<p>I know most sites recommend that you take the LSAT June before senior year or September of your senior year, but what about early your junior year? I am currently a sophomore and I want to take the LSATs early to get an idea of my eligibility for law school and I will be studying abroad second semester junior year, so I thought I'd take this summer to study for the LSATs and take them this September. I didn't want to worry about the LSAT senior year. Is that a poor decision? Should I wait until senior year? I'm an art history and french double major if it makes any difference to critical skills I may accrue before taking the LSAT junior year as oppose to senior year. I'm not DEAD set on going to law school (as you can see from my major) but I want to leave that possibility open.</p>
<p>There is no problem with taking the test early. Just give yourself enough time to prepare.</p>
<p>Hi lils- my d was in a similar situation to you. She's going abroad in a few weeks (in her junior year) and also wanted to get the LSAT's out of the way. So late last August she decided to take the December exam. (Originally she was going to take the LSAT's her senior year, but also thought she would be too rushed to decide on appropriate schools and get the applications out) So she also made the decision to take the LSAT's early in her junior year before she went abroad. She basically had 3 + months to study- which seemed to be the right amount of time for her. If she had made the decision early summer, she might have been able to study a bit more leisurely over the summer- but she did quite well and is very content with her outcome.<br>
Remember the LSAT's reading section is changing this June 2007- so make sure you are using the most up to date study material. I think the other sections are remaining the same.<br>
Alot of kids really like the Powerscore "bibles" (games and logic).<br>
If you use your summer wisely, you should have enough time to properly prepare for the exam. You will also have the option of taking it in December if you need more time to study. My d did take a bit of an easier load this past semester, as she did have to contend with the LSAT's and Finals at the same time- but she did fine. She actually got her highest GPA this semester-LSAT's and all.
Good luck.</p>
<p>marny1,
When you say that your daughter studies for 3 months, how many hours per day or per week does that mean? Do you have any advice for making a study plan?</p>
<p>Hi Lfk- On p.3 of this Law School Discussion board there was a thread started by Mchllhcm. " GREAT SELF-STUDY PLAN. " He refers to Vera's guide to self study that is often discussed on another law school thread- lawschooldiscussion.org
As a parent, I have been following the LSD (yeah- that is what it is called) thread more frequently as my d will be applying next year. And for good or bad she stays away from these discussion boards so I have to check it out "for her".
You may want to track down Mchllhcm or Vera's self study guide. He said it cost $10- but as I have read good things about it, I DO NOT think it is a scam and I do feel that it could be helpful.
My own d is basically a self studier but did take the Kaplan course and I "forced" her to take the Powerscore week-end course too. I know she is a very disciplined student- so my guess is that she did one or two tests a week in addition to the Kaplan course and ALL the assigned homework. She probably went up 15 points from the Kaplan diagnostic to the actual test- so she was satisfied with her results.
I know alot of kids like powerscore and testmasters, but when I looked at the class schedule, it looks like they have classes 3 or 4 days a week. For my own kid, this would have been way too much classtime as she would rather work on her own. So depending on one's study habits, some methods work better for some kids.
Good luck</p>
<p>Nevermind!!
I just bumped up the self study thread- so it should be placed around here. Should have thought about bumping it up earlier!!</p>
<p>I got nine points out of the LSAT by taking thirteen practice tests in two weeks, so that averages out to about one a day for about three hours.</p>
<p>Obviously, more time nets you more points (within reason).</p>
<p>Does it really make a difference on how many years have passed between when you took the LSATs and when you apply to law school? For instance, say you take them just before your junior year, then take a few years off to work or whatever after college, and then apply with a score that's 4 or 5 years old. Would that raise some eyebrows, or is a good score just a good score, no matter how long ago it was?</p>
<p>Currently, your scores are good for 5 years. </p>
<p>However, the test is changing in June 2007 so I don't know how the change will affect students with older scores.</p>
<p>LSAC will continue to report your scores for five years, though some law schools require that you apply with more recent scores (usually within the last three or four years). Please check the admissions requirements of the schools you are considering applying to before you take the LSAT early.</p>