n83 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I really just need to vent.. I'm doing practice LSAT (law school entrance exam) questions. Out of every 10 questions I do, I get about 4-5 of them wrong. I hate this test, I'm sick of studying for it, I'm feeling incredibly frustrated and stupid and I KNOW I shouldn't be. I just graduated (bachelor's degree) with a 3.94 GPA. I know I'm not dumb, yet practicing for this test is making me feel worthless and stupid. The average score is 150, some say 152ish (that's the 50th percentile).. I'll be lucky to even get a 150 at this rate. I can't even get through one section of the test without crying because I'm so frustrated with myself. And I'm supposed to take this test Feb 10th, which leaves me less than a month to study for it. Anyways thanks for letting me vent.. if anyone has any tips or anything that would be great.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissancewoman101 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Have you thought about taking those Princeton Review classes that they have for exams like that. The classes teach you ways to combat the test, tricks of the trade, etc. The classes arent cheap but they do help, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Considering your GPA, I don't think my tips are worthy of you! I would personally smoke a joint. But I'm just a bad girl. Stay positive. You will be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n83 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Have you thought about taking those Princeton Review classes that they have for exams like that. The classes teach you ways to combat the test, tricks of the trade, etc. I took a Kaplan class for it last summer. It went too fast for me and didn't help at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n83 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Considering your GPA, I don't think my tips are worthy of you! Thanks Hazey.. Unfortunately a bad lsat score could really set me back though. With just an average score, a lot of schools won't look twice at me. What's worse is I might not even get an average score. It wouldn't surprise me if I scored below average. I just can't seem to concentrate.. I have to keep rereading everything like ten times and even then I get confused trying to sort through all the crap.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rx7 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Re-assess your motives for studying. Look at the big picture. This is just one obstacle in your path. Things are difficult for a reason, otherwise we'd all have law degrees! Now suck it up, you're obviously smart enough. What you need is some self reflection on what is really making you miserable... The exam is something external - you need to look in the mirror and be happy on the inside before taking on anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarnelianButterfly Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Some people take exams poorly, I know I do. But I found the best thing to do (even for practice exams), is trying to calm down, not stress, and focus. You should go somewhere quiet and secluded, I like libraries that have basements, I go to the most remote corner. Make an outline of the material you want to study. When you feel you understand a part check it off. A good thing to help studying is the practice exams. When you get something wrong, reread the questions look for the logic that would produce the answer. If you can, find sources that are specific for the questions you missed and read up on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n83 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 I am reading the explanations of the answers given in the books.. It's just not helping at all. I'm just not getting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poloplayer Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Hi, First, congrats on such a strong GPA from college. Second, the LSAT and law school is masterable. It takes time and lots of practice. I've met some very smart people - ones that had high undergrad GPA's, and some from top tier schools, but they either (A) scored poorly on the LSAT, or (B) did terrible in law school. The LSAT's and law school are a whole new beast. You need to re-learn how to think, and to think in a very dry, narrow, concrete kind of way. Try setting up a game plan. Like a 2-3 month study plan for the exam. Plan a schedule for timed exams, exam reviews, practice questions, etc. Many of these books and CDs are available at your local library. If you don't have the discipline, look into some classes. These classes will help you focus by giving you homework and a schedule to follow. I don't think the tips will be any better than what you'll find in the books, but do whatever will help you score better. Look into the June exam if you don't feel like you're prepared. DO NOT TAKE THIS TEST IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED. The LSAT IS the main component of admission to law school. You can have a sub 3.0 GPA, but with a top LSAT, you can be at a top school. I think you are frustrated because you have the exam in a month, and you know where you are scoring at the moment. Would you be able to take the exam in June? Perhaps the extra time will give you the time and practice you need to score well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crackerjakk Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Well, if you are the U.S., you will still be able to get into law school with a 150. If you are in Canada, I would suggest not writing in February because if you score anything close to how you've been doing so far you chances of getting into a school are almost zero. Instead I would recommend studying until you finally get a grasp of it and you are able to stand a chance at pulling off a competitive score. There's no sense in risking getting a bad score. Also, often people will do worse on the real thing due to nerves/anxiety so its a good idea to make sure you're able to get a higher score while practicing on your own than you need to actually get. When I wrote the thing I bombed it and did far worse than I could have ever imagined and I wasn't even nervous at the time. I still have no idea how it happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayKay Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Alright, my recommendations is just take the time initially to get comfortable with the content of the exam. Paying for prep courses can be beneficial in teaching you how to approach it and the proper techniques. If you had a bad experience with Kaplan, try a private tutor. The LSAT is really more about knowing the "tricks" and being able to master the timing involved in it. It is completely do-able, because it is not about knowing any certain subject. The reason people seem to have problems with it is because it is not like studying in the usual sense. There is NO material that you can study beforehand to be prepared. The material itself is irrelevant to the exam. Knowing "subject matter" is of no use because that is not what it is testing you on. It REALLY is a test of your thinking and logic skills, and that is something most people are not used to being examined on. Before I wrote it, I just did NUMEROUS practice exams, both untimed and timed to figure out where my weaknesses were. I was strong in the reading comprehension areas, my main weakness was the analytical reasoning (logic games) so that is where I focused more of my time in the last couple weeks before the exam. It really was about getting comfortable with the sections rather than being fearful of them. And, if you don't do so wonderful the first time, write again to bring your score up (though they take an average rather than the better score). But don't be too fearful, even a 150 does not exclude you from Law if you have a strong GPA and depending on the manner in which the schools you are applying for assess the LSAT versus GPA's, overall life accomplishments, and so forth. To be completely honestly, Law school does not seem to reflect the LSAT very much, particularly in how you may do in it or take to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n83 Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 It REALLY is a test of your thinking and logic skills, and that is something most people are not used to being examined on. Yeah I'd rather have something I can memorize.. the sad thing is, I'm not even timing myself on questions yet and those that I'm spending tons of time on are not even the hardest ones and I'm still getting them wrong. I can't afford any more prep courses or tutoring..and I don't think they'd help. Technically I know all the "tricks" of the LSAT but I always get bogged down by the excessive wordiness, and I can't even figure out the most basic of the logic games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie2006 Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 N83, I hear ya! I didn't take the LSAT but I took the GRE and the months that I studied for that horrid exam was the bleakest and darkest days of my life! I literally spent the whole day memorizing vocabulary words, taking mock exams, memorizing vocabulary words, taking mock exams ... you get the picture ... Anyway, what helped me keep my sanity is my study group; if you aren't already in one, how about organizing one of 3 ~4 people? We studied together, administered tests on each other, and generally b****-ed about the exam together, which released a lot of tension! Anyway, hope you don't get too stressed! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Just wanted to say that I hope you got a good night's rest and are having a better time with the studying today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n83 Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Thanks everyone for the responses. Glad I'm not the only person made miserable by these damn standardized tests.. I'm about to go try to study a little more before my son wakes up from his nap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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