How early did you guys start studying for the LSAT?

[The Law]

I started studying for the LSAT when I was 19. Im 22 now. By the time I take it, it will have been exactly 3 years. 

[doggoford]

Pretty last minute for me. I decided I wanted to apply to law school in April of last year and began studying immediately. Took my first LSAT in October, applied in November, and took my second one in January of this year.

[Megjackson]

I started studying in my 2nd year of undergrad and took the test in my third year and again 6 months later in my 4th year. 

[QueensDenning]

a few months while working

[ruthlessfox]

A month while working full time. LG was my weakest, I don’t think my RC or LR improved from my diagnostic to test day. I would do a full exam every night when I came home from work, and practiced LG more on weekends.

[GoatDuck]

Two-three months while working 

[kollykibbler]

.

Edited May 29, 2023 by kollykibbler

[Mal]

3 hours ago, QueensDenning said:

a few months while working

This.

It is really weird to study for years for a standardized test. Even if you could marginally improve, getting into law school is the easy part. Law is not a great profession to just scrap by in. 

[The Law]

10 minutes ago, Mal said:

This.

It is really weird to study for years for a standardized test. Even if you could marginally improve, getting into law school is the easy part. Law is not a great profession to just scrap by in. 

I think the time I spent actually studying is similar to someone who did so consistently for 1 year (or maybe less). this is because I was doing undergrad, clubs, a part time job. And by far my biggest focus over those 3 years was gpa. Almost all my LSAT prep was done when I was on break, and it’s very difficult to study effectively do so when you’re relaxing at the same time.

 

[t3ctonics]

About a month. In late December I decided to apply, and I wrote the February LSAT for an application to start law school that fall. I had to file my application before I even wrote the LSAT. I was still in undergrad taking a full course load and working 20-28 hours a week, but I was able to do a bit of practice at work sometimes. I'd bought a couple of LSAT prep books and would do some logic games or something whenever I could.

The reason for the compressed timeframe was that I hadn't even considered law at all until that December. I'd bounced around a few possibilities, but had just assumed I wouldn't be able to get into the more competitive second-entry programs because I had some failed courses due to dropping out without withdrawing in my second year. My main plan at the time was to go into education and become a high school teacher. After getting my grades back and calculating my average I realized I would be competitive, so I reconsidered the various second-entry programs. Law was the best fit for my skillset and the most interesting to me. When I did some research and found out about best 2/last 2 law schools I knew I had a good shot.

[The Law]

56 minutes ago, t3ctonics said:

About a month. In late December I decided to apply, and I wrote the February LSAT for an application to start law school that fall. I had to file my application before I even wrote the LSAT. I was still in undergrad taking a full course load and working 20-28 hours a week, but I was able to do a bit of practice at work sometimes. I'd bought a couple of LSAT prep books and would do some logic games or something whenever I could.

The reason for the compressed timeframe was that I hadn't even considered law at all until that December. I'd bounced around a few possibilities, but had just assumed I wouldn't be able to get into the more competitive second-entry programs because I had some failed courses due to dropping out without withdrawing in my second year. My main plan at the time was to go into education and become a high school teacher. After getting my grades back and calculating my average I realized I would be competitive, so I reconsidered the various second-entry programs. Law was the best fit for my skillset and the most interesting to me. When I did some research and found out about best 2/last 2 law schools I knew I had a good shot.

Thats a crazy turnaround. Best 2 and last 2 is so clutch (and makes a lot of sense). Something we have here in Canada that I dont think Americans do.

[Windsorhopeful]

I was somehow so disconnected from the process that the first time I wrote, I went in blind. I looked up the test structure and assumed it was like an IQ test, which is absolutely crazy for me to think about now. I did not study or complete a single question beforehand. Landed a 152, which I'm actually very proud of. Much prouder than my two subsequent writes; both of which involved months of study and a measly 158 and 156 (and, yes, in that order 😫)

[The Law]

10 minutes ago, Windsorhopeful said:

I was somehow so disconnected from the process that the first time I wrote, I went in blind. I looked up the test structure and assumed it was like an IQ test, which is absolutely crazy for me to think about now. I did not study or complete a single question beforehand. Landed a 152, which I'm actually very proud of. Much prouder than my two subsequent writes; both of which involved months of study and a measly 158 and 156 (and, yes, in that order 😫)

the fact you went in blind and got a 152 is crazy

[CleanHands]

15 minutes ago, The Law said:

the fact you went in blind and got a 152 is crazy

Not to diminish anything, but...while learnable to an extent, the LSAT is first and foremost an aptitude test. Linking back to your OP, it doesn't require any studying whatsoever if you possess the cognitive skills it assesses. It doesn't require any actual acquisition of knowledge in advance.

[Yogurt Baron]

Yeah, I've noticed a major shift in the past decade and a half on the topic of "studying for the LSAT", which used to be something that was pretty widely derided (though done by some anxious keeners), and is increasingly just a thing that people do. I've always been pretty intense on the "it's an aptitude test" train based on my own experiences, which are that I wrote it cold, found I had a respectable floor, tried to improve, and found that I have a low ceiling. (I wrote it so cold that I thought the "a" stood for "Aptitude".)

[chaboywb]

A few months. I didn't go a completely blind diagnostic - I figured out the test structure and then learned how to do LG diagrams and did a few practice questions. But my first timed test was a 165. I then practiced LGs hard and took a few more practice tests. Highest practice score was a 170. Took the actual test and got... a 165. Good enough for the school I wanted so I stopped there.

Obviously there are ways to marginally improve and there are some crazy success stories, but I never got much better at LR or RC. In fact, trying to study LR just made me more confused. It felt like something I either would or would not be able to get. 

[cola]

Technically, I began studying about six weeks before test day, in the sense that that's when I cracked open my practice book and started reading bits and pieces. The more serious studying and practice tests started within about four weeks leading up to the test. I wasn't particularly regimented with that though. I did study a bit more for my second write, but didn't end up scoring any better.

Anyway, for anyone else reading, don't feel bad if you don't/can't put in a ton of time into practice tests or pay for courses/tutors. It sounds like the default from how a lot of applicants talk online, and there is an industry that wants you to believe that, but you may very well get a good score without all of that. Not that studying is pointless (I certainly did better because of it, and I think most of us benefit from practicing LG especially) but, as others have said, it's meant to be an aptitude test.