<p>I am going into my 2nd year at UCLA and am considering taking the LSAT this October. Many people are telling me this is much too early to take the test. The reason I want to take it early is because this summer I have time to study, and I really don't feel that taking another year of biology and chemistry (I am a science major) will help me much when it comes to the LSAT.</p>
<p>So my question pretty much is, is there a reason why I should NOT take the LSAT this early, entering into my Sophmore year?</p>
<p>If you are already seriously considering taking the LSAT, you probably have not given enough thought yet to whether (and why) you want to go to law school, as opposed to aiming in some other direction. Do yourself a favor and put your time and energy into thinking about various possibilities and enjoying the summer) instead of studying for a test that you might wind up deciding not to take.</p>
<p>Taking the LSAT now wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Your score is good for 5 years, so if you take it now you can still wait 2 years after graduation using that score. More importantly, though, take dadofsam’s advice about giving some thought about if you really want to go to law school. That doesn’t mean you can’t be taking and studying for the LSAT while you’re thinking about it, but if you’re sure about law school, why are you a science major in the first place?</p>
<p>I think that you should take at least a sample LSAT as soon as possible. It may help you make the decision about whether you should go to law school.</p>
<p>Well if I decide to take the test and don’t end up applying to law school, it doesn’t matter right? No other grad school / med school cares about the LSAT am I correct? </p>
<p>As to the person who asked why I am a science major.. this is because I love science but am highly doubtful whether I want to go to medical school.</p>
<p>So it seems that the very worst that can happen is I might end up taking the test for nothing if I decide to not go to law school.</p>
<p>Yes, you are making sense, but here’s the thing…law schools care pretty much only about your GPA and LSAT score, and not all that much else. So with the effort you’re putting into a biology major, you could be pulling straight A’s as an English or History major, while also learning skills (critical reading and writing) that will help you on the LSAT and in law school.</p>
<p>Why do you assume that someone who has an aptitude for biology and/or who enjoys biology will necessarily get straight A’s as an english or history major? I think that your assumption is likely to be incorrect in many instances.</p>
<p>Personal experience. It’s not so much about the “aptitude for biology” as the simple fact that it is a much more demanding major. I was an English major in college and three of my roommates were Biology majors, and even though I had a greater “aptitude” for the field, any one of them could have pulled a 3.75+ if they devoted the same time to an English major as they did to Bio. </p>
<p>That said, the enjoyment of Biology was what I was really getting at. If the OP enjoys biology, why is he considering law school? And if he knows he wants to go to law school, the enjoyment of 4 years of biology won’t outweigh the lost opportunity to prepare for law school and the LSAT in his studies. If an experiment was done in which English and Biology majors took the LSAT, the English majors would fare much better…and that was my point.</p>
<p>I originally was premed. I guess I want to keep the option of medical school open. Plus I hope as a lawyer to find a field which relates to science and biology.</p>
<p>I took it spring of my sophomore year. Just know you want to go first. Otherwise, it’s not worth the pain that is the LSAT if you don’t go to law school. Good luck.</p>
<p>Biology gives out lower grades on average, but not so much lower that it is a universal truth. I know a lot of medical students who graduated with 3.9’s in Biology who don’t understand what a run-on sentence is.</p>
<p>I posted this in another thread; according to this, English majors don’t fare that much better than Biology majors on the LSAT. It’s about the same. In my opinion, the test seems to be geared towards the abilities of hard science majors (Physics/Math).</p>
<p>I dont think the test favors english majors, as law school doesn’t require an english/history major so it wouldnt be fair to make a test that favors them. Personally I think the LSAT is just a difficult SAT. I did quite well on the SAT and from the practice LSAT sections I’ve done (I have yet to take a full practice test) I feel I could do quite well on the LSAT as well. Although I will admit that reading comprehension is probably my weakest subject, if I was an English major I’d have had much more reading practice.</p>
<p>I’m not going along with biology being a much more demanding major than English. It is only different. I had biology major friends in undergrad who were constantly telling me that they would never be able to handle the volume of reading or writing that I did as an English major. Some of them were not particularly good writers and I think there some talent involved in that skill.</p>
<p>I’m also plannign to take the LSAT this fall or next spring of my sophomore year. I guess it all depends on your study habits. For me, I learn and do things better in the long run, so I guess it’s better to start early. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone know how many times can one take the LSAT? How many times is the recommended number by most law schools?</p>