Welcome to the latest installment of Law Admissions Q&A, a feature of Law Admissions Lowdown that provides admissions advice to readers who send in questions and admissions profiles.
If you have a question about law school, please email me for a chance to be featured next month.
[Learn more about preparing for the LSAT.]
This week, I will answer questions about LSAT test timing when life throws you curveballs.
I have begun my preparation for the December exam, but because of work obligations, I know I won’t be able to devote as much time as I’d like to my preparation in November. Should I push through with my preparation for December even though I won’t be able to devote myself as fully to the test next month or should I wait until February to take the test? -Unsure December Tester
Dear Unsure December Tester: The answer to this question depends in part on how compromised you are during November. As I have mentioned in other posts, the four or so weeks leading up to the test date are the most important in terms of preparation. If you can’t devote 10-15 hours each week to LSAT preparation during November — while maintaining a regular sleep schedule and your sanity — then it is likely a better move to postpone to February.
[Read about whether to postpone the LSAT from December to February.]
One additional factor to consider is when you’re planning on applying to law school. If you’re applying during this admissions cycle, then the December exam is definitely preferable.
Some schools do not accept February exam scores, so you would be limiting the pool of schools you could apply to. Furthermore, even for the schools that do take the February exam scores, you will have no option to retake the LSAT before applying if it doesn’t go well.
In a nutshell: If you’re applying this cycle, take the December LSAT and do your best to set aside enough time in November to prepare sufficiently. If you aren’t applying this cycle, continue to prepare as you have, cut back during November and then plan to spend December and January fully focused on LSAT prep.
I had been preparing thoroughly for the September LSAT, but because of a sudden — but fortunate — change in my work situation in August, I upended my life, moved to a new city and began a job that has required a huge amount of work to get up to speed and in a position to succeed. As a result, my preparation for the September test dropped off and I decided to postpone. Because of the demands of my job, I won’t be able to spend significant time preparing for the LSAT until April. When do you recommend I take the LSAT and how should I prepare? -Postponed LSAT Tester
Dear Postponed LSAT Tester: First , it sounds like you made the right decision to postpon e the LSAT.
The final four weeks of preparation are critical. Since you weren’t in a position to dedicate the necessary time in those final weeks, I think you made the right decision in postponing, assuming, of course, that you aren’t planning on applying to law schools this year.
[Discover these three preparation keys for the June LSAT.]
If you have free time again starting in April, the June 2017 exam would make the most sense. Taking the LSAT in June seems like it will coincide with a lower-intensity period in your job and enable you to spend enough time to be fully prepared for the exam. It also allows for you to re take the exam in September and still apply on the early end of the admissions cycle, should you underperform in June.
As for preparation, although I generally advise setting aside four months to prepare, it sounds like you have already done a lot to study for the test before your work situation changed. In this situation, I recommend that you take four to six full, timed practice tests in your first two weeks back in LSAT preparation mode.
There will inevitably be rust, so don’t put much stock in the scores you get during this period. After that many tests, though, you should be a point or too away from where you were scoring before you took time off and ready to build on your previous preparation.
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Know When to Postpone LSAT Testing originally appeared on usnews.com
