alone that we will all be incurring is a substantial undertaking. Be sure not only that this is the right path for you, but also that it’s the right time for you to head down this path.
Back to LSAT tips – here’s my advice regarding an overall schedule. More to come on the individual sections and specific strategies that worked for me!
1. Organize your studying content to fit your needs. Earlier I said I was using Steve’s 5-month schedule, which recommends focusing on Logic Games first, then Logical Reasoning, and finally Reading Comprehension. This worked for me because I found the LG sets to be the most difficult, then LR, and RC was the easiest. But if you find LG easier than LR, switch the order of those months. Choose to study your weakest section first – that way you’ll have more time to devote to it!
2. Allow yourself some flexibility for study breaks. Sometimes I have on-days where the logic flows freely, and sometimes I have off-days where my thoughts are disjointed and chaotic. Just as athletes training for a marathon need time to rest, our brains need time away from the LSAT. If this happens early on in your studying, no big deal. Just spend a day or two away from the books and come back when you’re feeling focused again. This was a very important step for me to avoid frustration – if I insisted on studying during my off-days, my frustration would mound as I continually missed problems or became distracted. But beware of too many off-days – if a runner spends a week away from the track, she can tell the difference when she returns.
3. Be positive and patient. This was also a very important factor in my case, as I’m unemployed and living with my parents in rural NC, which isn’t the most exciting situation for a 23-year-old fresh from life overseas. Sometimes it can be downright discouraging to miss 9 LR questions or 12 RC questions two tests in a row. This is where flexibility comes in – we need to be comfortable with taking a break and reassessing the problem later from a fresh point of view. Personally, I went to the gym to de-stress after disappointing study sessions. Our attitudes have a HUGE impact on how we approach the LSAT – the more positive, patient, and determined we are, the better results we will ultimately achieve.
4. Start slow. One of my biggest mistakes when I started out was trying to time everything. I began working on my timing issues before I could even break down the different types of LR problems. Through trial and error, I found that the best approach was to spend as much time as my mind needed to unwrap and thoroughly examine every single logic game or LR question. I looked at questions from every possible angle and deconstructed them the best I could, and that takes time. The first three months of my studying were almost entirely untimed – I like to think of them as ‘orientation months’. I used the last two months to take timed tests, focus on my problem areas, etc. In my LG orientation month I averaged 12-15 min./game; through repetition and practice I’ve managed to reduce that time to 5-8 min./game without missing any questions. Speed comes with repetition and experience, but we need adequate time to build upon those components.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t have Steve’s explanations for the LSAT PrepTests and can’t figure out why you missed a particular question, ASK. Preferably someone with good logical thinking skills – I usually ask my brother the nerdy neurobiologist, who’s about as logical as they come.
6. Reward yourself. Take small breaks, eat chocolate, spend time with your friends or significant other. Find some way to positively reinforce your study habits so that you can stay strong until the test rolls around. After study sessions I usually treat myself to a honey wheat bagel (mmmm, my favorite!) or a few M&Ms, and my reward for Feb. 11th is Saint Petersburg!
7. Don’t let more than 2-3 days go by without picking up an LSAT book. Like going to the gym or running, too many off-days will result in lower performance. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut by letting a few days slide by – avoid this by working even one LG set per day or doing some Sudoku. And remember, rewards can go a long way!
That’s all for now – next post will be on Logic Games!
Photo by bobaubuchon
